ChrisV8

A run up to Alston area might be interesting this weekend if the forecast is right !!!!!!! SNOW !!!!!!! I will be otherwise engaged on repairs on Gatescarth Pass in the Lakes !

I will pm you some ideasand routes i have used, don't like publishing too much as the Bobblies have a look at sites like this so they can object to everything !!

Northumberland County Council have the definitive map on their web site http://maps.northumberland.gov.uk/prow/fro...2&Width=614 I have some knowledge of lanes in the Tyne Valley and across to Alston if you want some ideas. ? My problem is I live in Cumbria so don't get across very often.

Sounds about right to me, test I have always used on the car is to jack one front wheel up and try to turn, if the wheel nuts come undone it's goosed, or you cant move the wheel at all (can you daughter !) Daughters seized solid but still could be driven but took out the prop shaft and a cv and shaft. Now instructed to jack it up and check regularly.

Try this guy, no frills and really well made, have some for my 90 Project. http://www.lrboards.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=34&t=4867

Have been on the periphery of this Project to map and categorise all the UCR and BOATS in Cumbria and then apply the LDNP Heirarchy of Trails criteria to them. The Project has been finished by a lot of hard work by the local TRF guys and the result are superb. A real lesson in how information can be made available witha sensible approach in what is usable. Have a look and give some feed back via the web site link. http://www.cumbria.gov.uk/roads-transport/...ails_Routes.asp Only downside is YDNP as usual, they spat the dummy and wouldn't collaborate or allow TRF to look at routes in the Dales ! Surprised no me !!! It's the Bobblies Country Park not National at all, sheet 97 East side the large blacked out area !!!

The LR kit to put a tdi in the RR uses a Disco short stick box, daughter has a RR converted many years ago by previous owner, a good old bus that does a good 30mpg all the while.

Spent a very pleasant couple of weeks in the Picos De Europa just down from the ferry, with some great off roading on some superb mountain tracks. We were based in Potes well worth a visit and there are now some guide books available for routes.

When I did that job on daughters RR I had to do extensive plating on the sides of the chassis hidden by the fuel tank, if you are doing the rear x member it has to come out anyway, hope yours isn't as bad as hers !

Those are exactly like mine, have had mine out three times recently to change gearboxes. On mine take out the bolt through the seat slide at the front, disconnect spring underneath, lift locking handle and slide off backwards, mine came out without hitting the seat just heavy and awkward. the last time 16 year old grandson did it for me and had no probs.

Certainly does on the 300 tdi, my mate is just replacing his rear x member, carefully found the loom running in the chassis, hooked it up out of the way of the disc, removed x member found he had sliced through the wires as it had all been doubled up in a big bunch right where he cut it off, seems his 90 has a 110 rear loom in it Runs down the drivers side chassis leg. Why can't you put a drain hole in that down curve as the water just collect sin there and can't get out ?

That's fine, I found that it was easier to find the early ones in decent nick, they are built of thicker metal ! I am sure if you cast about you can find one nearer than mine.

Like everyone is saying get a complete donor Disco and it is relatively staright forward. my daughter has a 200 tdi engined RR which had the engine and box retro fitted by a dealer using the LR kit of bits. Uses Disco engine and box with Rad and intercooler, very easy to do only real mod is welding the engine mounts to the chassis instead of the V8 ones. It's a superb old bus regularly gets over 30mpg and rives very nicely.

I would stick with the Isuzu engine it is much stronger than any tdi (ducks and runs !!!) I have an 86 110 SW with an isuzu 2.8tdi, mated to an LT85 Santana box with standard 1.42 transfer, it is superb, a little tweak of the fuelling screw and it flies. i can cruise at 70 no bother up hill and down dale getting 30 - 35mpg all the while, drops to 25 with Ifor Williams biggie on the back. No way would I bother with the LR tdi. I think you need to get a longstick LT77 from a V8, mate it to a standard Defender 1.42 transfer, or find a Santana LT85 from a Defender, in my view strongest box LR ever fitted. You will need a tdi clutch plate as you LT95 has different splines, and use the Isuzu clutch cover. I am not sure if all the bellhousing bolts will be the same but the adaptor plate should be able to be adjusted. I have a long stick LT77 from a v8 lying in my shed if interested. I also run a RR with the LT95 mated to a Nissan Patrol 2.8tdi lovely six cylinder diesel, but my LT95 has got an overdrive so makes it much better. Just so happens I have a spare overdrive lying here also which could make yours nicer without changing the box, just needs the gearlinkage adjusting for a Defender as it came out of a RR. this is complete with the drive gear which is often missing. Two alternatives, but the engine should be really good, I have done lots of miles behind mine !

