The Defender thread

101sean

You can upgrade seating etc later but it won't be cheap as the later rear seats differ considerably from earlier ones, have a look at Exmoor Trim's site.

Other extras like ABS and aircon are not a practical retrofit. Other differences between basic and county spec are mostly bling.

Stock's advice is good as always, building a vehicle on a galvanised vintage chassis is do-able and there's always examples in the comics but the costs can rocket when it comes to loads of new fixings, trim etc if you want to build something half decent. Add 50% to what you think it's going to cost!

stock>

101sean wrote: »

You can upgrade seating etc later but it won't be cheap as the later rear seats differ considerably from earlier ones, have a look at Exmoor Trim's site.

Other extras like ABS and aircon are not a practical retrofit. Other differences between basic and county spec are mostly bling.

Stock's advice is good as always, building a vehicle on a galvanised vintage chassis is do-able and there's always examples in the comics but the costs can rocket when it comes to loads of new fixings, trim etc if you want to build something half decent. Add 50% to what you think it's going to cost!

At least 50% Séan in both time and money..........

tinofapples

Handbrake/Brakes seem to have seized up on the 110 when I got her into gear she was reluctant to stir and I didn't wanna be pushing it in case

stock>

tinofapples wrote: »

Handbrake/Brakes seem to have seized up on the 110 when I got her into gear she was reluctant to stir and I didn't wanna be pushing it in case

Does it rock on the wheels? if so it the hand brake is stuck, get a good sized lump hammer get underneath it, find the rear drive shaft (one from the back axle ) on the opposite end to the axle is a drum about 400mm in diameter and 175mm deep with the shaft bolted to it center, well hit this drum a couple of time with a solid blow at various locations around the band..............

Exercise caution by chocking the front wheels and release the handbrake first.
it probably one of two things,

the cable is stuffed and not retracting

2 brake shoes are stuck on because of the piddly springs (I normally use rear 110 drum brake springs usually solves this problem) aren't man enough to retract the shoes.
if the hammer fails place it in reverse and back back this should cause a judder and release the shoes unless the turf has gone hard in the brake drum and if this is so you will need to remove the handbrake drum and clean it,

and while it's off put in bigger springs..........

SafeSurfer

101sean wrote: »

You can upgrade seating etc later but it won't be cheap as the later rear seats differ considerably from earlier ones, have a look at Exmoor Trim's site.

Other extras like ABS and aircon are not a practical retrofit. Other differences between basic and county spec are mostly bling.

Stock's advice is good as always, building a vehicle on a galvanised vintage chassis is do-able and there's always examples in the comics but the costs can rocket when it comes to loads of new fixings, trim etc if you want to build something half decent. Add 50% to what you think it's going to cost!

Sorry to be bombarding the thread with so many questions but I have a couple more.

There are some companies in the UK that completely refurbish defenders like Berkshire Landrover. They have examples on their website of completely rebuilt vehicles, so you could have a 1985 110 with the new puma 2.2 engine and get it fit out to your spec.

If one were to buy a vehicle from them, first registered in the UK in say 1985 but with new galvanised chassis etc would this fall foul of Irish regulations if you were to import it?

If a 1985 Irish registered donor vehicle were used would this be possible?

stock>

up 1 Jan 1985 seats were allowed in commercial vehicles and most Land Rovers were goods vehicles and as all commercial vehicles vintage or not require a DOE............

I have yet to see a properly rebuilt vehicle from the UK and if you were to send one from here the old "cats away so the mice will play" comes to mind.
Saw one a while back with very dodgy chassis repairs the gunked over with under seal, proper nasty it was to fix..................

SafeSurfer

stock> wrote: »

up 1 Jan 1985 seats were allowed in commercial vehicles and most Land Rovers were goods vehicles and as all commercial vehicles vintage or not require a DOE............

I have yet to see a properly rebuilt vehicle from the UK and if you were to send one from here the old "cats away so the mice will play" comes to mind.
Saw one a while back with very dodgy chassis repairs the gunked over with under seal, proper nasty it was to fix..................

