Davo

Ooooh, East Africa, I follow you now. These carburettors are easy to rebuild, especially if you've got the internet. There's not much to them at all, kits are easy to get, and you just have to be methodical. If the throttle spindles are really loose in the bodies then you would need someone to help with that.

Oh dear God . . .

I do believe JLR have a mannequin which is a perfect copy of Victoria Beckham and is used to model the interior sizing of all their new vehicles.

Good man! Looking forward to seeing what you wind up with.

Overheating is the enemy of the V8, so if you can avoid that by changing all the hoses and so on, that would be the first thing to do. Slipped liners make tapping sounds and if coolant is getting out it will "steam clean" the piston and spark plug, so that is generally the easy way to check. Of course a compression test would be a good idea, too.

It should have Strombergs, not SUs, but they could have been changed. In any case, unless you actually know the carburettors have been rebuilt, then you should do that, because once they age the engine will never run right. Other than that, you have to go through the usual service items as mentioned above, and definitely include the ignition system as well. Once everything is up to standard, then either you won't have any more problems or, if you do, then you can start troubleshooting in a methodical way instead of just poking away at the thing and hoping for the best.

Well, they're in good company then!

True, and Mercedes, Rolls-Royce, etc., but still I've had some weird Genuine experiences, buying really expensive Genuine Parts that were just aftermarket with the factory sticker on them. I've waited some decades for JLR to catch up with the normal retail world . . . I don't think it's going to happen after all.

Dead right. I don't really understand it, but if you try and be helpful with civil servants you'll find yourself suddenly doing the paperwork equivalent of cleaning their staff toilets with your toothbrush. I have dealt with some great government types, too, but that's like finding a parking spot right next to the shops on the day before Christmas. You can't expect it! As for the sink mentioned above, could you just hide it to avoid these hassles?

Quoted from an email I just received from Britcar: "Land Rover will be making sweeping changes to the prices of a huge range of their products as of 1st April as part of their annual price review, including a lot of fast-moving and service related parts. The new prices will come into effect on all orders placed with us after 2pm BST (GMT +1) on Friday the 31st March 2017. If you're waiting to place an order, we would recommend submitting it before midday on Friday. This will give us enough time to get your parts ordered with Land Rover before the 2pm cut-off. We have been warned by Land Rover that the price change will be striking, with parts generally being between 3% and 5% more expensive; a few parts will be up to twice their current price. This price increase only affects Genuine Land Rover parts, not any of our vast catalogue of aftermarket and OEM parts. If you are concerned that these new prices will make it impossible to justify the cost of Genuine parts, we also stock an OEM version of almost every Land Rover part - these offer Genuine quality without the Genuine cost." I'm sure Britcar would like some extra sales from this, (by this I mean: they are a business, so I can understand it.) As for JLR, I've always wondered about their woeful pricing.

Bloody hell!

One thing about Mr. Niestat I learned is that he uses very little equipment but puts a lot of his effort into setting up a shot, and then especially the editing. He's been at it to the point where he has his own high-quality style, which is more than can be said for many a professional production, much less for anything on Youtube. And no, I'm not a fourteen-year-old skateboarding fan of his, I just love these bare-bones productions the internet has made possible.

Could you post their answer? My seats are so bad they resemble small tubs filled with old rags.

Aw, come on, look at all those sparkling videos on Youtube shot by one guy - it's just a matter of working with what you've got. (Yes, I'm thinking of those Casey Neistat daily vlogs.) Perhaps with an industry background you'll need some time to "downsize" your thinking, because I didn't notice anything wrong and it was obvious you knew what you were doing.

I suppose that would work if the tube was rigid enough and didn't bend when hitting the bottom of the sump. (I know how that reads but I can't re-word it!) Don't some cars come without a dipstick these days? (Oh I've done it again. Ok, I'll stop now.)

People buy what is available, not what they want, and I very much doubt it would involve little side windows you can't see out of and a front end which looks like a pile of folded laundry. Manufacturers follow trends in a predictable desperation to be a part of whatever style is the latest, and as for being different . . . well, nobody takes risks these days, do they?

Good stuff!

I used to live in Canada, so I love it when Britain or Europe get 1.1mm of snow and suddenly it's omg total chaos.

Ah, style and taste, or for that matter refinement . . . where have they gone? I've realised that should I suddenly become extremely wealthy there is not one new vehicle I would buy, because they're all so goddamned ugly. What a great time to own older cars!

I always refer to any of the latest Land Rover designs as "angry bathtubs", so this boy may want to improve his ugly products first.

. . . it's an endless loop . . .

At the end of the day, we, (or the next generation, etc.) are just not going to have much choice other than to drive and consume less. That's how it was in the olden days, and what's become normal for us can't continue forever. And I don't mean wearing rags and living in shacks and eating a cat on Sunday, I mean living close to work, not driving huge distances, not owning so much that it all has to be shipped in from overseas, and so on. I very much suspect that this will take place gradually as what we rely on dries up in some way or other. This is one reason I drive a V8!

"A term used to describe that one little room (or garage) that the man of the household is given permission by his wife or girlfriend to furnish how he wants and do whatever he wants in it. It should be noted that the word 'man' is used very loosely when referring to a man cave. A real man doesn't allow himself to be shoved into one corner of his own house. So, you’ve lost your way and she’s taken over the whole house? Kids running riot? Nowhere left to escape to? Have no fear, I can help. This is the perfect little hideaway for you to decorate how you want and have no interference from your wife/girlfriend/mummy. The extra benefit of this is that it’s painted in a camouflage design on the outside, so she won’t even be able to see it in the first place to try and have some input about how and what you decorate it with, just sit it in your garden and you’re good to go. With ample room inside for a table, a few chairs, a nice big TV and a fridge for all your manly beverages, it’s the most ideal place to escape the daily problems of modern day life and just relax. Invite some mates over and enjoy the big game. It’s also the perfect place to just have some quiet time, just shut the door and enjoy the peace. The perfect excuse to start that hobby you’ve always wanted to do." By eBay standards the copy is great, too.

The "G" usually means Genuine, but as far as I'm concerned, if Turner Engineering uses something, then that's what I get.

For the love of God don't climb a home-made ladder while carrying an anvil and listening to Benny Hill music!