mickeyw

I have a 3t Screwfix (Ferm) jack. As with many cheap jacks of this type it's built to a pretty standard pattern. One thing that seems to vary though is the quality of the valving inside. With mine it's almost impossible to lower anything gently. The valve locks off tight and the effort it takes to release it then takes you by surprise and suddenly everything's on the floor, not ideal. I've tried lubing all the joints etc but it made no difference Anyway, this is just something to be aware of when you're looking.

Just my opinion, but for a LR Ninety I would base your calcs for average fuel consumption as follows. V8 (any capacity) 13-14 MPG on petrol, 10-12 on LPG. Tdi (200 and 300)25 MPG, yes it can do better, (but none of us really drive like nuns do we), and a lot worse when towing heavy stuff, . Having responsible named adults (parents) on one's policy seems to help reduce the cost a bit. Definitely have the policy in your own name, that way you'll be building up your own NCD sooner. 2.5 NAD - well as RichP has said they're a very reliable engine, if a little underpowered. You won't want to drive too many motorway miles in one of these, that's not to say you can't though, just get used to travelling at 50mph, a sign of a dedicated enthusiast

I can report from experience that Halfords Ardennes Green is a pretty good colour match.

Best heater upgrade I know is to run a V8. Never any shortage of heat with that

Ross, I was pleased to read your comment above, a very wise idea. I see an awful lot of cheque book off-roaders out there who HAVE got all the toys and STILL can't drive off road and don't even know how to use their gadgets! I had no money for even a decent set of tyres when I started out with my Series III 2.25P,(7.50x16 Firestone SATs were the dog's danglies then), never mind a winch or lockers; and snorkels were almost unheard of . Despite having no more than a tow rope and plenty of enthusiasm me and my mates still managed to fight our way around the play sites without too much trouble, you just looked at what you were about to drive into first. Still plenty of fun was had and a lot of learning how to drive too. BTW, I still think your fuel figures, even for a dead weasel look a little optimistic. Insurance wise, and this may be a little taboo, but have you considered adding your mum as a named driver? It can make quite a surprising difference. £1927.60 sounds very very painful. A 2.5 N/A D will teach you to appreciate what can be achieved (and not broken) with less power. Cheaper to buy, cheaper to insure, you're less likely to get any speeding tickets, and you may even have some £ left over to put in the tank.

Ross, Don't want to put too much of a damper on your enthusiasm, but I've never managed to make a V8 do as many MPG as I hoped. You, like myself obviously lurve the V8 sound track, but it does come at a cost You will no doubt be unable to drive your first V8 sensibly (read economically). I'm not saying this just based on your age, (although it may be a factor), but I can't and I've been driving a V8 daily for 15 years now, the last 7 years on LPG, and the last 6 months with an autobox. The latter coupled with large mud terrains don't help economy May I suggest you do your calculations based on 10MPG for general driving Longer gentle trips may achieve 15. I have a 12 minute trip to work every day and there's roundabout Grand Prix potential all the way. Hooligan driving and offroad days always see sub 10MPG. I must now congratulate you on finding insurance for a 4.6 Ninety for less than a tin Pug. I would double check they know exactly what it is you want to insure before agreeing to anything. As everyone else has said, take your time and choose carefully. Good Luck.

My RRC set up is the same as Andy ^^^^, with 4 tanks (2x36 lit sill & 2x40 lit under boot). It does make a huge difference to range between fuel stations. I added my sill tanks before heading across the Channel. I've also managed 300 miles before a fillup, not run them right out yet to see how far they'll take me. My RRC is my luxury transport barge, not used for off-roading (have a Ninety for that), so hitting the tanks on the deck is unlikely. Point to note: PW8757, your sill tanks will not fit under the boot floor, they are too long. Unfortunatley you will have to buy new tanks if you want to go this route.

Td5 bonnets are rather flimsy construction compared to the earlier type, and probably not up to the job of carrying a wheel. One option would be to find an early bonnet with a wheel carrier already fitted, or add a suitable one if necessary.

When I converted my RRC I went through all the research to avoid having a tank in the boot. The end result was 2x40 lit tanks where the petrol tank used to be, and a little tank (6-7 lit-ish) in the rear wing. I agree the 80 lit toroidal tanks are 'kin pricey. 2x 40 lit 4-hole cylinders with valves etc worked out somewhat cheaper than the donut tank. The downside is they are less easy to mount. I came across Autotanks who make skid units for multiple tanks, as well as dinky petrol tanks. It seems they are now owned by Tinley Tech which is where I bought my tanks and front end kit. Anyway I was put off by the price of such skids and side tanks, so I decided to make by own from 3mm mild steel. Cutting was done by angel gringer and jigsaw, yes a painfully slow process, but quite pleasing once done. All put together with a MIG welder Typical example of a skid, not mine, but from Auto tanks' old website. IMO a much better option than hanging them from thin straps, and it affords a good deal of under protection. The petrol tank was modelled on a mate's long range fuel tank for his RRC. I can dig out more pictures tonight if you're interested. It houses the original fuel pump and level gauge. I would imagine your Disco (Series 1?) would be pretty similar underneath. Let me know if you want any more details. I know the DIY route is not for everyone.

