Eightpot
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Posts posted by Eightpot
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If they have to drop the current Defender, surely they could fill whatever gap remains with a stripped down base model of Discovery. Vinyl seats, wind up windows, less electronics, coil springs, steel wheels etc. It's a decent size and shape and maybe along with some changes to the bumpers and trim, basic headlamps and maybe a different bonnet or something to make it look a little more utility shouldn't affect the cachet of the expensive version.
I think that would be a pretty cool car?
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nerdily , the B series (as used in Morris Oxford/MGBs/Marinas etc) was put into Sherpas first, and they also made a diesel version using the same block.
The B was upgraded to become the O series, which was mated up to an LT77 for SD1's, sherpas etc.
O series became M series for Rover 800's, and the T series T16 twin cam jobbies they put in Rover Tomcats - and the non turbo version went in the Disco!
So you should be able to drop a 200bhp engine into a Morris Oxford without much trouble...
Actually a vapour resto of mine is to drop a T16/R380 into a new MGB shell, been done quite a few times and you could do some proper donuts in that
Some more Austin Rover & Sherpa minutae on this site, which by the way is an awesome site if you have a few hours to kill or it's a wet lunchtime..AR Online
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You need to go to the dark side and fit the engine Land Rover should have made...
the mighty mighty Isuzu 2.8
Fits like a glove in a Rangie engine bay, more powerful than a TDi in the right guise (as fitted to Fronteras/Mu's) More powerful than an old 3.5V8 with a slight tweak (shed loads of torque)
Well built, mega reliable, 30mpg all day long (just done a 300 mile round trip on motorway averaging ,ahem, just over 70mph and worked out to exactly 30mpg) and cheap to buy - I picked up a low mileage one for £350 with all ancilleries and turbo.
They certainly run quieter in a Rangie than the TDi as well.
the conversion kits pop up on ebay fairly often - is R380 same stud pattern as LT95?
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I'd be inclined to get your moneys worth out of the one you have and get it changed prior to any extended trip - otherwise take a spare clutch kit or at least a friction plate with you.
Weather's looking good this weekend though
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I'm quite happy for a new design to come out - keeps things interesting and there are certainly areas for improvement with Defenders.
The age of the current shape does highlight one thing though - it works.
The company can't rely on military orders, but the military are still buying them for the same reason companies like BT, electricity & gas companies, recovery, police do - it's a practical shape for lugging stuff and bolting bits to and you can get to the whirly bits and fix them easily due to the height and clearance.
would be nice if they try to retain some of this into the new design - this concept car doesn't seem to be that 'practical' from the outside - can you imagine it parked under a pylon with a bunch of rigging equipment in the back? (if thats what pylon fixer uppers use
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When I had one I thought the rear diff was rumbling, but turned out it was the VCU/bearings - took the unit off and all was silent.. may be worth checking that first.
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Just make sure you start with a good recent alternator and you should be fine.
If you've been wading in muck or hooning around in dust and sand the brushes can wear down quicker - a pack of spare brushes takes no space and you can change them in an hour.
I had one pack up with worn down brushes once on a trip a few years back and was able to use ones from a different type of alternator with a bit of trimming, in fact I think they're still on it!
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change the grille and it looks quite like the Toyota FJ cruiser.
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I haven't, but it looks like it should be possible to put it where the air con compressor goes - you'd need to rig up a cradle to use the mounting bolt holes, or perhaps modify an air con cradle?
The trickiest bit I found when trying to rig up an air con pump for on board air was getting a belt tensioner - proper ones are like hens teeth. You'd probably also need a crank pulley with the extra groove to take the extra belt - again these are hard to find, and I had to pay for a new one in the end, about 40 quid...
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I could be wrong as I'm not a total anorak on the subject, but I didn't think any major changes happened in the UK till the four door models came in? A few minor mods to trim along the way, but I'm pretty sure the bodies stayed the same through the first phase till about '84 when the four doors came in (think very early ones had an alloy boot floor though?).
By way of history, a couple of years after the four door models came in, they modified the hinges on the doors/bonnets to conceal them behind the panels, circa 1987?
Later CSK two doors (a UK special edition, about 1990?) are certainly a bit different though (as they have the hidden hinges), but would still go on your chassis if you're not trying to do an acurate restoration- also if you're getting a shell from overseas (2 door models were manufactured throughout for overseas markets) it might be a hidden hinge type depending on year which would need the appropriate bonnet/doors as there are some mods made to the hinge and body panels.
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I've used the Clarke 1 tonne (looks exactly the same as the sealey/draper ones) a few times to hoike out TDi's and the Isuzu lump.
I'll be getting another one to do the next job as it's about right and not too heavy and cumbersome. It is about on it's limit with the arm out, but still feels stable.
They're a bit big for me to store in the shed, so I tend to pick one up cheap on ebay, get my use out of it and stick it back on - I've even made a little profit each time too
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I think you should be able to get a container dropped at a commercial yard near the docks, load at your leisure, and then the container is loaded onto a truck and taken to the port area prior to loading onto the vessel (rather than loading directly at port).
I did this in Kenya, and after customs inspection arranged to have the container driven a short distance away to a yard where I could unload.
