Snagger

That looks like a very high quality installation. Just two questions: 1) Is the box section for the bottom end of the steering column welded to the angle you attached to the old steering box support (it's a little hard to see in the photos), and; 2) Does that second cross member (the angle one) for the radiator support prevent engine being pulled forwards for removal, instead requiring the transmission to move aft to disengage the clutch and input pinion before lifting the engine straight up? Again, it's hard to tell from photos as it's impossible to gauge the depth of the clearance between that cross member and the crank pulley. I'm impressed at how quickly you've managed this project.

Because the only legitimate documentation I have found states that the chassis may not be modified and the only contrary information has come from third party anecdotes from amateurs like us. If I could find it written down on an authority's document or hear it myself from an inspector, should they bother answering the phone or letters, I'd be quite happy, but in the absence of that, I chose to accept the information displayed on the VOSA website. No insult intended, Fridge, but I never have trusted what is written by those I don't know well on the internet and never will; there is far too much erroneous information on forums and blogs - I don't even bother reading news papers because every story I read about a subject I know about, the details are all wrong.I'm not here to argue, and didn't start this debate. I merely raised valid concerns which have a sound basis. If you can [point to documents that say your interpretation is correct, then great - I hope that you are, because it allows us a lot more flexibility. In the meantime, I would point people to the "radically altered" section of the vehicle registration section of the VOSA site and ask them to read it for themselves and make their own decision. As I said, I may be being overly conservative, but it's better than sticking your head in the sand.

In an attempt to find out if the VIN points system applies only to complete rebuilds or also to in-service vehicles, I have tried phoning VOSA, and they fobbed me off with a reply that I needed to speak to my local inspectors. I wrote to them twice by email and twice by post, but never received a reply. That leads me to assume that they a) don't know the rules themselves because they don't seem to be clearly written, and b) can't be bothered to find out when someone asks them a simple question. So, in answer to your question, yes, I have repeatedly approached the authorities, and I have never received any guidance, never mind a definitive answer. However, I usually approach most things with a sense of caution and cynicism, rather than boldness and optimism. Different people see things with other perspectives, and some would see the lack of guidance as tacit approval, but not me - I see the lack of a reply as just that. I suppose I'm a glass-half-empty kind of person, but that doesn't necessarily mean I'm wrong. I may be being overly cautious, but having been unable to get even the slightest indication from VOSA, I think I've taken the prudent course.Retroanaconda, while I take your point about adding mountings to the chassis, I don't see that they would have any issues with adding bolt holes or brackets. I think, though, that dimensional changes and configuration changes may be seen in a different context. So, while I can't imagine a zealous inspector being concerned with changed mountings for an engine upgrade, I can imagine them disqualifying coils spring conversions and cross member relocations for fitting PAS or LT230s. Again, I don't have anything to substantiate it other than the wording in their VIN guidelines about unaltered and unmodified chassis, but I can't find anything to contradict that.

Black smoke generally means too much fuel/too little air. There are plenty of simple things to check first: Air filter; Exhaust (if it can't breathe out, it won't be able to breathe in); Tappet clearances; Timing (if the valves are open at the wrong time for the engine, the gas flow through the valves will be restricted). Dirty or clogged injectors can also cause problems as the fuel will not be sprayed properly, resulting in globules instead of a fine mist, which won't burn fully and will again produce black smoke. This fits with the misfiring, but so do many of the above. Fuel pump timing is also a likely candidate - excessively advanced pump timing causes black smoke and harder starting, while retarded timing produces bluish-white smoke with easy starting, but both will be down on efficiency and performance. I won't say it can't be a cause, but I don't think a head or gasket problem is likely, especially since you don't have starting problems or blue smoke.

The regs around what constitutes a radically altered or original vehicle specifically and clearly state an "unmodified and unaltered chassis". You can't get around that. I'm just trying to make sure that the OP has all the relevant information that I can give so that they can make the best possible decision. It is entirely their decision to make, but you have to consider legal issues as well as technical ones if the vehicle is to be used on public highways. There are an awful lot of highly modified or "bitsa" vehicles which are breaking the rules, and that means their insurance will be void if they have an accident. Not very fair on the third party, is it, if the insurers don't have to pay up to them? Now, If you can post a link to a regulation stating these VIN issues only apply to rebuilds or new-builds, not alterations to in-service cars, then great, but I have not managed to find such a directive. I'd be happy if it exists, because that would allow me to undertake a similar mod, but I don't believe I can without losing my VIN and thus the tax exemption. As for the rocker shaft replacement, I found PA Balnchard to be the cheapest source of a genuine new item, holding a lot of old MoD stock.

