landroversforever Posted February 7, 2014 Share Posted February 7, 2014 I know this feeling. In my case it is the frequent reminders that I have a family that I should spend more time doing things with... Get them all in the garage then Michael Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nigelw Posted February 7, 2014 Author Share Posted February 7, 2014 In my case it is the frequent reminders that I have a family that I should spend more time doing things with... I have an EX wife who used to try to sabotage my spending on the past landies, she would pretty much empty the bank account if I so much as whispered to myself about a new part or tyres etc, didn't work long, started stashing money for the green oval fund after the first two times. Wonder if she is still pulling that stunt with her new husband? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mo Murphy Posted February 7, 2014 Share Posted February 7, 2014 Rusty old discos are two a penny. I'd scrap it and buy a Land Cruiser or GWagon and then join a relevent forum who'll be able to help you maintain it. HTH Mo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mmgemini Posted February 7, 2014 Share Posted February 7, 2014 Rusty old discos are two a penny. I'd scrap it and buy a Land Cruiser or GWagon and then join a relevent forum who'll be able to help you maintain it. HTH Mo Mo you know the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence, until you climb over to find it's just as burnt and dry. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mickeyw Posted February 7, 2014 Share Posted February 7, 2014 Rusty old discos are two a penny. I'd scrap it and buy a Land Cruiser or GWagon and then join a relevent forum who'll be able to help you maintain it. HTH Mo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
discomikey Posted February 7, 2014 Share Posted February 7, 2014 Mo you know the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence, until you climb over to find it's just as burnt and dry. also because its fertilised with bull**** Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mo Murphy Posted February 7, 2014 Share Posted February 7, 2014 I'd still scrap it. You can't make a silk purse out of a pigs ear. The only use Discoverys serve is to provide donor axles and engines. The rest is junk. Mo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nigelw Posted February 7, 2014 Author Share Posted February 7, 2014 I'd still scrap it. You can't make a silk purse out of a pigs ear. The only use Discoverys serve is to provide donor axles and engines. The rest is junk. Mo I knew I could count on your support Mo It's always the little niggles that get to annoy me, the big stuff gets dealt with quicker, but small things that mount up are tremendously annoying. Was looking at spares prices for TLCs and Galunders, think I either stay green oval or buy a bicylcle Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FridgeFreezer Posted February 7, 2014 Share Posted February 7, 2014 TLC and Patrol owners tend not to mention ~20mpg on diesel too, makes running a V8 seem cheap! Dirtydiesel took great pleasure in mocking me at every petrol station all the way to Russia & back, since owning his Patrol he has gone very quiet. Mostly too busy welding up rust holes in it I think Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JeffR Posted February 7, 2014 Share Posted February 7, 2014 TLC and Patrol owners tend not to mention ~20mpg on diesel too, makes running a V8 seem cheap! Dirtydiesel took great pleasure in mocking me at every petrol station all the way to Russia & back, since owning his Patrol he has gone very quiet. Mostly too busy welding up rust holes in it I think Not to mention having to put your testicles down as a deposit for genuine spares.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ejparrott Posted February 8, 2014 Share Posted February 8, 2014 I always struggle with projects in the winter, Land Rover, house, Model Engineering...in my case it is linked to the weather, I suffer with S.A.D. Seasonal Affective Disorder, also known as Winter Depression. Give it a few months when we get light evenings and more sunshine, I'll be fine, full of enthusiasm, and charging on with all my projects, wondering how I find time to go to work! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blanco Posted February 8, 2014 Share Posted February 8, 2014 http://www.ebay.co.u...