Boris113

When I purchased my radius arms, we compared a Terrafirma and a Britpart unit in the shop, surprisingly the Britpart weighed more and had more welding holding the horizontal plates with the vertical member so in this case opted for the blue box ones. The only downside is that the inner edge of the arm sits close to the outer chassis leg but it very rarely touches on articulation. I don't think you can go too far wrong with the products that Gwyn Lewis are selling though. I have the twin-walled trailing arms ones on a 90 and they are twice the thickness of the unbranded cranked arms on the other 90. The axle end is not offset quite so much requiring a half moon shape to be cut in the axle bracket to prevent it binding.

If it still doesn't give after jacking the bulkhead then try tapping a flat-ended punch through from the other side to knock the bolt through.

Another +1 for Jubilee here. On the other hand I would not recommend Halfords clips, they seem to strip the threads on the band far too easily.

Fair play to doing it in a Series, I'm hopefully doing a similar trip in a ragtop 90 this summer, possibly heading over into Northern Italy also. I mentioned a topless road-trip to the GF and received a slap...then she realised I was talking about the Land Rover Where did you visit and how long did it take?

Apologies about the slow reply on this one, not had a chance to get under the 90 to diagnose the problem until yesterday. Thankfully it appeared to be the plunger which was a quick and simple fix although it hasn't fully removed the issue and 1st/2nd are still a bit tricky some times. I'll try the grub screw next but at least the vehicle is drivable once again Thanks all Harry

I wondered if anyone may be able to shed some light on my problematic LT77 gearbox. It was working fine when I put the vehicle into storage in January and seemed ok when I pulled it back out last week. However, after driving it a few miles reverse gear has disappeared from the gearbox. The gear-stick requires quite a lot of wobbling to get it into first gear but there doesn't seem to be any further movement left on the gate to engage reverse. I did eventually manage to get it into reverse by slipping the clutch and plenty of stick wobbling (oo-er ) at which point it failed to disengage again without a good tug backwards. Any suggestions guys? Harry

I have previously tried a wire twist cup on a grinder and also the blow torch/scraper method but sadly without much luck. A quote for shotblasting was very expensive so in the end I lit a fire in an oil drum and threw the parts in. It will come out with a funny coating but that is quickly removed with a twist cup. Never yet had a problem with items warping, even with small things like body cappings and light guards but don't do it near to your neighbours washing line!

I agree with Western, if you ask nicely at your local crane/lifting company you may even get them for free. My local place used to bin their old straps after a couple of years, I would ring up a few days before I was coming past and they would leave a pile for me to pick through. There were often shackles in the pile too but always too large for LR use. Lifting straps are also rated at 7:1 breaking strain rather than towing equipment which is 3:1 but there is very little stretch in them.

Have you got your battery negative? This is a handy guide to work out wiring cross section in relation to lengths and ampage, I seem to remember an auto electrician telling me that a 2% loss was a reasonable figure to work with. http://www.solar-wind.co.uk/cable-sizing-DC-cables.html

Hopefully these should help, the latter looks to be a 110 judging by the drawing but will help with some of the widths. Apologies but I couldn't work out how to post links as images. https://www.google.com.gh/search?q=defender+90+load+bed+dimensions&espv=2&biw=1366&bih=643&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=v1YlVdDNIsT1atC-gNAE&ved=0CAYQ_AUoAQ#imgrc=q_W1Q4M0i0AXwM%253A%3BxEarLgJYt6zbnM%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fi58.servimg.com%252Fu%252Ff58%252F18%252F57%252F78%252F07%252F90_313.jpg%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.4x4overlandtravel.com%252Ft1533-pick-up-sizes%3B800%3B381 https://www.google.com.gh/search?q=defender+90+load+bed+dimensions&espv=2&biw=1366&bih=643&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=v1YlVdDNIsT1atC-gNAE&ved=0CAYQ_AUoAQ#imgrc=vDC0vTmzXHlsRM%253A%3BkOKRYhYcacF_XM%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fi214.photobucket.com%252Falbums%252Fcc47%252Fslug_burner%252Faulro%252F110SWDimensions.jpg%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.aulro.com%252Fafvb%252F90-110-130-defender-county%252F147615-defender-dimensions.html%3B800%3B500

Hi Jamie, My 1989 90 has the same conversion using a defender 300tdi rad and 200tdi intercooler (the latter was cheap!) and off the top of my head you will need: Top radiator hose needs extending by 4 inches - cut it in the middle and insert stainless steel tube. Bottom hose needs extending - cut just in front the 90 degree bend by the water pump and insert stainless tube. Oil cooler hoses - I bought a set from Steve Parker but they were too short and the caught on the steering column. They wouldn't give me a refund so I had some made using the existing unions for £30. PAS pipes will just reach but only 1 will lie perfectly flat against the front chassis cross member. If you use a standard intercooler and turbo combination, it is simply a case of extending intercooler pipes. Air filter housing - I mounted a 300tdi disco filter on the inner wing close to the heater and used a disco air filter to turbo pipe. For the exhaust, I bodged one from scrap pipe but a standard tdi system will work, simply cut a few inches out of the system to account for the engine sitting further back. It's worthwhile putting a new clutch pack, release bearing, clutch fork, spigot bearing and rear crank seal in whilst you have it in pieces. If you want any pictures or more info then just shout. Harry

Ok thanks Ross, I was planning on rebuilding 2 front axles but am not sure how old one of them is so will have to leave that for now sadly. If you have a batch made of the later type then can I have 1 set please? Thanks, Harry

Hi Ross, unfortunately I am in a different continent to the 90 at the minute so unable to check, I presume these will not fit onto S-reg 300tdi Disco axles? Cheers, Harry

I have a set on the 90 and can't fault them. Reviews on the interweb suggested that the powdercoating wasn't overly durable and 2 years on I do have some small bits of rust showing through but otherwise all good.

Do you have a link for the lights by any chance? The disco looks great, you have done a cracking job on it

If you were to have another batch made then I would take 2 pairs please Ross?

We run a fleet of 4 2013 2.2s in West Africa and have had nothing but problems with them. Ok most of it is down to the fuel quality etc but 1 vehicle has killed a clutch and 3 master cylinders in 25,000km and 2 more are developing the same symptoms at less than 24,000km. They seem to lurch badly in 1st and 2nd gear from new and the general build quality is disappointing but that is a Landy for you On the plus side it's quite a nippy motor and the front seats/air-con are a much better design. It's 35 degrees and 90% + humidity so I can't comment on the heater! Being a SW you can wedge the front seats back but a truck-cab is quite claustrophobic and the dash tray is a pain.The 3rd row seats take up a lot of space in the boot and your eye is level with the roof gutter so you can't see much but they are a lot more comfortable and safer also. Based on the above experiences I would go for a TD5, purely because it's still an engine that can be repaired easily by a competent DIYer and seems to have stood the test of time bar the original 10P problems. On the other hand, if you have the back-up of UK quality garages and are using the vehicles in less-hostile conditions then the Puma would be good and you can get a much newer vehicle for similar money as a mint TD5.

Thanks for the suggestions everyone Sadly I dont have TIG so that is out of the question. Bonding a piece of ally behind and then the smaller disk inside sounds like a fairly invisible solution. Best of all I can spray the part before I glue it so wouldn't need to spray the whole side of the tub. If all else fails then Mo's cunning solution should do the trick...I think I'l borrow a flower pot from my grandmother and zip tie it to the rock slider, covering the hole quite nicely. It's not dissimilar to JLR's current CO2 offset scheme! Harry

During the rebuild of the 90 funds ran a bit tight and I couldn't afford to buy an exhaust system. Instead we cobbled some stainless pipe and lengths of flexi together and made a side exit that came through the side of the rear tub between the passenger door and the rear wheel. It has no silencers so is deafening for the passenger and the flexi has now fallen apart (held together with a baked bean tin and jubilee clips) so I'd like to remake the exhaust properly and move the exit to the rear corner, behind the nearside wheel. The problem is that there will be a 3 inch hole left in the side of the rear tub from the previous system. Does anyone have a cunning suggestion as to how to cover it up neatly? I thought of a painted plate behind and some rivets but it will still be noticeable. Thank you, Harry

Thanks Western, IIRC I stumbled across a thread where you explained how to do it whilst trying to work out what was wrong with the clutch. Sadly I'm 3,000 miles away and the LR is tucked up in a barn but it's on top of the to-do list for when I return I did give it a quick check before dropping the gearbox and the locknuts are tight but I didn't check the floor height, last time I changed the master cylinder I simply refitted to the same length on the rod. Going by the previous owner's bodge jobs, it's bound to be incorrect! Harry

Quick update: New spigot bearing pushed in a couple of days later and a new clutch for good measure (Don't want to pull the g/box out again!) It appears that I hadn't aligned the clutch properly so when I got the bellhousing bolts lined up and tightened them, the input shaft damaged the spigot. In hindsight I should have stopped when the engine and box wouldn't mate together without force...lesson learnt! This time I soaked the spigot in oil overnight after checking it's tolerance on the input shaft then borrowed a proper alignment tool to knock the spigot in and align the clutch. The 2 slotted together nicely and all is good the clutch functions as it should Thank you for the advice everyone Harry

Just my 2 cents on Combi colour, it applies well direct to metal with a brush and has stood up well on my axles for for 4 years. I put it on thickly in a cold workshop but it did take a long time to dry properly. I sprayed the cappings and roll bar 2 years ago over red oxide and that didn't stand up so well, it scratches and rust seems to come through the paint but that could be due to applying it to thin. It has also worn through to the red oxide where the canvas roof rubs on the cappings. All in all it's good stuff though.

When I purchased my galv chassis, I called around the various companies and Richards were the only ones able to make the changes I wanted/fit roll cage mounts. Marsland - Happy to provide additional parts but won't weld them on prior to going for galvanising. Welding a new galvanised chassis myself seemed silly. Designa Chassis - Never answered the phone. Richards - Happy to modify whatever I wanted and provided a very competitive price after a bit of bartering. All in all I am very pleased with Richards and would happily use them again. There was a guy in the next door unit that was doing chassis swaps on their behalf also. HTH

Well a quick update, I roped in a friend and we dropped the box out yesterday to find the spigot bearing is damaged. It was ok when I lifted the engine in but can only presume it was damaged when I tried to put the 2 together. A new spigot bearing should arrive this evening and I am going to fit it back in tomorrow and double check clutch alingment...fingers crossed! Harry

Thank you for the responses, it seems that the spigot bearing is unanimous, the gearbox is half way out so I shall have a look at it, I forgot to mention that I did replace it also...it was one out of a box of random parts though. It seemed the same dimensions as the original so presumed it was correct but will get some callipers on it this morning to check. As Deep suggested, there isn't enough grip on the bearing to move the vehicle so I may throw it back together and drive it, failing that could I take the spigot out of the old engine and reuse that or would a new one be better? On a side note, should it be lubricated? I followed a tech guide and it said to soak it in engine oil before fitting which I did. Dave88sw, I meant 1989, a carving knife related injury has made it hard to type! Cheers all, Harry