mickeyw

What seal kit will you be using Ralph? Mine rattle and leak like crazy. The Garrison 4x4 kit is mightyspendy for what you get, and going genuine if such a kit exists seems to offer no great gains. Aside from that I need to replace the perished,split and leaking alpine light seals, and the roof needs the ally scab attending to while its apart, and the whole roof re-painting. The windscreen seal is just as split and perished so that needs replacing too. The windscreen is so scratched it's hard to see when the sun is in my face, so a new screen, possibly a heated one , is in order. Fit the Mud end-of-dash switch panel I' bought some years ago.

A series alternator pulley should come off OK with the appropriate tools. It's been so long I can't recall if they're on a parallel or tapered shaft. If the latter, a bearing puller may be necessary to apply a little preload, then a gentle tap on the end of the puller screw should free it.

I still have a Kamasa set my dad bought when I was very young. No parts missing or broken, and it has a rather handy speed brace.

😂😂😂

Ah, a good old AvE compilation of expletories 😂 I don't think he offered a particularly fair contest against a different style of tool. Despite that the fake didn't do so bad considering the abuse it took, and by his own admission there are some quality components within. I'd love to see the innards of the real thing. I've gotta say that if you already have the batteries and only want it for home use this looks like a fair gamble.

eBay link I've just spotted this, top quality, shipped from the land of cheap goods 😉 Now I have a genuine version, and it's very good, but far from the torque figures quoted in this ad. Has anyone bought one of these? I'm just wondering how bad they could be. I wouldn't be surprised if they came out of the same factory but must have been built with cheaper components somewhere...

Got a link for these Stephen? I can't find them that cheap in eBay I have a small Evolution multi material mitre saw, and although the blades are good they don't seem to last that long chopping box section. I'd be interested to try alternatives. I think 20tpi on a 210mm blade is a bit coarse for cutting box section.

Some great progress there James. I've missed quite a few updates.

This is what I tend to do on icy mornings with the LR or the car. Usually the time it takes to eat breakie and make my lunch is enough. Yes the heat disappears pretty quickly, but at least the steering wheel has lost its desire to stick to my fingers, I haven't had to scrape the screen, the seats are nice and warm and the screen isn't about to mist up as soon as I get in. Simple solutions

For a cheap alternator I'd be thinking something second hand from a scrappie. I think I paid about £30 for the 150A model I took off a Mondeo. The issue here is that you'll need to use a polyvee belt to drive anything bigger than 100A, and that would be a pain on your engine. How big are you hoping for? A 200 Tdi alternator is probably around 65A and a similar mounting to what your engine is used to. ISTR that my old 2.25P had a Lucas unit that offered a meagre 34A. If you can find one from a 200 Tdi Disco 1 that's being scrapped that might work...

Gaz, I'm curious why you might need to hack these to fit a lightweight. Is the seatbox rather different to a series or 90/110 type? They are pretty rare so would seem a shame to hack them, but they are yours and it's up to you what you do with them IMO these early seat frames are far superior strength-wise to the later type.

I was just searching for a series 3 heater picture for you, and came upon this upgrade article, on Auto Express of all places When I rebuilt my 88" series 2 I fitted a series 3 heater box, built some ducting for inside from 40mm waste water pipe, and grafted on a 3 speed Vauxhall Cavalier blower unit. Now I did have a Rover 3.5 V8 supplying the hot water, but that whole combo used to make the interior very warm in very quickly

Drawings here guys. Sorry it took so long. This is what worked for the parts I had. Please check it suits your needs before you dive in. PTC_Btm_Adapter.PDFPTC_Top_Adapter.PDF

Wow! It's been a while since I wrote all this. I had forgotten all about the promise of drawings. Apologies to all who showed interest. I've found the CAD files, but I need to get on my other computer to open the Solidworks drawings and PDF them. Meanwhile here's a switching circuit that I can't remember if I drew up or got from someone else. PTC SWITCHING CIRCUIT.pdf The heater got transplanted into my 110 a few years ago, and worked well at the beginning. Then it stopped working, and I've yet to investigate why. I have a spare element but it's still on the garage shelf. I don't use the truck a lot these days, so the urgency to fix it is not high, along with wiring up my heated wing mirrors 🙄

@Ed Poore what is unique about an LT85 PTO adapter? Would it not use the same as any LT230 coupled gearbox? Or did you mean LT95? 😉

