Boris113

Thanks Udderly, what I understood was purely passed on from what I had read on forums in the past. I wasn't very clear earlier but I meant it was allowed to be used by the AA and proper breakdown companies etc but not for normal everyday domestic use i.e. to and from play days every weekend.

What a good idea, will be going on my list! It's not cheap for what it is though.

Yes you can do it, however IIRC A-frames are illegal to use unless you are licensed for recovery. Remember also to remove leave the transfer box in neutral / remove a propshaft I'm sure someone on here can confirm though

Thanks for all the advice guys I was going to run a couple of lengths of dual core household wire inside the chassis also (i know it's a bodge but it's hefty stuff, cheap and will easily cope with lights etc) Mike, thats exactly what I meant, thanks for the link, looks like I'll be putting in an order soon! I'll be sure to insulate everything properly, I used amalgamating tape to insulate eveything when I lopped the loom in 2 during a rear crossmember change a couple of years ago... At least I won't do that job again with the new chassis! Harry

Thanks for all of the advice guys, in that case I will start to price it up in the Durite catalogue and also ring Autosparks for a quote, I'm not planning on selling the 90 for a very long time so it makes sense to do everything properly. I've currently got a soft top 90 that is soon to become a caged up- truck cab so other than all the normal rear lights, the only leccys in the back are for the tow bar. Thats where the plan for using trailer cord came from. Also the 90 is going to spend a lot of time doing play days and challenges so the heavy outer cover on the trailer wire meant one less thing to get damaged, especially if I decide to run the loom inside the galv chassis. @mmgemini i meant the round rubber connections that all the loom connects through, there are loads of them behind the wiring light covers in the corners of the tub (i don't know the proper name for them) Many thanks again, Harry

http://www.gwynlewis4x4.co.uk/page29.html

It may be worth putting a wanted ad up/keeping an eye on the Devon forum, there seems to be mach 5s popping up every few days. Harry

Hi guys, The rebuild of the 90 has been on the back burner recently as a result of dissertation and exam revision but i'm now starting to look at the rear wiring loom once again. It's a 1989 90 but I will be fitting a full set of NAS lights to the rear also. The rear wiring loom is a total mess and I was considering making one. I'm not an electrical genius by any means and don't have all of the correct coloured wire but was thinking of using a length of 7 core trailer light wire. My plan is to cut the loom where it enters the chassis by the gearbox and run a length of the trailer wire to the rear. When it exits at the rear crossmember, I can strip the main insulation and route the wires accordingly, solder the NAS connections on and then re-insulate it neatly. My theory was that trailer wire has a much thicker protective cover and is also cheap (i'm on a student budget). Also it would be easy to trace electrical faults because all of the wires are bright different colours and avoid using the horrible connections that sit in the covers behind the rear lights. My other options are: Try to decipher the tangled mess of old loom and repair it (I dont have all the connectors/correct coloured wire, somebody has messed about with it before and i'm colourblind!) Buy a new loom from autosparks with all the NAS connections on it already so its literally a case of plug and play (as above i'm a student and therefore would prefer to spend money on beer ) Any ideas welcome, thanks in advance.

Had this problem with my rear pin-pin shocks the other day, lots of pissing around with a jack and hanging off the shock had the nut on eventually. Harry

You could always make some sort of cover for yours to try and minimise dirt ingress and possibly move the switches elsewhere to keep them out of harms way. http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/12V-24V-HEAVY-DUTY-BATTERY-ISOLATOR-SWITCH-Original-quality-Durite-item-/330710068181?pt=UK_CarsParts_Vehicles_CarParts_SM&hash=item4cffdb2bd5#ht_958wt_306 I've heard good things about this type of switch and they are much better than the standard red key jobbies. A thread popped up about them recently on here, might be worth doing a search. http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/DURITE-0-605-11-MARINE-BATTERY-ISOLATOR-SWITCH-ASSEMBLY-/120804663873?pt=UK_CarsParts_Vehicles_BoatEquipment_Accessories_SM&hash=item1c2084e241#ht_500wt_922 If you need cut off switches but don't require a removable key then something from a boat may be a better idea. We use them on all the RIBs at work (albeit with higher amperages) and they are regularly submerged in saltwater with no problems. Harry edit: western types quicker than me, sorry to repeat things

I've got a side exit on my 300 90 with no silencers. It exits between the passenger door and rear wheel and is very noisey. My mate has a 200 with no silencers and his exhaust goes to the back of the vehicle and faces straight back, this is just as noisey from outside but nowhere near as noisey from the front seat. I quite like the sound of mine and i didnt want to spend the money on a silencer when i built the exhaust. Also because of my engine conversion, it would have been difficult to fit one in but if I was using it everyday i would put a silencer in somewhere. Harry n.b I have been stopped by the plod because of the noise the 90 makes, something you may wish to bear in mind.

It looks like the ladder and bracketry still resemble DB stuff, just not the slider. Is there anyone local to you that has a genuine DB version? You could see if their slider fits then order one or buy a slider/pins and if it doesnt fit then send it back.

As above, I did it from underneath with a couple of long extension bars and a short wobble bar before the socket.