The doors are dimensionally the same, so will fit, but the Series door has a different lock which will need to be swapped, and the series door does not have a hole in the skin for the lock barrel. It'd be easier to fit the Series catch to the tub frame, but it might fall foul of the MoT or C&U regs as it won't be anti-burst. The door stay is different, too, but you may be able to fit the arm from the Defender into the door track of the Series door. The frame work inside the door is a totally different configuration, and any spare wheel has to be mounted centrally and lower, which results in the tyre fouling the tow hitch (where fitted) - that's why the Defender spare is mounted higher (and offset to the right to clear the door lock/handle). The two hinges on the series door are identical to the Defender's but there are no bolt holes for a centre hinge. To mount a third hinge, you would also need to fit anti-crush tubes through the holes before fitting the bolts. The Series door will also have no wiper or heated rear screen unless modified.

That's what massively oversized or offset tyres will do, eventually. Another cause is people over-tightening the adjuster when trying to remove slop. Wouldn't replacing the rocker shaft be a lot quicker, easier and cheaper than fitting PAS? Remember to notify your insurers, as your policy will otherwise be void, and you can expect a higher premium. Some insurers won't touch even basic mods, so check with them first. Flux and NFU are very relaxed about mods, though. Be warned that any changes to the chassis to accommodate PAS will void the VIN, requiring an SVA check, re-registration and a new VIN and Q plate. If you use a P38 box or a LHD Adwest type fitted outboard to avoid altering the chassis beyond a reinforcing plate and bolt tubes, then this would probably not be regarded as a sufficiently large alteration to lose the VIN.

Just to be clear, it's not the solenoid itself that you need to check, just the connection to it - the alternator output connects to the LR's fuse box main power feed (thick brown wire) on that terminal stud, and if it's loose or dirty, you may have a poor contact between the alternator and loom.

The large holes are for the spring bolts. You need to drill holes in the spring hangers to align with the small bolt holes in the corners of the guard. You may need to use spacers between the guard and the dumb irons as most series guards are much narrower than the space they fit. Spring shackles happen to be just the right thickness and of course already have a bolt hole in them. You will also need rear-of-spring bolt which are longer than the front spring eye bolts as they have to go through two shackle plates. this will allow for the thickness of the spacer and the diff guard itself.

It's definitely the alternator or its wiring connection to the starter motor solenoid where it joins the main loom - the battery has lower voltage, so when the engine is running, any battery fault will be masked by the alternator output. You have checked that the alternator is being driven properly, haven't you? Make sure the belt tensioner is working properly, that the belt is not worn or stretched (the two raised lines on the tensioner hub should be separated - if they're in line, the belt has had it) and that the pulley is tight on the alternator shaft.

I have a set on my RRC and they're truly excellent - they don't leave streaks, they leave a film like rain-x and are silent. They also didn't go solid and leave patches in the recent cold conditions. They're worth the money.

Land Rover get occasional quality problems just like anyone else, so faulty bolts are not impossible. The head should be re-torqued after about 500 miles to allow for bolt stretch and gasket settling anyway, but the amount you seem to be getting does seem extreme.

That was for the pair, and £35 was an approximation of the price - I didn't remember the exact price, but £32-odd sounds familiar. BM and TF are meant to be reasonably good brands, and since I don't take this vehicle off road, they won't get much hammering. I can't justify over £100 for an Ashcroft set which may be a bit tougher, but won't be highly stressed.

I'm paying about £35, which works out as £50 by the time you include VAT and delivery. It's a very good price. I wouldn't be surprised, though, if the BM and TF units are from the same manufacturer and batch.

I think you either have bolts made of toffee or have a block that needs skimming again - my 12J had raised mounds around each head bolt hole like very shallow volcanos, but the only weep I ever had was at the back right corner and was very small. |Did you fully clean out the bolt holes before assembly? Any fluid trapped in the holes will cause the bolts to hydraulically lock before their ideal depth is reached, so their required torque will register with the bottom of the bolt in compression instead of the top of the bolt in tension - the bores need to be completely cleaned and the bolts just given a wipe of oil before fitting, not a dunking.

Have a look at my blog; I have exactly the configuration you have in mind. It's a tight fit, and using the optional wiring terminal block holders on the backs of the switches makes things worse - they push down a little on the stereo top but using independent wiring terminals would avoid that. The CB may be a bit long, depending on which model you use. Certainly, the Midland 85+ has trouble at the back with the antenna and speaker connectors fouling the main wiring unless you set the DIN mount up so that the entire plastic front is protruding from the mount's front panel, so that you can see the entire white-printed warning label on the top of the CB face. My stereo's rear top corners also contacted the back of the console, but a little trimming sorted that out. Mount the CB and the stereo as low in the unit as possible to avoid that and the fouling of the switch terminal blocks. It's a great mod, though. You can use seven Carling Tech Condura switches with their optional extra mountings in the top slot of the dash unit for a perfect fit within the recess. http://www.nickslandrover.co.uk/archives/1443

Removing the fan is a much repeated piece of extremely bad advice - get stuck in traffic, which is not unlikely in this weather, and your engine could be cooked. The fan makes no appreciable difference to the engine temperature anyway - my Tdi RRC warms up faster despite its seized viscous fan than my Tdi 109 with electric fan. Rad muffs (including sheets of wood or cardboard) are also unnecessary in all but the severest of conditions - justified in those areas which have reached the depths of -20oC, but not for the rest of the UK around -10oC; if the thermosat is working, the rad will be shut off and the residual airflow over the block would not be significant to engine temperatures. The thermostat is, however, good advice. They do wear out and can fail open, shut or anywhere in between, or partially fail such that they open prematurely or late. They're cheap and easy to replace, but make sure you buy genuine - pattern thermostats are notoriously unreliable.