The only reason I can accept for killing the Defender off is really to do with its very high build cost. The man hours to assemble it are many times that of a Range Rover, that they can sell for heaps more ££££££. The shape from a pedestrian POV is invalid IMO. As already mentioned Merc's G class, and Suzuki's new Jimny are more or less just as unfriendly to soft tissue. The emissions excuse is also invalid. LR has previously fitted newer and cleaner engines, so no reason not to continue with that. It's all about profit, which I can understand any business wanting to make. Just a shame they can't be honest about it. I am keen to see what Ineos comes up with, although I'll still stick with my 33 year old 110. It's economic for me to do so

A Bridgeport only has a 2HP motor, so is easily within the scope of a phase converter. However as I understand things, depending the type of motor you have will have a bearing over whether you can use a VFD. I have a 3kw rotary converter that runs my Colchester Student (3HP) motor quite happily, and will also handle the Bridgeport, if I ever get it to my garage from my mum's house. I know an RPC isn't the most knowledgeable efficient tool, but it allows a simple operation of both machines with no electrical alterations.

I run 255/85R16s on my V8 110, so circa 33" diameter. 1.4:1 transfer is optimal for a 110, especially if you tow anything remotely heavy. My previous V8 90 was on a 1.2:1 and same size tyres. This gearing was OK with a manual box, but when I changed to auto it was so overgeared it rarely made it into top gear on normal roads, and when a hill appeared it wouldn't pull top, but revved its nuts off in 3rd. Changing to 1.4:1 made a world of improvement. As others have said, work forward from the LT230 for positioning. I have a spare LT85, should you be interested....

I know the owner of the purple one. It's actually on a 110 chassis, and last time I saw it had a Tdi and auto box.

With your description of the motor and housing being full of gunk, your problem is almost certainly the seized motor. I have managed to free a motor in the past, but it depends how badly seized it is. Replacement may well be your best option. When the heater is on full speed power doesn't run through the resistor. When the fan is set to slow speed, that is when the resistor comes into play. If after sorting the motor problem you find the resistor is bad, you can replace it cheaply with one like I describe in my post further up

Plenty of room for expansion of your tool collection there. I'm struggling to shut the drawers on mine

I was getting befuddled when you mention you have a 110, then refer to leaf springs 😕 Then I see the rims - which don't look quite like Landrover items, and have Spain stamped on them. is your vehicle a Santana?

Have you examined the pull linkage from the remote handle to the lock (the horizontal flat bar in the picture)? It can be adjusted, and if too long, the lock can be a pain to open from the inside. There are two very small nut and bolts in long slots that you adjust to the required position, and the self tap screw that is drilled through to prevent these slipping. Over time, wear at the latch end can require readjustment of the linkage. First I suggest you do what @miketomcat suggests and lubricate everything. Before that though I like to squirt a load of brake cleaner fluid into the lock to flush out any hardened grease and debris, then relube with white grease from an aerosol can. Then, I'd disconnect the linkage so you can operate the latch end of it by hand, and see if the door opens as it should. Do not be afraid of removing the rivets in the latch, there's nothing too scary inside. Normally the handle return spring breaks, and leaves the handle limp and prone to rattling. I opened my door latches up to replace this spring (home wound, as of course these were never a replacement item), and fixed back together with countersunk screws and nuts. Of course if your springs are OK I'd leave it all alone.

I am sure this will become a great car, bought in large numbers by the lifestyle types. However the price alone, well I know the base models aren't so far off what a late model Old Defender cost new, is a big barrier for many people, especially those that want it to work for a living. My mother (now aged 78) has had a Ninety, and two Defender 110s, then moved to a FL2, and now has a Discovery Sport, all as her daily farm vehicle. Aside from the lesser towing capacity the latter two have been quite up to the job, more comfortable to drive, and a darned sight cheaper to buy and operate than the last Defenders. The FL2 was excellent as a farm car, the only real annoyance being the wretched parking sensors that go nuts when driving through long grass. With a set of seat covers it survived winters of wet and muddy coats, dogs and sheep, and a lot of towing, gaining numerous battle scars along the way. The jury is still out on the Disco Sport but it's doing OK so far. However the new Defender is a lot of money to spend of something that will get neglected and abused, when lesser, cheaper models are capable enough.

Wellll, what the heck. I seem to have mis-saved that data in my head. Pretty sure this was the article I read, which quotes a 4.5lb (2 kg) difference per tyre. (10 kg per set ) They also mention the Toyo having a much stiffer side wall.