C18RCH

How did they attempt to break the lock? Screwdriver or something a bit more sophisticated? I wondered why they hadn't tried the back door but as you said you have mesh in there. May have to think about a dog guard in mine.

I did mine as part of my re-build, only mine also now has a 200tdi from a defender but no PAS. The disco bits more or less just bolted on. The steering box just bolts on and the column fits. The pipe fit nicely on the inside of the chassis rails. And because mine has a 200tdi the mounting braket for the pump was already there. Don't bother trying to change the drop arm for a defender one. They are a nightmare to remove. All I did was get the track rod off the disco too. I fabricated a braket to take the steering damper out of some 10mm (probably a bit overkill) alli plate and some U/pipe bolts. The only difficulty was I had to shim the pump to get the pulleys to align and because the resevoir is at the wrong side on a disco I had to fab a braket to hold it. The only additional thing you will need it to fab a braket to take the pump too. I can't help with the pump bracket but I can take pictures of the rest if you want?

Now sorted. http://forums.lr4x4.com/index.php?showtopic=55338 Cheers, Rich

I've just done this fix on my transfer box. Instead of completely removing the box I replaced the standard bolts with long bolts which allowed me to slide the box back enough to gain access: http://i1245.photobucket.com/albums/gg582/c18rch/5e2e1eac686c3df74f13d8a499bed26e_zps9487e902.jpg Seal replaced, leak stopped. You can see here how flat the old seal was: http://i1245.photobucket.com/albums/gg582/c18rch/cdd090927700f24444336e12b800090e_zps2da22d3a.jpg Thanks for the thread. I really didn't fancy removing the box completely again having just had it off to overhaul it. Typically the one thing I didn't do was the intermediate shaft seal because I didn't have the locking nut. Cheers, Rich

Lockers. Suspension is all well and good for cross axled situations but what about when it is just slippy (mud, ice, snow, etc). With all 4 wheels on the ground the only thing that will help is lockers. Certainly most of my off roading (farms, fields, wood land, etc) I don't encounter cross axle situations that the standard set up can't cope with. I do encouter a lot of mud.

My dad's defender was parked in a security lit yard with CCTV which has people coming and going all hours of the day. It was attached to a large ifor williams trailer at the time, fitted with a security lock. The defender itself had a factory fitted alarm and imobiliser but otherwise nothing else. When it was stolen, they approached from the blindside of the vehicle so as not to get caught on CCTV. They removed the trailer without damaging the lock and even took the time to chock the trailer and put the jockey wheel down. They pushed the vehicle out of sight of the CCTV, where I assume they loaded it onto a trailer or low loader etc. There was no evidence of damage ot either vehicle or trailer, by that I mean glass or swarf on the ground. The whole thing took less than 10 minutes. Three houses overlook where the landy was parked, and no-one heard a thing. The CCTV didn't reveal anyhting useful. They were very careful not to get caught on it. We've never seen the landy again, although some people were arrested in the area shortly (about 2 weeks) after stealing another landy. The police suspect they are the same team but therte was no evidence of my dad's landy when they searched the premises.

Yeah, agree with all above but the hand pump is worse than useless. I could not get mine to get the fuel through the filter. In the end I made up a clear pipe which fitted the fuel line and sucked it through. This was of course because the main fuel pump would not pull the fuel through because the solenoid wasn't working under cranking. If it is, as you said above, the easiest way is to crank the engine a few times.

Even if the fuel solenoid is clicking, it does not mean it is working correctly when you are turning it over. Mine was working fine when I tested it by applying voltage, but wasn't receiving any voltage when turning over as a result of me connecting it to the wrong pin on the back of the ignition.

If deflating the tyres was enough what about a 12V compressor (one of the better ones like Warn's) and tyre deflators. Would be quicker than swapping tyres everytime.

Rent a different garage. Or flat old tyres on different rims that it doesn't matter if they get damaged Does it fit once in the garage? Ie is it just the door that is too low or the roof too?

Thanks for the link. Yeah, had a closer look and it is partially obscured by the gearbox: http://s1245.photobucket.com/user/c18rch/media/null_zps1f0deaa4.jpg.html'> and as you can see (just about) the leak coming straight from it! Wondering if I can part the box just enough to change the seals as per the link but leave it in place supported on jacks so I don't have to re-align everything. I can get the box off no problems on my own, but lifting it and re-aligning it at the same time is a right PITA!

So, my landy havingh stood for 2 years doing nothing and now being pressed into serivce following my rebuild has developed several leaks. I perhaps should have replaced various seals whilst I had the engine/trasmission out of the vehicle, but they didn't leak before and so I applied the "if it aint broke" philosophy. C'est la vie. Anyway, the worst one being the transfer box, I started with that. Overhaul kit duely bought, box out gaskets replaced, all with the exception of the intermediate shaft seals. I was fairly confident it wasn't coming from there and decided it was too much hassle given that I didn't have a replacement locking nut . Box cleaned, gaskets installed, re-assembled and back on the landy. The overhaul thread in the tech archive was very useful by the way, so thank you for that . Went for a run this weekend and surprise surprise oil leak is back. Insert several expletives here Get underneath for a look and now with a nice shiney clean box, it is obvious where the leak is from. Insert several more expletives here . Will put up pic later. So, my question is, how easy is it to remove this shaft and replace the seals with the box in place? Can it be done at all? Cheers, Rich

I'm currently overhauling my transfer box. I bought an overhaul kit complete with paper gaskets but I looked on ashcrofts website last night and they use sealant type gasket. Since I have some in the shelf anyway I'm now wondering which is the best to use and why? Cheers, Rich

Depending on how thick and old the paint is, a wirebrush on an angle grinder worked the best for me. You just have to be careful when you get to the bare metal panel, then as above use a DA. I have some old military doors on mine and they had 18 different coloured layers of paint on them that I could count. The only thing that would touch them is the wire brush. Tried with a sander at first but it was taking forever and using sanding disks like nothing.

