SteveBo

Some people pay hundreds for a bit of wood trim in their cars... Granted plywood is less than ideal, just thought it would be something that could be bodged up from odds and ends. Got me thinking about an oak chassis though?

Chris, Builders foam is horrible stuff which will be a so and so to get out. Some foams also affect electrical insulators over time leading to failure and short circuits. Not sure if it would react with the battery case as well. Most batteries produce small quantities of gas which needs to be vented which is why most battery boxes have a couple of holes in the bottom. If you fill the void and close the holes the gas will enter the cab. Probably not good. I though about suggesting a fibre / fire proof material such as sheep's wool insulation but if you do get water in the battery box via the vent holes the insultaion would hold onto it so rotting the box. So no cigar. I reckon the only thing to do is stick soundproofing to the top cover and the outsides of the box if you don't have carpet. Cheers, Steve

I'd want something robust and non metallic covering the battery terminals. How about making a new battery box cover out of 18mm or 25mm plywood and a couple of stips of steel or aluminium (the width of the box cover and say 50mm deep). So, you could have a stip of metal at the front of the cover to fit the existing clip on the front of the battery box and another at the back to fit in the slot. These could be screwed to the underside of the ply. Then cut holes in the ply to fit round the battery terminals and add a thinner sheet of ply over the holes to stop anything reaching the terminals. Hopefully there would be 30mm gap under the seats to let this all fit. If not you might be able to raise the seat height a bit with some penny washers under the runners. Then, when your batteries need replacing you can buy smaller ones and reuse the old lid. Hopefully, this makes sense and wouldn't cost much. Steve

How about a small gas turbine running on gas brewed from the contents of the septic tank. Run this at optimum rpm to power a generator to charge a bank of batteries. As long as the batteries are fully charged at the start and regenerative braking is used, the turbine could be quite small? I seem to remember the BRM/Rover turbines were quite small and sounded very interesting (last saw them at Goodwood Festival of Speed). Probably a bit exciting if they let go though!

Only a thought but if you don't have all the gauges yet this might save you some space / money http://www.x-eng.co.uk/madmanEMS.asp The alarm function would tell you if something is going wrong with a function not currently on screen. When I can find time / money I'll fit one to my TD5. Cheers, Steve

Sorry, no idea where you would get an 11 seater but having been squeezed into an lwb with 10 seats to get round a ski resort I wouldn't recommend it (especially the front centre seat). Also, I thought the French law was the same as here in that too many seats and you need a PSV licence of some sort? Mates of mine who ran a chalet in Morzine used to have to take some of the seats out of there transit to avoid getting pulled on the Geneva run. Cheers, Steve

I have a Garmin Streetpilot (now out of date) which I can use on my motorcycles as well as the Defender. This sits on a sticky pad mount next to the Mud Pod. Since this is now out of date technology it struggles to pick up a signal due to the screen angle, heated element and tint (most new cars have a screen coating that causes problems with older satnavs. So, I mounted an aerial on the top of the snorkel which makes it much more reliable. The Mapsource software is a pain and doesn't allow full postcode searching but I do have most of Europe on a 2gb memory card. My mrs has a Tomtom 720 (still best GPS PC Pro mag) which is much better at picking up a signal, faster at calculating and has full postcode searching. Also smaller and cost 15% of my old Garmin. The Tomtom will pick up a signal even held in the hand in the front seats of the Defender. However, it has limited mapping and probably wouldn't help much on expeditions. I guess it depends what you want to do. For the UK on road navigation I would try the Tomtom. For offroad or expedition work a proper system would be more helpful (maybe even pc based) but would cost a load more, be nickable and probably more prone to expensive failure. Cheers, Steve

Go for an InfiniteQ EMS2 http://www.x-eng.co.uk/madmanEMS.asp and an inclinometer comes with, plus its a dash fit. Probably going to fit one myself for the other functions when I can get round to it. Steve

The cost of main dealer servicing only seems to go up. I don't know what a first service should cost since I bought my TD5 second hand. Just had the 3 year service with a main dealer and paid around £600 (but they did do some warranty fixes as well). I now plan to use Guava at Peasmarsh in Surrey as they are fully authorised by Land Rover, seem to be cheaper and were fantastic at sorting out my leaking fuel tank (great attitude as well as good prices). A bit of a trek for you but if you give them a call you should get a more realistic quote. Steve

Hi, Hopefully you'll find what you need here: http://www.bresco.com/acatalog/Fasteners.html Let us know how you get on with them. Cheers, Steve

