Snagger

Some of the lower gears were lower, but their upper gears and transfer boxes were standard, I believe. I'll happily be corrected on that, though. My 109 managed 60 mph eventually on the level with the 12J and standard gearing plus overdrive (cruising gear only, acceleration in 4th with OD being non-existent). Without the roof rack, it could eventually wind itself up to 85 mph on the level and cruised merrily at 60-65 on the level, but lost speed on even shallow long hills. The Tdi allowed 85 mph too (rack installed), but became raucous above 65 mph with OD engaged, but accelerating, even with the rack, is easy and you can maintain 60mph even on relatively steep, long hills. With the 3.54 gears (OD disengaged), the Tdi can struggle on big hills in 4th in the same way as the 12J did with the original diffs, typically dropping to 50mph on long steep hills and not having the guts to keep the OD engaged. OD works really well with the 12J because you can use standard gearing for acceleration and the engage the OD for cruising. The 3.54 diffs are significantly taller than 4.71 +OD, though (another 25% of the OD's increase), so if you try accelerating or driving up a long hill in 4th +OD, and then imagine it even worse, you get the idea of 3.54 diffs.

A 2.8TGV would be a great swap for the Tdi, and is designed to be a nearly straight swap. There aren't many second hand engines about, and a TD5 or Tdci will be cheaper in that respect, but they will have mating issues with the transmission and the Tdci would need the humped bonnet too, as well as new floors, transmission tunnel and quite possibly new propshafts for both conversions if the transmission sits in a different position to the current location. There's also something to be said for the TGV's rugged simplicity, almost exactly the same as the Tdi, with no electronic to worry about.

Well, it's interesting to read who drives under different conditions and who considers dipped or high to be "main" beam, and that will depend largely on whether you're driving deserted country roads in the middle of the night or congested town roads during rush hour, but it doesn't help the technical issues! Likewise, referring to the units as bulbs seems reasonable for simplicity's sake... The UK regs require the use of 55/60W bulbs. Higher wattages will give better illumination, but you could have hassle with them if you get caught, and I suspect that if you had an accident where the other driver claimed to have been dazzled, it could complicate your defence and also potentially void your insurance. However, the super-duper Halfords and Bosch 55/60s are road legal despite their higher output, so it's worth considering them in favour of the higher wattage bulbs just to cover your backside. If they're not enough for night driving (unlikley, especially with the crystal lenses), then adding spots is still legal and will give similar or better results than the mega bulbs. Of course, in countries which allow the higher bulbs, then they have the benefit of being easier to fit than a spot lamp installation, but obviously you will need to ensure that the wiring loom is up to the current the bulbs will draw.

No photos, but I would suggest keeping the existing rad and fitting separate oil cooler to the tight of the rad and an intercooler in front of the rad (a bit like the big Alisport intercooler mods for Tdis and Td5s). I have seen a Subaru intercooler used that way very neatly.

It sounds like the problem is the wheel offset, putting the wheel centre further from the bonnet. Longer bolts would work fine, but you will need to make a bar that spans the wheel centre and takes both bolts as the clamps will not work properly with the long bolts; their legs will not press against the bonnet as the bolts are tightened, so they will not tip and press down on the wheel lip.

All Series LRs had the same gearing except for the 1-Ton and V8 109s. The top end RPM of the 2.25petrol and 12J is close, the 12J being limited to 4250rpm if I remember correctly. If your 12J is so rough at 2500rpm+ that speeds over 40-50 were unbearable, then there is something wrong with the engine or mountings - they're not as smooth as the petrol engines, but the indirect-injection diesels weren't particularly prone to vibration or harshness. It should certainly have pulled the car to a higher comfort speed and maximum speed with standard gearing. I'd look first at the timing, as even slight maladjustment of that causes harshness and rapid performance drop off. Having run a 109 for twelve years with a mint 12J, I can assure you that 3.54s will be over-geared in anything other than a basic spec 88. It's not a matter of opinion but a simple fact. That is why LR used a 1.6: ratio transfer box with the 3.54 diffs. 1.15 transfer gears and 4.71 works out roughly comparable, but mixing the taller late diffs with the taller early transfer box would be awful for the vast majority of Series drivers.

