Boris113

It is connected to the earthing point on the nearside inner-wing, on the same bolt that the headlights etc are earthed too. It runs back down the wing with the rest of the headlight wiring. When it reaches the heater, it runs with the main wiring loom along the bulkhead (parallel with the clutch pipe). I'm confused because it is wrapped into the loom with the original loom wrap, so appears to be a factory fitment. It's also a very small gauge wire, half the size of the indicator supply. Did 1989 vehicles possibly have an electronically controlled radio ariel? For now I've just connected it back up as it was, all the front lights seem to work so I may just leave it for now...we have much bigger problems with the rear loom Thanks, Harry

Thanks Western, I've got a purple with black trace for the horn already so it can't be that, but no diagrams seem to feature this other one so I'm stumped. I've got a mate coming round with a circuit tester later so we can investigate it. In the meantime I'll connect it back up the the earth point as it was. Harry

IIRC this was featured in LRO a few months back, it certainly is nice.

Perfect, thanks guys I'm working through the front lights now (expect plenty of stupid questions soon...) Got most of them nailed down, however I seem to have a wire running down the LH wing that doesn't match up to any wiring diagrams. It's black with a purple trace which Google seems to think is for the temp switch to warning light. I would have expected this to come out in the centre of the bulkhead but it runs past the heater and along the front wing with the rest of the LH light wiring. Any ideas as to what this may be? My temp gauge used to work prior to dismantling the vehicle and since the rebuild has been connected back up to the same plug it was on so I'm a bit lost. Edit: the black with purple tracer follows the wiring loom down the LH inner wing, with a ring connection that attaches to the inner wing with the rest of the black earth cables for the headlights etc, however it still doesn't show up in any of the wiring diagrams in the Haynes manual. Thanks again, Harry

I've started to work through the wiring loom on my 1989 90 and hit a stumbling block. I've got everything labelled up on the rear chassis loom now and have 11 wires in total, but there are still a few bits I'm stuck with. 1. Red Yellow - fog light 2. White Purple - ? 3. White Slate - fuel gauge transmitter 4. Purple - permanent live 5. Red Orange - RH tail light 6. Green Purple - brake lights 7. Red Black - LH tail light & number plate light 8. Green Black - fuel gauge transmitter 9. Green White - RH indicator 10. Green Red - LH indicator 11. Green Brown - reverse light I've got the 3 correctly coloured wires already connected to the top of the fuel tank, why would there be duplicate ones as far back as the rear crossmember? Could someone kindly explain what the white and purple wire may be for? I had a look through this thread to check my labelling was correct, but there is still no mention of a white/purple version http://forums.lr4x4.com/index.php?showtopic=78646&hl=%2Brear+%2Bwiring+%2Bloom#entry672931 Thank you in advance, Harry

Thanks for all of the advice chaps The Fluke option looks to be a pretty serious bit of kit, however if it will last a while and does everything I could need, then I may go for that. I've got a LR technician mate coming to help with the wiring tomorrow and he's bringing his Fluke so i can have a play with it before I rush and buy one. If it seems far beyond my capabilities then I'll go for a cheapo version such as the one that Fridge and Diff suggested. The version that MickeyW suggested looks to be pretty good for the money, especially given the extra features and the robustness of it, potentially that could be a good halfway half-way house. I'll make a decision soon and let you know how I get on.

My sumo bars measure 1135mm for the track rod and 830mm for the drag link. The drag link is the longer type as fitted to 300tdi discos with a straight drop arm. I have the other version of the drag link if you would like me to measure that?

You can knock one of your list, I've had 2 lots of the blue silicone stuff in your ebay link. Unfortunately it is not as the seller describes, having an external steel core instead of internal. I was very disappointed with the quality and returned it because it felt like you could push your finger through it. I was refunded, albeit not the return postage and they said they would contact me when the correct version that the picture shows was in stock. I rang them a month later to ask if it was in because they didn't ring, to which they said it was in stock. Once again I ordered it and they sent the same low quality version as before. I've had bits from that seller before and can't fault them, but I wouldn't buy the flexible hose from them sadly.

