honitonhobbit

Just make sure you don't make the usual mistake and seal up the drain valve in the air filter housing and you'll be fine

Unless the vehicle actually stops and won't run, don't worry, it'll be fine

Yellow are after market... Might be Britpart, Bearmach, TJM or one or two others that I have forgotten in old age It may well be the moving of the wheel that has caused the rise

A lot LR springs are handed. They are always slightly longer in free length on the drivers side. It's been this way pretty much for ever. I suppose it's the sitting level with the main load in idea.... However what you describe is not right. OE springs tend to be colour coded but shouldn't always match up side to side, but sometimes do. This is to confuse people See what you can find in the way of colour coding

Southern France is nice... Did you ever get to the Camargue? A lot of daft folk feel that Overlanding is about tough off roading in far flung primitive places, having covered your vehicle in loads of useless bolt on overpriced tat - in reality it's about having a good look around to see what's about....

Mind you... Max temp in the hot bits of Morocco in May is going to be less than 30 on a good day. You don't drive like a fool (anymore) and have some vehicle sympathy. You've got a new rad. Airflow is fair to reasonable. It's a 300 rather than 200 but you could run 50% with a water wetter and bungy the bonnet on a block if it got bad... Maybe just take a spare leccy fan

Have you ever looked at the cowl on an 2.5NAD? Damn thing is half back to the firewall! I would extent the cowl - even the best electric fans fail...

Listen to the Aussie bloke son - he's got his head screwed on right

I wasn't so much as talking about you son, as about other folk - I just used your thread to do it on...

I've been taking out shields in Crystal and Quadoptics for years - no issues

I've driven a nice 300tdi manual D2 - it's a great vehicle. Works really well. Is it better than the Td5? No and yes. The TD5 is a great engine, but then so is the 300Tdi. Depends what you use it for and what you want to do with it really and why. I would price up a decent replacement like for like lump first as it's simple to swap. I've never really seen the point in swapping out a good engine type for another good engine type. I've never really seen the point in spending hours and hours of work shop time for little gain - that's like buying a YJ and wanting it to perform as well as a standard 90, 10 grand later you ask why didn't I just buy a 90. The 300Tdi D2 I drove was specifically built for touring the former USSR. Once out of the cities Diesel fuel is poor, really poor; and often very dirty. TD5's don't do well on it, and it's a PITA to sort on the road. The builder of the 300D2 had a 300tdi but it was fast succumbing to the rust worm. Too much time up on the Kola Peninsula. But the engine was sweeter than a sweet thing. Re-built, stage 1 head, VNT turbo etc. Finding an early D2 manual with a shot engine is relatively easy, finding a solid one less so. But he did it. It's got a bigger fuel tank with a drain, twin filters and a sedimenter. The D2 makes for a great Overland truck as it's just that big bigger than the D1. Fit shocks and springs and it rides well. Although the front axle is a complete PITA for water ingress. Traction control with a CDL and LSD in the rear makes for easy progress. Thing is he could just as well have found a decent TD5 D2, dumped the tank and fitted a bigger steel one, external pump, twin filters, sedimenter, swirl pot - all for less hassle.... I like D2 V8's. Lots of vehicle for not a lot of pennies. I reckon megasquirting a D2V8 for better fuel, better reliability and cooler running would be nice. Petrol is cheap in the worlds interesting places but you need to allow for bad quality - I think that would be simpler with a D2V8. But then I'm only really interested in seeing those interesting places.

I would add another 3pence worth but I've found that no matter how much sensible, proven, experienced information you give people on a forum, they don't listen, so it's much better for them to learn the hard way. Experience needs to be hammered in with a big sh*tty stick

I like that idea of fitting grease nipples - can't hurt at all

I fitted Bearmach HD flanges to brand new shafts when I rebuilt my back axle on the 110 - just because I had some about and the parts folk had delivered Disc brake rear flanges. I'd never fit them to a non Salisbury type axle - I like the idea of a fuseable link... But I do hate those pesky plastic end caps

I must have replaced 5 sets of side light mounts on the 110 in the last 5 years - all because of 21w bulbs; they are just too hot unless you use military lamps; and of course they are illegal. So I moved down to 10w bulbs... The best mix is a nice bright LED in a Military lense

I've used multiple LED Ring stick on driving lights at 9.99 a pair - as beloved of Saxo drivers. then a small hole in the panel to feed the juice through and a 'ring main' behind the trim along the roof inner lip. I would post pictures but I can't, so I won't - but it works very well. So well in fact that I now use it as one of the options on clients vehicles

I'd second NUMAX as being the best VFM.

I have a 'tip trailer', it's one of those cheap 600kg max galv things. I bought a patio table cover at a car boot sale, dumped the string and replaced it with elastic cord. It takes 2 minutes to cover - I also use it to cover loads. I follow the 'Indian sub-continent' loading technique with it, so a cover is useful... I keep my other two trailers in a barn down the road....

Cruise control is the Devil's Work. Unless of course driving a truck or in a country with big long roads - then it's still the Devil's Work but in a useful way

Most of the local folk knock on your door when they get something stuck in a muddy field - anything really

And the Skoda Estelle and the tow bar... Collecting the Auverland from Wales...

I first met Jeff in 2000 - our first born children both went to the same nursery. Jeff's 200Tdi 110 in bright blue and yellow, with gold wheels gave the clue away that he might be into Land Rovers. For 14 years I have either witnessed or listened to his experiences in the world of the green oval... You guys have barely scratched the surface

The square bits are rock sliders. The tube bits are called nerf bars We don't talk about damage to trees

Yup, you are a show off as well

You can learn a lot form spectating or being ballast at Light Car Club Trials - you would be surprised at just how much grip a road tyre actually has My first 'road car' when I was 17 was a Renault 4 (the Series 1 was for trials and the bikes for trying to kill myself). It had Kleber snow tyres all round, summer or winter. For a laugh I used to drive it round RTV trials sections when we were setting up the course.