Will F

As an alternative plan to improved wiping - I have seen a few dual wipers. Very simple conversion with a bolt that holds each blade above and below the wiper arm using the existing connecting point on the arm. No drilling required. You now end up with 4 blades. They also add the water spout to each arm using soft flexi hose extensions so that it actualy moves along with the blade and dispenses the water between the two blades - before the wind blows it off your screen

The BMW seats from the E36 3 series fit. A few new holes for the rails is all it takes. Check this link out http://www.flickr.com/photos/the_steyns/page7/ Also on that page is a really nice idea converting his rear sliding window into a gull-wing. Quite a popular conversion in SA - but usualy done in aluminium and opening up some nifty storage space.

Cool tips thanks guys. I'm feeling rather gung-ho 'bout the whole project now. Think I'll do both sides - because now I know I can!...I think...

Very nice Maverick. How easy is it to remove the spot welds? Is it as simple as using a mini grinder at the welds and rivets? Do you have a pic of the finished job? I am just concerned that the rivets stand out a bit much. I am also wondering if using only a Sikaflex 11FC type product wouldn't suffice.. It will still be riveted onto the capping and at the two ends. Finally, which do you guys think will be easier - replacing the 110 tub or replacing the rear wing panel? thanks for all the responses.

Not having any experience in rebuilding or repairing Defender body parts, what would the advise be for the following? Patient: 110 d/cab Complaint: build up of body putty on the right rear wing - specificaly around the door striker area and around the filler cap - due to leaning against one to many tree and or lamp post. This has now started cracking rather badly. Option 1: replace complete rear tub Option 2: replace only the rear panel concerned. Problem with option 2 is that it is spot welded horizontaly along the rear floor pan. So, how do I fit the new 'skin' back. Are the slight indentations running the length of the rear wing the spot weld marks? Assistance from the gurus much appreciated.

I have a 110 double cab in Cape Town and looking for a replacement roof liner. The Lasalle lining is smart but the cost of the shipping added to its already not-cheap price makes it unreasonably expensive. Are there any ther options? Maybe second hand units even? In SA they are hens teeth! thanks chaps.

COOL thanks Sean. Did yours seaze due to lack of lubrication? Mine also seized after the coil burnt out - although maybe it would make sense if it seized first and then the coil burnt out. Does a fan in from of the condenser make a big difference?

Is there any difference between the TDi and TD5 aircon compressor? As far as I'm aware the early TD5's had the same aircon as the 300TDi. The controls for my '99 TD5 aircon are the same as for my 98 TDi. It also does not have the fan in front of the condenser. It therefore does not have the body spacer up front that was installed to accomodate a fan. There are howver fibreglass replicas that are really cheap. I have digressed somewhat so my questions are as follows: Does it matter which compressor I use? Is it better to install the fan in front of the condenser for use when the aircon is on? My TDi aircon occasionally freezes shut - would it not be better to install a thermastat instead of relying on the cold-colder-coldest switch? Our adventures always tend to be in the hottest parts so will need to get this soon. rgrds, Will F

The double cab's bulkhead is removable. Spot welded and riveted in places but still removable. i.e any pickup bulk head and rear window section can be removed and put into a standard SW tub to create a double cab or single cab. I am just hoping that removing the spot welding is not going to be too difficult...

Hi all, An accident a few years ago resulted in repairs to various sections of my TD5 D/cab's C-pillar and a few more panels in that region.I have now decided to replace the entire rear tub including the c-pillar i.e purchase the whole thing as an easier replacement job rather than fiddly repairs. Unfortunately after the accident body putty was used instead of replacing panels. The C pillar and top half where the rear door closes is still quite off line. Is it possible to replace the tub with a TDi tub? The only issue I can think of is around the filler cap. Would there be any spot welding involved or is it straight bolt on? There must be posts on this forum regarding this - would be happy if someone could steer me in the general direction. Many thanks, Will F

THanks Gromit. I have since pick up a few threads complaining of oil filters with a new o-ring material that tend to work loose. Word out is that Nytrile rubber was not used for the manufacture of the filter seal, this will cause a shrinking of the seal after a number of heat cycles. Wonder if anyone else has come accross this? rgrds, Will F

