Orange

My experience of Disco/Range Rover/Defender has only ever thrown up one size of swivel ball. Try ringing up a supplier and quoting your VIN and year of manufacture. That might give them something to go on. HTH Adrian

If you are dismantling the whole thing and putting in new bearings, you might as well do the rest. I expect the new bearings will mean that the number/thickness of shims needed will be different, anyway...

Mud UK also do a bar to fit a Defender. Might be slightly easier to replicate if you were so inclined. It's more of a bulkhead lowering bar, but serves well if you only want more space in the front. It's by no means perfect.....I had to adjust it to fit my 90!! The P&P/North Off Road ones seemed very expensive and they also completely remove the bulkhead, which I still find useful for restraining loads in the back. HTH Adrian

My Range Rover used to do the same. It had rebuilt UJs and recon Diffs, but carried on clunking for the entire time I owned it. Never got better or worse apart from after a whole morning of off-roading when the clunk did get louder and more severe. After lunch it was back to it's old clunky self. It's a Land Rover..........they do funny things like that!! On a slightly more helpful note, it might be a sign of wear in the transfer box. If the props and the diffs are ruled out, I'd be looking at the front and rear output shafts from the transfer box... In fact, while the props are off, you might as well have a good look...

Blimey, Rhys...... I'll have them off you for the price of a second hand set of modulars!!!

Yes it would!! They have very little offset. You might like to try a set of modulars... HTH Adrian

Bearmach sell a range, as do Gigglepin and Devon 4x4 to name a few of the better known companies. I'm sure the likes of Paddocks and Craddocks can get them, but I wouldn't rely on it being of any (great) quality!! HTH Adrian

Any chance of a picture of the two different set-ups? Also a clue as to whether it's a 200, 300 or a TD5 Discovery...

If you do find some, you're best to buy them and put them into stock! The last pair I saw at Capel were £225 and they were almost worse than the ones I've got on the truck already!!

I've had an EP9 and a TDS from Goodwinch and have fitted the isolator switch that came with it. Never had any problems so far....

Thanks, mate. I'll see what I can find...

Thanks Chris. Can you give any idea on any of the maps you have used on your travels? Just wondering if there might be more in the series...

This year, our summer holiday takes us to the Ardeche region of France for a week in mid-to-late September. We’ll be taking the Disco 2 which isn’t exactly a fully overland-prepped vehicle, but it managed at Seven Sisters in the July rain on AT tyres!! There is a wealth of knowledge on this forum about European travel, so I thought I’d tap into it. The first and last days will be a bit of a trek to get down/back, but other than that we have no plans at the moment. We are staying near the village of Barjac. I’m after some ideas of good maps and/or guides for the area as there are loads to choose from and I haven’t a clue what’s good and what’s not. We’re not looking for the extreme stuff, but if there are any good places to go or scenic routes to take (not necessarily off-road) then I’m all ears... We are after seeing the off the beaten track/less touristy side of the area whilst there, although we only have a week. Any help and guidance would be gratefully received. Thanks in advance. Adrian

I had to push him really hard to put yellow on!! He was going with pink as his first choice!! With regard to V8s and water, as long as you are sensible and keep all the connections clean and well greased, you'll be fine. Try using a good quality waterproof grease rather than WD40 (although WD40 is good as a top-up) as it tends to stay where it's put.

In a previous life with smaller cars, I always found that Mintex pads are quite soft and create a lot of dust. If the car gets used in the mud, I would imagine that tend to break up even quicker than standard/OE pads with the added grit... No experience of the discs, but at £45 per axle set for discs and pads, I'd be a bit wary...

Could be interested.........just need a truck that works properly......and a winch monkey!! Tell me James, why are all of your events so far down South-west??

When buying mine, I had 2 choices...... Buying a top spec one - lots of electrics and funny systems (including air suspension) to go wrong. Most are Auto, so that's even more of a pain in the neck. Buying a low-spec one - very few non-mechanical elements so easier and cheaper to fix. Many manuals to pick from so better MPG, too... I bought a 3 year old 2002 02 plate TD5 S Manual with Climate control, electric windows and a CD changer, that's it. No air suspension to break, no sunroofs to leak..... Paid a little over the top for it, but it came from a reputable dealer with 12 month guarantee, full LR service and 12 monts LR assistance thrown in for nothing. It has now just about scraped over 47000 miles and the worst cost I've had is the tyres. Try to get one with the 16" alloys if you can as there is a big jump in tyre price when you go to 18"!!! Like almost £30 a corner (or, at least it was 18 months ago!)!! Other than that, the servicing isn't cheap, but I use a local LR specialist to keep up the service history. Points to look out for in my experience: Rubbish protection on the chassis - at 3 years old when I bought it, the rear of the chassis was already littered with surface rust. Headlights - for some reason, mine have somehow gone out of alignment over the 3 years that I've owned it. There is not enough adjustment to get them to within MoT limits any more. Luckily mine are the pre-facelift type so not too expensive to replace. Rear door leaks - may need a bit of adjustment. That's it..........apart from the first signs of oil in the injector loom, but that's a job for this weekend and not too big a job by the sounds of it! HTH Adrian

I have used my EP9 on 2 challenge events dragging the Range Rover into places I never thought it would go - the winch never faultered once!! Excellent value for money and a damn good investment. Excellent for lowering out. The only problem I encountered was that it wasn't overly fast, but it never slowed down!! If you want a winch that is proven and will work when you want it to (presuming regular maintenance) you won't get much better. I am now running a TDS on my 90 which has competed in one challenge event so far with no complaints yet. The EP9 has been saved for putting in the back... The TDS is good and benefits from being a lot more waterproof, but it's longevity is as yet unproven in the real world... HTH Adrian

235/85/16 is, I believe, the size that Defenders now leave the factory with, so you should be fine.

As Ralph says, the main benefit with the 'low profile' version is the detatchable solenoids. If you are only using it ocasionally, you'll want them tucked away out of the weather so that they are not exposed to the weather. Bowyers Goldfish version has sealed solenoids, but it's still good practice to put them out of the way! That reminds me..........must do mine!!

I suppose penguin head beats turtle head, though, eh Jim!!

This may seem like a stupid question, but.......... I initially connect any trailer with the towball/trailer level, then after adding weight the nose drops, as does the rear of the tow vehicle. Are we better to set the tow bar so that the trailer and tow vehicle are level once loaded? Told you it was a stupid question!!

So why not use a piece of paper, a permanent marker and some sticky tape and save the effort and expense of getting stickers made up? In a world of ever-sprialling costs, I'm all up for a bit of recycling and improvisation!!

It's in the diary. Hopefully it gives me enough time to summon up some enthusiasm to fix the 90!! Again!!

Definitely up for a trip to the Peaks. Either weekend suits me. I'll be in the Premier Inn, please!