There are varying quality after-market HD flanges, and there are two different thicknesses for the different aged vehicles - thick for 200Tdi and earlier and thin for 300Tdi and later. A friend had them on his 90 and rated them very highly - they have tighter splines, giving less wear, and press the shaft's circlip square against the flange, keeping the shaft dead straight, which helps prevent CV wear and stops the CVs knocking the ABS sensors out of the top swivel pins on ABS vehicles. They are also better at leak prevention than the later axles' plastic caps. I'm waiting for some Terrafirma ones from First Four - they're sold out until their next batch arrives in late January, as are every Terrafirma and Bearmach retailer I contacted.

The SIIIs used green wires for the accessory circuits (gauges, heater fan, radio) on the first key position, and had the white wired ignition circuits on the second key position (coil, oil pressure light, cold start light, wind screen wipers and washers, indicator lights). I have no idea if the convention changed with the Defenders, but I would expect them to have retained it.

Three point turns on a mini-roundabout doesn't sound all that unusual, to be honest. With the steering rods removed, you should get about 3.5 turns on the steering wheel from lock to lock. That is enough on mine to get the swivels to hit the stop locks with the stop bolts removes and ordinary bolts fitted, so if you have less wheel turns available or can't get the swivels eal retaining bolts to hit the stops, you have a restriction somewhere. Incorrect rod lengths, like too short a longitudinal rod and too long a drag link (or vice versa) could cause the problems you have.

The lever with the fan symbol operates not only the fan's electric switching but also a flap inside the back of the heater matrix housing, blocking any ram airflow cause by vehicle motion when the lever is in the "0" position (the Bowden cable connects to an operating arm in the side of the box below the heater matrix coolant pipes). The temperature control operates another Bowden cable that operates another flap inside the matrix housing that diverts air around the matrix itself when cold is selected, or diverts it through the matrix and closes the bypass when hot is selected, operated by an arm on the top of the housing. The demister/foot well control lever uses a third Bowden cable to operate a pair of blocker paddles inside the lower fascia, which block the foot well vents when demist is selected (you can see the paddles if you unscrew the plastic vent covers) or blocks the bottom of the demister vent corrugated tubes when foot well is selected. Most alloys don't fit 200 Tdi axles or earlier - you need the 300 Tdi axles with the thin drive flanges and small plastic caps, or you can use the 4mm spacers sold on ebay, but you'd also need to fit longer wheel studs to make sure the thicker wheel and spacer don't limit the thread engagement of the wheel nuts to a dangerously small amount. The gear box main shaft can only be replaced with the gear box removed and stripped down.

With that budget and the need for simple fitting, I recommend you go for a Rocky Mountain spring kit. If they can supply dampers within that overall price, great; if not, then get a cheap set of Pro Comps from elsewhere - RM's Pro Comps are specially made with steel shields instead of the water trapping, rust inducing rubber boots and so cost more.

Changing the windscreen would foul the Construction and Use regs - the windscreen was enlarged and made single piece to satisfy legal requirements, so a retro-fit would infringe that. The tub side panels are not interchangeable - the length and height match, but the wheel arch profile and position are totally different; 110 rear axles are much further aft than 109s' and are symmetrical rather than "flowed". The front wing outer panels would fit, but would need to be cut and bent to take the plastic spats. Hard top side panels and doors are about the only interchangeable panels, but the doors will need their strikers and check straps transferring too.

But the steering box is mounted well aft of where the tyres can contact the chassis, about half way between the axle centre line and the wheel rim. The P38 box is much more reliable and I believe it give lighter steering than the Adwest units, and also has bolt holes that fit within the Series chassis profile, but if a P38 unit is not available, a LHD Adwest box could be fitted in much the same way on RHD vehicles (and vice versa).

As always. quality costs. There are all sorts of varying reports from users of Paddocks (most of their stock range is Britpart, which should be avoided at all costs), and British Springs. Rocky Mountain get consistently good reports with only a few xeptions, and TIConsole/Heystee seems to have the best quality, but at a price. I have TICs on my 109, and apart from the rear springs having been from an early batch with faulty (slightly oversized) bushes which caused spring eye problems - a fault which was discovered and learnt from, and in my case rectified without any wrangling - they have been excellent: with over 15 years and about 170,000 miles of use, they still have not lost any of their camber and cope admirably with the extra weight my 109 has gained. TICs are fiendishly expensive, though, and I think when they do eventually need replacement (they show no signs of it yet), I will go with Rocky Mountain.