studmuffin

You know something. People often talk about how our forum is a shadow of its former self. I never really took much notice until now! I joined two and a half ago and if I had posted this then, even past the forums peak, it would, I think, have had 2 or 3 times as many replies. Most posts have the same level of activity. Maybe we are dinosaurs and the Facebook generation rule now? I regret, as a mechanical numb-nut, the gradual demise of new content to the technical archive, which gave me inspiration to start and finish jobs on my Landy that I would never otherwise attempt. I am also a member of a small social friendly forum, where we meet up socially at LR / Overland shows and I think maybe that is the way for me to go from here. Thank you for your past hospitality, good humour, and forbearance sometimes with my dumb-nut questions, and numb-nut posts. Cheers and happy Land - Rovering. Barry

In a moment of boredom ,we were talking last week at work, about adverts we have known----- loved/hated. Someone suggested " One to One" which IIRC was by a mobile phone provider in the 80`s /early 90`s. That got me thinking about the one special Land Rover related person (however tenuously linked) who I would really want to have a "one to one" conversation with. There are so many candidates, but I finally settled on Col. John Blashford Snell. Anyone who can buy a dozen death row murderers from a Central American prison for the price of a case of Johnny Walker Black label whisky, on the promise of freedom if they helped the expedition through the Darien Gap, has got to be a bloomin interesting bloke to spend some time chatting to. Any other good suggestions?? Barry

Daan, I just read your article and enjoyed it immensly. It was refreshing to feature a modified truck that looks more like a rough and tough standard vehicle rather than a blingtastic Chelsea tractor. IMHO both LR owners Int and LRM magasines suffer from the same malady as Defender chassis. There is a rust worm called the internet ,eating away and killing them. It is not a question of if - it is a question of when. Barry

I still, probably against better judgment, subscribe to one magazine and buy the other on a hop and a catch, mainly to read them on holiday. After a while you realise that they feature exactly the same workshop "how to do" articles, less than 2 editions apart. The main articles also mirror and regurgitate each other. For example - " the Best Land Rover to buy for less than £5 Grand" They now show a photo of just about every LR vehicle, new or old, on the front page to cover all the bases. How many times can you re-invent the wheel? I agree- thanks for LR4x4. Cheers Barry

I really like the look of those Nordlock washers. Are they made from stainless steel or ferritic steel or something else entirely? Barry

Hi buddy. Nice looking 90. Enjoy it and welcome to the forum. If the screen rubber is cracked, maybe in the short term, push some black silicone into the cracks as a standby. If you decide to touch up the underneath, I prefer Dinitrol, but its everyones own preference. Last but definitely not least, as previously mentioned, get some layers of security as the first priority. Disklok, Safety pedal, X pedal, alarm/immobiliser, tracker, and then think about protecting your doors and bonnet. Cheers Barry

Vander74 ----I forgot to say -- Welcome to the forum. It is always good to see a new face. Cheers Barry

I hose off first and then I use warm water and general all purpose cleaner applied with a wash mitt. If its a serious clean I follow with traffic film remover and t cut type wax. I only ever use a pressure washer on the underneath and on the rad if muddy, never on the body panels. Somehow I feel, rightly or wrongly, that the bond between paint and ali, even if etch primed is a fragile thing to batter with a high pressure jet. I have asked before but does anyone know the paint shade/code for white roofs on TD5 defenders? Some have said Chawton white but I am still not sure. Cheers Barry

Tell him or her - under any circumstances, do not hire from Britz campers. IMHO and experience they are the pits. My advice -- Hire a camper and pay a little extra for a new model. My youngest son spent 5 years there travelling around and his advice refers to any vehicle rental company- The distances are so vast, that they do not have depots every 100/200 miles. If you break down they will rescue you but cannot just provide a replacement vehicle, so you lose days of your holiday, and do not get any rebate afterwards. The official camp sites are excellent, and they are loads cheaper than hotels. Wild camping in the bush is easy and free, but-- when the flies are bad,they are really bad! They are not like UK flies that look for food. Aussie flies look for moisture, so they try for your mouth, or eyes or nose. On the occasional bad day they are insufferable. The strange thing is that when your vehicle is full of flies and you open your windows and drive off - they all disappear back outside like magic! That's the bad bits. The really good bit is -- It is a truly wonderful experience. We are aiming to visit Tasmania next year, which we understand is a whole different bit of Aus. Barry

That pitch is fine for corrugated or profiled steel sheets. If they are any good, the supplier will also supply barge boards to fit and ridge flashing in identical finished steel to match the pitch. Steel sheets are always approx. 1100mm wide and overlap to give 1 metre(1000mm) cover so you will need a rafter at this spacing. In galvanised steel they are called Z purlins and again, are available from the roofing supplier, although for a 5 metre wide pitched roof you can easily use standard tanalised wood rafters. The steel sheet weight is lower than you would expect. They will also cut the sheets exactly to your required length. You will need to work out the developed length of the sheets to give an overhang each side, and at sub 3000mm these are easy to handle. Fix with tek-screws using a cordless drill/screwdriver, and fit plastic colour coded covers. You also will need foam fillers which fit under the top and bottom of the sheets and exactly match the profile, so there are no leaks or drafts. I don't want to advertise on the forum but we have a family business supplying this stuff but we would not normally ship to Ireland. I am sure that there are suppliers nearer to you. If you need any help or advice spec`ing the materials from your supplier just PM me and I will work out the pitch for the ridge flashing, steel roof weight etc.. Putting a roof like this up is a lot easier than people think. Barry

