DaveSIIA

I tried it with the vacuum hose disconnected, decided it was the way forward and then replaced the master cylinder and pedal assembly with a LWB non-servo type. The brakes were/are single circuit, so finding standard parts wasn't difficult.

Start with the basics and make sure it isn't something transfer box related Oil level correct Handbrake not releasing fully Forward output disengaging properly in high ratio (do you have free-wheeling hubs fitted?) Loose bearing adjustment on the rear output shaft If it is the main gearbox then check the following Oil level correct The castellated nut on the rear of the mainshaft, behind the PTO cover, should be tight and not letting the mainshaft float forwards & backwards (has it got or had an overdrive fitted as the nut may have been disturbed?) Does it have a tendancy to jump out of gear on the over run in 2nd or 3rd - suggests a worn bronze bush on the mainshaft Is the stop for reverse gear set correctly More detailed investigation will require the gearbox out of the vehicle. At that stage a rebuild isn't difficult. Most parts are available from decent stockists. Series boxes are very simple to work on, particularly if reference is made to the factory manuals. Attention to detail when setting up clearances, end floats, etc pays dividends.

I have run 11" brakes all round on my IIA since about 1990. Regular LWB twin leading shoe on the front, and LWB SIII on the rear with the IIA LWB front wheel cylinders. Braking balance has been fine on the road (no tendency to lock the rears early, or swap ends in a corner) and has always tested ok at MoT time. When I get round to the rebuild on a new chassis, it will get the wider 1-ton brake set up on the front. BTW: I used to run a servo with this set up, but found the brakes could be a bit fierce when a gentle application was called for. Did away with the servo and the pedal is nice and progressive without requiring a heavy foot.

I've had the 1000 for ~4 years and done quite a few engine swaps. The reach could do with being another 6" or so for lifting in/out of RRC & 300Tdi Defender. Height issue was just about overcome by taking the pin out and shortening the chain. A more satisfactory solution would be to fit a swivel hook. Using a lifting beam rather than slings helps to minimise the height above the load.

I run a BW transfer box in my 110. There's another 30K+ miles gone on the vehicle since fitting. The viscous coupling still works fine (I check regularly when a front wheel is lifted during services), and the vehicle is regularly driven on lanes and across fields - without any diff lock problems. It is worth checking out the cost of reconditioning a BW unit as the chain can stretch, oil pump wears and the viscous coupling can sieze. This might make it a somewhat more expensive proposition than replacing a full set of bearings in a LT230.

Conversion of a hardtop to a station wagon is pretty straight forward. I helped a mate do just that when he was faced with needing more family transport. He bought a SW back body, complete with roof and it was delivered as one assembly. We decided to work with large lumps of bodywork, so removed the hardtop body as one. The bulkhead and seat box were left in place. A telehandler made lifting the parts very easy. Chassis changes amounted to removing the brackets for the front end of the hardtop body and replacing them with the SW cross member. The SW body just dropped back in place. Everything was simple nuts & bolts changes, with no cutting/shutting/welding. Two of us could have been completed the body swap in a fairly relaxed day. We opted to weld some repairs on the bulkhead and pop the body on the following morning. The size of the assembly precludes an easy one man job when trying to line up the SW body. There are some photo's of the job here I wouldn't try to make a 5-door body from a 3-door as there is a lot more to the structure than cutting the shape of a door. If you stick with the standard SW body, absence of the bulkhead behind the driver's seat won't affect structural integrity as you keep with a recognised factory configuration. The roof is common to both body types.

I have the opportunity to fit a known good 300Tdi engine & auto box (ex Disco) in my 300Tdi manual 110 CSW. The swap is essentially a nuts & bolts exercise (gear shift and surround excepted), so not much of a technical issue. The vehicle is used for a broad mix of work roads around the Peak District regular motorway/fast A road runs to the south of England and middle of Scotland quite often solo, but also can be fully laden and/or with a heavy trailer laning around the Peak, Lakes and N Wales There seem to have been a fair number of 90's converted, but not much reported about 110's. Can anyone share hands on experience of driving a 300Tdi 110 auto? I am already familiar with the pro's/con's of laning with an auto, hence not to worried about that sort of thing. More interested in how it will drive on the road; will it change down and do nothing when I expect to overtake, etc?

My recommendation would be Elring, as I haven't had one fail (and I have done probably 8-10 200/300Tdi's over the past 10 years). All the cheap, unbranded gaskets (supplied by the vehicle owners) have failed fairly quickly - the worst case being <600 miles. A check of the head flatness, replace the gasket with an Elring and the job has been a success. BTW: The Paddocks gasket looks very much like an Elring, but isn't! There may be other decent brands, but this has been my experience.

I have experienced problems with cheap, unbranded head gaskets on a 200Tdi. What make of head gasket are you using? Also, have you checked the flatness of the head face?

Was the engine exhibiting these problems before you changed the cam followers and pushrods? If not then it suggests you may have set something incorrectly - tappet clearance?

Call me sceptical, but I can't see any gains from something that is basically a piece of pipe with side branches hung on it where needed to feed the engine! I like the bit about turbo lag causing a loss of torque - maybe under transient conditions, but unlikely under steady state measurements. PS: Don't knock the orange, there are other performance inducing colours

The bell housing on its own doesn't readily lend itself to adapting to a US V8. However, I didn't say it couldn't be done and a thin(ish) adapter plate appears to see you right (judging by the photo's) - much the same as LR did with the TF-727 in the RRC. That was probably a trivial exercise to someone with your measuring, marking and machining skills. Respect is due.