=item461a287107 speechless. Check out the 'Pass the bucket' thread latest, Now that must make you feel a whole lot better, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nigelw Posted February 8, 2014 Author Share Posted February 8, 2014 Blanco that is the most obscene hideous monstrosity I have seen in a while, worse than Barbies challenge truck that featured a couple onths back in bright PINK I hear you loud and clear there Mr. Parrott, I wonder if I suffer the same now? I never used to, winter as always awesome with time off to play as I used to work as a muck shifter and all summer was no holidays as muck moves easier in the dry, especially heavy brow or London Blue clays, so used to save it all up, two weeks in November and a week in February suited me down to the ground, had next to no facilities in the early days and thought nothing of hanging an old tarp over the car and a couple of poles to make somewhere dry to weld, even welded up a special foot plate for a fishing umbrella to go in for jobs like wheel bearings and brakes etc, it was enough to keep the rain off my head but not that driving rain, had to get creative with the wind breakers from our beach bathing days for that stuff. I was besides myself with glee when I layed the concrete slab that was to become the base of my shed, at last I had flat smooth concrete to work on and not sheets of ply with paving slabs under the axle stands on dirt. Now I have a big barn with OK lighting and a good selection of tools now but seem to have misplaced my enthusiasm for this project, I really don't know whats gone wrong but think the main issue now is that it has been nothing but working on it and no time of actually having driven and enjoyed it prior to dismantling it. Ashamed to say this but I just don't have a connection with this truck yet It broke my heart to dismantle the V8 Disco, Rusty, does often feel like a gallon of unleaded and a match would suit it down to the ground Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bill van snorkle Posted February 8, 2014 Share Posted February 8, 2014 Blanco that is the most obscene hideous monstrosity I have seen in a while, worse than Barbies challenge truck that featured a couple onths back in bright PINK I hear you loud and clear there Mr. Parrott, I wonder if I suffer the same now? I never used to, winter as always awesome with time off to play as I used to work as a muck shifter and all summer was no holidays as muck moves easier in the dry, especially heavy brow or London Blue clays, so used to save it all up, two weeks in November and a week in February suited me down to the ground, had next to no facilities in the early days and thought nothing of hanging an old tarp over the car and a couple of poles to make somewhere dry to weld, even welded up a special foot plate for a fishing umbrella to go in for jobs like wheel bearings and brakes etc, it was enough to keep the rain off my head but not that driving rain, had to get creative with the wind breakers from our beach bathing days for that stuff. I was besides myself with glee when I layed the concrete slab that was to become the base of my shed, at last I had flat smooth concrete to work on and not sheets of ply with paving slabs under the axle stands on dirt. Now I have a big barn with OK lighting and a good selection of tools now but seem to have misplaced my enthusiasm for this project, I really don't know whats gone wrong but think the main issue now is that it has been nothing but working on it and no time of actually having driven and enjoyed it prior to dismantling it. Ashamed to say this but I just don't have a connection with this truck yet It broke my heart to dismantle the V8 Disco, Rusty, does often feel like a gallon of unleaded and a match would suit it down to the ground The threat of a gallon of petrol and a box of matches is what did the trick and persuade my RRC to co operate and reveal its clutch hydraulic secret. I never actually subscribed to the bulltish of Landrovers having 'Soul" until then. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bill van snorkle Posted February 8, 2014 Share Posted February 8, 2014 Not to mention having to put your testicles down as a deposit for genuine spares.... One really has to weigh the cost of spares verses the fact that a LandCruiser or Patrol is properly designed and built to withstand the rigours and punishment of regular off road travel without spending a kings ransom on heavier duty/better quality halfshafts, differentials, cv joints, universal joints, clutch release forks,engine and body electrics, chassis and body rust proofing etc etc the list could go on. Down in the bottom paddock I am storing a 30 yr old FJ60 Cruiser for a friend. the speedo shows 472000 km which is quite common for these things and on appearance it has never been mollycoddled either. All the interior controls, switchery, window winders, door locks work as well as they did when the vehicle left the showroom. The truck has far less rattles and body shake when pounding along broken roads than my RRC does, and the ride is far better than any leaf sprung LandRover I have ever driven. Sure, it might not have quite the same offroad ability as a coil sprung Landrover, but the transmission and other running gear is tough enough that one can beat the living carp out of the truck to force it to conquer terrain that it may initially baulk at. Try that with any standard Rover and you would need to be on very good terms with your bank manager. There is a reason that Toyota 4wd's outsell everything else combined in places where the work and terrain is tough. Yes, rust is an issue with 60 series when looking at long term ownership. but the chassis are made from thick metal, so unlike Landrover disco's, rust concerns are mainly confined to the bodywork instead of body frame and chassis. Most Cruiser owners I have known have little concern over rust, usually because the vehicle has more than paid for itself by giving them a couple of decades of reliable service, so they don't have qualms about moving on to the next model. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jamie_grieve Posted February 9, 2014 Share Posted February 9, 2014 Bill, what you say is true but in Europe we simply don't have access to older and cheaper Toyotas. There is a strong export market from here to Pakistan, Africa and middle East countries and that really pushes the prices up. For sure rust isn't a problem in Australia for the most part but where I live the roads are salted 6 months of the year and everything rusts. A good Toyota 80 series with over 200,000 miles in the UK (not sure about Belgium?) would be easily three times the price of the same Discovery or Range Rover. 200,000 miles in Europe is very different to 200,000 miles in big countries like Australia where a 12 hour drive is normal. Support for older Toyotas is also almost non existent as all the spares companies here get the same carp from Ali Baba (Middle East blue box equivalent) and since many are imports the dealer network won't help you either. I'm not saying it can't be done but owning an older Patrol or 'Cruiser in Europe takes a lot of work and knowledge to make happen unless you are fortunate enough to own a later model one with dealer support. The type of driving and lubricants makes a huge difference too, we did routine rebuilds on 1HZ engines at 120,000Km's where the bores were too worn for oversize pistons. We had the blocks bored and sleeved. In three years we did 16 engines. Land Rovers in Australia will also get far higher mileages than here. The Aisin version of the Bosch pump is softer as the distributer heads and plungers were replaced regularly and treated as consumables but I don't think I ever once changed a Bosch one on a Land Rover due to wear. Transfer box bearings and front diffs were the largest source of mechanical failure other than fuel related on the 70 series which admittedly has a smaller diff than the 60 series. Hilux suspension in rough terrain was just always getting destroyed, steering arms, joints, bushes, the bronze bush on the front half shafts were a regular cause of problem....the list goes on. To compare the two brands in two different places isn't really fair. Driving 1,000K's in 12hrs on a typical good Australian road is probably a lot easier on a vehicle than trying to drive round the M25 at 5 o'clock. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nigelw Posted February 9, 2014 Author Share Posted February 9, 2014 the M25 at 5 o'clock Ah, the "Magic Roundabout" Oh the days of driving to work on a Mondy morning and getting stuck for 4hrs for little more than a "bump" on the hard shoulder I used to drive my series to work some weeks and it was often nicer to drive than the Fiesta but would only do so if I was going back on a Sunday night, rush hour in a series, F*** that Older TLCs have fantastic support here with "specialists" and in the Netherlands there are heaps of them still, but when you mention prices, you would need to remortgage the farm, typically the older they are the more loved they are and the more expensive they are, a great deal of them from the 60s and here that is a blessing as anything before 1964 has no record and you can do as you please with them and fit what ever you like and do what ever they want to them, engines the works, our blacksmith has one, he spent over €25,000 on it, whole thing has cost him well over €37,500 inc purchase price, very special, not sure I dig the whole banana yellow theme though Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bill van snorkle Posted February 9, 2014 Share Posted February 9, 2014 I do see the points you have made Jaime and that does clarify to a large degree why people over there persevere with the green oval, but by Jove the LandRover Company sure now how to test enthusiasts brand loyalty to breaking point with either engineering incompetence or penny pinching attitude to quality control. So how did the safety test work out Nigel? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nigelw Posted February 10, 2014 Author Share Posted February 10, 2014 Not great, failed on sticking brakes and H-brake Hoping to get it back in again on Thursday/Friday and see what happens then I just did a Bushworkshop feature for another forum from when I replaced the disc rotors and fitted new pads, my opening comments were about how the guys at Land Rover having a great sense of humor with the design and having to completely dismantle the hub to replace the discs, genius, just pure genius Got new calipers coming Monday so all being well, everything will be ship shape by end of play Tuesday night. Really hope it comes together this time and that they only test the bits it failed on last time but knowing them it will be a full test and loads of hassle Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bill van snorkle Posted February 10, 2014 Share Posted February 10, 2014 To design the hub so that the rotor would slide over the wheel studs on to the outer face of the hub would reduce the brake swept area, or possibly require that the PCD of the wheel studs reduced. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FridgeFreezer Posted February 10, 2014 Share Posted February 10, 2014 I do see the points you have made Jaime and that does clarify to a large degree why people over there persevere with the green oval I think the price of Diesel being ~£1.40/litre may have something to do with it too, the jap lumps are undoubtedly bigger, stronger, and more powerful than LR's little 2.5 diesel efforts, but they don't half drink! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nigelw Posted February 14, 2014 Author Share Posted February 14, 2014 I do not F'ing believe it, shiny new calipers, all ship shape and failed on what do you recon this time???? F'ing mud flaps Whole new test and the guy got all excited about the hub centers being lower than the body and the need(in his eyes) for mud flaps front and back, nothing mentoned about it last test, so antoher F'ing week sails by and still not got a pass sheet in my file. But I did actually get to drive it this time on the road as the trailer is out on duties today so I got the "ZZ" plates (trade plates to you and me ) never had my heart beating so fast in my chest than the first 5 minutes of that drive, got a bit exciting when I suddenly remembered "new brakes, not bedded in yet" as a bus came hurtling round the junction at me, early days but we'll see how it goes, very crnchy in 2nd gear but that does seem to be the norm with an ageing LT77. So, to summarize it, Nigel is still pizzed off, Rusty still does not have a safety test and I am about €350 out of pocket not including the €275 on new parts this week. Who said it was cheap to keep a Land Rover Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
discomikey Posted February 14, 2014 Share Posted February 14, 2014 i would personally challenge that, because they didnt come as standard from the factory all round IIRC???? obviously do some research before to make sure im not telling you codswallop. but if so, why does an MOT require something that isnt supplied as standard on that model? it surely cant in my eyes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tacr2man Posted February 14, 2014 Share Posted February 14, 2014 Dont let people kid you that a Landcruiser is all blue skies, I repaired enough of them when i lived in Australia, same as any of the other 4x4 s , what they did have over landrovers was a more powerful engine , and landrover didnt have anything to compete with them untill the discovery came out that was affordable by the average man . The take up of discovery in australia was phenomenal , and was a big a difference on fuel economy as the diesel landcruisers were compared with the petrol V8 in rovers. where landrover has consistently lagged behind is power , never investing in re engineering , of the various parts to allow a power upgrade . The defender was a spend the minimum to keep it in the stable , which has now run out of "bodges" to keep eu legal , and although they are not saying publicly dont be surprised if a "real" replacement quietly doesnt eventuate. But then the market they have focused on is most likely generating far more money than having a fight with landcruiser. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elbekko Posted February 14, 2014 Share Posted February 14, 2014 I do not F'ing believe it, shiny new calipers, all ship shape and failed on what do you recon this time???? F'ing mud flaps Whole new test and the guy got all excited about the hub centers being lower than the body and the need(in his eyes) for mud flaps front and back, nothing mentoned about it last test, so antoher F'ing week sails by and still not got a pass sheet in my file. But I did actually get to drive it this time on the road as the trailer is out on duties today so I got the "ZZ" plates (trade plates to you and me ) never had my heart beating so fast in my chest than the first 5 minutes of that drive, got a bit exciting when I suddenly remembered "new brakes, not bedded in yet" as a bus came hurtling round the junction at me, early days but we'll see how it goes, very crnchy in 2nd gear but that does seem to be the norm with an ageing LT77. So, to summarize it, Nigel is still pizzed off, Rusty still does not have a safety test and I am about €350 out of pocket not including the €275 on new parts this week. Who said it was cheap to keep a Land Rover There's a reason I always call it the lottery... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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