It i a problem, and even more so with RHD vehicles using Roverdrives because of how their pivot is shaped; I had to cut not only the hole throught the Wright Off Road matting for the pivot to enter the cab, but also an arc for the base of the lever. In LHD vehicles and those fitted with Fairey ODs, you wouldn't need to cut the arc. It looks OK, but using a gaiter would be neater. I used a black DII gear stick gaiter to cover the base of my gear stick, and it looks pretty good.

MTF94 is the LR specification, changed from the earlier Dextron III or similar. It helps with the gear changes on older units and makes the unit much smoother and quieter than than the original ATF. There seem to be varying opinions about Difflocks's later substitute (I can't remember the name just now), but I haven't tried it and so can't recommend for or against, but MTF94 certainly seems better than the ATF previously in my RRC's R380.

Sorry, I was unclear - there would be no legal issues because the wheels would be using steel bands of the same thickness and fall well within the C&U regs on the wheel dimensions. I just wonder about insurers getting funny about modified rather than after-market manufactured wheels. They can be very illogical about any changes, like owner installation of what were factory options, so this would be bound to make some of them nervous.

That's not bad. I paid £60 per wheel to have the CSK/90SV alloys to be fully refurbished, so £70 for blasting, cleaning up the wled lines and coating is pretty comparable. Eu50 or £40 per wheel for banding is pretty reasonable. I'd be concerned about an insurer's reaction to them, but realisically, as long as the welding is properly done and checked, I can't see any strength or safety issue.

Firstly, regarding bulb performance, those Halfords Ultras I mentioned, with the 120% brighter claim - as others said, they're very effective. My earlier post wasn't clear in my experience of using them: I have them on the 109 and they more than offset the light lost by the slats in the bullbar in front of them. Realistically, their output is such that I no longer need the bar mounted spots for main beam. They are rated 55/60, so are road legal and are standard H4 fit, so are simple to use. Unfortunately, they only seem to last a couple of years, or about 15-20,000 miles of driving, though at least half my driving is with the lights on. Halfords do ordinary H4s as well which probably last a little longer, but they also do heavy duty H4s for vehicles with greater vibration (like ours), and close inspection showed heavier welds and mountings for the filaments, so if you don't need so much extra illumination from the halogen upgrade as having the ultra bulbs, they're worth a look. Secondly, the relays. 70A relays won't do any harm, and they appear similar in size to the more usual 30A, but they're massive overkill. At 60W, two bulbs draw 10A from the battery (12V x 10A = 120W) or about 8A at the 14V produced by the alternator; even if you wire a pair of 60W driving or spot lamps into the circuits and run off the one relay, you still only need a single 30A relay for dipped and another for main beam. They'll be more easily available and cheaper than the 70A type, but fit whichever you're comfortable with. The main concern is that you use 27A cable as the 17A cable will cause a bit of a voltage drop over the length that you are wiring up, nit much, but enough to dim the output a little and the extra cost of the heavier wire is minimal. And use 15A fuses on the feeds from the battery/ starter solenoid to protect the circuit effectively. In terms of reliability and the concern of everything going dark at the worst moment, wiring the lamps so that main beam has the dipped on too is going to increase the chance of failure - you're nearly doubling the energy inside the bulbs, so they will be much hotter and will burn out far faster - I'd estimate in no more than 1/3 the time than if used correctly. The extra light produced is minimal and ineffective - try it yourself by going from main beam to the flash position on your column and comparing what you see. It's just not worth the alteration. But by fitting relays, you will be massively reducing the current through the switches, which are the weakest part of the standard system. Even if retaining sealed beam lamps, using relays will improve reliability. If you are seriously concerned, though, you can fit individual relays in each circuit for each bulb, ie four relays in all. I have had one relay failure in the main beam circuit in the 15 years I have had the system, causing the headlight main beam and two spots running from the relay to remain on. I think the relay had tired and welded its contacts closed. I carry a couple of spares, so it was easy to fix. So, to allow for relay failure, by having one for each bulb means that the other bulb will still function normally. It won't cure the remaining vulnerability of having just one control circuit, from fuse box, via switch, to the relays, though, and of course, if a dipped or main circuit failed at a bad moment, you can always select the other circuit as you can now with the standard lights. Personally, I'd keep it simple with the single 30A relay for each system, with the heavy wire and 15A fuse (25A with four lights on one circuit) preventing any overload.

