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What have you done to your Defender today.

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768K views 6K replies 536 participants last post by  SadKingBilly 
#1 ·
Well this Thread is a very popular thread on a couple other forums that I frequent. So, I thought I'd give it a go on here too..

I after a little Blasphemous session got my new windscreen and seal installed.

 
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#4,441 ·
Weekend projects

Moved my MadMan to it's permanent home in the dash. Installed a BlueSea systems 150 Amp bus for more reliable grounding of future projects. DEI titanium exhaust wrap + hi-temp silicon sealant. Swept out the cargo area :)
 

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#4,458 ·
Moved my MadMan to it's permanent home in the dash. Installed a BlueSea systems 150 Amp bus for more reliable grounding of future projects. DEI titanium exhaust wrap + hi-temp silicon sealant. Swept out the cargo area :)
Nice! My madman saved my skin at least twice, split fuel cooler hose, and loose battery connection etc etc. I set it up for EGTs, coolant level, coolant temp, transfer oil temp, oil pressure. Installed in same spot. Read up on the VDO pressure senders, mines just died throwing erratic readings now.
 
#4,442 ·
Had my rear bumper blasted and powder coated. Already have a scratch on it, but it isn't through to bare metal. :( First one is always the hardest.
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#4,443 ·
Since my seats don’t have removable bases, access to the battery box has been limited. So I made a door thingy & cut a hole in the seat box. I reckon a bloke could make a nice little business selling these. Use template to cut hole, bolt/rivet new piece on, piece of angled aluminium on the back for the handle to get hold of, job done.

If I were to do it again, I’d do a better job of cutting the door part out.

Stainless steel piano hinge was from Ace Hardware, handle was on eBay. I got the diamond plate from a mate who builds flatbeds.

When my Ninety gets its rebuild, I’ll hopefully have the battery relocated to under the bonnet, providing more room for junk under the passengers seat.
 

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#4,444 ·






Arrives in port today, been following ship 'Supreme Ace' on maritime tracking sites. Fist two pics are as RiverMike advertised, last is after he added NTO Puma doors, new spare carrier, and new bonnet.

We will see how the Jacksonville port and Customs work out.
 
#4,450 ·
Thanks! I'm very pleased with the fit and finish. I think anything incremental you can do makes winter Defender driving more tolerable. The seats heat up faster than the engine / hot air so that's a plus. I was out for a ~1hr highway run last night and while there are still some drafts from poor door alignment (next project) a warm seat definitely helped.

I got some HD Bearmach hinges + new shims and stainless bolts. I'm having the hinges powder coated and then plan to put sound dampening/insulation inside the doors and re-hang and align them. Assuming I can seal up the remaining drafts I think I should be in pretty agood shape.

I was also wondering why nobody makes a fume curtain for the 90 SW? I figure if you shrink the passenger area space then there's less work for the heater. I ordered 2 yards of Duck canvas and am going to try my hand at some rough tailoring to fit a divider between front seating and cargo area. If it works as intended, I can cut out a window for clear nylon so I can still use my rear-view mirror.
 
#4,455 ·
Hey Rob,

Yes, they (Forbyn Brothers) offer two rotor sizes (they suggest 18" wheels min for the larger one) and either a 4 pot or a 6 pot (both are the same price).

My right front caliper leaked pretty good on the way back from the last Uwharrie trip so I figured it was time to upgrade the binders. I was looking at the Bowler kit (needed larger rims) and the basic Alcon kit (cast iron 4 pot) but felt the Forbyn Bros kit offered the most bang for the buck. The only surprised was the stock brake lines to the caliper had to be made locally due to fitting incompatibility.
 
#4,461 ·
Didn't need to, it was pretty much a plug and play direct replacement. There was a concern the 300Tdi wouldn't make enough vacuum (our pre-checks showed 14 psi at idle) but it's plenty. After a 150 mile shake down drive today I give them 2 thumbs up. :thumb:
 
#4,460 ·
The 110 PU improvements

Tried to figure out why my reverse light and rear fog light are missing, and if wires in place. Pulled LHD driver side rear lamp wiring shield from i side bed, found and tested fog lamp wiring, removed stick on reflector from fog lamp location, installed fog lamp.