The auto box is a GM 4L80E. They turn up from time to time in the UK ex-US services Hummers, etc or more commonly from mid-90's Jaguar XJ12/XJS/XJR. Be aware that the bell housing is cast with the box and not interchangeable - the Jag can't be readily adapted to fit a US V8. There is a bit more detail at http://www.mez.co.uk. The engine can't be a "1.2 litre Fiat Punto Turbo" as it doesn't have enough cylinders. However, two spliced together on a common crank maybe

That's a bit of a generalisation. The R380 in my 300Tdi 110 has had a fairly hard working life - averaging 40K miles per annum for the first six years of ownership, frequently fully loaded or towing a trailer and normally keeping a good roll on. From a base in the Peak District, it was often run to the south coast or up to the north of Scotland. Continental runs were a regular feature - south of France, Switzerland / northern Italy, across to Berlin or up in to northern Denmark. The common aspect to all these journeys was that it was driven direct to the destination or until refuelling was called for. The gearbox had plenty of time to get up to temperature and stay there, yet there were no seal failures. I don't dispute that an oil cooler helps give the oil an easier life. For this particular failure the gearbox needs removing, stripping down and a critical inspection so as to establish the cause for failure. There can be odd behaviour if the oil pump expires or the oil gallery up the centre of the mainshaft gets blocked. The bearing between the input shaft and the nose of the mainshaft can fail, allowing the mainshaft to float and the tail end (slide fit collar) damages the output seal. This might also address why the box worked well enough to limp home in 4th. @Cipx2: I would drop the box and (with a bit of jiggling) remove the forward case from the centre plate to inspect gears 1 thro 4 and the front end bearings. It is easy enough to reassemble if you decide to go the recon unit route.

They are ~£100 to replace. A known good unit is worth keeping for the day when the one on the vehicle packs up (~150K+ miles) and it is compact enough to store.

I did exactly what you want to do with my 300Tdi 110. As noted above, the engine is a direct replacement. The Disco alternator has a larger diameter pulley than the Defender, but is of no consequence if you aren't driving a rev counter. You will need to remember that the serpentine belt is for a Disco rather than a Defender. The air box was solved very simply - I measured the torque of the two head bolts; removed them; fitted the Defender air box bracket; refitted the head bolts and re-torqued. They are on the outer row, so may not be critical to sealing the cylinders. The engine has done over 40k miles like that without a problem. It is worth changing the cam belt while the engine is out (unless you know the history of the Disco engine and the job was done recently). What condition is your clutch, and in particular the release arm? Much easier to sort out while the engine bay is empty. The radiator & intercooler assembly appears to be the same on the Disco & Defender, so worth keeping. Not sure about the exhaust down pipe, but could be worth checking. I would also keep the vacuum pump off the Defender engine (if it is in good working order). There may be other bits worth salvaging.

The adjuster on the outer cable should be set to give 1mm clearance between the end of the adjuster and the sleeve crimped on the inner cable. Are you sure it is kick down, or could it be the torque converter locking/unlocking at 50mph?

I would check the light switch on the steering column. Try wiggling it around when switched to side lights and check if the lights flicker. My first one lasted ~150K miles and the replacement has started to play up.

Land Ranger Services do them (at least at Stockport & Atherton). Paddocks no longer supply boots - I asked about a fortnight back.

As above, if you have 205R16 or 235/70R16 tyres on your 90 then the speedo will be geared correctly. If running 7.50R16 or 235/85R16 tyres then you will have to replace the speedo drive gear in the transfer box with a blue gear (probably from your old transfer box). Other gears are available - there is a thread on here about part numbers, number of teeth, gear colour, etc which the search function should throw up.

With the REM bridged to +12V, could you drive the amp with an iPod/MP3 player (3.5mm stereo jack to twin phono lead?)? This would prove the amp and speakers work ok. If it passes this test, then it is either the wiring to the head unit, or the head unit hasn't had the output enabled correctly. The Sony unit in my 110 has the option for sub out / line out / off. If set to sub out, the small speakers might not reproduce the low frequencies very well.

I can recommend a couple just along the road from me. The Bull i' th' Thorn about five miles south of Buxton on the A515 and Hulme End Camp Site near the Manifold Inn, not far from Hartington. Both are in the heart of the White Peak and within easy reach of all the usual attractions (or just plain open countryside/lanes). The camp sites are within staggering distance of the pub.

I believe it is cut down from a V8 LT77 with a piece of alloy plate welded in.

Does the expansion tank cap seal correctly and open at the right pressure? It might be worth trying a known good one.

The logic is correct, and it has probably been thought through / done before. The LT77/LT230 combination is a good few inches longer than the Series gearbox and is a bit of a squeeze in 88" chassis - I have seen it done in a Lightweight with a Perkins Phaser turbo diesel and a custom bellhousing/input shaft. There is also the issue of the front propshaft and the flywheel housing crossmember wanting to occupy the same space. IIRC, the Rover SD1 ran a short bellhousing LT77 on the V8 models. This combination would save hunting for a V8/Series adaptor and would run a standard set of clutch components.