Unfortunately the later one will not fit without an extensive rework of the locking arrangement at the body side. But the good news is earlier external locking taigates are fairly easy to find in reasonable nick, I have two spare ones in my cellar which I bought thinging it would be easy to convert to slam locks. In the end I found a decent slam lock for daughters rusty RR. These two are spare for my own earlier Rangie but woulsd consider a sale of one if interested. I am up in Cumbria though !

Bought an f plate like that for £300.00 so not a lot especially if it's not working ! Also just been given a 2 door that stood for a while absoltuely rotten at the back.

A frame ball joint !

They haven't closed everything yet, but it will happen ! The Bobblies under Mr Bartholomews YDGLA association now hold sway on the access commitee and have a vowed intention of banning motorised use from all of the Dales. Two of these routes are already under restrictions, no 4 x 4 can use Colsterdale to Hell Gill and it's been like that for a couple of years, but the bikers have ripped it to bits this winter ! the West end of the Cam Road is also TRO'd even before the "Claim" has been adjudicated on ! This anyway is being repaired for use as part of the National Pennine Bridleway scheme so that's lost anyway. You can still drive the "Highway" from Shaw Paddock, but I gather this route has been badly damaged by lack of restraint during all the wet weather, so likely to get TRO'd as well by the CC not the Park ! The problems here are three fold, lack of restraint in wet conditions, useage by large numbers due to it's proximity to Leeds Bradford and a well orchestrated Anti campaign helped by gleeful Press coverage of just about every occasion when illegal bikers have been stopped and fined etc. Our major concern should be once YDNP have been able to impose these restrictions the other National Patks will follow, hopefully the Lakes will stay with their well known and well controlled Heirarchy of Trails system, but with their new Chief Exec having a "green agenda" I think we may lose that as well.

Not a six cylinder cos it looks nothing like my Patrol engine in the Rangie, neither is it a Daihatsu cos I have one of those as well. Could be a 4 cylinder Nissan Sd out a Cabstar 2488 cc or maybe a 4 cylinder TD series again 2500 cc out of later cabstar ? It s not one of these though

and the bikers who fall off on the oil slick will not be happy bunnies either

This guy has a V8 coiler up for grabs, he builds them and is a welder by trade so workmanship is good Haggis@haggis-built.co.uk

Interesting project, one of mine has a 2.8 Patrol tdi in it, superb engines. Do you realise you may be eligible for an SVA test on this as it no longer has the original running gear ? \might be worth discussing with VOSA and DVLA before you put it back on the road, there have been lots of trhreads running about changes to the rules recently applied to hybrids and changed vehicles.

Crown Property so illegal to possess let alone remove. I work for the part of the Post Office that makes and installs them ! They are generally cast iron so very heavy Post Office have a disposals policy that involves smashing them so unusable !

Hierarchy of Trails as used by Lake District National Park and it was hoped would be applied by others as a method of sustaining and controlling useage of roads in the National Parks. It works as well ! http://www.lake-district.gov.uk/index/look...en_road_man.htm I am hopefully about to start helping Cumbria CC adopt this process to all the UCR in Cumbria which will be a good method of preserving them and hopefully stopping the likes of Mr Batholomews Group in the Dales spreading their nasty campaign elsewhere.

I think Paul is right but interestingly in Cumbria the County has just started looking at all UCR in Cumbria to apply the HOT rules to them including those in the LDNP ! But having said that the post that is on LRO re the Dales National Park is very very bad news as I always thought they would lead the way in getting all motorised tansport excluded, this I fear is just the start !!! and I thin there are pother like minded National Parks who will follow this lead http://www.lro.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=10890