One more thing - it's a much easier job if you can do this with the door mounted on its hinges and on the vehicle already!

It's simple - I have changed an axle from 3.54 to 4.71 and back again with perfect results, and with no special tools other than borrowing the axle spreader tool for getting the carrier in and out of the axle case. Since you are not changing the ratio, you don't need to replace the pinion, which is the hardest part to set up. If you do need to replace it because it's worn, then it's a simple swap anyway, as the shim adjustment is all for variations in the case tolerances, the gear set tolerances being small enough to be discounted. Drain the diff and remove the rear cover, and disconnect the rear end of the prop shaft (you can remove the shaft completely or just hang it out of the way with string or a bungee like I did). Mark the main bearing caps to identify which side they are from and which way up they go. Undo the two bolts in each of the diff carrier bearing caps, followed by the caps themselves. They have to go back in the exact same orientations later, so be careful to do this marking. With the aid of the spreader, lift the diff carrier out. It's damned heavy, so be careful. If you need to replace the pinion or its bearings, you need to undo the flange nut. It too need marking before removal to ensure the correct torque and bearing preload later, so make indelible alignment marks on the nut and pinion. It's on at a few hundred foot-pounds, so to get it off you need to lock the pinion flange by using a couple of bolts through the holes and a bar against the ground (or ramp, if your so lucky). Then use a socket and breaker bar to undo the nut. Remove the nut and the the flange and the pinion will be free to come out through the diff housing, along with its aft inner bearing race and rollers. The outer race will still be in the casing, with the pinion heigh setting shims immediately behind it. If the outer race is in good order, leave it be, likewise the outer race and bearing on the pinion. The forward bearing will be complete inside the casing, retained by the seal. To inspect it, you'll have to remove the seal, which will require replacement on reassembly. It's probably worthwhile renewing the seal anyway, so prise the seal out and remove the bearing for inspection. You will also find a steel collar with a ridge in the middle. This is the collapsible spacer that holds the aft and forward bearings apart against the force of the flange nut for setting the bearing preload. There is no need to replace this unless you have overtightened the nut, so keep it safe. Setting up the new diff centre's bearings and shims is easiest with the pinion out of the way, so do it now. If the pinion is still fitted because inspection of the gear and the feel of the bearings passed inspection, then you can continue setting up the main bearings as long as the ring gear is not fitted to the diff centre. Fit the bearings to the carrier without shims and test ft in the case. Remove the spreader tool and measure the end float on the carrier. Use the spreader to remove the carrier and add shims of the total thickness of the measured end float under the inner race in the crown wheel side of the carrier (not the plain side - you'll see why later) to remove all the end float and refit. Remove the spreader and test for end float again - there should be none at all, and check for free rotation of the carrier - the bearings should be smooth and pretty quiet with little resistance. If that passes, then you have the correct thickness of shims. Resistance to motion points to excess shims, any end float or rocking to insufficient shimming. Once you have found the correct total shimming, the carrier can be removed to have its ring gear fitted (the kit's instructions will give torque settings and you should use red thread lock) Now comes the fiddly part. You need to transfer shims from one side to the other of the carrier to set the gear mesh with the pinion. For this, the pinion must be fitted. Then fit the carrier with the ring gear to check the gear mesh. You're looking for a tight mesh, but a minimum of 0.004" (4thou) crown wheel free rotational movement to allow gear lubrication and prevent overheating. In practical terms, you can do this by setting the mash to the smallest movement you can feel by hand. This is set by transferring main bearing shims from one side to the other, and because they were all put on the crown gear side of the carrier, the mesh will have to be tightened by transferring some shims to the plain side of the carrier - if you had set the shims on the plain side during the earlier stages, the mesh would have been too tight to full fit the carrier into the casing without risking damage to various parts. This is going to be a bit laborious, using trial and error to move shims from one side to the other until the correct mesh is reached, using and removing the spreader too and removing and refitting the bearings each time. There is no way around it, though experienced mechanics would be able to make better estimates of shim adjustment and have less cycles of adjustment and testing, but they would still have to do the same thing. Once you have set the mesh nice and small but with that minimum of 4thou, you should use a mesh marking fluid on several crown gear teeth and turn the diff several times to see the pattern left by the pinion on the fluid on the crown gear teeth. Ideally, you'd use engineer's blue, but it's expensive and not especially easily available. I have used emulsion paint to quite satisfactory effect. You want to see a regular pattern of contact in the centre face of each tooth - towards the root of the teeth indicates too tight a mesh, and the footprint towards the edge of the teeth indicates too loose a mesh. If the foot print is markedly towards the outer edge of the crown gear, then the pinion height is too low (ie it isn't sticking in towards the diff centre enough), if the footprint is markedly towards the inner edge of the crown gear, then the pinion heigh it too much. Should the pinion height be out, which is extremely unlikely if you haven't altered its shims (even if you have replaced the pinion and/or its bearings), then it will need to be adjusted, but it's so unlikely that I wouldn't bother with the pinion height setting procedure initially. Unfortunately, if it does prove necessary to alter the pinion height, then you'll have to start the mesh setting procedure with the main bearing shims from scratch as the pinion heigh will throw the mesh out too. It all sounds a little scary, especially from the proper manuals, but I can assure you it's very simple. I can also back up KAM Diffs comment that replacing pinions and bearings does not require the pinion height set up procedure because that is all done for the casing variation, which has already been accomplished on the initial factory build. I found that my 4.71 and 3.54 diffs had such close tolerances that I didn't need to change the main bearing shims at all either. If you have suitable measuring equipment, you may be able to set the main bearings up well enough that you do only the one test fit - you'll need to compare the distances from the gear side of the crown gear mounting flange (plus any spacer ring required for the conversion) to the bearing seat faces; just shim them to match the original carrier and shims.

