simonr

I only saw Colin once, since. That was on the Belgium National. He was there taking photos. The look on his face, when he recognised me was priceless - he just turned on his heels & legged it. I'm still angry about it, 15 years on. It was a lot of money - difficult for a small company to just write off. Colin / Scorpion / whatever you're calling yourself now - you're not forgiven!

It was more due to poor business practice - failing to pay suppliers in particular! I went to the creditors meeting, following their liquidation. There was practically no value of assets to share between the creditors, who were collectively owed a lot of money! The stock was apparently sold (legally), prior to the liquidation - but there was nothing left for the creditors. Colin just moved on - and then Extreme 4x4 was magically born. It is (or was) owned by Durite (presumably because Colin was barred from being a Director) - and I hope they keep him on a very tight leash. Maybe, that's just the way (some) business operates, and it is of course fully legal. However, to me, it felt like theft!

This place will supply cut to size: https://mesinternational.co.uk/product/ex-demo-rubber-conveyor-belt And, without the fabric weave, just rubber: https://mesinternational.co.uk/product/heavy-duty-black-sheet It's more than I paid, but the company I used no longer exists. It's a lot cheaper than buying even a horrible, thin rubber mat!

WIMS! https://trans.info/en/emissions-trading-system-288657

I used 1/2" Conveyor in the load area floor & wheel boxes. You can pick up used conveyor for very little. It was loose on the floor, but a good fit. I glued it in place on the wheel boxes, just to stop it falling off. The result was a significant difference in noise. The vehicle already had an OE cover on the seat box, otherwise I would have bought the WOR matting system. On my next vehicle, I just bought WOR - and the difference on a poverty spec Td5 with no insulation whatsoever was like night & day! Deafening at 50mph to being able to hold a quiet conversation at 70!

Ilegal! - sorry, it was a typo!

This thread talks about the gear - and gives a manufacturer. The batch they talk about was never made, but someone suggests talking to the gear company - they might be able to make a one-off, or potentially fix yours? https://www.lrukforums.com/threads/fairey-overdrive-input-gear-rtc-7187-now-in-production.211237/ https://www.goodrickgear.co.uk/

You're right - Iegal. They were very effective though, as a handbrake. They're not as much proof against theft as has occasionally been made out. Just need to slacken one bleed nipple and drive it away without brakes. Only useful as one 'layer' of security - and there are many other completely legal layers, I suspect just as effective!

MOT inspections are more variable than you might think! Also, servicing agents tend to be overly pessimistic about what constitutes an MOT fail (in the hope you'll ask them to fix it). Once, ATS tried the whole teeth sucking act with me, telling me my brake discs were looking very thin. I knew it was nonsense as I'd replaced the discs a couple of months before. I think it's just a standard scam / thing. Let an MOT inspector decide whether it's a pass or fail! Si

https://www.rivetwise.co.uk/rivets/rivet-nuts.asp?section=jack_nuts-1049 This gives data about the grip thickness - and you can buy as few as one!

True - but there are other examples. On my RRS I have some Avon tyres which had an 'A' efficiency & 'B' wet rating. They're really good in the wet (compared to AT's) and have changed my previous 24mpg to 29mpg (averaged over 25k miles). They are about 50% worn at 25k / 5 years which isn't bad. A win on both fronts. I think tyre particulate problems are more down to cheap, low quality tyres than EV's, even if EV's have contributed to making it worse.

I wondered when this would surface as a 'replacement' concern. EV's being heavier than ICE vehicles is a short term thing, I believe. At the moment, everyone is chasing the longest possible range because charging infrastructure is in it's infancy. Indeed EV technology is in it's infancy really. Most manufacturers are just converting an existing frame / body design to electric. Few are starting from scratch & really taking advantage of the potential weight savings, different powertrain topologies can offer. It's inevitable battery technology will improve significantly. It barely needs to improve much for weight parity with ICE. That said, I think big improvements could be made in tyre technology. Even today, we see some tyres lasting many times longer than others in similar conditions. Perhaps taxing tyres based on life expectancy would push the market to improve things generally?

I wonder if something like 'jack nuts' might be a solution? https://www.amazon.co.uk/s?k=long+jack+nuts The ones pictured are quite short - but they come in quite long lengths. Ideal for attaching things in the manor you describe.

I agree. My old Makita lasted 20 years. It's replacement barely managed 20 days!

I'd forgotten about the dust! Maybe an air grinder might be worth considering? They are really small & light - and much quieter than an electric. The only down-side is they seem to take odd size discs. The one I had used something like 3" - but ran at such a high speed, it hacked through steel just as fast as a 4.5" electric.