I think it would be worth getting in touch with a UK shipping and forwarding agent and they will probably be able to point you in the direction of a facility you can use, as I don't think this will be unusual.
I used these guys - www.supremefreight.com
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Loads of 2 doors still knocking around in Kenya as well - hard to get a shell though as cars are so expensive there they never scrap them. France is probably best bet, I think they cxarried on selling two door rangies there till the end of production - worth a trawl on french ebay, might be as well to get a whole car with some more modern spares on.
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For a lengthy trip, a lift up roof works nicely.
I think security is a little better, and I would be happier knowing that if someone were tampering with my car at night I'm actually inside it rather than perched on top in a tent and having the vulnerability of having to climb down a ladder. problems like that are rare though, so not something to plan your design around, but I have known problems like this happen. Also putting a roof tent up and down daily gets a bit of a chore and they get dusty and dirty which then gets all over you - great for a few weeks, but for months on end...
Another plus for a live in camper design is that when the weather goes minging, you can get inside, make a cuppa, cook those steaks you were going to cook on your now soggy BBQ, get a cold beer out the fridge...
the biggest drawback with designing a camper style defender is the interior width - you lose over a foot compared to a disco - if only they had made 110" discos!
if you are building from the ground up though, you have opportunity to remedy that a little if you're handy - a modified wider rear tub which extended to the full width of the wheel track and went straight up rather than pinched in at the waist would be ideal (or look for an ex-utility service back body like a Quadratech style)
Saying that, a good mate of mine travelled extensively for a couple of years in Africa in a pop top 110 Defender, had ample room for spares, tools and kit - you can see some pics at www.betsy.no (button in corner for English pages) and he was very happy with it. He did have the rear overhang extended, which gave probably another 10" length inside which made all the difference.
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I've got a migmate 130 and have just done probably over 100 inches of weld over the last two weeks on a single bottle, so I'd say you have a problem.
The bottle top regulator on mine is a bit poxy and doesn't seem to make much difference how far open the valve is - I just keep mine fully open, but on another welder I've had there was much more adjustment and fine tuning made a big difference to consumption, optimum being only just open a tad.
I did have an unexplained leak in the torch a couple of days ago, from the air pipe fitting where it connects to the brass valve, could just hear the gas escaping - I took it apart, fiddled and put it back together again and it stopped it - have a listen to yours, might be something similar?
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I bought a Rolson one once (all they had in the shop) and it was useless, I never managed to make one decent fitting out of it and it went in the bin before I was tempted to risk it.
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^^ like that idea, got an old pc knocking around so might have a go at upgrading my modular motor drive power pack (car battery).
Maplins do some pretty cheap chassis mounted transformers, and I picked one up recently. They don't provide any form of instructions though, and there were five or six wires coming off it?? In order to try to find the right wires for in/out I did some simple testing with a power source and a multimeter - I gave up after the first attempt when I seem to have made a bench mounted tazer which sent me breakdancing across the shed
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I normally get the engine good nd hot, then shove a rolled up newspaper into the fan
If the fan stops rotating easily, it's goosed. If you have a pile of hamster bedding on the floor, it's working.
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I look forward to picking one up from Withams in a few years time
That gun is feckin awesome as well - dash display and remote control, like a very fast x-box
A range of 2000Km on it's V8 engine though..
must have one hell of a tank on it -
Aside from the slot for the exposed hing to poke out of, are there any other differences between early exposed hing front wings and later wings?
I'm finding it difficult to get hold of a replacement early wing, and as the later wings are a bit easier to get I'm thinking it might be easy enough to modify one to fit - ie chop an 'ole out..
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you don't need to move the mounts, just swap take the brackets off your TD engine and stick them on the disco TDI.
There are a couple of other things you'll need to note, lining up bellhousing, intercooler, exhaust - have a look through the archives and technical section and it's all there.
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On my SIP, the small transformer which reduces 240v down to 12v for the PCB and motor failed. If you don't have 12v at the board, this will probably be the cause.
I keep meaning to order a small board mounted transformer from maplin, but two years on I'm still using my temporary fix... I soldered two long wires to the board, fed them outside the welder and just attach them to a car battery
works a treat. -
I use a cheap squeezy sauce bottle - the kind with a long tip like you get for vinegar in the chippy or a cafe - they dont hold much but it's easy to squirt oil in, especially the transfer box.
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Giving parts to the poor ... quality Can they be Br!tpart? or do they have to be real?Parts to the poor, not poor parts
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must have one hell of a tank on it
Giving parts to the poor ... quality 
F*&%$"*ING Wheel Bearing
in Defender Forum (1983 - 2016)
Posted
Was there any vibration or wheel wobble before you took the car for the MOT?
After you overdid the bearings first time, did you check them for damage or put new ones in? (if the rollers were damaged or broken up it would give you a bit of a square wheel feel)
Prop UJ's as said will give a definite clunky vibration. Only takes a tiny bit of play.
Bloody obvious I know, but check the wheel nuts are all tight!
Doesn't sound like you've got vibration because of steering play, but check you've reseated the drag link and tie bar joints correctly and they're in good nick, there's no play in the panhard rod bushes and the steering box is adjusted properly - all these will give a bad wheel wobble at about 50mph