ONE LIFE, LIVE IT!1! bought

[scruff]

Wheelz are the same, just make sure you get welded rims and not riveted Series jobs if you are going tubeless, but as above most 90s (orig spec ones on steels anyway) run diddy 205R16s. You want (taller) 750R16s as a minimum. Ebay usually has lots of skinny tyres/steel rims due to OLLI types "upgrading" or bling merchants going for alloys.

 

 

Well done. Im sort of meh about the twattishness if you intend to use it off road in any way shape or form, as I dont mind suitable mods that aid its use off the black stuff and into the green/brown.

 

One Wife... Leave It.

 

Each to their own but the whole accessory market and the mods the mags tell you are a "Must" for venturing anywhere off road is complete bullshit. All you need is decent tyres and even then you don't need something designed for the Amazon rainforest. OK, if you want to spend your weekends and play-and-break sites or do competition you might want locking diffs and all that jizz but how many farmers do you see going round with lift kits, snorkels, diff guards, fucking tree wires and NangChungCok winches with nylon ropes? Trust me, the average farm 90 will do more bum clenching offroading in a week than a road warrior lifted, OMG extreme modded winch weapon with SuperCentipedeSquasher tyres will do in a year.

 

I always think a good role model (lol) for Defender mods are the electric board motors, they have wide mud tyres cos of where they have to go, and that's it! The big FO winches are for work (they do look cool though). 

[dollywobbler]

The only bit of extra kit I would have liked on the Discovery is a limited slip rear diff but even then, I think having more kit just makes it more likely you'll get stuck, as you get over-confident.

 

The only time I got stuck greenlaning was when I failed to read just how dramatic a side slope was, and I got the Disco stuck against a bank. Never had anything more grippy than all terrain tyres and modifications just aren't my thing. 

 

Best was my LR 90 V8. Got up a really tricky clamber, with axle twisters first time. A 110 with stupid mud tyres got completely stuck. I actually heard OLLI twats muttering 'of course, a lot of it comes down to luck.' Yeah, you carry on with that dream mate. 

[dave21478]

Yep. People who need ultra-knobbly tyres and massive lift kits and the like for green lanes are either not driving it properly or the lanes are in too poor a condition to be driven....in which case ploughing it up even more with your mud tyres helps nobody and gives non 4x4 enthusiasts more ammunition to get vehicles banned from green lanes. 

A standard Land Rover on good mixed terrain tyres at the correct pressure for the situation will go anywhere a reasonable person will need or want it to.

[Skizzer]

Narrow tyres are better in mud and (particularly) snow anyway.  Fat balloons are only better for deep sand or swamps - or tossers.

[John F]

I never felt the need to modify my Disco with anything except (road-biased) AT tyres, and I've done plenty of green laning in it. We do tend to have CB radios to pass on gate-shutting info to the last vehicle in the group though..

 

That being said, I'm not going to get involved in any witch-hunt against other motorists & their preferences. Unless their preference involves a fucking Citroen fucking Picasso, that is.

[warninglight]

Respect for bringing it back as LR intended! I'm still slowly taking my s2 88" back into the land of taste, and I just yesterday asked for first refusal on an old rotten 110 stawag v8 as a project too...

[warninglight]

 

Soz tapatalk virgin here, didn't know how to post pics...

[twosmoke300]

Narrow tyres ftw . I remember watching a s2 2.25 petrol towing a fat tyred landcruiser and its trailer out of a muddy field no worries.

6.00 x 16 I think

[Minimad5]

I am a jealous person right now.
Nice Land Rover - And if you ever come to sell it, do PM me !

[nick]

I quite like all the twatness on that. Each to their own... It sounds like the regulator has gone or got some nasty crap on it. My car did that and was pumping out 18v at one point I think, allowing me to light up the moon every time I hit a speedbump. I had to replace the whole alternator though as it's built in on mine.

[brickwall]

Seems good value. Leave the lift and sell the rest of the stuff. A tall narrow tyre allows for some decent cruising at  speed. You will feel the difference once that roof rack is removed as it makes driving in open areas when windy a weird experience.

 

Check bulkhead and footwells.

[garethj]

Yep, I think a change of alternator would be wise, although I had a quick look under the bonnet tonight to check if it was screw or spade terminals and some of the alternator wiring is very close to the turbo.  I might re-route it first!

 

Driving to work is nice, it's not the obvious choice for 50 miles a day commuting, mostly on the motorway but because the M1 is so busy I tend to hide in lane 1 with the trucks at 55-60mph.  Everyone else is in lane 2 or 3, making almost no more progress but cultivating a fine set of stomach ulcers, hardened arteries etc.

 

Slipstreaming the trucks should make mpg even better, although I feel like I'm higher than some of them

[Mr_Bo11ox]

Heres a good look to aim for

 

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Land-rover-defender-90-/161439560414

 

 

No more slippage problems when you are walking on the side of your Landy either

[garethj]

There's some chequerplate on mine, it really is only missing the snorkel for maximum wanker value.  But the chequerplate is only on the tops of the front wings, and it's painted body colour so it pales against all the other tat on there.

 

New wheels and tyres just won on ebay and I've taken some pics of the roofrack and bullbar to advertise this weekend.  I've started pulling the stickers off too, the first one I pulled off actually had another sticker underneath it!

