Corrode Finger

As i was mentioned earlier, i may aswell chip in, i was inspired by the 4x4 is born dvd, but in fairness, when mine was built we did it to make it correct for the actual install rather than being a slave to other builds. Have a shufty at my build if you want, in the members vehicles section, 'Another Shires 100" Kingcab", was page 3 or 4 i think! My rear tub is a 109 with the front of the tub 'unstitched' and the bulkhead removed and moved back for the kingcab! When building it, 'we' placed the full tub on the chassis once the bulkhead was on etc, then aligned the centre of the rear wheelarch with the middle of the rear wheel so that it looked correct! Then adjusted the front of the tub for the doors to fit! You have to find all the spot welds for the bulkhead, and door slam panel, and drill them out so that it can be cut and then put back together. Slightly nerve wracking chopping up the tub to make it fit. As for the back, the rear of the tub is 'long' as a 110, it is bar an inch or soo, the correc length for the standard RRC overhang of the chassis. To shorten it at the back to be correct its the same as the front.... "unstitch" the rear panel, shorten it put it back together, to try and make it look correct and fit whatever you intend! Hope that makes some sense! It does this end typing it!!

Umm, might see if i can get the Hybrid re-mot'ed, funds allowing this month, as i fancy having a go at a trial or two! Went and watched SCOR at Brick Kiln, about two years, ago, when it snowed, damn cold if i remember!! I assume mine would be ok, its just a rebodied, full length, RRC, totally mechanically standard!

Cheers Mate!!!!!! Just thought, how 'basic' are basic P38's..... i geuss that the irritating factor will be all the toys, seats, windows, climate control, etc, etc!! Having seen them at 'traders' for £2500, i am guessing that a PX value on one is around £1k, if its going to be a toy, cosmetics are not a major problem. Against my better logic, this appeals!!! And as sheeppimp says, i have a P38 donor for another hybrid build!!

Jen, I have seen Moo's going about, its a blue one, IIRC, and yes it is just one of those RR's that you look at and don't register!! Rust..... as the early ones are 1995, thats 13yrs, so i suspect that if they do a classic rr or disco party trick, then they would be known of by now, or knowing my luck with Rangeys, i will be the first to buy one needing full cills, a posts, footwells, rear xmember etc etc!!

It would have no other purpose other than being a toy, got a 2.0 car for daily duties, its cheaper to feed, so i was really wondering what they were like for reliability, rust, which is the classics problem now, and how likely they would be to throw electrickery wobblies etc!! Just that you dont see many offroaded, most seem to still be 'cars'!! Also can they easily be fitted up with muds, ie with disco rims etc, etc? It also the fact that they are a bit 'alien' in soo much as nobody seems to do much with them etc? I geuss any ecu probs can be 'solved' with MS etc?

Probably about to get flamed for this, but, as several people on here know, i have a thing for Range Rovers....... not that i can buy a good one mind, well not least in the Classic shape anyway!! The classic ..."oooh its rusty!!!" I happened to notice that P38's are getting rather cheap..... nearly at the play day level..... well not the the bottom end that the Disco's seem to occupy admittedly..... but in the £2 - 3k mark!! Would it be good, or has anyone done it yet, gone out and bought a P38, V8 or Derv, and used it as a toy yet? Bit of laning, play day, nothing totally extreme mind? What would the pitfalls be, before i get carried away, and make a mistake( this is just hypothetical mind)

Dont know whether this is practical or relevent, but would the font 'clip' from a sherpa van be any good? I was given the impression that the front setup, admittedly its on leafs, was a non driven beam axle that i have heard is possible to fit on series trucks? It was a suggestion, that came about when someone i know was talking about making a sherpa 4wd, apparently the 'axles' are swappable? On the same logic, the sherpa front beam could be used to create a non driven axle as a solution to this problem?

Hattymender, If i was in your position, thats what i would do! regards engine atleast! Chassis, is another issue, if it will patch up for a while, might be better in the long run to get a new one... especially if the S2 is a keeper.

