twodoorgaz

My god - just when it seemed so simple! interestingly your shiny aftermarket one is threaded much closer to the base of the stud (the gap between the splines and start of the thread is less). That’s something I’m not 100% convinced with on the genuine ones I bought as going from your earlier pic of the stud in the rim - while it’ll be fine for thick wolf rims, I’m concerned about the bare section of shank causing problems if I ever switched back to 5.5j rims (really do want a universal stud if possible).

Just got the box of genuine studs - end to end is 44.5mm (measured with a tape, not calipers)

Thanks Bowie! I had found the one on RetroAnaconda's blog, but hadn't found the one on the forum.

Wow - could it be that simple? I won't be using it for any form of competition. Unfortunately its in that awkward zone of use - whereby its a shiny, very well cared for 90 used for daily commuting that very occasionally would need need a heavy recovery from the rear (weekend safaris, morocco, etc.) Aiming for 2 or 3 major trips each year starting post COVID and I'll be travelling with people I don't know - so there's always a chance that someone will be a bit heavy-handed in a towed recovery. It if was more of a rough truck I'd be less bothered as I'd just fix it if anything moved/bent. So, if on earlier models it was perfectly acceptable to attach a NATO hitch or Dixon Bate 5T pin directly to the rear crossmember (thinking Camel 110s here) - then a sufficient spreader plate coupled with some thick walled crush tubes (if required as per Bowie's point) and drilled out threads would effectively give me a similar effect? I'm conscious that the crossmember is made of thinner steel and that the bolt holes - at least in the upper mounts are of a smaller diameter than the lowers, which I'd like to rectify. I'm having the work done for me on this one (no time or space with the 2x 2As I have on the go at home). So... if I buy a recovery point, suitable nuts & bolts that will clear the tank and have a spreader plate laser cut then the only instructions I have to give to the garage (its an amazing place - that do old school, high quality work, the welding and fabrication they've done for me previously has been top notch) are as follows: 1) drill out captive threads 2) confirm that there's suitable crush tubes in situ, if not then break into crossmember and install 4x Xmm ID tubes (I'll supply the tube - have some thick walled stuff in stock). 3) weld-up, blast and paint. 4) on reassembly (before the tank is fitted) fit new recovery point with 5mm+ spreader plate on the back Thinking about something like this - hoping the base is wide enough that a front spreader wouldn't be needed. That changes things dramatically and would cost a lot less than the unnecessary NAS step I was planning to fit. Thanks for your help on this guys - Uninformed - that looks like a hell of a thing! Trying to imagine how it'll fit. Dr Strangelove - I might give you a shout if that's OK when I've measured up and its time to get the DXF file: I've just got Fusion360 for exactly this sort of thing but have never used it before.

Hi folks - after a bit of help. In a few weeks my puma 90 is booked in the body removed in order to dismantle, blast & paint the chassis and underbody components prior to reassembly - a mini restoration. The chassis is completely solid, so this is just preventative and will deal with the annoying surface corrosion. However, the one thing that winds me up is the lack of a sensible recovery point on the rear crossmember - I love the look of a simple recovery eye bolted on, but am aware of how flimsy these late chassis are so would never do it. Up to now I've got by with a pair of Jate rings (fitted while the tank was out) but they're a pain to access. There are bolt on options (a NAS rear step or a receiver hitch) but wondered if there was a simple fabrication mod that could be made to address the issue while the chassis is seperate. Maybe some bracketry that passes through the crossmember or some sort of sleeve attached to the chassis rails secured through a (new) crush tube on each side, something like that? I've even considered a custom made version of this to wrap around the crossmember attaching to each chassis rail. Also aware of the spereader plates that are commonly used and have considered this - maybe drilling out the threaded nuts in the crossmember so fasters can pass straight though - again, thick crush tubes could be added. any other ideas short of going the whole hog and fitting a dixon fabs crossmember?

They're some incredibly helpful posts there - thanks for sharing. So we know a 300TDi hub with the earlier FRC6137 studs are a perfect fit for wolf rims. Mine is a 2010 2.4 TDCI 90 - so the X-factor is whether the hubs are a similar thickness to a 300TDI set. My studs are on their way, so guess the proof of the pudding is in fitting them. Just checked now I'm back at my desk and I got mine (Genuine LR) from PA Blanchard for 95p + P&P/VAT : here's the link. They also sell pattern ones for 25p each.

Not yet - I've already bought the rims but they're at my parents place so can't try them yet. Of course - I left the order details at work but will post them once I'm back at my desk.

ha - yep, fair point. Probably not an area to skimp on. Update: Just ordered a set of 20 genuine FRC6137s for £30 delivered. Got them to confirm while I was on the phone that they are indeed 45mm long (total length). All being well, my existing studs will be 39mm which will justify the swap and also hoping that if used with Alloy wheels that the new studs won't be too long. I really want the ability to be able to swap between my boost alloys and Wolf rims.