 

This is kind of the look I'm after, but without the side steps.  It comes to something when even google images can't find a photo of a completely standard Defender

[dollywobbler]

To be fair, a bit of chequer on top of the front wings is probably sensible. Means you can sit on them when you're (inevitably) working on the engine. 

[forddeliveryboy]

That seems great value, but yes, anti-theft kit needed!

Gearbox may respond well to new fluid. ATF fluid being my preferred choice. Think it was Dexron II I used on the Disco, which improved things a bit. 2nd gear synchro is a bit flaky though.

I want another Land Rover.

 

Some manual gearboxes feel great on ATF until the workings start to protest, bigtime. Just make sure the Landie box likes ATF.

 

 

Narrow tyres are better in mud and (particularly) snow anyway.  Fat balloons are only better for deep sand or swamps - or tossers.

 

So true, Skizzer -

 

 

 

 

This is kind of the look I'm after, but without the side steps.  It comes to something when even google images can't find a photo of a completely standard Defender

 

 I think you're looking for the Balmoral look.

 

 

 

Instruct your woman to wear a quality headscarf.

[Tayne]

  It comes to something when even google images can't find a photo of a completely standard Defender

To be fair, those are genuine LR accessories.

[Asimo]

^^^ All sorts of shameful shite are sold as "Genuine Land Rover Accessories": 

 

 

But they do do a decent headscarf

 

https://shop.landrover.co.uk/?_ga=1.142127153.2071963307.1412325088

[twosmoke300]

Waterproof right legging would be the best accessory for a series / defender

[anonymous user]

Has anyone said D701 SWL yet?

 

 

My dad bought that new in 1987.

 

So did mine, which was really difficult for him as he died in 1980

 

My advice is to sell roof-rack and buy one of these

 

http://www.louislejeune.com/product_info.php?Louis_Lejeune_Ltd=Labrador_with_Pheasant_large_car_mascots_hood_ornaments_paperweights_trophies_awards&products_id=1

[I_am_Diesel]

Top buy that for a good price too. In hindsight I wish I had got one with a 300Tdi instead of my Td5. I have already had OMGHGF due to the plastic dowels between the head and the block. The 300 is surprisingly sprightly but they like to lunch water pumps and tensioners. As with all Defenders, they can be tastefully and subtlety modified without overdoing it. I have chucked some freestyle alloys on mine and a silver front grille and headlight surrounds to replace the sun damaged black ones. I hope your rear cross member is solid, mine has had to have some welding and in time I hope to replace the whole thing. On the plus side it's the only vehicle I own that I would never consider selling. For all its faults I love it.

[Skizzer]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nq2jY1trxqg

 

That Oil Field Dodge film is f***ing excellent, thanks for that.  Made me LOL.

 

My new ambition is to turn up at one of those pay'n'play off road places in a 1923 Dodge 116 and whup everyone's ass.

[PiperCub]

Please nail it down, these things get half-inched so often, a mate has lost two in the last three and a bit years, Tim's excellent 110 went off his driveway, the other (a 90) from a town centre car park. Another chap I know had his early Disco lifted at the start of the year and this one was pretty rough looking too so beware, the scumbags are everywhere.

[garethj]

The first stage of de-twatting began today; most of the stickers are off, the roof rack is off and the roof rack, nudge bar and wheels are on ebay.  I've got some standard wheels and tyres that I'll pick up next week.  Not sure what to do about the tall springs, are they easy to change?

 

I topped up the engine oil and after applying some heat got the gearbox filler plug out.  Unfortunately the oil level was high so it came piddling out as I got the filler plug to the last thread.  That's a shame as I had high hopes for more gearbox oil helping the change quality.  It seems that slow changes are most difficult, third and fourth can be very difficult to find when done slowly.  If you give it a swift change it's fine.  Wonder if there's something in the selector mechanism that's worn?

 

Rear crossmember is good and the chassis seems pretty nice all over.  My old 109 had a right patchwork affair underneath.

[brickwall]

Too much oil can cause a bit of fuzz in the box. Check the level at idle when cold and after you've flicked through the gears.

[garethj]

After reading some forums it seems the third and fourth gearchange is down to the selector gate at the bottom of the gear lever.  There are some adjustment screws.  As the gearchange is a lot easier if I push the lever a bit to the right, I think that's the adjustment I need.

 

Roofrack doing well on ebay, car looking better already.  New wheels to be fitted this weekend.  How easy is it to swap the springs?

[Tayne]

If you have big enough jacks/stands (big under chassis then smaller under axle) you may be able to avoid needing spring compressors.

You may also have to undo the shocks.

Though I could be talking bollocks as I've only done suspension work on air-sprung Range Rovers.

[purplebargeken]

Don't think it is too hard to swap the springs. Might be worth checking the height of the clutch pedal as it needs to be adjusted at a very specific height. Sadly I cannot recall what that is or how to do it but it does matter apparently. Might make sod all difference. 

[purplebargeken]

[Rusty_Rocket]

Hey, this is great!  Is it a factory 200?

I'm assuming it still has the LT77- if so, take the gear lever and turret off and you'll either need to fiddle with the bias plate (bent/ breaking/ broken bit of metal between the two strong springs) or if you delve a little further, you can get to the actual selector rod/s in the top of the extension case.

You'd be best with some spring compressors but the rear at least is possible to do without them- drop the axle down low by removing the damper lower locknuts.  You'll need the chassis quite high though.