How much did that cost, Daan? It's a very simple solution if affordable, and probably cheaper than genuine IIB wheels anyway!

I'd agree that the master cylinder's port must be defective, either because of scoring or inaccurate machining, a split o-ring, or even the rust spreading past the o-ring. As for bleeding the front brakes, they are difficult for two reasons: a) the ports are on the sides of the slave cylinders, not the top, trapping air, and b) the PDWA valve on the chassis is also an air trap. The best way of bleeding the brakes on a dual circuit system, therefore, is to bleed from the wheels up to the reservoir. This means that the fluid enters the PDWA valve from the bottom, the air rising out of the top easily. It also means that the pressure bleed leaks fluid out past the nipple threads rather than air back in on pedal bleeding. As for twin leading shoe systems on the front and their port positions trapping air, most of the problem can be eliminated by bleeding with the pistons clamped full retracted as Phil said, but can only be eliminated entirely by vacuum bleeding or by removing the wheel hubs from the axle and the brake units, complete with back-plate, front the stub axle to lay horizontally to reorientate the cylinders so that the ports are all at the top of the cylinders. It's a nuisance, but look on it as a opportunity to service the wheel bearings and hub seals!

I had the same problem with my Fairey selector lever, and have the same with the Roverdrive one too. For the Fairey, I found a shim made from a tupperware lid worked very well between the joints of the selectors, with steel and rubber washers to pack out the longitudinal play in the clevis pin, all bather in heavy grease. On the Roverdrive, the link rod uses Rose joints (Heim joints), which get slightly looser over the first 6 months and result in rattles of the outer part of the joint flange against the lever pivot arm. Thick o-rings around the ball of the joint, separating the joint flange from pivot arm work well, but as the joint continues to wear, the only solution will be to replace the joints with better quality units which will not wear as quickly. I'm reaching that point now after 45,000 miles of use with the heavier vibration of the Tdi.