After finding a surprising amount of oil under the engine and my TD5 marking its territory slightly more often and quickly than before I traced the oil coming from my oil filter. When I gave it a clean with a rag I found that the filter was actualy loose Not easy to get to so I just hand tightened as best I could. I have never heard of an oil filter working itself loose so I presume it was not put back properly. (about 3 months back). 2 questions: How tight should it actualy be? Should I replace this filter? It has also solved my starting problem as I found the contacts on my starter motor drenched with oil. Occasionaly when starting it was as if the bendix was not spinning fast enough - as in low battery power or loose battery connection. Is there any other contamination I should be worried about? rgrds, Will F

Thanks Tatt, EGR and centre box removed already. Have not remapped yet though. Thanks for that feed back as it seems just a slight tweak is necessary to give that little bit more to get to the higher revs quicker. Might be cheaper to buy a new Puma than to take my TD5 to BAS I'm afraid The changing to auto and replacing the old box all seems a little drastic for this problem. Thanks all. I must say an auto box does sound interesting. The only ones in a Defenderthat I know of here are V8's. Can you slot the Disco auto box straight in? What about the ECU? Will it not kick out a bunch of errors? Thanks all.

JST - just didn't get the answer I wanted to hear - which is that it is quick, cheap 'n easy to drop the ratio of first gear without affecting the others. Clearly there is not. I never had a problem with the 1:4 so yes this would be a solution...but not the answer I was looking for Basically the 1st gear with the 1:2 box in the Defender is like pulling away in 2nd with the 1:4 box in a 90. Very doable and no strain on the flat but takes a touch more clutch work on an incline. The real problem is this (not sure why it has taken me so long to explain it accurately) The vehicle feels underpowered,un-responsive and in the wrong gear when pulling away or driving slowly up a hill in first. It takes too long for the revs to climb to get the turbo to kick in. So maybe the solution is to get the turbo to kick in sooner. The power I was actualy looking for was to assist for the period before the turbo kicks in. Is there a solution to this perhaps?

THanks for the input - even the suggestion to put the old transfer box back...and the underdrive Think I will experiment with remapping and larger intercooler. I am sure that will give what I need. How much power difference is there from purely upgrading the intercooler? My problem is that living in Cape Town on the slopes of table mountain there is a lot of dtrain on the clutch with all the hill starts. I am hoping a litle more power will sort this out!

I swapped my TD5 110 double cab transfer box for a Disco 2 box to give her longer legs. Works great but I am getting tired of the first gear hill starts - especially when off road. What is the best (cheapest? easiest??) solution? More power? If so how much more would be necessary? Change the gear ratio? I think this might be a rather expensive option ! thanks, Will

Had the same with my TD5 Defender. Replaced injector loom and main loom due to brittle wires causing misfire. Also had the ecu fuse blowing every so often. Once we had opened the loom the true extent of the damage was shocking. The oil had almost turned the plastic to a brittle bark like substance. Soem of the plastic had even fallen off revealing open wire - hence the fuse blowing. By the way - at no stage did I have any oil within 30cm of my ecu. The ecu plugs were covered with beautiful, powdery, red, dry African dust. rgrds, Will F

...an don't forget the brolly, ol' fruit. Sorry - just taking the tiddle. We do things a little different in Aafreeka B) rgrds, Will F

74p/L ?? whew! thougt we had it bad in South Africa at equiv. of 54p/L. I have also been thinking of the conversion and was also advised that if I intend towing it would not be a good idea - especialy in the Cape Town area which is very mountainous. I ride on 265x75 Cooper STT's and tow a small RIB boat which is around 700kg with trailor. Am I going to be getting 'gear shift cramp'? I have also heard that the Defender 5th gear is not very strong. Is this change in ration going to put extra strain on? ALternative - 285x 75 tyres maybe? Rgrds, Will F

I have found the Cooper STT's to be the absolute business - but vouch for the ST's as well. BFG MT's rate well too but the A/T's are just too tame and the lugs do not clean easily when it comes to the stick stuff. One question though - I am in South Africa and these are the two most popular off road tyres on the road - but does the STT come in 255x85x16? Can't find any here and thought either I must change dealer or they are just not available. 265's, 285's, 31's - 33's most popular sizes here for the multi-tasker RV. rgrds, Will F