We all have different tastes. I thought they were excellent as well - same band as last year. I like trios. They are always really tight. The drummer was absolutely stonking. Cheers Barry

I was with my friends at Landytown, and my buddy Rob has a South African trailer with a full Howling Moon tent system. Just about everyone walking past had to stop and have a chinwag about it. Wicked camper trailer! Cheers Barry

Hope to see you there. Will look out for your very distinctive truck Cheers Barry

During 2 holidays in WA covering a flippin huge distance in a campervan, I saw 3 LR series or Defenders, and maybe 20 Discos/RRs. During the same miles I saw about 10,000 Toyota,Nissan, Honda etc.... 4X4 trucks. It isn't by any measure a small market. ---------And LR gave it away. Barry

Anyone going to be about?? Really goods show -- not just LR---- but loads of other marques with good ideas. I am camping with my regular club stand in the show but if you fancy a brew and a chinwag pls PM me. Barry

Seen the new Land Rover Discovery?? Why do the Discovery Sport, New Discovery, Evoque, Range Rover Sport, and Range Rover all look pretty much the same?? I know they are selling -- but ---Isn`t it time Land Rovers Design Director stopped using the same shape for every model? Just a thought Barry

I use Dinitrol, both the interior and exterior types. I think it flows better than waxoil. Before that I steam clean, rub with a wire brush/ flap wheel on a cordless drill, and then treat with rust converter followed by 2 coats of black metal paint ( either Aldi/Lidl or tractor paint). The better you do it, the longer it lasts!!!! Don't forget the eye protection and dust masks!! Cheers Barry

So --- thinking about changing number 2 sons car to a Freelander 1 - TD4. Forget roof tents. He is a Uni student and the last time he went to a music festival he came back without the tent or cooker!!! Is it possible to rip out the back seats and fit a fold down MDF bed board to sit level when the 2 front seats are tilted forward, and make up slide out drawers underneath??? His girlfriend is 5ft 9" and he is 6Ft1". (incidently am thinking about asking for a DNA test as I am only 5ft9") Do the front seats tilt forward enough?? Can anybody measure please? Any input appreciated. Barry

I agree with Dangerous Doug, an auto darkening helmet is a necessity. Cost wise I would go for an Inverter arc welder. Much easier to use than an old sit up and beg arc stick welder. Portable, and if you get the stick white hot by dragging it across a test piece or the earth clamp, it is easy peasy to strike up on the intended weld. Keep your welding rods next to your central heating boiler so they are completely dry. Keep practising on test pieces. Its fun and you can always grind the welds off and try again. Best of luck Barry

Welcome Rab Its the forum where some of us that don't know much, are given lots of good advice and not treated like complete numpties! and we don't ever get waspy with each other just because we do not agree. Barry

I meant to say, following a very bad experience with a breakdown towards the end of trip 1, I personally would steer clear of Britz motorhome hire. They do not supply a replacement vehicle and when we broke down in Northampton, they expected me to accompany the tow truck back to Perth while my wife and son hitch hiked back to Perth!!!!Needless to say I argued until they booked a big enough tow truck to take all three of us and put us up in a hotel as it took 2 days. Most of the hire companies are much better. Barry

I am not an Aussie but for what it is worth --- we made 2 motorhome trips - both in WA. It is amazing to see the gradual changes in the bush as you drive the Number 1. The flora and fauna is absolutely nothing like the rest of the world. Every plant, and animal is just very different. We got as far as Coral Bay taking in Monkey Mia and Shark Bay. We didn't get to go off-road much but the beaches in the Indian Ocean are to die for. We saw a sea manatee and its calf, as well as a boat trip whale watching. I cannot stress how far the distances are and how empty are the roads. Work on probably having to top up or refill the tank every day, and work on driving a couple of hours on their busiest road without seeing another vehicle in either direction. You do not want to run out of fuel. Next time we are hoping to see a bit of the eastern coastline, or maybe the Northern Territory. Either way I don't like using the aircon. It dries you out too much. Open the windows. It is so arid in WA in the summer that, as you sweat, it dries instantly. Keep sipping tap water all through the day. If you leave the truck to see the sights each person needs to take a full bottle with you. Cheers Barry

This may be old hat, but this is the first time I have seen this. Taking my dog for a walk this morning, I passed my neighbours concourse E reg VW campervan loaded up and ready for the off. At the side of the split screen I noticed an old style Tax Disc with the month and a big "67" in the middle( if memory serves me right the correct year for E reg vehicles- please correct me if I am wrong) I will ask him when we meet, if its original, or a replica to set off the finishing touch to the superb rebuild van? Either way it looks perfect! If I still had my old 58 series 2, I would be champing at the bit to find one to suit. At the minute I have an Alaskan rail baggage ticket on the screen of my Y2000- TD5. Somehow its just not anywhere near as cool !!!! Barry