Shame about the notch in the radio mount - it looks very smart otherwise. I had a similar issue when I fit a Mudstuff centre console. I used a blow torch, vice and length of steel tube to bend the gear stick towards the driver's seat to create the require clearance, and even though I had to put a 10 degree (estimated) bend about 1/3 of the way up from the base because I could't get the vice to grip well enough lower down and also to ensure the lower part of the lever clears the overdrive lever, it looks perfectly original and smart and also make reaching and selecting all gears much, much easier (especially for shorter people). I think LR only made the levers so far forward to allow use of the middle seat, so unless you need to use it, then bending the stick is a good alternative. Incidentally, I found heat-shrink cable sleeving a very good way of creating a smooth, even and chip/scratch-resistant finish. Paint is just to much hassle and is so easy to scratch...

I run a very similar set to Mikey on my 109 - Tdi, standard SIII gear box and hight range SIII transfer box with overdrive and 3.54 diffs and 235/85s. Personally, I find the 3.54s a bit too tall, but my vehicle is much heavier and has considerably more drag, but the original diffs are too low for my commuting. I did slightly modify the transfer box by fitting the lower low range gears from the SII Suffix B gears after learning about them from Phil (without doubt the forum's foremost Series transmission expert) - 2.8:1 rather than 2.35:1 of the later SII and the SIII gears. They have offset the effect of the diffs by half. In the future, I'd like to either fit a Defender transmission or 4.1 diffs with this transmission - either would provide an ideal gear ratio for my vehicle's characteristics. It's just a shame that the 4.1 diff gears are so costly, but it'll cost a little less than sourcing second hand LT77/stubby R380, LT230 and all the other bits to make the conversion (prop shafts, hand brake, transmission tunnel, seat base and so on), and will be a hell of a lot less work. I still can't make up my mind which way to go... I would never have considered the 3.54 diffs behind the 12J I had before I installed the Tdi - they would have made 4th gear nearly redundant, costing much more in fuel consumption by being held down in 3rd and also increasing gear box wear. DO NOT fit 3.54s or High Ratio Transfer Case behind a 2.25 petrol or diesel or a 2.5 NAD, only behind a 2.6, V8 or Tdi; you just won't have the torque to pull that gearing unless you have a very light vehicle with no external accessories and keep the small diameter tyres. With the 12J engine, overdrive is what you need - you can select it when the vehicle has finished accelerating, or even use it as a gear splitter in the lower gears, but it allows standard gearing for accelerating and hills and can be selected for cruising on the level. 3.54s and HRTC are non-selectable and will ruin your drive - even Ashcrofts themselves advise against their HRTC being used in the non-charged 4-pot vehicles.

I have the older Wipac conversion units on my 109 and RRC, and they're pretty good, especially if you fit brighter bulbs like Halfors Ultra (120% brighter, the claim - couldn't give you an accurate estimate, but they are very bright bulbs), but I have heard that the crystal units are much better still. It makes sense as the lenses are flat, thin and clear, so less light is absorbed by the glass or refracted in useless directions. I'll be using crystal headlights next time I need to replace these units, if they get damaged or the reflectors corrode. Remember to rewire with 27A cabling and 30A relays for each system, dipped and main, with a 15A fuse in each relay feed, the relay controlled by the original wiring from switch to headlight units, or you'll burn out the switches in quick order. The uprated power feeds to the relays and bulbs will also reduce voltage drop before the bulbs, making sure you get their best performance.

Have a word with Vass as Ampthill - they have huge stocks of cast-off MoD wheels and tyres at good prices, many of them unused. Most will be Michelin XCLs, though, which are fine off road but less than ideal for wet tarmac.