Cheers Stock, PM sent.

stock>

http://www.carandclassic.co.uk/car/C321807

http://www.carandclassic.co.uk/car/C323773 I like this one.................

http://www.carandclassic.co.uk/car/C323690

101sean

Took the ironmongery and several shovels of muck and cowsh!te off my rear crossmember to further investigate the rust I posted about earlier (see http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showpost.php?p=80099766&postcount=968)

Looks like I'll be bringing back a complete rear crossmember back from the UK when I'm over next week :rolleyes:

shaycoll

Hello everyone. After successfully resolving my squeaky brakes issue, I'm back again with another query. This evening I decided to check if the diff lock and hi-lo would engage as I hadn't ever used them since investing in this 2003 110 a year ago ( a bit embarrassing, I know).Everything seemed to go fine and the diff lock light went off after I disengaged the diff lock and drove forward for a few seconds. I drove for about 100 yards to my gate and turned into the driveway. The turn is sharp (almost 180 deg) and the steering wheel was fully locked when about half way around there was a loud clank from the front left wheel area. I stopped briefly, clutched and then continued slowly, expecting terrible crunching, metal dragging on the ground, one wheel buckled underneath me or something drastic like that. But nothing happened. When I stopped and looked, everything seemed fine. I'm nervous now to even drive it but can't get it looked at till next week. Any thoughts? Sorry about the long description. Thanks in advance. SC

stock>

just the centre diff releasing...............

shaycoll

Would it not have released earlier? If it is, should it be that loud or would that suggest damage? Any reason why it happened when turning fully? I could try to replicate it but would be afraid that I'd do damage.

101sean

Like Stock says it was just releasing. What I think happened was that although the light said the difflock was off, it had hung on the end of the splines and released with a bang, it's very unlikely you did any damage. Turning sharp on hard ground with difflock on generates huge forces hence how loud it was.

If you look up the thread a few posts you'll see that yours may need a bit of adjustment, try it again a few times. As a test, chock the rear wheels, leave handbrake off and engage difflock. Jack up a front wheel and you shouldn't be able to turn it. Disengage difflock and it should rotate.

shaycoll

Phew. I'll try to test it tomorrow. Thanks for the help.
BTW, a while back, I was asking about fitting Range rover back seat to the defender but I gave up as the one I bought would have taken too much adjustment to fit. Instead I went for the Exmoor retrim kits and fitted them myself. Along with a carpet end from my local carpet guy, I've managed to clean it all up. It turns out I'm not too hot at fitting carpet - the job is a bit rough but it's clean. I must post a few photos!
I still get wet knees after rain but it's part of the charm. No solution for that I suppose?
SC.

101sean

I get a wet right foot when it rains! Mine needs a new screen seal but you can spend ages chasing leaks around :rolleyes:

Have Exmoor Trim hi-back seats in mine, I did look at RR rear seats but it's a fair bit of work to bodge them in.

wildefalcon

You'd want to watch that - I've seen bulkheads rotten out from a screen leak!

Time for the genuine seal, and the bucket of hot water, I suggest.

101sean

Already got a bit of rot there. It will be getting a new screen and rubber before the NCT as well as the rear crossmember and the repair to the ABS modulator I need to do :rolleyes:

shaycoll

I'm trying to see if I can catch the rust early but I don't even know where to start. Rust just about everywhere seems to be par for the course! Is there anyone who does rustproofing or is that a myth? No point in some guy spraying the underneath of my defender and just covering up all the rust. I'd love to take off the body and rebuild it but that would cost a small fortune, I presume. Anyone done anything like that recently?

shaycoll

Sean,
I looked at the hi-back seats but by the time I got the seats and the fitting kit it was working out about three times the price of the re trim kit. The hi back seats look the business. Did you go for three hi or two hi and one low?
I went for the XS trim and found a local upholstery guy to trim the cubby box and door cards in (cheap) leather so it all looks clean. The previous owner had a dog and between the dog hair/crap, the rotten sweets and the mould from the leak, my daughter called it the smelly jeep. All that is forgotten now but I'd like to keep it that way!

101sean

I got two highs and a low plus the extension kit which is a bit primitive! Mine was similar when I got it, PO must have had kids, sticky sweets etc lurking everywhere :rolleyes:

Rot is one of those things you are forever chasing. I did the 101 chassis earlier this year in black shutz, basically spraying bitumen over it, disgusting job but was fairly easy as I had the body off. Still took 12 cans of it.

I'll do the 110 when I replace the rear crossmember with a Black Sheep Offroad 6mm steel one which I hope to pick up when I'm in the UK next week or so. http://www.blacksheepoffroad.co.uk/Site/Products.html

As well as spraying the chassis after thoroughly cleaning it, it's worth squirting clear waxoil or dinitrol in every opening you can find. Station Wagons have a lot of extra bits to go as well, I'm going to have to repair my rear doors soon.

Like we said a few posts above, costs spiral when you do a body off rebuild and is only worth doing if you intend to keep the vehicle forever or it has sentimental value. Otherwise just try and keep on top of it.

Mycroft H

I've seen old engine oil used as a chassis preservative, it's messy but considerably cheaper then waxol.

Slidey

BX 19 wrote: »

I've seen old engine oil used as a chassis preservative, it's messy but considerably cheaper then waxol.

