ThreePointFive

That explains it, my first purchase from them was in March. There would have been many more as I move to the "shiny shiny" accessories part of the build, they had a lot of good stuff.

Looks like FF Off-road has closed it's doors. Didn't see any hint of that when I placed my order for some of their bumperettes. Shame as they're one of the best made parts on the car.

I quite like the front view before I saw the slope... I was fully ready to hate what they'd done to such a rare vehicle until I read about the original body being destroyed. After that point, fair enough. As someone that hates drawing attention, I couldn't drive that though.

That has to be a typo. But then, even 1,850 seems a touch high.

Apologies, I realised it didn't fit the brief as soon as I posted it. Also doesn't work if they get the hinges off and can slide the door forward.

Not quite the same but similar in effect: https://www.landroverdefendersecurity.com/products/powered-deadlock

The one I bought is currently £23 and having the whole unit ready to use is great, especially with how expensive a phone is these days. If my Linux laptop's USB ports weren't completely screwed (as discovered last year while trying to get it to talk to the MS ECU) that would have worked, then.

PM me your address, I have one you can have. I bought one that plugs into your own device but it won't work for me without downloading an app, which I refuse to do as they want access to contacts, GPS, etc. for no possible reason beneficial to me. There are some devices that can recognise these as webcams and will load the correct drivers so you don't need the app, I'm just unlucky with what I have available. If you have no joy with it, you can just chuck it in the bin and buy a different one. It's useless to me just lying around so you might as well make use. I bought one with a screen for that reason, and very happy with that as it's all self contained.

This is going to be a really interesting build!

The deeper sills serve to balance out the wheelbase so it doesn't look too thin for its length, if you take them off I bet it looks very wrong. That's really been thought out.

I think you need to provide before and after photos, if you are going to make such bold claims.

I meant to say, I wasn't going to watch it as I am a bit 'over' their stilted back-and-forth delivery style ("I think the new Defender is good but unreliable, what do you think Tommy" "I think it's unreliable but good, Dad" "valuable insight, Tommy") so I wasn't being rhetorical when I asked which one scraped, but having watched it now, initially I assumed it must have been the Defender because of how they were talking. They cannot say that the Defender will do 80% of what the Wrangler will do, then show it doing 100% of what the Wrangler does but also better than the Wrangler did it. The most annoying part is that I don't doubt they're right, but the quality of their testing does not demonstrate this as fact and renders the statement pointless. If they need to design a better test, they should have done that.

If it's a choice between a safari/protected reservation or a zoo when trying to conserve species in something even vaguely like their wild habitat, I'll take this any time. If visitors are required to fund the reservation, then that's the cost. It might have an impact on the animals' behavior but if it wasn't for some of these places, there wouldn't be some species - modified behavior or not.

I have grown grow weary of Skipper and Champ's wholesome All-American review style. Which one scraped its belly?

I'm going to have all the same problems with door cars, I have Bearmach ones and they look good but I also noticed the snapac stud things don't grip too well into the female inserts. I'm going to put some sound deadening into the cards if I get the drumming you've had, but fully expecting to have to go genuine after looking at this. Where you did buy your water shedders? Everywhere was out of stock when I looked, and there are some smaller internal ones that are pure unobtainium now. Cut-up heavy duty waste sacks it might have to be. Last question - when you built your doors up, did you have to screw in the plastic spacers and the window channels? SP-4x4 said they didn't need it when I enquired, but I can't see how that is the case when Genuine and Bearmach do.

Defender double pack Can't quite believe the 90 has an MOT. I can believe they don't have the V5. Features include extra-privacy 100% tint rear windows. The 'new chasis' for the 110 seems to be remarkably un-new. Wonder if they have the V5 for that one...

I would run away. That chassis looks like it has been blown over very recently and the bodywork is a respray (look at the hinges and bolts - all covered) and they've even covered the rear chassis tabs in body colour where they couldn't be bothered to mask them separately. You cannot asses that vehicle's true condition, but the fact there appears to be mud under the chassis paint says it all to me. Look at the inner tub mudflaps. This kind of vehicle is far more appealing to me than the boyracer one above where you can sense the frustration they had with trying to make it something it's not. However, I think this example is where an average condition vehicle is shown a lick of paint and a few (admittedly quite good) upgrades, the sum of which is not worth the asking price.

Just to close this one off, Karen finished my steering wheel and it is now back with me. The quality of what she's done is perfect - in that you can't tell she's done anything. It looks completely unrepaired and as-new. I could not be happier with the job she's done and would recommend her to anyone looking for interior work to be done. I could have just eBayed a good condition used wheel for a bit more cost, but that would have been wasteful and this wheel is of known origin/legitimacy and knowing this really is a new wheel is worth it. 10/10 attention to detail and customer service from Bustle About Ltd.

Yep I still have the bar one from mine. Doesn't give you quite as much confidence as a solid metal plate. These are one of the few end of run Defenders that I think come close to being worth a premium. They capture what the last 60 years was all about very well rather than showing how much like a new Audi you can try to make one. £50k wouldn't even be stupidly unrealistic in the current market (unfortunately).

So if it wasn't what it is, it would be good? 😆 I agree.

Reminds me of that 6x4 we had last year with the 'Bulletproof' grille and the advert that essentially said it was a deathtrap waiting to happen. Looks better executed than that, at least. I might have missed it, but does it say/show it is actually 6x6? Even putting aside the legalities - which are huge - I cannot see how anyone running a business would want to take on a 36 year old vehicle at a price above most entry level pickups of similar capacity, and nor would any 'enthusiast' in their right mind part with £30k for a tipper they don't need and that will have no added off road ability. Who is the target audience here?!

There's usually a good number on Auto Trader, just look for 'galvanised chassis' in any advert anywhere and it's a good indication.

Seems weird to spend so much time and effort on a car only to move it on because the result is exactly what it was always going to be. I cannot see how they're not taking a huge hit on the money spent. Otherwise looks nicely done, I just wonder if it's a good car to start with when (as Jeremy says) everything will be modified in some way.

What's said above covers it but with regards to modifications, particularly things that make it either a newer-looking car or "extreme off road to the max", try to familiarise yourself with standard before deciding you like it. The market is flooded with tarted up cars that have no attention paid to their mechanicals or functionality. Some mods can genuinely enhance the car, such as an expensive set of seats that make it more comfortable on a long drive, but some mods (light bars, bumpers, gear knobs..) are bought off ebay for £15 but somehow used to talk up the price. Same with cosmetics, like a set of chequer plate that's hiding the need for new doors in a year's time. 'Standard' doesnt give much room to hide things, you can instantly see what is right or wrong with the car and if you're happy to proceed. Modified might mean welding or other work that you have no way to assess the competence of - or why it was done. Personally - and I will be unpopular for this - I would walk away from anything that has or did have a lift kit. There are a number out there and all vary in quality and engineering. These cars are built around a very specific ride height, wheel sizes and UJ angles, changing that puts far more mechnical components under stress than the ones that have been changed and also invites the car to be driven that extra 10% where further damage is likely. But more than anything else, just don't let the fact it is modified inflate the price. I'd rather start with something plain and make it my own (saving money where I don't want to modify) than have to pay more and be stuck with someone else's idea of good.

This: