honitonhobbit

I was meaning don't forget to empty it. Saw the results of a garage not bothering on a TDV8 a couple of weeks back. The Vehicle had then gone on to be sold for 4k - it was a 60 plate. A complete engine re-build takes three days and after both turbo let go they tend to make a re-build a requirement

Watch that second sump on the TDV8 I was lucky enough to work for LR when the L322 was launched. Hell my wedding car was a pre-proddy L322 Without doubt the L322 is the text book example of what LR can do right (and wrong) in a vehicle when they pool all that knowledge about driving off road. To not be able to drive an L322 off road you have to be dead.... I do rather prefer the BMW V8

An Indie - is an independently axled vehicle - both or just front The Defender really is (and I am a complete nut about Defender) a very old design wrapped in shiny stuff. It has had no truly original thought ever (except the TD5). It's a Series with an RRC drive train, fitted with a transit lump, attached to an upgraded 1970's five speed box. Lada came up with the drive train a year before LR. ABS traction control has been around forever.... Very little innovation ever happens in the motor industry. What the Defender has is character. When I was still working for LR thy were increasing sales of Defender 3% year on year with NO advertising and the best reputation for unreliability in the world. When I was working for Toyota Gibraltar Stockholdings (Aid Vehicles) the Toyota guys would have killed for that.... Why do you think they haven't changed it for so long.... A 4" lift for a TJ was, at the time a lot of money - there were two places in the UK that you could buy them and they had labour rates like a modern day LR dealer. The bulk of LR bolt on suspension stuff is cheap rubbish - even the pricey stuff; but the thing to note is LR spares ARE cheap in price! If you had driven a stock TJ (or YJ) back to back with a TD5 90 you would really appreciate where he was coming from - the comment was made with artistic content wrapped around knowledge and fact You'd be surprised how the cheaper end of the 4x4 pickup market is taking over from LR - especially now the Disco one is becoming rarer. A Vitara is a pita to fit the wife and two kids in and it's got sod all ground clearance unless you wreck the gearing. An L200 is roomy but has a smaller silhouette so fits under stuff better. It's got good ground clearance and will pull bigger tyres - it's also got an LSD

78 Cruiser.... mmmmmmm

Defenders are old - it's an old design, patched up with bits of modern on a regular basis. The only issue with your P38 is the bodywork. Move that and it will out perform the Defender every day. Take a UK spec Cherry 2.5 Diesel with the LSD and 1.5" extra spring height and it will keep up with the Defender off road and easily surpass it on road. But I always remember Alan Kidd (Ed at TOR) saying you had to spend 5k on a TJ Jeep to make it as good as a Defender out of the box. At the time I think this was true. The KJ is a lot better. When you drive an indie vehicle (and lets use the 4x4 pickup as an example), you are driving a compromise, a concession to varied needs/requirements. It is unfair to compare. However the Champ, the early Austin Gypsy and even the MUTT (to a point, but not on the road or at speed) proved that independent suspension can work better than a live axle - but at a cost It all comes down to driving ability and attitude. There is no such thing as a good off road driver - just someone who understands the limits of what he is driving and can match them

Exactly. None of my subbies will use a Land Rover defender unless it's for a specific job - for example getting a MEWP to a difficult site. You can tow a chipper perfectly well with a Ranger/Mazda/Toyota/Mitsi/Isuzu - especially with the Dmax - and they all drive better and are more comfortable. Most have traction aids, so chuck a decent set of tyres on and throw a Tirfor in the back. When the going gets silly then we use the fun stuff - but it rarely does

But how would your modern hi-lux fare against the series in carrying 3/4 tonne of tools from Exeter to North Wales and then across two fields, through a wood and up a small hill in the rain, to fix a broken expensive thing?

Me neither The problem with the SJ was no torque. I ran three over the years, one with a 1.6 8 valve, one with a 1.6 16 valve on carbs (yes plural) and one with a 1.3 twin cam. The later was the best. 120bhp at 7500rpm. Rev limiter set to 8k. Like a really angry wasp. Did an 11 hour non stop run to Grenoble from Calais once - went a bit mad for a while

You'll like the new suspension option Eibach, Bilstein and SuperPro Huge hoonability on the road form the new Eibach ARB - yet sooo nice off road I loved my SJ's - they were the best off road toy ever. But I did a few long distance journeys round Eastern and Western Europe and down into Turkey - not for the faint hearted

I've been helping with the development of a new suspension option for Isuzu - for the D-max. Sold through IM, throughout Europe. I would stake my professional reputation on it being the best of the 4x4 pickups about (although I preferred the 3.0litre Turbo to the 2.5TT). It's excellent off road. The new suspension system make sit as good as a 110 in 95% of the situations you would take a 110 through in work off road - with only the rear overhang causing issues. I rate the Ranger/B2500 highly - nut not so much the new Ranger; although the 5 cylinder 3.2 is a cracking engine and uses less juice than the 2.2. The Auto version of the Hi-Lux Invincible is pretty good - not a patch on the old 2.8 NAD RoW Hi-lux - but good all the same The Mitsi L200 is, as it always has been, fair to middling I like the Navarra D20 to D40 a lot - but they are massively tyre dependant - to be fair off road, they will be pants on road and visa versa. Lovely engines (when they don't go bang) Nicest is the 53 plate Basic model If you want to find out just how good indie suspension can be - look at the later generation Mitsi Shogun. The 3.2 lump is sweet. They bang out almost 450ft/lb and weight 500kgs less than the over lardy D3/D4. Mitsi design clever stuff for off road and despite looking pig ugly it's a cracking bus

PistenBully is what we favour for bad access sites. That MB 12.9 Turbo gives a nice P:W and allows the use of interesting cutting gear Most non LR 4x4's do the job they were designed for and do it relatively well. It's generally the driver that doesn't

Defender 90 front discs and callipers with spacers and vented discs and remember you don't get paid to slow down

I was looking under a Humber Sceptre Mk2 earlier today. Nice car - it's got a Holbay 1725 under the bonnet. There are 37 grease nipples for the 1000mile service. I counted them

forgot to put the torque converter in on a 3 speed/4 speed RRC swap a few years back Also forgot to fit the shocks once - all four

Yours is blinged up will - fancy lights on the roof and everything - one even works

Been there...

Never did like Bling. When I was a biker, I followed the Toecutter school of fashion.... Always liked stealth and purpose - except now, pushing 50 and falling apart, I like comfort... I do miss my 110 though - sometimes

I'd echo the Elring thing - no other option, but make sure it's from them - not a dodgy source I'd also suggest you ALWAYS replace the head bolts with new (OE) Finally, you can lift the header tank in the engine bay - make up some brackets to extend the mounting points; sure helps with bleeding

Caterpillar C7 in mil spec

Real men drive Series 1 Discoverys

What bugs me the most is those overland travellers who burden their chosen motor with pointless yet expensive bling - alloy wheels, light bars, shiny stuff. Then express surprise when the indigenous folk in far flung folk express disapproval or decide that they should own said bling items instead. When you blow someone's yearly wage on pointless show off carp; it can cause upset

I bought some shocks recently that had been stored for a fair while - ten years. They were cheap but very high quality. Not your TF's Of the 12 I bought 6 failed comprehensively. Complete seal failure.

I can understand why

Just had to clean my keyboard - thanks JU

It's all down to the pink pound Australia had a similar attitude to the Jeep Wrangler (and most Harley's) - most YJ's were bought and sold in Sydney