JeffR

Strength for strength, spiders web (a type of silk) is many times stronger than steel of the equivalent diameter and incredibaly lite weight, now what we need is for some enterprising genetic manipulator to breed spiders which produce winch ropes, mind you to get a 12mm cross section spiders web would need one f$%k off big spider. Gonna need something bigger than a jam jar to catch the bugger in though......

I have tried a number of after market window kits on numerous vehicles, quite frankly they are very rarely up to the job. Best bet is to buy the electric regulator (not scarily expensive) inner door panels (ditto) and after market switches from a landrover dealer or spares place. Easy to fit as they are designed for the job and they do what they say on the tin!!

Confession time, not only do I hoard good stuff, I have problems disposing of knackered stuff. My wife worked out (when we moved house last year) that I currently own somewhere in the region of 39 fishing rods. A large proportion of which are damaged. I've got spares for various cars that I haven't owned in 25 years. I guess it's a man thing cos you can bet your wedding tackle (to be removed without the use of an anaesthetic) that the day after you bin the doobry that fitted the after sprocket belonging to the whatchamacallit - YOU ARE GOING TO NEED IT. Same as little bits of alloyplate (you know the bits I mean - about 3 inches square) bin 'em and the next day you find a use for them. My missus simply accepts that if it looks useful I'll find somewhere to keep it. She once hired a skip (yes I am that bad at chucking stuff) and spent 2 days filling it, took me less than a night (she worked nightshift) to recover the couldbe stuff out of it. Got it bad folks, really bad

The wee beasties above is a Hornet. Really cool dude critter, unlike wasps, who sting first then ask questions, Hornets whilst being very large (you wanna see a queen) are kinda laid back.

Once did an invertebrate survey of what species lived in my Landrover and was shocked to find about a dozen or so types of insect resident in said vehicle. Spiders were common (at least 4 species, not counting the little black jobbies that are difficult to identify), as were Lacewings (larvae look like the moster out of the movie Tremors), Psychodids (Owl Midges), Carabid and Staphylinid beetles and numerous Two winged flies (Diptera). Guess what I do for a living then!!!!

I use dried rice on a pair of Hella Chromes. Combine with bicarb ans plenty water then swirl away till you get bored. Bugger of a job getting the rice out, but very effective.

It don't help that wheels and tyres were on my previous 110, which sat outside (not on blocks) for over a year!.. At least the Wildcats stayed round - had a vehicle on BFG's that also sat around for about 6 months and the tyres turned oval - tried a dozen times to have em balanced, but they were just carp, ain't bought BFG's since.

I have to admit having a hankering for all those makes, but as the Wilcats are about £40-60 cheaper per corner...........

Still trying to decide what tyres to buy next. Trouble is there ain't a great choice when it comes to 265/70/17's. the Wildcats that are on have only done 65K!

Recently replaced a very leaky steering box on the 110, without damage to myself or said vehicle. So wife goes off shopping in it. When she gets back "there's a really bad vibration through the steering and it wanders all over the road" "Bugger, whats broke this time" thinks I. So tears apart the front end and replaces anything that that looked iffy, even reset the swivel pre-load. Goes for test drive and bugger me if the damn thing was virtually un-drivable. Re-checks all the previous work, gives grief to the place I bought the steering box from, then noticesthe front offside tyre.............. The trashed sidewall was on the inside, looking at the tyre whilst on the vehicle, well it looked perfectly OK. Even when it was lying in the garden.. Smell it madam, I was sitting in it.

Believe it or not, I bought a Laser (!!!!!!!!!) half inch drive (300ft lbs) to do a brake conversion on a Mini last year for round about £100, and I hate to say it, (my smaller one is Norbar) but it does what it says on the tin. Came complete with a calibration certificate and instructions to have the thing re-calibrated regularly. I mean for what it cost....... Had a mate check it out at his work and it was spot on in terms of accuracy

I was once fortunate enough to be present when a Merlin engined Spit, Hurricane and a Lanc were all fired up at the same time, man that was music for the soul. The chaps who flew those things in anger had VERY BIG TUNGSTEN dangly bits. There simply ain't enough memorials dedicated to them

I find this thread interesting, especially the bit about incorrect torques being printed in the manuals. Therefore, does anyone have the time or inclination (perhaps on the technical forum) to actually compile an accurate list?

Introducing our new range of tyres : The Anorexia

The big problem is that if I need to phone for a price, then what was the point in looking at a website. Websites that with hold/don't/can't be bothered to show prices waste my time.

I wasted a goodly chunk of my life over the weekend trying to track down some bits (both for a Landrover and a Mini). Can someone explain to me why a given supplier will have a website listing everything one could ever want yet not give prices. If I find the immortal phrase "ring for price" one more time I swear to God I will do someone a bloody mischief. To all the reatilers who may or may not be reading this - wanna know how to loose customers? Easy, don't put prices on your website. You see the cynic in me thinks that they don't give a price 'cos they are gonna screw you if they don't like the sound of your voice. Rant over

join the club, only time mine was ever straight was when I reversed into a tree.

That's about what I was thinking, I like QH stuff, tends to do what it says on the box

To make ordering parts more difficult?

Time to change the track rod ends on my defender, going to uae greasable ones (it's the family hack) but which are best Bearmach or QH?

Try using the palstic tube from a cotton bud (you may have to try different brands to find one to fit) or failing that I have used a split drinking straw - honest they work

Believe me, on my present landrover, all of the above are applicable,sometimes the dashboard does a damn good impression of a 1970's disco, complete with mirror ball. Thye last owner clearly had the electical knowledge of a chinchilla on speed!

The quote "When the wiring springs a leak and lets all the smoke out of the system, nothing works afterward". is not, in my experience, always true. In many cases escaping blue smoke usually results in some cessation of function of the components to which it is attached AND more often than not, the novel function of other components to which it is not attached......

My 1991 110 V8's got em

Had a similar problem a few years ago whilst on a short break in the Lakes. I had just fitted a set of shiney headers to a V8, but had not lagged them. Heat from header melted all the starter wiring resulting in a starter that would not stop. Now in a normal vehicle, one would merely disconect the F**kin battery - but I had none standard seats..... To the swines in the Ambleside one way system who refused to stop so we could put out the fire I wish you all a great deal of ill will (that's the nice way of putting it). To cut a long story short we had a bit of a meltdown ended up attempting a re-wire of the engine/starter loom on a campsite with very basic tools (asked wife "Where's the tool box?" "You put it in" , "No you put it in" - bloody tool box was still in Devon landrover was in Ambleside. Still ended up with a nice new socket set, £200 taxi bill and "temporary wiring" that lasted 4 years. Always carry an assortment of different ampage wiring and connectors now. And have a battery cut out switch. Still got the none standard seats though. Mind you the kids thought it was just bloody fantastic going up over the Struggle on the back of a recovery truck