Bill in Nova Scotia

Thanks guys for the info. Yes, I did relays and I also have dual batteries (included in our rebuild just on the possibility of a future winch). My concern was how much amperage I could twist with the screaming 68hp my diesel produces, hopefully, without chugging to a crawl if all the lights or the winch are operating. Thanks again, Bill

If I may hijack this thread for just a moment, does anyone know how big an alternator (capacity-wise) you can fit to a 2.5NA? After fitting a couple of big Hellas to the front of our old ex-MOD 110 and contemplating the addition of a winch, I'm thinking that the standard 35 amps isn't even close. Thanks, Bill

They are handed and are marked for being installed in a particular orientation; as such, the "alignment" would appear to have a reason. At least that was my thinking when I suggested that perhaps they are built that way due to the loads put on them during operation. Cheers, Bill

I noticed the same alignment "feature" when we installed the Terrafirma towers, rings and their standard shocks on the ex-MOD 110 we are doing up. They don't rub but the shocks are not concentric within the towers as you would think they would be. Is it possible that the towers are aligned the way they are to resist a particular load direction? Cheers, Bill

I have good luck here in Canada with L.R. Series (http://www.lrseries.com/) Good luck, Bill

Well, that's the problem. The lockers themselves hang lower than the bottom edge of the box bodywork by about 3/8in. and the doors are probably almost an inch. If you run stock sills it's no problem or if you run sliders that are flush to the surface of the box; but the point of a decent slider is to stand a bit proud of the bodywork so that the bodywork is protected. With most sliders I have seen that do stand a bit out from the bodywork, they would require a lower upper surface, stepped down from that forward of the lockers, so that the doors would clear. If everyone can picture what I mean? As far as the mounting points, I was lead to believe that a 3 door 110 is slightly different than a 5-door in the area just forward of the rear wheels. Just about in the same area where the rear rail of the lockers is attached. If the 3-door and 5-door 110s are the same in that area, than no problem, I guess. At least as far as mounting a slider up. Cheers, Bill

Are there any "nerf-bar" type sliders for a 110 that will allow them to be mounted up neatly to the bodywork but still clear the doors on the fuel lockers and have proper mounts on the rear of the bars for a ex-MOD 3-door? Or are such things strictly DIY? Thanks, Bill

Nice to see that insurance companies are just as clueless and lack customer service there in the UK as they do over here in North America. I've dealt with companies living in both Canada and the US and there are no differences in how they interact with their customers. And I'd bet that the claims process isn't any different either. So my advice is that to make sure that you are satisfied and that it's in the policy wording that your intended use is covered. Having also spent 10 years in the business (as an IT guy), I also know that generally speaking if it's not in the policy wording in some way, it isn't covered. I would further suggest that you have someone in a managerial level point to the appropriate wording in the policy if they claim that it is covered and then make notes in case you need to refer to it at some point in future. Good Luck, Cheers, Bill

Is it even possible to get a lemon in an old Defender/Series? I've always thought that you just got one for a good or bad price. After that it was just like others have said here; it depends on how dirty and/or poor you want to be having fun with these things. My son paid close to $11K CDN for his '95 ex-BATUS 110 and frankly, I think he got a much better deal than the last Range Rover I bought despite the Defender needing a fair amount of work and not nearly being as "comfy". With the Defender everything comes off and can be replaced even though it might come at a cost, but no electronics, plenty of room to work and the ability, if you have access to the right skills, to fabricate things if need be. We are having a great time doing a frame-up restoration on this 110 and I figure when we are done we might put in another $2500 in bits and whole winter in time and effort, but when its done it is going to be a pretty slick rig. And I'll probably be royally ticked when he then takes it out and starts banging around in the bush. Cheers, Bill

Thanks everyone for the very useful feedback. We begin removing the body off the 110 this coming weekend! Last time I did this I was 30 years old and it took me over a year to get it all back together. This time I'm 57, older and wiser and the kid is the one whose 28. Hopefully this thing will not be in my barn as long as the last time. Thanks again for the info. Much appreciated. Cheers, Bill

Guys: In comparing UK versus NA parts sources for my son's recently acquired ex-MOD Defender, it initially looks that UK parts sources are the way to go. They stock what looks to be "everything" and more importantly have the 2.5NA parts that we are going to need for our restoration. For the most part we just need the odd gaskets, trim bits and bobs, but I can see a door(s) and dash top in the process as well In past for my Rovers, I've dealt with folks like Rover North but are there any UK sources that ship to Canada and do so at reasonable cost, delivery time, and overall effort? Thanks in advance for any info. Cheers, Bill

I would think so as there has not been a new 4 cyl Land Rover sold in this market since about 73 or 74. With that said, the market for used diesel Rovers is amazing with even pretty tatty examples commanding what I think are outrageous prices. And this is for examples that are either 25+ year sold in the US or 15+ years old here in Canada (at least the legal ones). In any case, this rig that we are working on is my son's and he's a diesel freak. He's had diesel VWs ever since he has learned to drive and has done the bio-diesel thing off and on as well. So we shall see as this project moves along how it goes in regard to the old 2.5NA. Cheers, Bill

Thanks for the tip. I used to know Discos and RRs (Gen 1) pretty fairly well, but too many Volvos have pass between then and now. Plus I'm not use to working on something so basic. A bit of a break though from all the computerized carp that Volvos, and others, have now. I just need to get in the vein on "basic". As it is, the 110 isn't even mine, but my son's. He's the one who should be doing all the work. Guess I'm just an old "redundant" computer guy looking for something to keep busy and have a bit of a kick doing. Have to admit, busting around in and working on this thing sure is a lot more fun than coding or managing IT staff. Cheers, Bill

Thanks, guys. Now I have a checklist to go by. As far as smoking, it doesn't...well, not any more than the VW diesels we have had over the years but the smoke is what I would call your typical start-up smoke for a diesel. Its got fairly good low-end grunt so I'm suspect timing at this point but I also have to wonder if the tappet clearance is where it should be. Any road, off to do some checking! Thanks again, Bill

As a newbie to this forum, please let me express my thanks in advance for the help that these forums provide. It is and will be greatly appreciated. As the auto-knowledgeable father of son who has just bought a ex-MOD BATUS '95 110 3-door, I have been ask to consult on his up-coming restoration of this rig. I got "talked" into this role because I had the barn with the room for the work and because I've had three Rovers off and on over the last 30 years (Series2A (petrol), Disco (V8) and a '94 RR). All of my Rovers were dirt-ready and no mall queens but I've be doing Volvos for the last 10 years, so like this 110, I'm a bit rusty. Any road, this 110 is a 2.5 NA diesel, has discs all round, a Salibury rear axle and appears to be the basic MOD spec. It does have an arctic heater and a weird 110v power port just aft of the drivers door feeding the heater and a 4 plug 110v distribution box which in turn has a plug for a block heater. From the underlying paint colours, I am lead to believe this may have been a range truck at the BATUS base in Alberta. While I wait for my son to start on his tear down, I've been driving this rig around a bit and that is what has created my first question. Its been years since I had my S2A and I remember that it was loud and slow; this 110 seems similar. I realize it's only a 68hp diesel and is good to do 110km/hr on the flat, but I am force to go down to 3rd gear to climb any kind of hill and on the motorway, its like I'm standing still. Does this sound normal and I'm just undergoing culture shock, or do I need to add to our task list a complete go-over of the engine? The previous owner did mention he had tried running a veg/diesel mix, possibly a fuel filter needs replaced? Thanks again in advance for any help provided. Cheers, Bill