deep

I'd second the comment about getting a grown up to do the work. I just had a young fella (who appeared quite knowledgeable and came with all the right gear) do some serious damage to my lovely Fiat 880DT tractor, while helping install a front end loader. To be fair, it might still work out cheaper than having a grown-up do the work but weeks of stress and hydraulic oil all over my driveway doesn't make life nicer. Having said that, your plan sounds good, especially if you are prepared to give up if you can't unscrew that cap...

It was inevitable that people would produce after-market bits for the Grenadier but I was surprised to stumble across a video last night that showed how far development had gone. Rock sliders, winch mounts, fancy roof racks I did expect - but not portals! A mere 40,000 Euros to give you the tallest Grenadier in town. With the bigger tyres they allow, it's a total of 8 inches more ground clearance. I think that is something that is made much easier by having solid axles? The market is probably very small but the mere fact you can do it makes the Grenadier that little bit more desirable. (https://lennartz-technik.de/en/homepage/)

From that angle, it makes me want to see a short wheel base version! Good quality from that camera, by the way.

From what I've gleaned over the years, there was a basic platform, developed under Ford, which went under a Volvo car (forget which), Ford Kuga/Escape, Freelander 2 and eventually Evoke and Discovery Sport and who knows what else? The modern way seems to be to shuffle a range around (even buy in a model or two if need be) to "reposition" in a market obsessed with tiers and categories. So, if they still make a Discovery Sport, it's closer to a Freelander 2 than a Freelander 2 was to the original Freelander and therefore a continuation of the line, despite the name or the price. The baby Defender will surely be a version of that? I can't see them developing something completely new from scratch again and I can't see them reworking the bigger models to make something cheaper either.

That's what I had thought but someone mentioned on the previous page that line had stopped. I'm actually quite pleased it hasn't as the Freelander line makes more sense to me than the electronic Defender type. I often think how mine feels so much like an old Range Rover to drive, despite the utterly different layout. The Freelander2 is smaller inside, quieter, a lot more powerful and would handle much better if there was any feel in the steering, yet it someone retains much the same feel. Less ground clearance off road but a similar amount of grip. In a roundabout way, I think that is why we inevitably got a "Defender" that is so different to the original - there is a Range Rover inspiration across the line that sort of combines a limousine quality without some off-road credence and they wouldn't choose to lose that in any new Land Rover vehicle. Which says to me that a "baby" Defender would be very much a continuation of the Freelander concept. Who remembers the general disappointment when the original Freelander surfaced? We were promised a baby Land Rover but, instead, got a road-biased car that didn't even have a low box! Yet it did well for the company. A friend of mine has an early version and it is lovely to drive and gets her up some nasty tracks quite easily. That's all a baby Defender has to do really.

Oh! I wasn't aware that they'd stopped producing the Disco Sport. Obviously, I'm not as interested in those things as you would think, ahem. In truth, my Land Rovers passion doesn't stretch far past beam axles and doesn't really include Pumas either. (That despite running a Freelander2 as a daily car, oh dear.) In my mind, if I was buying into the modern range, I'd be looking at alernatives like a Ford Everest or a GWM tank, especially as I can no longer afford a Grenadier. I mean, really, what is the difference? All comfy, quiet, spacious road cars that lean on electronics and diff lockers to work off road. I do understand the new Defender. The modern and moneyed market cares about what other people think and the versatility of a Discovery, coupled with a vaguely tougher, off-roady sort of image, must appeal strongly to those people. It's also the total opposite of what has drawn me to Land Rovers since I first drove one half a century (!!) ago: that functional simplicity. This week, I bought a ludicrously cheap, brand new, Chinese quad. My goodness, cheap for a reason but, as I was fettling it to make sure it wouldn't fall apart, I felt some of that joy of working on a very basic old Land Rover. Especially with knowing I had a welder and the fundamental tools needed to keep that thing going for a long time.

Great objectivity! I learned a lot from that, especially the comparisons with those modified vehicles. Pretty brave, considering the car was already sold...

Will this replace the Freelander/Discovery Sport line? The range overlaps so much these days! I like this artist rendition, though you could bet your fortune it will have smaller wheels, sigh.

I liked the DC100 - except there was nothing baby about it. I understand the concept vehicles were built on Range Rover Sport platforms.

It might have been but that Commando is gorgeous! Of all the 70 or so motorcycles I've had over the years, my Mk3 was easily the favourite. Back to the topic at hand, the TFL channel on Youtube put out a clip about those pickups at Goodwood. Looked fairly practical if double cabs run to your taste (for me, it would be a lot nicer if they got rid of the back seats!) but the spare tyre locations seems a bit nuts. There'll be an after-market alternative within days, I'm picking.

Maybe in some markets. Singapore military definitely used them. They also had a rear anti-roll bar, presumably both useful when used as a gun tractor.