A word of caution with regards to this, I had one come in for a DOE test like this. It was everywhere and he was failed for it.

Anyone ever try that gizmo that puts an electrical current through the chassis, they use is for all the cruisers on Fraiser Island which are permanently in salty water. Apparently it works

SafeSurfer

Here are some images of my 91 110. Has sat in a field for nearly 5 years. Had a look at it today and the bulkhead is completely gone but the chassis is not in as bad a condition as I had expected.

[IMG][/img]

There is a 2.8l Fourtrak engine in it. I am considering getting a bulkhead from a breakers yard for it and trying to fix it up over the winter. I know costs could spiral and it is a 91, but it was my first Defender and would love to see it on the road again. Plus it could qualify for Classic insurance. Interestingly there are 2 fuel tanks on it one in the usual spot and one just behind the drivers door.





[IMG][/img]

101sean

All defender bulkheads are pretty much the same up to 07 so you should be able to find a decent one, may have to move some holes and change the tunnel. You can buy galvanised ones but will cost a fair bit.

Interesting fuel tank layout, filler neck capping looks like Series 3.

Good luck with it anyway.

caprilicious

Looks like you'll have a busy winter ahead of you Safe Surfer

Slidey never heard of those gizmo's, sound like a must for a Landy though! must go google them now.

Sean101, that place you're getting the crossmember from our great value, I got prices of £200 when looking for one a few years ago for a 90 I had at the time :eek: Will be bookmarking that company for future reference

101sean

I'm bringing two back now! Without carriage but with VAT a Td5 110 xmemberr is £135 with the extension kit and a 90 is £115. The crossmember comes plaiin and he supplies the chassis extensions as a laser cut kit of bits so you can use as much or little as you need, or it would be a few quid cheaper if you don't need them.

I'll stick some pics up when I'm back in a couple of weeks.

wildefalcon

Waxoil does work, if done right. I've done a couple of LRs with it, my own, a 1980's LWB with near terminal rot, and a late Disco 2 which was very good to start off with.

I did my own 5 years ago after patching every hole, replacing several crossmembers.

I used a drill and angle-grinder wirebrush to clear back the scale and layers of rust. I also used a hammer and a chisel in places, to shift the thick lumps of rust. It was bad. Really bad, except around the engine and gearbox.

Borderline scrapper, but if I'd had to re-chassis I'd have had to re-register under the stupid Irish tax laws, so I kept at it.

Once I had the chassis rust free and patched I brush painted it with Lowe Rost, then I sprayed it with Schutz plastic stone chip (no bitumen or waxoil - plain gloopy paint) and finally with black waxoil thinned up to 40% with new engine oil.

I also sprayed the inside with clear waxoil, similarly diluted with oil.

I was only looking at it today and it's dusty, dirty, but rust free.

So, the rot can be stopped, or slowed down, but it's a lot of work.

It's got an MOT soon, so will be checked again, but I'm happy it's fine - it towed 5 tonnes of cap stones last month (I was told they were paving slabs when sent to collect them) and was fine.

tinofapples

SafeSurfer wrote: »

Here are some images of my 91 110. Has sat in a field for nearly 5 years. Had a look at it today and the bulkhead is completely gone but the chassis is not in as bad a condition as I had expected.

[IMG][/img]

There is a 2.8l Fourtrak engine in it. I am considering getting a bulkhead from a breakers yard for it and trying to fix it up over the winter. I know costs could spiral and it is a 91, but it was my first Defender and would love to see it on the road again. Plus it could qualify for Classic insurance. Interestingly there are 2 fuel tanks on it one in the usual spot and one just behind the drivers door.





[IMG][/img]

Has sat in a field for nearly 5 years.

Considering that I don't think it's that bad !! The last picture shows red paint under green, whats with that my 1990 110 is the very same did they all come here red or what ?

SafeSurfer

tinofapples wrote: »

Considering that I don't think it's that bad !! The last picture shows red paint under green, whats with that my 1990 110 is the very same did they all come here red or what ?

I bought it in 2002. It was green when I bought it but the original red paint could be seen in the footwells, around the fuel cap and other places. There was a shotgun holder behind in the rear of the cab too, which I thought was pretty cool at the time.

SafeSurfer

Has anyone fitted upgraded intercooler or radiators? I have recently bought a late 300tdi 110 staion wagon and am hoping to do some mods. First up is upgrading basic front and back seats. Renault scenic seats seem to be a popular modification. The Elites from Exmoor trim are fantastic looking but with a price tag to match.

Next on my list would be polybushings decent shocks etc as well as some serious sound proofing to make it more long journey family friendly. Have been looking at mudstuff website and they have some pretty nifty stuff.

But back to my original question, are engine mods worth while?