darthdicky

As Nick said, I just couldn't keep up! Thought it would be a bit cruel to take a picture of it on the trailer too

Stuck with the long lens this time so I could keep a safe distance! Stuck the best of mine up here A few favourites... Richard

I'll be there with the camera - if you're going to do something stupid, make sure it's when I'm around! Richard

Did you have a split pin on the pinion nut? I'm sure mine do... Richard

Devon4x4 did them, no idea whether they'd work on a Defender though. Richard

I'd still say James's normal events would be fine for you as a "beginner", if your tyres pass the event rules... They are friendly and people will help you out if you need it, unlike some other events I've been to where people have been too busy trying to win to stop for 2 minutes. The AWDC do a clubman series for people who haven't entered any of the larger events and don't seem to have any equipment rules, might be worth a look? Richard

My cubby box (think it was from Exmoor Trim, the cheapest one they make) just has some thick felt carpet type material lining it. Looks neat enough and stops stuff rattling around in there. It's just stapled in round the sides and the bottom piece comes out so you can unscrew the box. Richard

I've done my winch bumper with etch primer and a couple of cans of spray paint and it stuck fine, just needs touching up occasionally to cover where it's been scraped off. Richard

Because they're a lot harder Just look at the photos for the last few events - the "standard" sort of vehicle at these is a 90 with cage, lockers and 35's and hence the punches are set to give them a challenge. If they were all set out so that a standard Discovery could get them without any damage then the majority would be done in less than 2 hours, hence the need for an easier challenge to enable people with less "extreme" vehicles to have a go. Your vehicle would be ideal for one of these events as you're not going to worry about rubbing against the odd tree or driving into a bonnet deep mudhole, or whether you can drive it home at the end of the day... Richard

I'm not sure this sort of event is really about needing help/handicapping to level the playing field - it's about having a fun day out. I'm not even sure that James was thinking of having prizes for 1st/2nd/3rd etc.? I think a load of really competitive people arguing about how they're disadvantaged in whatever way so that they can win is going to put more people off than bring new people in... Richard

Like the idea James, I'd like to see more of this kind of competition, not that I'll be able to enter any for quite a while. I really enjoyed a couple of Paul Wightman and V8Camels challenges a while back, and the 7 Sisters style punch ones - the sort where you don't need a trayback just to get to half the punches, but a couple take some thought and you feel like you've achieved something at the end of the day. There has to be some skill and difficulty otherwise everyone will finish in an hour or two. Classes are good as they make people who haven't done it before feel able to compete against those who have a bit more experience. Teams with one winch are good, but it does mean someone without a winch (or a mate with one) gets chucked in with someone they don't know, can be good, can be a disaster! Special stages can be fun, not sure that against the clock race style is quite right for this kind of event though - maybe blindfolded driving/guiding (loose points for knocking a cone/stick), using a winch to get a bucket of water from one place to another (loose points for spilling water? Maybe use a marshalls truck for that as it gives a level playing field, enables people without winches to have a go too?). Orienteering style challenges can be good here too, follow compass bearings etc. Those with huge tyres, lockers etc. but little experience are probably missing the point of this perhaps? James's normal events are probably more suitable - you'll be with more similarly specced vehicles and get a better idea of what is possible (even if you don't want to attempt some of them) Just my few thoughts... Richard PS. Jim, isn't that just picking holes in "general" rules? Chances are you'd be the only person with a LandCruiser who would want to compete, the rules above cover 95% of potential applicants! If you get into the 3" over standard tyre rules then that takes 90's up to 35" which I don't think is the idea. I'm sure James would make exceptions to allow you to join in, even if you had to leave the lockers out?

Should work fine as it is then, I haven't had any problems with the Bluetooth connection with my PDA. What is quite cool is that the Bluetooth still works when the data cable is used, so I can it to connect to my laptop and PDA at the same time and run different maps/views/software on them Richard

I've got a Holux GPSlim236 which I'm very pleased with, my brother has just bought an M1000 which is 32channel so even more sensitive. Both are bluetooth as standard, if you want to wire it to a laptop you need the optional USB data cable as the normal USB cable that comes with it is only for powering it from a laptop. Apparently the data cable has a Serial>USB converter moulded in the cable which is why that works and the normal USB one doesn't Richard

Can't remember the part number Colin but I'm pretty sure it was the Discovery one I got. QT would probably know if you wanted to make sure. Looking on their website the part numbers are slightly different for Defenders and Discos after J reg. Richard

I've got the Disco one on my 1991 Defender, not sure if the drop arm is an easy swap as I just put a Discovery PAS box on. Got the steering bars and damper mount from QT as I wanted strengthened ones anyway. No problems with track rod ends so far! A pic if it helps... You can see the damper bracket but there's no damper there at the moment as the extended bracket on the chassis end snapped off! Only drawback I suppose is that the TRE is more exposed than the ball joint normally is. Richard

If you're stuck I've got some of those Tony, found them the other day somewhere. They sent me some spare bits to cure a squeek but I didn't need those washers. Richard

Andy, how did you mount it to the laptop? I'm a bit wary of drilling holes through the bottom of mine... Richard

Eventually got round to digging a few pictures out I took on the saturday, sorry it's taken a while! The best ones are here Thats the point where you realise a wide angle lens makes everything seem a lot further away than it is, and Adrians truck was getting a bit tippy! Richard

I've found my little Toughbook M34 fits quite nicely in the cubby box tray, held it in with a strap and a bungee and it survived a weekend of bouncing around without any problems. When I sort out a better solution it would be nice if the screen was nearer the windscreen as it's harder to look down and use it. Have thought about having it flip down from the roof but that makes the keyboard even harder to use... I've got a Ram PDA mount and am really pleased with that so would be looking at their Laptop mounts if I had any money left! Richard

I'd put it in or behind the cubby box, or on the rear side of the centre bulkhead, if it has one? Our 90 has 2 smallish Pioneer speakers in the headlining by the driver and passenger ears, 2 6x9's in the top rear corners facing forwards on a shelf and a bass tube in the rear tub against the bulkhead. The 6x9's and bass tube are driven by an amp mounted behind one of the rear inwards-facing seats, though Jonathans found that when it rains it gets very wet there so might have to move it. It used to be behind the drivers seat on the rear tub side of the bulkhead and survived fine there but now the roll bar is in the way. Just has a CD/MP3 CD player in the dash which has never really skipped. It's certainly loud enough to be heard over everything else Richard

I was in a Green 90 with my brother and his mate had a yellow Vitara pickup Like this if the picture works... What were you in? There were so many people there that I guessed some would be on this forum as well as Difflock but I don't recognise any of the Scottish lot! Richard

We went up to Drumclog last weekend Jim, just south of Glasgow I think. 12 hours drive from Exeter with a stop to pick Jonathan up in Liverpool! Great site - lots of bogs, hills, water, mud, rocky riverbeds, plenty to keep us occupied for a weekend. Smaller site than 7 Sisters but just as fun, and no time to start/finish there so if you want to do a night drive you just go. Only £20 a day too. People on the Difflock forum seem to organise trips there quite regularly. My pictures are up here. Richard

This one?

Not sure what the differences are but I've got two or three 2.5 carbs in the garage, none of which I now need as its got a TDi in it. One was bought new (about £200 I think!) to get it through the MOT and was only on there about 3 months before the engine change. Could be open to offers... Richard

Are spectators welcome? Wouldn't mind coming along on one of the days to take some photos... Richard