Raggylad

Mounting plate is 6 3/4 x 7 1/4" Wheel mounting studs are 7 1/4", but centre wheel support U bracket sticks out 9" There are 8 mounting bolts on the back plate - 2 each side. Not sure if mine is OE - I know the previous owner fitted it himself.

I need to replace 2 of my original steel wheels - balance is so bad as to be unrectifiable & the vibration between 40-50 mph is getting on my wick. On looking at ebay, sellers seem to differentiate between 90 & 110 wheels; what - if anything - is the difference ? Probably a bit of a biff question, I know, but I've never needed that much detail before. (Before anybody leaps in with advice to fit alloys, steel modulars, Wolf wheels, 2" lifts, etc - my truck (early '83 110) is a workhorse not a plaything and I'm quite happy running on original steel wheels with 750/R16 Goodyear ATs !) Thanks.

The 2 seat bases took an afternoon (2nd one was faster, as I'd learned on the first !) and were pretty straightforward. Old covers went back on fine. Used Exmoor-supplied spray impact adhessive, which worked well. The seat backs were a b****r ! Each took an afternoon (again, 2nd a bit faster than 1st). The new foams were not quite the same as the old ones & needed trimming around the top; the paper 'string' bead in both covers was rotten & had to be replaced with new string (with a safety pin, like replacing elastic in clothing); the hard plastic back shells were fragile as h**l and cracked in places, so had to repair/reinforce with black nasty (Army version of Gaffer Tape); etc, etc. But all worth it in the end that 50 mile bad back moment on longer journeys is now more like 100 miles ! PM if you want more detail.

Oops ... sorry on Shrewton ! Seen the website before, just wanted to know if anybody had used them & what they were like ?

Thanks all - gives me somewhere to start looking. Also I've heard that there's a place called somthing like West Wilts Landrovers in Market Lavington & another place in Shrewton - anything known about either of these ?

Try www.alternatormart.co.uk. I've just had a brand new 70A (replacing the OE 45A, which was struggling) from them for less than £60 - the best recon quote I could get was £50+ ! Service was fantastic - emails promptly replied to, delivery rapid and a niggle (sent a LH, not RH model for my V8) sorted within 24 hours with no quibble. I dealt with a bloke called Martin; he could not have been more helpful. I would certainly use them again.

I have just replaced the foam in my front seats (foam from Exmoor Trim), but have kept the seat covers as (a) they are in pretty good nick and in my early (1983) 110 they are different from later Defender covers in having a separate hard back. Pretty easy to do & took the opportunity to give the covers a good clean while they were off. The top of the foam backs needed a bit of trimming to fit properly where they are a different shape ro the old ones. The difference in comfort is really noticeable; far more support. Only thing is that I now sit about 1/2" higher and almost 1" further forward (ther result of the back being thicker), which makes a difference when you are 6'4" ! Overall, however, well worth doing & proves that old seat covers in reasonable nick don't have to be replaced with the foams.

Moving to Warminster in a couple of months. Any recommends for garages/workshops that understand older Landrovers (eg: my '83 110 V8) in the West Wilts/East Somerset area ? Also, any LPG specialists ? Thanks

Simon - ran the AC volts test you suggested & got a reading - which suggested it was the W terminal, though there is no marking anywhere near it to confirm. Turns out, in fact, that it wasn't ! If you look at the Lucas spec here http://www.lucas-tvs.com/products/A115.html (which I only found this evening) you can see that it is the 'optional spade terminal for warning light'. This would explain why, when I connected it to the W terminal on the new alternator, the battery warning light came on as soon as I reconnected the battery ! Anyway, I then disconnected the wire and everything ran fine without it - so it is now taped up out of the way ! Thanks for all the replies - they all helped. Nick

Many thanks for the answers and advice. The wire diasppears straight into the loom - so hard to tell where it goes. I'll run the test suggested. Reason for asking is that I am about to fit an 80A alternator (the current one is only 45A & struggles with the load of headlights, heater fan & wipers in bad weather) and I don't want to cock up this mystery connection & cause unnecessary damage !

Merlin Motorsport at Castle Coombe. Don't go for the PTFE stuff (for racers only - must be lined with solid gold), but rather the rubber lined variety. I have just redone my 110 V8 with it for about £40. Its not shown on their online shop, you have to ring them & explain what you want - but they are very helpful & delivery is fast.