I've previously used an old sidelight with 2 extended wires and croc clips on the end but would quite like to get a proper multi meter before I try and make sense of my birds nest wiring loom. Can anyone suggest a good version or advise on features I should look out for? I'm not looking for a Rolls-Royce version, but a reliable one that will last a few years and cover anything Land Rover related please. Thanks in advance, Harry

I'm very pleased with my Richards chassis. Prior to ordering, I spoke to Richards and Marslands. Marslands won't do any modifications other than standard LR bracketry. In my case I wanted engine mounts in a different place to normal but they wouldn't do it. They would supply a chassis with no engine mounts and a set of brackets for me to weld on, but that would damage the galv. Marslands are good and have a much shorter waiting time, but if you want anything non-standard then speak to Richards.

I would try auto sparks. They have this, however it is chassis number dependent according to the description. http://www.autosparks.co.uk/product_info.php?products_id=4519

Afraid I can't help with your interior trim but may I suggest looking at LR alloy door tops such as those fitted to ex-MOD LRs? Both panels slide as per the RM versions but you can pick up a pair on ebay for a lot less than the price that RM quote.

I looked into doing this a while ago, but never actually got round to it because the 90 spends a fair bit of time with no windscreen/hoodsticks and it would be another thing to remove each time. I was planning to drill through the outer side of the gutter (on the vertical face) and a similar place on the side of the light bar then bolt the two together. That is dependent on the side faces of the light bar being the same width apart as the gutter sides however.

I seem to remember mine had a tiny bit of give, nothing to worry over though. If the holes are ok then how to the bolts look?

Cracking job you are doing, really enjoyed the engine rebuild bit. Keep up the good work!

I purchased some 16 x 8 modulars from Silverline about 2/3 years ago, they had a -32 offset. I believe Devon 4x4 do something similar with a beadlock too, however they are fairly pricey.

There are 2 different seals, I presume yours has the later alloy door tops rather than the earlier series steel type? The part number for the alloy version is rrc7575

QH still supply greaseable ball joints, I've used them for 4 years on 3 different vehicles and have yet to have one go.

I've bought lots of the flexible silicone stuff of ebay, the quality can vary widely though. Are you using a standard LR engine and air filter housing set-up? If so then standard LR parts can be had for pence at breakers yards.

I bought the cheapest DA orbital sander that Screwfix sold (approx £25) and some 40 grit pads, it did it surprisingly quickly and was a lot cheaper than gallons of paint stripper.

http://forums.lr4x4.com/index.php?showtopic=26532&st=0entry419578 I did mine last week, it's a great method.

Hi Jon, Just use a pre TD5 set of bushes (or more importantly the washers) on the rear and you should be fine. As for the fronts, they have remained the same.

I've not used them personally, however when I collected my new chassis from Richards, we had a look around the next door unit that does chassis swaps on their behalf. It looked to be a very good set-up, with friendly and knowledgable staff. Where are you in the country? That may help to narrow it down. Have you considered doing it yourself? It's a surprisingly easy job that you can do yourself other than the odd bit of heavy lifting and avoids paying labour on top of the parts bill.

Mr Noisy is there a build thread for it on LZ? I searched around but couldn't find anything On another note, M & D Engineering also sell the 2.8 VNT Turbo kit to go with the 2.8 crank/pistons set - in stage 1 or 2 flavour depending on your budget. http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/300-Tdi-VNT-TURBO-POWER-IMPROVEMENT-KIT-stage2-/170332647612?pt=UK_CarsParts_Vehicles_CarParts_SM&hash=item27a89df0bc

I found 3 rattle cans of Halfords etch primer was more than enough to give the whole land rover a dusting, inside and out. For that price, it wasn't worth buying a tin of the stuff and getting the spray gun out. I didn't do mine in quite such detail as has been described, but a light dusting of etch, leave to dry for at least 12 hours in the garage then started spraying the nato green. In hindsight, a high build primer may have been a good idea, but it's come up well for my first attempt with a spray gun.