Further to my post above from 2014 - I bought a new Makita grinder, but it didn't last very long. Replaced it with a Hitachi - and it's still going strong. I'm done with buying cheap tools - the kind of thing you get from Harbour Freight. They seem good value - but always seem to bust when you've got a deadline to meet! (I think they know! 😉). I would rather have something I can rely on. The peace of mind is worth more than the $$ saving. Si

Electric Short Wheelbase - yes please! I'll keep my fingers crossed - that sounds exactly what I've been hoping for. Si

It looks just like my first go at putting in a screen! It's trickier than it looks - even after you've followed the soap / string instructions! Eventually, I gave up and got a grown-up to do it (local Land Rover specialist). It took him less than five minutes and he made it look easy! I've seen Auto***** make a pigs ear of it on a vehicle at work - I think this type of seal is rare these days, so the fitters don't have the knack. I would just take it to any independent specialist. The one I went to didn't even charge me - I think the value for him was the humour in seeing what a mess I'd made of it 🙂.

I just bought the cheapest one! That's a nice simple solution. I left mine pulsing at about twice indicator speed for maybe 30 mins with 3m of tube between the tank & pump. It probably didn't need that long but it only wasted a trivial amount of fuel & I wanted to be sure!

As others have said, what you consider "bad points" are in fact "Features" 😉 - most Land Rovers have some or all of them! Get your specialist to fix anything that's dangerous or is likely to become dangerous soon. Anything else, you can just fix (or not) as time goes by. I would strongly suggest you tell your specialist to only use Genuine parts for anything that turns, seals or is safety critical. They are more expensive but my experience says they are better value in the long run (unless you enjoy lying underneath, being covered in oil, trying to fix it - again). I used to have a Turbo Diesel - and it was a great engine! Mine was always smokey when it first started (new Valve guide oil seals will help a bit), and it was lumpy as hell on cold days - until it warmed up. Then it was really nice to drive - much smother than the newer Tdi's. I eventually fitted a Webasto heater to it which was on a timer. In the winter particularly, it pre-heated the engine, so it started easily and was smooth from the off. The cab being warm immediately was also great. Si

The pumps do stop working - generally due to dirt getting in the non return valves built into the pump. It only needs the most microscopic bit of dirt! It's damn near impossible to dismantle & not servicable once you do. However, you can buy cheapo Chinese pumps for next to nothing & they seem to work just as well as the Webasto ones! Working intermittently and / or needing frequent priming are a sign of this. Fridge's suggestion for priming is good - it takes forever to prime otherwise. Si

A possible option for you.... This is something I've used several times - most recently to make a remote gear-shift for a HGV we used on Fast 9. It worked really well, over a distance of about 20 feet. It's sort of a hybrid of pneumatic & hydraulic. Essentially using pneumatic cylinders with water as the hydraulic fluid, in a closed loop. You could equally use a very light oil. Connect two cylinders with the same swept volume (not necesarily the same bore or stroke) such that the A ports both connect together & likewise for the B ports. If you connect it all together under water & cycle the cylinders to expel all the air, there will be no air in the system. We made it using little no-loss connectors which made routing the pipes through bulkheads etc, easier. Then, when you move one cylinder, the other one moves. If the bores are different, you can use it to increase / decrease the mechanical advantage as required. Why pneumatic cylinders instead of hydraulic? Pneumatic components are rated for water (you usually get condensation in compressed air) and the pressures are generally pretty low. The remote gear shift used 12mm bore pencil cylinders with 6mm push fit connectors & tube. It worked well - and had the advantage that the truck could be driven from the cab with the original shifter, or the remote driving pod. I used the same to control the throttle on a wood-burning stove, from my office too!

Front wheel drive is no more difficult than RWD to convert. The engine still unbolts from the gearbox - and you just bolt a suitable motor in it's place. For a vehicle with limited range, removal of the engine frees up enough space for the batteries to live under the bonnet. The biggest hurdle to (most) people converting a newer car is hacking the CANBUS such that the vehicle, in particular things like ABS & Power Steering continue to work. However there is a lot of info on line for people with a little cleverness to make it work. I can see, in the future being able to buy black boxes which will do this.

I think I would drill out part of the barb from the cylinder, such that the remainder of the barb will push into the hole - then Silver Solder the two parts together.

Another option is boat transmissions. There are lots of 2 speed boxes with a variety of ratios. I've used a single speed box for a 2:1 reduction before. It had nice, easy, flange plates on the input & output.