Just use the RRC ECU to engine loom. It should have everything you need and more. I wouldn't bother about stripping out the surplus wires unless you are very, very, very bored There's a thread somewhere on here detailing the ECU wiring and loom. Check out the tech archive.

ditto ^^^^^

If you have engine, loom and ECU from an RRC, then the loom should be long enough to fit the ECU on the bulkhead behind the front seats. However, if your engine came from a Disco you will find the loom is shorter. I have my ECU (ex Disco) mounted on the upper face of the passenger footwell. That is about as far as the loom would comfortably reach. It's quite happy here as long as you don't intend to do any deep wading.

I thought 265s were the widest you should fit to a 7" rim. Of course I know of a couple of trucks running 285s on a 7" rim and they look fine. Just possible insurance implications to consider. Best to check recommended rim width with the tyre supplier.

I too can report good service from the UK Maglite distributors. My local Millets gave me the contact details for them. Mine was only a keyring model, but they still have the lifetime guarantee covering them. It had got to the point that even with a new bulb and battery it still only gave a dim glimmer, next to useless. I phoned the distributors and told them all this, and that it was at least 5 years old, and that it had been a gift, (no receipt). 'No problem Sir, we'll send you a replacement' or something like that. No questions at all, didn't want to see mine, just straight forward replacement! Don't often come across this sort of service, a pleasant change.

Hi Paul, A few thoughts from me for what they're worth. I would have thought on double line you should have been able to shift yourself somewhere. Seized clutch bearings in the drum - unlikely as you say it's not getting particulary hot. I have experience of this on my M8000. Dead battery - if it still starts your truck-sized diesel that's unlikely too, although 770 AH may be a little less than ideal for heavy winching A winch that's stalled due to high load will get pretty hot, so.... Are the cable connections all clean and tight, inc those on the winch? I have been caught out here before. I am with Turbocharger re checking voltages etc at different places, check for any high resistance joints, power cable damage etc, clean battery terminals. What's the history of the motor? Has it ever been over worked/heated and damaged itself? If you have a tame local electrical engineer get them to check the motor out? If you have the funds it may be possible to turn this into an excuse you're looking for for a new winch Not sure about the current draw of a 12000lb unit but I expect you'll be looking at a very substantial battery or two. Do the Cruisers still have space to two under the bonnet? Good luck with the diagnostics/winch selection

I was insured from age 19 with NFU. I had my own policy for my own LR, but my mother has her farm insurance with them so I think that made a difference.

I have seen a 101 wearing 6 stud Mach 5s, so it must be possible to get them in Toyota pattern if you ask nicely.

Why not use a back window from the Defender hard top, the little ones either side of the back door? Off the shelf parts too.

Well Gents I cobbled this together a few weeks ago and it does exactly what I wanted, with relative ease. The whole things fits into my 2" receiver hitch. It could also be made to fit an adjustable DB hitch.

Yep I have a set of those, more than up to bending copper brake pipe but the bend radius at 1" is a lot bigger than I wanted.

LR built 90 & 110 V8s with the Stromberg CD175 for a few years, until I believe about 1989? Then they fitted SUs. Strombergs are also found on earlier RRCs. If your engine has been standing for some time it will be worth your while fitting new rubber diaphragms to the carbs. They don't last for ever and make the engine run very poorly when they're knackered and balancing the carbs will be near impossible. Signs of knackeredness are not always obvious, all it takes is a small pin prick of a hole. Details of dismantling Strombergs are well covered in LR manuals. The manuals you can download at Green Oval are a bit too new for this but hopefully someone can point you in the direction of some older data. Failing that I can scan some pages from my oily paper bible for you. I have an adjusting tool somewhere that I bought from Halfrauds yonks ago when carbs were all the rage It might have been a Sykes Pickvant kit. However the ebay one linked above looks about right. One thing to watch out for - I THINK that while the later carbs have a hexagon socket down the middle, the earlier ones were a screwdriver slot. You'll need to unscrew the dashpot damper, empty out any oil (if it's not gone already) and have a looky inside to find out. Hope this helps,

Pete, I think you're in a couple of mine on the Wayfarer, see above... I'll have more of a shufty through the rest of mine soon.

No problem John, got plenty more than that just didn't want to crash the forum I'll PM you my email address.

And a few more

Made it home by 8.30 last night having had a fantastic weekend putting faces to familiar forum names. Huge thanks to those that did not organise the trip, as well as everyone else for being such a friendly bunch. This was our first time out with LR4x4 and we're looking forward to the next one already. Also big thanks to Paul Humphreys who made our Saturday drive a real pleasure with his encyclopeadic local knowledge of the area's byways. I would have been very nervous driving through a farmer's barn without Paul's assurance that we were definitely in the right place! Also thanks Paul for looking after my extra wheels for the weekend, much appreciated. My snap happy co-driver took over 300 photos over the weekend, many rather blurry as we lurched along the routes, but plenty of gooduns too.