There may have been different spec Rostyles out there, or maybe yours had been beaten out to clear the hubs, but certainly some people who tried them on SIIs and IIIs had that fouling problem. Beating the centres out though causes stresses in the wheel, which I have heard of leading to fractures. I don't know if spacers cure the problem - it seems likely they would - but then you end up with protruding wheels. Modular and 8-spoke wheels are typically 7" wide, more than the 109 and Defender rims or the Wolf rims, which are 5.5" and 6", or 6" and 6.5" respectively, I can't remember which. But you have to be a bit careful when ordering those after-market wheels; they come in at least two offsets, perhaps more, with a 15mm difference between the two types I had. The more offset rim is the one you want (ie the mating face set further towards the outer rim of the wheel rather than close to the centre line), as this will keep the tyre wall just about flush with the wing and keep the steering reasonable. The less offset (further outset) rims make the steering very heavy and vague and are technically a C&U regs issue as well as likely to throw mud and stones up the sides of the vehicle. Like you said, the IIB FC rims are the ideal, looking right and giving good dimensions. An alternative only slightly less wide is 1-Ton rims, which would take 235s perfectly well and retain the original look, unlike Wolf rims, and would also be lighter than the Wolf rims and not cause concern over wheel studs to over-zealous MoT testers.

6.00s will have the benefits of lowering the gearing for steep hills (but, frankly, low range 1st and 2nd should cope fine with 7.50s), lowering the centre of gravity for steep slopes, especially side slopes, and are also narrower than 7.50s so would bite more in many muddy conditions, but they also reduce ground clearance considerably. For off roading, I'd plumb for 7.50s as they will give considerably better clearance with only marginal change of CoG. I'd suggest 6.00s are only of much benefit for your vehicle if you're towing a lot, where the gearing reduction would be helpful but you don't need ground clearance.

The Rostyles will foul the Series hubs, so go for whichever of the other two you prefer, including their tyres. Wolf rims take 7.50s and 235/85s, so would be good. Standard Defender rims should take very similar sizes, so be wary of very wide tyres (over 235) as they won't be suited to the wheel. For a diesel powered Series vehicle, fat tyres will give a particularly noticeable drop in performance too, due to their increased mass and the amount of rubber deformed as they roll. Fat tyres are only useful in bog or on sand (with different tread patterns for each). For mud, grass, gravel, snowy or and wet roads and standing water, skinny tyres give much better grip - fat tyres aquaplane more easily and won't cut through mud or press down into grass; look at what the fat tyre shod vehicles do on trials compared to how ultra skinny tyre shod vehicles did on the WWI battlefields. Fat tyres will also make steering vague and heavy. Also consider the pattern - the more aggressive it is, the worse it'll be on road, especially wet roads, and in sand. All Terrains are a good tyre for mixed use, way better than mud tyres. Only favour the mud tyres if you plan to do a lot of off road driving and little on road.

They'll fit perfectly.

As said, once the skin is on, you need to fit the glazing tracks and their plastic spacer channels and aluminium shim strips, then the outer handle, latch mechanism and interior locking lever, with all of their linkages, before sliding the glass into the channels. To do this, the bottom ends of the channels need to be left unscrewed. Once the glass has been slid up to the closed position, then you can finish screwing the channels into the lower part of the door, then you can fit the regulator and its mounting panel. Remember that the door has a weather sheet before fitting the door cards - it may have been lost or thrown away, but it needs to be there to reduce drafts and keep water out of the card apertures, which could drip inside the cab. It's just thick plastic sheet with holes cut for the interior door lock and handle and the window winder, originally stuck to the door frame with mastik but duct tape would work well enough. The tricky bit will be the linkages for the four lock parts (interior and exterior handles, locking plunger and the lock mechanism), but once they're in place, I'm sure you'll be able to see how the links then fit. Make sure you use the neoprene gaskets between the lock mechanisms and frames and the plastic shims at the ends of the exterior handles, and use plenty of copper grease on the handles' bolts.