Happened to mine. Overnight in spring. Wasn't a particularly hot day or cold night. Parked in a cul de sac, no traffic, thought it may have been the kids with a fooball but it happened very late night or early morning so unlickely and there was no focal point to the shattering.

Thats essentially what I was thinking but just need a suitable hatch lid. I know they are available for not a lot of money but I can't seem to find one at the moment anywhere. So maybe they are not as available as I think That could be an idea. What you got? Cheers, Rich

That's a terrible photoshop attempt and definately not a genuine LR release. If it is, whoever did it needs sacking. You can still see the orginal LHS wing mirror, part of the orginal bumper and the LHS tyres haven't been altered!

Nope, although I would like one (a roof tent that is). Primarily as a shooting hatch but I also though that chances are that it would be more waterproof than a standard sun roof too. Eventually I want to soft top it but the boss won't let me spend any more money on none maintenance related part this year. Would you be looking to part with it and if so, what sort of money would we be talking? Rich

I'm wanting to put a hatch in the roof of my defender and I'm pretty sure how I want ot go about doing it (However suggestions welcome on alternatives). I'm currently thinking cut a hole in the roof, use aluminium section to create a lip, and use an access cover to hill the hole. Does anyone know where I can get a reasonably priced access cover from. Preferably in ali but possibly galv steel if ali not available/expensive. I'm after one of the air ducting style ones that are fairly light weight/tin guage metal. I've doe a quick search on the internet and only seem to be able to find the hugely expensive, heavy duty types. The other thing I had considered is a boat style hatch but these too for a reasonable size are hugely expensive. I'm not bothered about it being weight bearing just something to keep the rain out .

What he said I've said this on a couple of threads now: If you don't want to replace it don't remove it.

Mine went in for the MoT today. Looking back through my build log, The chassis was delivered on the 15th March 2011. Because Iwas working on it at my parents in Sheffield I didn't get a lot of time on it, hence the time it has taken (2 years, 3 months and 4 days). My dad also became terminally ill in that period and I didn't work on it for 9 months. Anyway, in total, including a complete re-spray, every nut and bolt replaced, new wiring loom, new bulkhead, doors, seats, windscreen, suspension, brakes, radiator, fuel tank and lines, power steering conversion, extended breathers, etc, working almost entirely on my own, it has taken me about 420 hours (most of which was the re-spray). What advise would I give: Label and photograph EVERYTHING. Wiring especially. And then make notes on it. I thought I was really good at this but I still had a few what the h£ll is that part moments. Keep everything you take off until it is finished. I've had a few whish I'd kept that bracket/bolt moments. Even if it's just to make it easier to find a replacment. Keep everything organised. Again, I thought I was good at this but still lost bits. Buy new rubber/gaskets for all the doors, bulkhead components (if you intend removing them). Buy a sheet of gasket rubber to make your own for some components. Much easier and cheaper than nipping to the shop every 5 minutes for the one you forgot. Buy loads of M8 bolt/nuts/washers in various lengths. No matter how many I bought I seemed to run out. Get a decent wire brush for and angle grinder. It was the only thing that would shift some of the rust. If you don't want to replace it, don't remove it. Every time I took something off, I wasn't happy with it and though, well, since it's off I'll just replace it. What started as a simple chassis swap evolved into a full re-build. Including the chassis and galv bulkhead it's cost me almost £5k.

One of the beaters on my local shoot had a panda that he'd completely stripped to the bare essentials, 2 seats was about all that was left. Welded the rear diff up. It was unstoppable on mud, ice, anything slippy.

Not familiar with that event, but I was thinking more of the ones like, The Rainforest Challenge, KoV, etc. I know there are plenty of Jimny's winning local events. As you say, they both have their strengths and weaknesses. My sister has a jimny and as 4x4 buggy it's great. As a serious off road workhorse, they're (as above) too small, under powered, and get stuck in land rover sized ruts or serious mud.

One of my mates put his money where his mouth was on that front trying to proove that a Lada Niva was better than a landy off road. After buying one and arranging a comparison session, me, and a couple of mates in their defenders and my other mate in his Niva, he never showed up. Couldn't get it started. We had a great day on salisbury plain without him. This happened several more times before he eventually scrapped it. I don't think that thing once completed a journey. Anyway, back to jimny's, Try and get 4 blokes, a couple of dogs and shooting kit in a jimney and then drive it across a muddy field. Oh, and when have you ever seen a jimney win a big off road event?

and the winner is: Steering damper bracket was set at the wrong length on the track rod. It was bottomed out when you tried to turn left. Doh! Thanks for the replies gents. Now sorted. Rich