Hi, The stainless steel tank kit was roughly £320. Aluminium ones were slightly cheaper but not much. If you strip out yours you'll probably need to replace the filler neck, filler hose, add a wing stay and mud flap bracket/holder as well as a new mudflap (since the OEM one was probably cut down to fit. You'll also need to fill the holes in the upper wing where the tank is bolted. There may have been some changes to the breather hose and a balance pipe may have been added in which case you may need to find a way of blocking off the balance pipe fitting in the main tank. I don't want to put you off taking it out but it may not simply be a case of a new filler neck. It's a bit of a worry that your the second person who's reported a leak from a dinged mud flap holder. I'm on 400 miles and the guage still shows 1/2 full so a target of 700 miles from a tank looks realistic which is quite useful for touring. However, the weight and concerns about off-road damage probably make these a no go for extreme stuff. I guess I just need to remember its there. Cheers, Steve

I've got a Nemesis wheel clamp but this doesn't quite fit my 110 XS with Boost alloys. http://www.busyoutdoors.com/shop/security/...mp/prod_78.html The jaws just go round the tyre but don't quite reach the wheel rim. Still too difficult to get off without the key though and very visible. Mud Stuff do a clutch based security device http://www.mudstuff.co.uk/Meck_Lock.html . Personally, I'd go for something very visible like a clamp or wheel disk/bar. I'd prefer they didn't break in before they found it immovable. Last time that happened they trashed my interior out of spite. Sadly though if they really want it they'll get it. Usually when you go into a petrol station or shop and leave the vehicle open (one was nicked from a local LR dealers recently when they owner went in to find out where to park). Steve

Hi, I promised to post pictures of my aux tank fitting marathon so here goes: This is the tank kit and tools laid out for a stress free half day. The kit includes tank, breather connector, balance pipe and fittings, nuts, bolts and hoseclips plus a rubber guard for the front of the tank. The strut supporting the wing edge and the mud flap and bracket have to come off. The fuel filler neck and breather have to come off and will need to be modified to fit. The filler to main tank connector pipe will also need to be shortened. The balance pipe needs to be tapped into the main tank (or the main taink drain plug if there is one). The fitting is dropped inside the tank using a length of wire fed through the main filler to the new drilled hole. Mole grips were used to hold it while the nut is tightened and polyuretahne glue used to seal the hole. I also used Loctite thread seal on all fittings. Very twitchy about chopping the filler neck down as this is the point of no return. Lots of measuring... After a couple of nervous chops the filler was cut to the correct length. I had to bidge the breather using the end of a drill bit to expand the inner diameter then tapped a brass plumbing fitting into the breather, a length of 15mm copper pipe and some self-amalgamating tape to get the breather connector to fit. Not pretty but it works. Having just built a log store I had plenty of timber off cuts and needed as many as I could find. The tank is v heavy, the gap tight and I had many goes at trying to get everything to fit. Almost in and ready to mark the bolt holes that will need to be drilled in the upper wheel arch and rear cross member. Two of the bolts came up in the rear seat belt brace plate and I used 2 large penny washers on the other two. One of the rear bolts couldn't be used as the bracket lined up with a large existing hole in the cross member. So the rear is held on by just one bolt? Need to think about that.... The tank is in position, bolts drilled and fitted and pipes connected. The aux to main tank main filler connection was a cut off of the original filler hose. This was a real pig since the gap between the two holes was about 30mm and they were offset by about 20mm so the pipe has to be cut to accommodate a kink. Much cursing and fiddling. All that is needed is to refit the rear mud flap (needs to be cut down and bolts, penny washers not supplied) then fill it up. Then the problems started. First attempt (20 litres) resulted in a small leak at the aux to main filler connection. Tightened ridiculous OEM hose clips (need lots of tightening but a v small straight blade screwdriver so little grip). Leak fixed. No leaks form breather or balance pipe (my biggest worry). So, went for broke. Got home and noticed a dripping of fuel from the leading edge of the main tank. All my connections were dry so where is it coming from? After 2 1/2 days I was dues to take the wife on hols for her birthday and I have a Landy with 23 gallons on board and a slow leak I couldn't see the source of. I admitted defeat and took it to Dunsfold Land Rovers who it turns out have an allergy to TD5s. Then found Guava Land Rover just round the corner. They were totally unfazed and agreed to drop the main tank if I could leave it with them. So, sunny Cornwall in the wife's Beetle !!! Apparently the extra head of fuel had found a weakness in the sender seal in the main tank resulting in a small leak. Guava drained then dropped the main tank replaced the seal and refilled all bar a litre of fuel for £180. Their service was faultless and while they don't sell vehicles in the UK they are a Land Rover dealer/service agent so can service and MOT at prices well below local main dealers. So, everything is working and in place and I have an extra 10 gallons of fuel on board taking the range to around 700 miles on road. In all the job took 5 times longer than planned and cost 50% more than expected plus some frayed nerves. Guava only fit Emu tanks in their prepped vehicles but these are much more expensive as they completely replace the original tank. Overall, not a job for the faint hearted and you may need to be ready to drop the main tank... If anyone wants full resolution pictures send me a PM. Cheers, Steve