Wow - thank you for so many responses. So by the sounds of it, there already exists a perfect length stud - the 45mm version (possibly FRC6137 but to be confirmed given the discrepancies listed above). Would be keen to ID the slightly narrower wheel nut too, just to guarantee it all fits. Think I'm at the point where I need to start ordering some samples and measuring up (as well as confirming the length of my current studs on my 2010 90 - 39 or 45mm). Edit: Going off the image for the genuine FRC6137s on the Britcar website, they are indeed 45mm long (total length). They also have an OEM one via Britpart for £0.42 ea (£8.40 a set!). https://www.brit-car.co.uk/product.php/86201/371/wheel_stud_knock_through_defender_up_to_vin_ka

Hi everyone. The old Wolf rim/longer vs standard stud topic has been covered a lot and I think I've read the bulk of the threads on this. Gist is, on standard wheel studs there isn't quite enough thread to fill the nut but its OK as LR build them that way (and spec a larger torque figure to compensate). You can fit FRC7577 (60mm) studs but they're really very long (ben hur) and you couldn't switch back to alloy wheels as the capped nuts would bottom out before the wheel is tight. But if you aren't happy with the look of the nuts on standard studs when fitting wolf wheels (like myself), then what would be the ideal length? What length would allow full thread engagement when fitting wolfs but would still allow you to fit alloy wheels? I have a 2010 Puma 90 (so discs all round) and am in this predicament - it came with boost alloys from the factory and I have a set of genuine wolf rims ready to go on. The car is about to have some axle work done and it wouldn't be a great effort to change the studs hat the same time (have a press). I also have access to a machine shop - so shortening a set of FRC7577 (60mm) studs wouldn't be a great issue (and the price of them has come down significantly). But what length to go to? My ideal would be to have studs that when fitted with wolf rims and torqued to a sensible level (not the massive 170 that LR suggest) that around 1-1.5 thread is left exposed and I'm hoping that that would be short enough to still allow me to switch back to the Boost alloys if the mood strikes. Does anyone have any accurate measurements for how much longer the standard 39mm studs would need to be to allow this? Happy to share findings. With stock being 39mm, I'm guessing around 44mm would be perfect for the rims - would just need to do some experiments to make sure the alloy wheel nuts would still work without bottoming out. Any help on this OCD mini-project would be very welcome.

Thanks Jon. That’s reassuring to hear it’s been done. In the U.K. I’ve bought a few Land Rovers “blind” just from photos and have sent transporters to collect so hopefully a similar approach would be great. the house purchase is taking longer than anyone thought so waiting till I’ve got the keys before I start the ball rolling. nonimouse, I’m holding off from contacting your friend until I’m 100% ready to proceed. I’d hate to waste his time if the house purchase was to fall through.

Thank you - I found a few but if I get stuck I might take you up on that. similar to yourself I found that the quotes charge, even from big companies was less than fuel/ferry costs.

Giles, Nonimoise - thank you both very much indeed - that’s really kind of you and I’ll certainly be in touch. The house purchase is going well, assuming no issues then I should have my new workshop in around 11-weeks. There is a lovely shed on the back that is perfect for storing the next project. As soon as we have exchanged contracts I’ll be ready to pull the trigger on the Range Rover purchase.

Thank you all - that's really helpful. I had understood that the majority of the late 2-doors had been fitted with the 2.4VM and sold primarily in France. However after looking through the links above there are lots of different models on the market, something I've just learned today - so preference is of course V8, followed by Tdi and then either of the VMs - but I'm not overly fussy. The tricky bit will be finding someone in country who could help me in getting it home. Arranging transport is straightforward, but the ideal would be a local staging-post where I could have the vehicle transported after purchase and while I await the delivery driver from the UK - unless of course I can find one that is reliable enough for the drive back to England. I'm around 12-weeks away from being able to make the purchase (awaiting house completion - bought specifically for the triple garage), so I can't move on it yet but it would be great to find a local enthusiast or specialist that could help. I looked at getting it to Bilbao or Santander then its just a (long) ferry back to the south coast and I have an AA card to get me back from there if anything goes wrong. But the ferry cost is only £100 less than the cost of a transporter bringing it door to door. SO, subject to a good local inspection and a garage to act as a holding agent until the transporter arrives, it may not even be worth me flying out.

perfect. Thank you! That's just what I was looking for, already found a few contenders.

Hi everyone. I'm aware that we have a number of members from mainland Europe and was looking for some advice. I get my new workshop in a few months and I will have space for another project to join my Series and Defender vehicles. I'd like to buy a Euro-spec 2-door range rover classic (late '80s early '90s) - so most likely a 2.4D. Now these do pop up in the UK occasionally, so I'm familiar with the pricing. But if I want to buy from the source, could anyone advise on the best websites to look for vehicles for sale in the south of france and in spain? ebay.fr and ebay.es don't seem to be as popular as they are in the UK, so I'm guessing there are better websites but I'm struggling to identify the good ones. It would be a project vehicle, so I don't need anything perfect - structurally sound with as near complete interior trim as possible. I'll be keeping it factory spec and LHD but will be a lovely thing for driving holidays through Europe. thank you.