The above option works well on my detachable towbar. If you don't have access to a welder, you could always drill a hole through the side of the slider and the ladder and put a bolt through in the same way that your pin is. It would only be of use if your towbar is on that particular setting but is quick and easy to remove with a spanner. Harry

I'm not sure about the capacity of your welder but this may be of use to you. Having just bought a welder I was looking into wiring a 32amp supply in my garage. http://forums.lr4x4.com/index.php?showtopic=75865 The MIG Welding Forum also contains some very useful advice. Harry

I don't have experience of the ATR but have had both ST and STTs, both of which seem to have very good road manners and havn't harmed the fuel consumption too much. In theory a 235 85 would be better for fuel consumption -being thinner they have less drag on the tarmac and are marginally taller, slightly increasing your gearing. You may also get a slightly better turning circle than with 265s. I have 285 75 r16s and although the speedo is slightly out, it still reads below the actual speed (according to sat nav) These measure about 33.5 inches, maybe just a tad over depending on what pressure they have in them. Have you considered a 255 85 r16 size? My dad runs them on alloys with a set of spacers, they seem to be a nice compromise, they still dig in nicely in the mud, handle well on the road and increase the gearing slightly but less than my 285s do. Harry

Try MIB components. They make their own replacement rear cross members in 2mm or HD 3mm. Even if they don't make one with the brackets I'm sure they could do the mods for you. I had a 90 crossmember from them a while back and which was of very good quality and fitted very well. Their service is excellent also. Harry

As above I prefer HD arms to steering guards also, I started with an alloy steering guard but it would bend even looking at a rock and in thick mud it would work like a shovel when reversing. It also offers no protection to your track rod. The disco drop arm/drag link is a worthwhile mod at the same time. If you do still want a steering guard then the West Midlands seems to be a good design and also reduces the shovel-like problems http://www.westmids4x4.com/products/challenge_spec_steering_guard.php I've got a wrap around diff guard that is built into a slider on the front but that is only because I lost a normal clamp on one at a play day. On the rear I will soon be fitting a Gwyn Lewis weld on type, It's very solid and also helps keep weight down if you are concerned about that. http://www.gwynlewis4x4.co.uk/page64.html You could also consider replacing your diff pans with HD weld in types. http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Land-Rover-Diff-Pan-Heavy-Duty-1-pair-gwynlewis4x4-ARB-/180730575348?pt=UK_CarsParts_Vehicles_CarParts_SM&hash=item2a1461b9f4#ht_999wt_953 Harry

Yes the bracket bolts to the tow bar and the 2 posts drop into it. There are lugs on the side to prevent them going too far down/rotating. A long R-clip goes through both sides to prevent the posts jumping out again. It would in theory be very simple to make and you could even weld/bolt the bracket onto a bumper. It came on the disco when I bought it, it's from Equipe 4x4. I think the UK distributor is LRS Offroad. I may have it in the shed after I sold the disco if you are interested? Harry

Haha I have very limited knowledge of household electrics so i think my sparky mate will be bribed with beer tokens...I don't want to cause irrepairable damage. On a slightly different note, I presume household insurance is invalid re fire etc unless it is done by a qualified professional? Harry

Heres a couple of my old disco-parts bumper...I had the pendle rack mounted on the nato hitch holes for a while also. Harry

We have one of these http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Pendle-TBMD-Ball-Mount-4-Bike-Discovery-Rack-/170821471781#ht_500wt_968 which used to be on the back of a TD5 disco towbar but also fits TDI versions. It seems to work well and can be removed quickly. The only problem is that whilst you can get 4xc bikes on, you struggle to get more than 3 downhill bikes on because of their size. I'm not sure what weight they are designed to take but my dad can hang off one bar and he's 16 stone. Mounting on a detachable towbar is a good idea but expensive to buy in the first place and as with our rack, you have to remove bikes/rack before you can access the back door. The back door looks to solve these problems but I would be careful about the weight you are hanging off the door, especially considering the weight of your spare and downhill bikes also! If you wanted some dimensions of a detachable towbar, I might have one sitting in the shed? Harry

Thanks guys, To ear on the side of caution I will run a seperate 6mm2 cable from the fusebox (i presume that is the same as the consumer unit?) with it's own dedicated fuse. Is this a job that is safe to do myself or should I get an electrician in? What type of isolator should it have and can this be located in the garage or should it be by the fuse box? Harry

First off sorry if this is in the wrong forum, I wasn't sure where to put it. I've finally managed to track down a welder, Murex Tradesmig 260-1. It's a single phase unit but I currently only have a 13amp supply in the garage. Does anyone know the correct way to wire in a 32amp blue plug into the fuse box? The fusebox is in the room adjacent to the garage so drilling a hole through isnt a problem but I dont want to start playing about with the household electrics. The house is only 10 years old if thats makes any difference and we already have a big fuse in the box that is used by the cooker, can I use the same fuse or should I use another? A mate of mine simply spliced into a 13amp socket and connected a blue plug into that so there are no fuses in the circuit other than in the main fusebox but that didn't sound like a particularly good idea to me. Thanks in advance, Harry

Mike thats some very nice welding! How are you finding the welder? I've just blown my budget and picked up a mint condition Murex Tradesmig 260-1 Can't wait to play with it Harry