I'm trying to identify a rogue wire connected to the back of the alternator fitted to my '83 110 V8 - see picture below. The alternator is a Lucas A115-45 (LR Part No: PRC2677) with following numbers on it: 24028D A115-45 178312V1. It is, I think, original - but has been reconditioned at least once. The wire in question is the single brown one connected to a spade terminal towards the top of the picture (not the one at the very top). It is not shown on the wiring diagram in the Owner's Handbook. Only suggestion I have had so far is that it may be connected to the 'W' terminal (whatever that is ?!) - usually used for either a rev counter or automatic choke (I have neither !). Any ideas ?

Problem identified (but not yet solved - waiting for parts); blocked fuel tap on the petrol solenoid of the LPG system.

Thanks - good suggestions. I'll give them a try. Nick

Having a seriously weird fuel (?) problem on my '83 110 V8. She starts & runs fine on LPG, but - when started on petrol started with difficulty, ran roughly for about 30 seconds then cut out - repeatedly. Pumping the accelerator prolonged this to about 45 seconds. That was yesterday - today she won't start at all on petrol. Possibly relevant facts/related symptoms ? - LPG is a simple single point induction system, injecting into the air intakes of the (Stromberg) carbs. Petrol system is standard as to pump & filter. - Petrol in tanks is only 2 weeks old. - New fuel filter fitted about 2 weeks ago, but had been running fine. - Fuel pump makes the right fast then slower ticking noises on startup. - Had been experiencing petrol vapourisation problems when running on the hot side in heavy traffic. - Had just fitted braided fuel hose from filter - fuel solenoid (part of LPG system) - carbs, to try to alleviate vaporisation problem. - Serious backfire when starting from (very) cold on LPG had blown front silencer box 4 weeks ago, so there is a new box (a pipe run to Y pipe) fitted. This sounds a bit rough on start up on LPG since the start of the petrol problem - with an intermittent burble/rattle from the area of the silencer box until the engine is warmed up. What I have done so far: - Reinstated the original fuel pipe; checked all fuel connections for petrol/air tightness. - Checked the top half of the carbs. Cleaned pistons & needles & checked diaphragms (OK). - Run the system in the emergency, petrol-only, override mode - no joy. - Disconnected the LPG solenoid to see if it was the LPG ECU playing up - no joy. Thoughts and/or advice urgently needed. Not a crisis - can still run on LPG - but we're meant to be going on holiday, towing the boat to an LPG-starved area (West Pembrokeshire) from next Monday ! Sorry for the rather long post - but if I had any hair left, I would be tearing it out ! Thanks. Nick

To go against the flow of pro-Tdi replies, I use an '83 110 3.5 V8 , running on LPG through Strombergs, to tow a boat trailer (max weight just over 1 ton). Very happy with the setup - much better than our previous (2.5 TD Jeep - shhhhh wash my mouth out !). Mind you, the LT95 box gives a nice low first for hill starts - not sure about later boxes. Otherwise, she pulls like a train at all legal speeds.

Have had very mixed experiences with Craddocks. Website is OK if you know exactly what you want - but no good if you don't. If you have superceded part numbers or need advice about compatibility, while they are friendly & helpful on the phone, the advice is pretty hit & miss. Am currently in the middle of a protracted nause with them over a superceded part (rear door lock substitute part for my '83 110 turned out to be utterly incapable of fitting !). Friendliness reduces as soon as you have a problem - no matter how polite you are.

Have been: - Petrol pump attendant - Builder's hod carrier - Dairy relief milker BUT - have now been a soldier for 28 years. Infantry - jacks of all military (and some non-) trades and occasional dealers of applied, controlled violence to the Queen's enemies !

I've never had a problem - but then I've only been using LPG for 5 months (quite a few fills, though - it is a V8 !). I'm always careful, however, to make sure that the connection is firm before going to start the pump.

Does anybody know where I could get hold of the correct Fairey Overdrive linkage for a 110/Stage 1 V8 with an LT95 box ? I've got the overdrive, but with a Range Rover linkage - which is completely different. It looks like this (the bit in front of the overdrive main assembly): Thanks