Hi Malcy, You don't have to carry a spare wheel under UK regs but, if you do, it has to be legal i.e. legal tread, propoerly inflated, roadworthy etc. The gunk inflators might manage a motorcycle tyre or a small/low profile car tyre but I'd be surprised if they had enough capacity to inflate a Landy tyre from flat. In all my punctures the tyre has been trashed by the time I stopped so always had to be replaced. Any off-road damage is also likely to be beyond a gunk job. My RAC membership requires that I carry a spare or they can refuse to recover the vehicle. You could use the gunk system where the goo is blown into the tyre while inflated (these will stop minor punctures) but this will be expensive for 4 large tyres and will not please your tyre fitter: http://www.tyreprotect.co.uk/assets/orderform.pdf. You might find lowering the tyres for off-road use a bit tricky as well. If your chum has a 110 carrying a spare won't affect the weight much and it will look a bit odd/tatty without one. If the door hinges are sagging it would be worth getting a wheel carrier to take the weight. The recommended life of a stored tyre is just 6 years whereas a tyre in use is recommended for replacement before 10 years so, it would probably be wise to include the spare when you rotate your tyres. If your spare is new and the rest of your tyres are old, when you stick the new one on it may upset your ABS due to its different diameter (assuming you have ABS). I read a while back that the EU was considering age limits for tyres which would encourage owners of older cars not to carry them. Probably easier just to carry one and be done with it... Cheers, Steve

If you're going to spend some money (replacing with an XS head unit), you could use a proper interface e.g. http://ipodcarkitdirect.co.uk/ whcih would provide charging, a holder and some additional controls. There is already a Brodit clip to mount these thinks on the 07 model. Some of them will also give you bluetooth for your phone. I use the basic (FM) version with my 05 model XS CD player as CDs jump even on tarmac. As I understand it there current answer to whether you can and can't copy your music is is no: http://www.bmr.org/page/faqs#Question12 but this seems likely to change http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/6095612.stm Personally I work on the basis that if I paid for it I will use it on any player I own but I shouldn't 'borrow' tracks then keep them unless they are expressly marked as free from the record label. I guess if I sell my CDs I should delete my digital copies. Steve It seems ridiculous that there isn't a standard well specced piece of kit for all Defenders.

Thanks Diff, I don't anticipate getting stuck in extreme conditions but you never know. I plan to attend a winch and recovery course once I have the basic kit installed (currently negotiating the winch with the wife since I still owe her a bathroom). I can see the mechanics of most of this but don't have much experience of it in use. I'll probably go with the ball/pin coupling first then see what else I need after I have some experience. I think the cost of a 5 tonne ball/pin will make it prohibitive and the 4 bolt fitting is not ideal. We were planning to go to North Africa at the end of this year but we may postpone for a year and tour NW Spain and Portugal instead. Cheers, Steve

Hi, Thanks for the feedback. I heard that fitting Jate rings required spacers so hopefully, if I drop the tie down rings a set of Jates should fit with the tow bar ties. I'll measure up before I leave for Eastnor. I did think my auxiliary fule tank might make it difficult to remove the bolts but I think it should just be posssible to get them out. My tow bar is a standard LR part but the main plate covers part of the 4 holes in the rear cross member so fitting a recovery ring would require machining the plate. Not an ideal bit of design by LR. Thanks for the link to your pictures Ralph, I see you have a ball and pin as well. Looks like 3.5 tonne. Have you ever used it for a recovery? Out of interest, do the Jate rings move freely or are they bolted up tight? If tight, does recovery cause any movement and strain on the bolts? Cheers, Steve

I have read the threads relating to recovery points and there doesn't seem to be a consensus on the best option. My TD5 110 has a towbar fitted with two stays/braces that run from the lower edge of the towbar plate to the chassis members where I would expect to fit Jate rings (where the tie down rings are). I could use Jate rings but suspect that the towbar stays may make the chasis member too wide to fit a normal Jate ring. Since the stays are approx 10mm wide and fit to the chassis members could I just replace the ball hitch with a ball and pin coupling and use the pin as a recovery point? The stays should pass the load thorugh to the chassis. The kerb weight of a 110 is just over two tonne and with a full load this would probably be nearer three tonne to tow. Assuming I am only slightly stuck i.e. expedition stuck rather than extreme off-roading stuck the pulling load is still going to be more than the 3.5 tonne of a normal towbar rating. I could fit a 5 tonne (32mm pin) coupling which would use 4 bolts. However, I also have a cycle rack that uses a towball spacer to fit which relies on a 2 bolt fitting. Question is, if the ball / pin coupling is viable for recovery could I get away with the 3.5 tonne 2 bolt type? What can these fittings cope with before failure? How big is the load margin? Might be spending some money at Eastnor... Steve

