hardyspicer

Thanks. I`ve decided to ignore the box with no name and leave it wired as it is. There are an abundance of wires going into it which makes me wonder if it is part of the original wiring. The alarm box is easy to disconnect/connect. Spent a fun afternoon cutting out the wiring to the water heater and rooftop flashing light (ex-environment agency) and installing some proper connectors.

I have been taking my 110 300Tdi Defender apart as it needs a new chassis. There is an aftermarket alarm and immobiliser fitted. I`ve taken the instrument panel off and have found the alarm box and another box wired into the loom with electronics in it but no markings. Is this the work of the Prince of Darkness and a normal state of affairs? I have looked at the wiring diagrams but can`t find a box. Any thoughts gratefully received. John

Spicer invented the joint but it required a man called Charles Dana ( company still going strong; http://www.dana.com/) to exploit the design to the full. This company bought in to EJ Hardy of Birmingham in 1925. Hardy-Spicer produced propeller shafts with the universal joint under licence. Dana sold their holding in Hardy-Spicer in the 1950s. Hardy-Spicer which was part of Birfield Ltd still had to pay royalties to Dana. It was in the 1960s that Hardy-Spicer started producing constant velocity joints on a commercial scale. Birfield was taken over by GKN in the late 1960s. Here is some bed time reading from which my, hopefully correct, summary is derived: http://www.competition-commission.org.uk/rep_pub/reports/1960_1969/fulltext/037c01.pdf http://www.competition-commission.org.uk/rep_pub/reports/1960_1969/fulltext/037c02.pdf http://www.dana.com/centennial/histbook/ GKN also have a good history bit on their website. John

Link to adwest: http://www.adwest-engineering.co.uk/. I`ve not used them but will be doing so shortly. John

Mean Green I phoned NFU direct which is in Glasgow and the quote was reasonable although not as good as Adrian Flux. However, I decided to go with NFU in the hope that you get what you pay for and I`ve always liked the idea of mutuality. Hopefully it`s not a case of cutting off one`s nose. John

I have insured my defenders with Adrian Flux for last 4 years. This year got a letter telling me not to worry they would just go ahead and renew my policies although I have never given them authority for continuous payment from my card. I have always aked them for a new quote at renewal time which every year has been cheaper than the renewal invitation. In addition, on one of the policies they were going to add personal accident cover for £25. What a scam. I`m taking my business elsewhere even if it is more expensive. Thought I might try NFU. John

Thanks for the advice and your time. A bit of filing and it`s on. Just need to get the brake pistons back to let the new pads fit and it is time to start on the other side. John

I`ve slowly been rebuilding my swivels on 1994 defender (discs rear and front). When I took it all apart there was no spacer between wheel bearing and inner lock nut. I ordered a new one but now I`ve come to putting it on it seems a really tight fit. I tried the washer on the old stub axle(I have replaced stub) and I could get it on by tapping it. I`m worried I will damage the thread on the stub by doing this. Am I doing the correct thing by tapping the washer onto the stub or should it be an easier fit? John

I`ve just received delivery of a swivel ball OEM. I was surprised to find it was in a Britpart box. Turning this over while out walking the dog I decided to have a look at the Britpart website and found, "Land Rover appointed Britpart as an ‘Approved European Parts Distributor’ for all Land Rover Genuine Parts............. along with their extensive inventory of O.E.M. product" My part doesn`t appear to be finished particularly well but according to the above it`s OEM. I don`t know if I can be bothered with the hassle of changing it for genuine but I would like to hear others` opinions. The idea of an OEM manufacturer thread is a good one. John

Thank you for your advice. It is appreciated. John

I am in the process of rebuilding the swivels and putting new discs on my defender 110. I`ve ordered new bolts which come with what I think, after looking on the forums, is called patchlock already on them. The manual says loctite 270 for several of the bolts. Do I clean the stuff off and put loctite on or is the stuff on the bolts adequate? Any information would be welcome? John

Dear All I`d like to say hello. I`ve been reading the forum for a while and have been encouraged by Walfy to put up a post. I have two defender 110s, a 300 tdi that i have had for 5 years and a 200tdi which I have only got in the last few weeks. I had a partially dismantled 90 TD that I bought a few years ago when I knew nothing(it was scrap) as opposed to next to nothing now. It has gone to the breakers for the sake of marital harmony but, I did learn a fair bit from it. The 300tdi needs a bit doing for its MOT. The parts are ordered. I`m very grateful to Walfy for the kind welcome. John