Ace - thanks guys. So looks like my A: Indicator | Tail/Brake | Reverse----------&----------Fog | Tail/Brake | Indicator is the winner. That's really reassuring before I start ordering the cappings and paint to do the job. I already have a high-level brake light as standard, so that's one thing off the to-do list.

Thanks Steve - I couldn't find that when I looked earlier. Scanning through - its looking promising: says that: brake lights need to be a matched pair, they need to be a minimum of 400mm apart, a minimum of 350mm from the ground, a maximum of 1500mm from the ground. Doesn't seem to be any rules on how far inboard they are. OK! Reversing light(s) have no regulations other than being at the back and havig no more than two. OK! Fog lamp: one, on centre line or off side, 250mm from ground min/1000mm max. OK! indicators: 400mm from side of vehicle, 500mm apart, 350mm to 1500mm from floor. OK! That's a first glance, there may be other reg buried in there that supersede the above or a blanket rule that says you can't change from the type-approved original vehicle standard. But it seems to say the plan is OK - and more that I could actually switch the order to exactly match the NAS spec (i.e. brake lights outboard, amber indicators in the middle and fog/reverse inboard) as the middle of the three is still way less than 400mm from the edge of the vehicle.

Hi all. I'm aware that there will be a lot of people here who have built their own specials and I'm sure there'll be some good knowledge of lighting regulations. One of my project vehicles is a 2010 90 CSW. I'm just ordering the parts I need to fit NAS/95mm rear lamps. The twist is that I want to fit them in the same way as they were fitted to genune 97MY NAS Defenders - i.e. in a row along the bottom of the tub. I've already found the correct NAS corner capping with a cut-out to allow the outboard lamps to fit close to the body side and moving holes/tigging up isn't an issue. So physically fitting them is now planned out and sorted. But there's a legality question - the arrangement I'd be going for would be three lamps on each side: Indicator | Tail/Brake | Reverse----------&----------Fog | Tail/Brake | Indicator The look would be near identical to the one in the photo below, albeit without the small 73mm brake lights in the upper corners (the NAS capping pieces have a blank piece here so they neatly cover the redundant holes): To do this, I'd need to move the Reverse and Fog lamps inboard one position but crucially I'd need to move the brake lamps down from the top of the barrel sides to the centre of the rear panel. This is the bit that my spidey sense is tingling to tell me there may be a legal issue. Does anyone know if it is permissible to relocate lamps in such a way and/or if there is any legislation on brake lamp positioning that would stop this (e.g. do they need to be Xmm from the edge of the vehicle. Thank you.

Evening all. I've been bracing myself for the expense of buying a roof rack for my Defender 90. Every post, thread and article I read points to the same thing. Brownchurch roof racks weigh a ton and are tough, but aluminium roof racks are better (if you can run to it) on account of them being far lighter - meaning less body roll and more weight capacity on the roof. No issues there - just have to save up. But... I've just opened a Britpart catalogue (not my usual reading but it was lying around) and they have their version of a Brownchurch roof rack - the contoured type - and the weight is listed as 25kg. 25kg! And its £211 inc VAT: that's the same price as a pair of roof bars. The frontrunner Slimline II aluminium one (£1000+) is 33kg. The britpart aluminium one (£700) is 32kg. So that 25kg must be a type-o, right? Otherwise why wouldn't more people be recommending a knock-off of the tried and tested brownchurch-type rack - cheaper and with an extea 7-10kg capacity over an aluminium version.

Thicker centres! Thanks Western that explains it. they certainly seem deeper but with them being wider I wasn’t sure (and visiallually struggled to tell) whether it actually moved the tyre sidewalL out all that much or if it just spread the tyre width a bit more.

Hi folks. May be a daft question but did the original 127s and 130s come with 750 tyres? (Rather than the later ones that came with 235s) if so, I can’t get my head round why they came with 6.5j rims. Would it really widen the track by that much? Or would it have been more about having more meat in the rim for strength? reason I ask is that I’ve always fitted 130rims to my series builds and have a set in storage replays for my new build and I remember when the last one was finished expecting the track to widen much more than it did with 750s fitted.

Thanks Pete. i hadn’t heard of them before but as soon as I saw the names I recognised Emrys from the CLR writing staff. just called them and am taking it up there tomorrow for them to have a look.

Hi folks. just looking to see if anyone could recommend someone to repair the footwells on a defender near Manchester? It’s a couple of small repairs - probably not a full footwell but looking for someone who would know how a bulkhead is fabricated and who could let in new steel with the bulkhead in situ (butt-weld and linish flat) rather than a normal mot-patch) im loathed to do it myself - still haunted from all the series ones I’ve Done over the years. thank you.

Guys - that’s incredibly useful, thank you! I'm picking up the 90 on Tuesday, once back I’ll have a weigh up on access to see which parts I need to remove to access the rust but will bear All the above in mind. The point on the alarm is really handy to know - I’ve never had a LR with an alarm before so all new to me.