Dunsfold Land Rover are allergic to TD5s so I dropped the Defender off at Guava in Peaslake as we were leaving for Cornwall. They dropped the tank to fix the leak while we were away. No idea what the bill will be or what the problem was yet. Find out on Monday. We spent a night with a mate in Bridport then 3 nights near Portscatho. Cornwall fantastic as ever (especially the Doom Bar). Shame we had to use the wife's Beetle though. Cheers, Steve

Supposed to be driving to Cornwall today and I have a litre or so of fuel in a bucket under the Landy. So, up with the lark to see if I disturbed the breather pipe connection when I fitted the aux tank. Fuel is dripping from the front right corner of the tank between the tank and the casing that holds the tank up. The breather pipe is dry and the fuel lines running into the top of the tank also seem to be dry. As far as I can get my hand alond the top of the tank it also seems dry. There is nothing coming from the hole I drilled to install the balance pipe or any of its connections. There was no fuel leaking when the tank had 20 to 30 litres in it. So, what have I broken? How do I drop the main tank? Is it just a case of undoing the four bolts on the carrier (two at the front and two on the rear cross member) and lowering it? I now face the ignominy of a week driving a Beetle.

The mudflap fitted and all connections tightened it was time to test the new tank. Poured in 20 litres and noticed a small drip from the aux to main tank connector. Tightened hose clip as far as poss and that leak is fixed. I then started to fill up again and no visible leaks. So, went for it and £140 later everything seems fine. Then, stuck a bit of cardboard underneath just to check the hose clip is still OK. Go back a couple of hours later and its dripping. None of the joints I've added are leaking, all are dry to touch. Fuel seems to be running down the leading edge of the tank behind the OEM tank guard/holder then dripping off. So I'd say the leak is somewhere at the top of the main tank. Is there a vent in the top of the tank or at the fuel gauge sender that might be leaking now the aux tank has fuel above the level of the top of the main tank? I've released the cap to make sure there is no pressure in there which there wasn't. Any ideas? Thanks, Steve

Jim, The main tank union was made of stainless steel. It had a flange and both an internal and external thread. The flange was dropped into the tank on a piece of wire (I used fairly stiff earth wire which was fed through the main hole and out of the newly drilled hole). Then I pulled it through the hole and screwed on the supplied nut. The outer edge of the hole was smeared with poly glue and using a pair of molegrips to hold the flange I tightened the nut. A 90 degree connector (also SS) screwed into the inner thread of the flange (using thread seal) and a hose adapter screwed into this. A similar 90 degree connector and hose adaptor screwed into the hole in the aux tank lower corner and the pair connected (using hose clips) with the supplied fule hose (available from Halfords I think). The plastic tank is around 10mm thick and the poly glue will help the seal. If you have a steel tank I would get advice on a suitable fixing. Pictures to follow...

Well 2 1/2 days later and the tank is finally installed. Squeaky behind time over! Here are the two diagrams that came with my kit: Once I can work out how to get them down to a reasonable size I'll post the photos. I poured in 10 litres to check the balance pipe connections for leaks and no dribbles so far. I used Loctite Thread Sealer so hopefully nothing will leak in future. The aux to main tank connector is a real pig to fit and has a significant kinik in it. Once I've robbed a bank I'll go and fill her up to see if the kink slows down the fill rate. I had to resort to a couple of bodges which I'll relate with the pictures. Time for beer... Cheers, Steve

Blimey, much better than the instructions I got (although I managed to work most of it out from the diagram which I'll post tomorrow. Thanks for these. I will need to get the filler neck out to see if it can be cut down enough to fit. I suspect hot water and washing up iquid will be needed. I'll also need to bodge the breather. Or, as suggested by Jim, try to find an old type replacement. In the meantime I've got arms like Popeye and squashed fingers from lifting the tank up and down. Tomorrow is another day...

I'll try and get the filler neck out tomorrow. The breather is wakward so I may have to find an earlier type neck. I'll scan the instructions tomorrow as well. The balance pipe connects to a hole in the lower corner of the aux tank (which has a threaded hole) then runs to the lower corner of the main tank. This is where I had to drill a hole and fit the threaded panel plug. If you have a drain plug you may be able to connect the balance pipe there. I'm trying to work out what the cross member fittings are. They look like small sleeves. I guess they are some sort of bolt rivet i.e. push them into a blind hole, screw in a bolt and the end should spread behind the panel. Or am I about to make another mistake? Cheers, Steve