Passenger side cover? Screw is 1/2 buried under f’ing tire carrier! So need to remove carrier to get to it, imagine I will find reverse lamp wires there.

Also installed front mud flaps, clutch return spring hack (SII spring), and adjusted idle for lower rpm at best lower vibration. Too low and the whole truck shakes.
 
#4,462 ·
Sweet! I will need to check it out in detail..

------ Follow up post added January 16th, 2018 08:20 PM ------

Side note... I corrected my persistent o2 fault. (Actually my persistent problem of killing the right o2 sensor with the drive shaft because the o2 bung was canted over 15 degrees from vertical and my suspension is flexly problem)
.. solution was to rebuilt everything, and add a new quiet dynomax SS muffler, custom y pipe with less restrictions (cough, cough..) and a tucked tail pipe..


It’s not stainless but then again if it rusts I can take it back to the shop for their lifetime warranty , they have Been there for 40 years...
 
#4,463 ·
My Puma dash finally arrived from the UK, so getting it fettled.

To clarify, I can use the Puma gauge cluster (which appears to be the same as the LR3) with an LS engine, correct?
 

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#4,470 · (Edited)
But now I'm stumped on a few of the other connectors any help is appreciated
You should find the electrical circuit diagrams manual and electrical library manual for your truck. The circuit diagrams have the schematics and the electrical library has photos and location views of each connector. I see that you have an M3 so you're probably familiar with BMW's diagrams (ETM & WDS). LR diagrams are similar, but the old ones, about 94 and older, are crude engineering drawings. It just takes a little more to figure them out. Keep in mind how BMW color codes are in German (e.g. SW for black), LR colour codes are in British English (e.g. B for black). And the same colors are used for different things between vehicles so don't get confused (e.g. black is for engine speed on a BMW, but black is for earth/ground on a Land Rover).
 
#4,473 ·
As temperatures are about to drop to around -50°C out here we had to install a few systems today that will help warm up the car and prevent the diesel from freezing. Siberia in the middle of winter is not exactly where our 300tdi feels most at home but we're making it work! ;)
 
#4,481 ·
Have not been able to drive my D90 for an entire week due to this little bugger PRC8230. Attempted tonight to repair the ignition switch, initial idea was to epoxy the plastic backing together tightly with the metallic part of the switch. My efforts were futile. Need to just order a box of 20 ignition switches in bulk from Bearmach or the mother country. No more Britpart switches! Both of these were Britpart I think I've had to replace them twice this year.
 

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#4,485 · (Edited)
New winter tires

Bought a set of 5 brand new winter tires from Costco (Bridgestone Blizzak W965, not too much choice for this size). Brought a spare set of 5 wheels that were there from the 1990s with original AVON RangeMasters on them. Told them to make sure they replaced all valve stems and they said "OK".

Drove off, and, not more than 5 minutes away from Costco, while driving on a highway at 100kmh with kids in the back, got two flats (front left and rear right). Pulled over and sure enough the idiots left the old valve stems in, which were losing air like there's no tomorrow.

Towed the truck home and am going to have me a nice conversation with the Service and Store Manager today about why they decided to put my family's life in danger...

 
#4,486 · (Edited)
Bought a set of 5 brand new winter tires from Costco (Bridgestone Blizzak W965, not too much choice for this size). Brought a spare set of 5 wheels that were there from the 1990s with original AVON RangeMasters on them. Told them to make sure they replaced all valve stems and they said "OK".

Drove off, and, not more than 5 minutes away from Costco, while driving on a highway at 100kmh with kids in the back, got two flats (front left and rear right). Pulled over and sure enough the idiots left the old valve stems in, which were losing air like there's no tomorrow.

Towed the truck home and am going to have me a nice conversation with the Service and Store Manager today about why they decided to put my family's life in danger...

Also have them replace the tires. Running low as they deflated prob weakened sidewalls. Go to Corporate if you have to.

------ Follow up post added February 8th, 2018 07:52 PM ------

My Mod of the Day: Windows down, vents open, rear cab window open, and I go thru Taco Bell drive thru in Marathon, FL Keys.

Head right back on the road, open bag, grab taco, 50ish MPH. Forgetting that all that wind blows **** everywhere. Inside of my truck looks like somebody attacked me with a Taco Salad Shooter.
 
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