Fascinating. I don't recall seeing that reservoir on my 1987 110 but who knows what the history and fittings are on military vehicles? It also had the very unusual 18J engine, so not exactly the same as a civvy one in other respects. The other ones I've had have been on Range Rovers, no reservoir, and I had a 1984 110 as a company vehicle - but that was so long ago that all I know is it had a Boge unit but not which one.

Interesting. I had both at the same time and there was nothing obviously different, certainly not enough to make me want to directly compare them side by side. Opportunity lost!

It might seem a fair bit of money to get that unit rebuilt but it is money well spent. I've had them on a few vehicles and they do make life so much nicer than the bone-jarring alternatives (unless you always travel at around the same weight and get springs to suit, of course). I'm such a fan, in fact, that I still have a good spare in the shed, even though I don't currently have a coil sprung proper Land Rover! I do have to caution against ANY attempt to repair one though. They run something like 3,000 p.s.i. inside. While a failed unit clearly won't have that pressure, you won't know if it still has a fairly deadly amount of pressure waiting inside to inflict grievous damage to your body. Definitely one for the experts. They do last well and a second hand one could well be just fine. They were standard on Range Rovers for years, so there are still likely to be plenty around. In this case, if you have a spare already, eat some concrete and get it fitted. Great chance it will work and save you all the hassle of mucking around with lesser solutions later.

Good to see Bob Morrison still going strong! Also interesting about BMW engines not necessarily being available for military use. It's a tangled web.

Well, that was nicely objective and helpful!

I know those pesky little hydrogen atoms are hard to contain but I would love to see it work out anyway. It's also nice to see a Grenadier working without all the factory body attached. Can't do that with a monocoque Land Rover!

Strangely, every time I do the job, it goes together more smoothly than last time, even on a completely different vehicle! And using my bodged together sockets... Well, except for the time I put a clapped out Range Rover motor in an ultra-cheap Stage One (obviously some time ago). Embarrassingly, I failed to notice there was no thrust bearing until it was all running. However, it wasn't a difficult fix. Drained the radiator, went inside and had breakfast, came back out and pulled the engine forward, hanging off a tractor bucket with endless chain, fitted the bearing, put it together, test drive and went in for lunch. Land Rovers are soooo easy. (Proper ones. It takes longer to replace an alternator on a Freelander 2, sigh)

Lots of good advice there. The thing I would stress the hardest is getting the friction plate in exactly the right place when tightening the pressure plate. Even a tiny bit out causes all the pain and damage ensues. If, like me, you're too stingy to get an alignment tool, you can make one up using a combination of sockets and extensions (and a bit of tape to get that snug fit). You can also eye it up after to make sure. Even so, you might end up a fraction out and the shaft gets caught on the spigot bearing/bush. I recall fixing that by releasing the tension at the last half inch and feeling the gearbox suddenly slide in easily (judicious use of a lever, not possible with every set-up, of course). Which reminds me, check that spigot bearing isn't damaged because it will drag and give you those symptoms if it is...

I watched that video this morning. It did show the vehicle as being well considered and solidly built, rather than picking at trivia as so many like to do. It will be good when they drive it because they have their set tracks, which will allow people to see how it stacks up against its competitors.

For any New Zealand members (who somehow didn't make Ineos' mailing list), they will have a Grenadier stand at the upcoming Fieldays near Hamilton. A good chance to get some sticky fingerprints on some windows and maybe mud on the mats? Annoyed now they didn't have one at the Manfeild Fieldays...

That control set up actually looks quite neat and functional for a modern set up. Responsive too. Though I am terribly old fashioned and happy with a handful of mechanical gauges, I guess they wouldn't be any cheaper to make and the market wouldn't agree with me! I really don't get the beef with the front grill and lights. Yes, a finer grill made of metal would help prevent branches coming in but it wouldn't look any better. It's also far neater to put your driving lights in there than stuck out in front to catch the wind and attract thieves and more branches. It all looks just fine, boat prow excepted (and I'd rather that than the new Defender's bulbous front). Same with the rear lights - they are way nicer than the bland ugliness of most cars but people complain anyway. Taste is taste and if you don't like it, it doesn't mean it's wrong! I may yet get a Grenadier. Give it a couple of years to see how they fare though...

Exactly the same in my Freelander 2. Back seat lowers came out the day I bought it and have been in storage since, leaving a nice, flat floor right through the back (albeit a lot higher than in my friend's FL1). Lots of cars do that, most allowing the lowers to tip so the backrest fills the same space. I think the problem here is that they went to a lot of trouble to maximise the space behind the seats, so you start with a very low rear floor, impossibly low to continue forwards without the simplest of rear seats to hide. I do wonder, now, what happens with the two seat versions? Are the batteries re-located? It's the option I would have chosen (if I hadn't decided to buy a big tractor and a new kitchen instead, ho hum...) and I would have been peeved to find a very awkward floor.

Pretty sure it is...

Some cars have endless storage, some have fairly restricted options and I'm surprised the Grenadier is one of the latter. I still like the old Series Land Rover solution of junk in the dashboard and everything else strewn across (and then behind) the middle seat. 🤣