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Defender rebuild - Haynes manual - Is it worth getting?


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As the title.  I'm preparing to start a full tear down and rebuild on my 1991 110CSW.  I already have the LR WSM, Parts Manual and the Haynes Service and Repair Manual, and, of course, the various rebuild threads on this forum.  So, is it worth buying the Haynes Land Rover 90 110 and Defender Restoration Manual, please?  I've been through all the manuals links in the Tech Archive, a number of which no longer work, but couldn't find anything on restoration.

Many thanks for your views and any additional pointers or links to relevant documents.

Mike

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I can't remember the last time I used a Haynes manual.  I rely on manufacturers overhaul manuals as I did when I rebuilt a 300 TDi engine.  What literature you need really depends on what you know already, such as stripping an engine, removing body panels, etc, etc, You can save a lot of time and bother by taking pictures as you go.

 

 

Les.

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I bought a Series 3 1976 for very little £ about thirteen years ago. I had no experience of Land Rovers and as you can imagine at that price, my purchase needed a lot of work. I bought the Haynes restoration manual as I assumed that it would be useful.

The rebuild ended-up being a new chassis, full tub floor re-build, seatbox, modification of a new TD5 bulkhead to suit, swivel housings, rebuild of the gearbox, brakes ... you get the picture.

By far the best resources were the parts manual (to see how things were assembled and for the numbers) and countless web searches and finally a forum (although not this one as I hadn't seen the light then). In fact it was the threads by Jayhoe and Snagger on that forum that gave me the confidence to push along with the rebuild. I didn't know anyone with a Land Rover and thus I didn't have a reference vehicle.

Move on a few years and YouTube has exploded with stuff and the manuals are everywhere. Now you only have to Google "how do I ..." and all sorts comes back. Plus this forum is a fantastic dependable resource (as you already know) so I wouldn't bother with the manual as the text is out there and the photos are also out there but in colour and you can zoom in for detail. You can hardly see photos on Haynes and the paper quality is rubbish (at least my recent experience).

Spend a few $$ if you wish but it's not essential by any means. 

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Personally I though the parts manual was the best one for my build, but the Haynes one is good to quickly look up torque wrench settings, that's sort of it really...  The tricky questions I asked on here and got lots of great help. Honestly I could not have build my LR without the help of folks on the forum, so here is a chance to say, thanks.

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Thank you, all.  It's much as I thought, all the necessary info is here already, so I'll save myself a few $$, and if/when I get really stuck I'll ask.  And I'll take plenty of piccies and have lots of labelled zip lock bags for all the different bits and bobs.  Thanks again,

Mike

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I was lucky to be able to print the entire parts manual. Stuck it in a ring file and it lived in the garage (except in winters when the damp didn't do much for it).

I think with computers being so affordable, next time I'll just stick an old one in the garage with a big screen and a good link back to the router. All the resource is to hand then without needing as much paper.

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If you have a Defender that age, the most useful part of the Haynes manual is actually the wiring diagram.  It may be incomplete, and not quite cover everything, but it shows you how the (admittedly basic) circuits function, far better than the official Land Rover version.

However a google image search should find it...

Note, this is not the case for later vehicles (300 Tdi onwards), they had far better wiring diagrams.

Matt

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Rebuild tip - renovate in sections and do each section as you remove , so if you are refurbing  the doors do them as you remove each one . This particularly applies to the bulkhead assy. I've been asked to help several people that stripped their BH several months/years previous and don't remember where wiring and fittings go . It also means when you finally start re-assy. all those major items are ready to fit

 Put a thread up on here too , always good for your own use and others too

cheers

 

Steve b

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My tip from experience is when you take a part off, put all the nuts, bolts and washers back where they came from where ever possible even if you are going to renew them later. Otherwise you will end up with a big box of fixings and you won't have a clue where 75% of them go!

I think a combination of both the Land Rover Manual, Land Rover Parts Book and the 90/110 Haynes (not the restoration manual) is good. The Haynes presents some of the info like torque settings and specs in an easier to look up format in my opinion.

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Thank you, all, for your further comments and suggestions.  I'll be taking many photos and bagging and labeling all the various bits and fittings, including bots, etc, to aid in re-assembly.  I'll also keep a written diary of progress and will add a rebuild thread.  Scheduled start is 8th December, since the insurance expires on 7th.  Scheduled completion is .....:unsure:!

Mike

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