ronnie_rotten

Well I hoped it would stir an update! I enjoyed finding this thread. I'm trying to find something I can put the whole family in and series station wagons are few and far between where I'm looking for them. This seemed interesting although would need a degree of 'mutilation' to really make it usable. It's priced at a little under £3000, and I couldn't decide if it was good value or not. I did a double take at first, as I thought it was a forward control which would have made it very interesting!

anybody mind if I drag up this resting thread? No? Excellent. This just came up for sale not too far from me, the reg plates are very similar but not sequential. By the looks of it it's from the same stable. Is there much value in these 'cconverted forward control 109s'? It's a nice looking thing for sure. ..

She's a fine woman, and a sensible one. She lives land rovers, defenders more than any. This week she's being just a little too sensible. I'll have to try and catch her when her hormones are all upside down. Strange things can happen when the moon is full....

There is wisdom in your words. Much wisdom. The disco is really at the point of being a breaker/off roader now, inner wing to replace, couple of chassis patches, brake pads, prop shaft splines need attention... Little things but in my situation awkward. Were I to keep it I'd have to pay e760 registration tax, then e1040 for the years tax, and then the cost of the repairs to get it through the inspection and nct (not equivalent). It's just not viable. 500 quid might put the defender right. Maybe. Then it's e330 to tax it as a commercial or crew cab. Another e150 say for the engineers report. Either way, the missus isn't comfortable with me blowing the bank on it at the moment. I'm gonna need some more cash behind me if this is gonna go my way. Could happen yet but looking doubtful at the moment.

Yes indeedy nige, you did a lovely job on it too. I did see it on one of the Irish forums and thought how smart it was looking. Good work.

A blood sacrifice. Perfect. Carve on!

I could get it for £1840 plus the disco.... It hurts me not to do it despite the 'wifely wisdom'...

You all speak truths and sense. I know this. If you all concentrate really hard on the joy that defender ownership brings I'm sure she'll pick up on it. She has some strange idea that even once the basics were done I'd still keep spending money on it at the expense if other things. Strange notion.... You know the worst bit? She pulled out the old "if you want it, you can get it" line. I hate it when she does that...

Well, everything written above is how I feel about it. The defender is the better option and not bad value. However..... Women being sensible creatures as they are, (or just cautious), mine has expressed concerns about spending all our available funds on a truck that will need more money putting into it. Clearly spending too much energy on 'sense' and 'reason'. Where's the pasion and adventure??? I now have to find a way to score a lump of unexpected cash in the next few days, and make out like the universe gave it to me for a new truck. :/

It's kinda my perfect motor. And doesn't seem too dear. And gets me out of the disco situation. I hope the missus is feeling compliant today...

Not a great picture, but the only one I haveh

Can you even get a savable 5 door defender for under 3 grand?!?

Oh dear god, my poor head.... Make my mind up for me...! I've got a 98 discovery which is out of test and won't pass another without work I can't be arsed with. I've been offered a 110 station wagon with no rear seats (will have to find some), or door cards (otherwise all there) as a swap if I put £2k (e2500) with it. It will need slight repairs to the doors, a couple of patches on the xmember, a couple of bits on the bulkhead in a year or 2. The body panels are pretty straight. It has: Ashcroft shafts, flanges and air locker. Onboard air and rear helper springs. New springs and gas steering damper. Toyota supra seats, isolators and in cab controls for winch (superwinch x6 available for e500 extra think I'll pass), wiring and dash pod for spots, an inverter. Might come with cranked arms and waffle boards thrown in. Side locker in place of rear window, snorkel recent prop ujs. 140k on the clock. It's nor a minter by any stretch, you wouldn't worry about scratching the paint, but not rough really. Am I asking in the wrong place or should I bite his hand off?!? Help. Please. I'm so confused.

http://www.landyonline.co.za/locals/redbull_defender.htm Much better butchery...

If the pedal is solid and immovable, I'd say it sounds like the fork. Happened to me before and a mate last week. Very familiar sounding...

Yeah, I read that method. I did something similar with a long piece of cargo track that was dead straight. 3 to 5 mm sounds a bit far out (man). I'll try and get to it before its too late...!

Took the disco to a garage round here who I like to use for tyre swapping and the like. Thought I'd see what the tracking was like before it wrecked my new tyres needlessly! Not sure the chap who checked it was fully clued up... The stilson score marks were on the track rod section with the steering damper attached so its little wonder he thought it may take 'a couple of hours and a fair bit of heat to free it up'. I'm sure that's what the short bit on the drivers side is for. For the adjusting of the tracking, no? Anyway, he says I should go and rebook it for an earlier slot, but it's half a degree out so it should provably not be ignored. My mate (toyota man to be fair) recons .5 degree is 'within tolerance'. My own research says it should be 0-2mm toe out anyway. So what is .5 degree expressed as mm and can I leave it alone as it is? Don't think i'll be giving them 90 quid to try and rotate my steering damper either way!

My tip? If there is no good reason to take it off/fix it, then leave it alone. The bolt will snap or the thing will bend or you'll loose a whatsit... If you can...leave it alone. God hates a tinkerer. God, I love to tinker.

We'll see how badly the gearing is affected when I head back up north in a few weeks. Some of the hills between matlock and chesterfield were interesting with the weeny tyres, never mind these!

...

Before and after fitting me new boots. Stock suspension at the moment, and a slight trim to the rear arch and front valance removed. Cheers ryck, was good to meet you and your dad. I only got as far as the services, then decided to fit them there and then! More room in the boot that way...! Now obviously the speedo is out, I was passing hgvs at '55', but out by how much? Anyone know?

I think you should write 'choose your own adventure books' like I used to read at school. 'Hell climb' if you need a title to set you off...

That was pretty much my 'over the phone diagnosis'. Worn out splines = slips through hub. He's off to collect a caravan from the other side of the country, so we'll see how that goes! He's new to the motor game, the landy is his first car so he's learning as things go wrong! I'll be catching up with him early next week and I'll pass on these comments in the mean time.

Just had a call from a mate. He was driving along when suddenly lost drive. Pulled over and found the half shaft poking through the hub so the splines weren't engaging with the drive member. Any idea what's caused this? He's taken off and inspected everything and all looks OK. Put it all back together and it drives as normal, as you'd expect. But why did it happen in the first place?

As soon as that back door opened and the air bubble escaped... Bye bye disco. And nearly bye bye fat cockwads. I'm sure I learned on MacGuyver or something the air bubble was the only thing between you and death. When I was 6.