5 best upgrades you have done to your defender

Surveyor

Well-known member
VGT Turbo
Allisport Double Core Intercooler
Auxiliary Fuel Tank
Wright Offroad Acoustic Mat
VDO Gauges incl EGT and Boost
 

Garrick

Member
Hands down the SDO rocker switch upgrade and the autosparks new harness (took care of so many electrical issues).

Rear terminal bars instead of bullet rat's nest connections, made adding trailing lights and other mods straightforward.

Running a dedicated ground loop apart from the engine grounds was a smart move, isolated the lighting system and made the LEDs reliable

TD5 gauge swap is much better on the 300TDI

Glow plug relay vs hold to start
Headlamp relay for obvious reasons

Ignition module with matching door cylinders (because who wants 3 different keys)

Rigid 'Chase light' which added a third brake light, reverse lamp, and an extra plate night I needed (did I mention the terminal bars where a awesome addition, made adding these ancillary lights a breeze).

Denali Sound Bomb horn. Denali Sound bomb, Fit great on the radiator support brackets, really put some serious noise in front the the vehicle and due to it's modular design I was able to locate the unit in the engine bay.
I like your idea of a ground loop for the lights. Would like to know more of how you did this.
 

jymmiejamz

Founding Member
Callsign: KN4JHI
I just want to point out that I am especially glad that we have two Engel fridge/freezers now. We aren't hoarding, but did buy more groceries than usual to minimise trips out. One is set to refrigerate and one is set to freeze.
 

NC-Rover

Member
Heated windshield
Puma doors
Heated Puma seats (no heat in the rears, hell, I never sit there!)
Adjustable time pulse wiper relay
JW Speaker headlights

How have you liked the JW Speaker headlights? The look of them is pretty sweet.
 

MountainD

Technical Excellence Contributor
1. I learned how to work & maintain it by myself. I consider that an upgrade.
2. I learned how to drive it. Definitely an upgrade.
3. Lockers
4. Winch
5. Stereo

Then again, my favorite thing to do is not break down or get stuck in the middle of nowhere so I can just relax and have a beer listening to tunes with my friends. All I need, outside of those that I love, are the comfort of the above 5 things.
 

rocky

NAS-ROW Addict
I have to think of five...
Soundproofing
Drop down receiver and Pintle hitch.
Constant lessons in problem solving
Making temporary solutions then improving them.
Breaking things but still getting home.
 

Oxcart13

New member
1. New seat bottom foam - cheap for huge difference when off-road all day
2. JW Speaker headlights
3. Engel fridge
4. Proper t-case - 1.4 in V8 90, 1.2 in diesel 110
5. BFG 255s
 

Noyac40

Well-known member
Just saw this and wondering if you had a guess as to power gain from 4.6 heads and Crower cam on a 4.0 ( I know most Defender owners aren't Dyno testing but curious if difference is noticable?) I have a 3.9 and didn't realize 4.6 heads are an option. Thanks
 

NMEXPAT

Well-known member
I have a V8 110.
  1. Edelbrock intake and 4 barrel carb
  2. emergency hand brake relocation, DII
  3. LED conversion, headlights, turn signals etc
  4. replaced 2nd row bench seat with ex moor trim high back and center seats
  5. home made storage shelf in rear area
 

doktorno

Active member
Just saw this and wondering if you had a guess as to power gain from 4.6 heads and Crower cam on a 4.0 ( I know most Defender owners aren't Dyno testing but curious if difference is noticable?) I have a 3.9 and didn't realize 4.6 heads are an option. Thanks

I should have inserted a comma.
  • 4.6L, high-flow heads, crower cam, Tornado ECU with new injectors
I have a '97 and the displacement has been increased from 4.0L to 4.6L using donor parts from a 4.6L, PLUS high flow heads. Will spin a front wheel from a dead stop, fun as hell to drive. Giggle fest. My lady does have an appetite for the fine fuel.

On my white 1995 I had a leaking head gasket, so while Rob at SWR was in there he installed a crower cam, oversized fuel injectors, flowed the heads, and installed larger valves same as was done on my '97. The car was faster, but improved around 3,250 rpm after Tornado changed the ECU. It was noticeable and fun to drive, should have never sold. But not 4.6L heads, 3.9L heads were reworked.

I bought a local '97 to flip for cash and prizes came with a receipt from a local English repair shop to install new connecting rod bearings as the PO's daughter had run it out of oil. Sold the '95 to pay for repairs on the '97, cuz I am a dumbass.
 
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