Umm..... i would argue that if the existing vehicle is still roadworthy, ie MOT and Taxed, and you swap the engine, and tell them, then the DVLA will adjust the V5 accordingly. May want to inspect it with a VIC but thats it, i think. If you change the engine, box, and do chassis for a 2nd hand one all at the same time, its SVA issues, ie loss of reg number etc , etc. My experiance with DVLA etc with my Hybrid was good, (to date), i believe that if you change a component one at a time just through necessity of repair, then they do not take exception to it...... if you have a Hybrid of dubious registration, ie a tax exempt 1990 80" coiler then you have lots of grief. If its just a 'normal' S3 or RRC etc with a alternative engine, then they ought to just change the V5. Thats my understanding.... but others may disagree.

just view the thread about 5 down on the front page called Scorpion racing..... Whats the deal? that has a loverly link in it with lots and lots and lots on this subject! that thread best explains it!

Would the most important consideration in this decision, be the oportunity to buy the best Landcruiser, Patrol, or Land Rover 110? From what people are saying it appears that having a very good base vehicle that has been looked after etc is more important than one that can be modded to the max? Reliability and durability seems to be the main long term requirement, or am i missing something? As Moglite says he will mainly concentrate on Europe, would a Merc G Wagen LWB be any use?

Chips vid is cool, especially when you know the site cos you look out for places you know. Soo when is something similar going to be done with the camera attached to more 'mad' truck.......Fridge and your 109, dlander?

Going back to the original question though, putting an Lseries or even to a point a later td4 into a series makes alot of sense. Blippie, do you know who it was in LROi that did the conversion plate? Brings up some useful ideas?

Nah, not V6, what about the 1.8 Turbo K series,(as found in late Rover 75's) nice and small and compact! with a hoofing turbo to spin up the back wheels.......... it'll be fine........ honest! B)

Random thought, what about an alternative, as its a racer etc, what about an MPI lump......... bear with me, what i actually mean is the Rover Twink Turbo as found in 820 Vittesses etc. Its 200bhp, with gobs of torque, at similar levels to the V8 in the rev range, it'll fit cos its the MPI as found in the disco etc, and being 4cyl, if driven sensibly( its a racer i know) it'll do more mpg? Its also new enough that the Magasquirt edis etc should fit no problem? I would expect it to be lighter than a 200tdi also? If its a rubbish idea, i will go back under my stone!

NFU is the only name that i have seen regurlarly added to that list of usual suspects. Cant give contact details as i am with Adrian Flux.

Well, if you want to drill some more 'bolt' holes, i still have the swivel eye recovery points that you asked about back last year, possibly fit them......... dunno, upto you, just an idea, and you can look at them for fixing purposes without it costing anything initially.

Think it was down to the fact that the chassis had not been cut and it was essentially full length, just crossmember replaced. Other than that, i dont know.

But the cats not smiling....................... oh yeah, i see!!

Go distinctive....... people have an opinion then no matter which way that is. But do it subtle, like mine!

Ryan, Erm something like that, but as i said, just measure mine, it was a RRC, with a Defender bulkhead! Its already together, as far as the back goes, mine is still 'full size' whereas bertha is 'bobbed'. The offer is there, if needed.

I have offered him mine to measure if he wants it, its as close to the 'same' as anything else! Mine is a defender bulkhead, the most important thing is getting the correct 'line' for all of the bodywork due to the rear sweep on the RRc chassis. But FF is correct, get the bulkhead, front wings, and rear tub first so that you can make it look 'right'.

Aye??? Surely it will be obvious anyway, dan has a RRC chassis........ if you are refering to the 'obvious' in an SVA way etc, then the little man at DVLA will know anyway, they aint stupid......... mine is a piece of 100x50 box, so its hardly non-obvious!

Alan, I think that is what miketomcat did with his tomcat build, and Perv did with his...... i think.

From my own perspective, i did a pickup, on the basis it has 2 seats and is commercial, also from talking to others in shires prior to mine being registered, the general consensus from those that did an sva and those like miketomcat and dlander who had VIC's like me was that a pickup was the 'safest' choice.