What have you done to your DEFENDER today?
- Thread starter javelinadave
- Start date
Don’t give up, I’m heading towards 400,000 km.
Fixing some oil leaks and cleaning up the winter beach driving leftovers.
Ansley Rover
Well-known member
Jesus! Looks brand new.
supertreeman
Well-known member
Fantastic! Hows the performance of those M and D bits? Any fueling adjustments or additional cooling provisions?
Have driven it with the standard garret and now installed the VNT turbo.
It is an upgrade you can feel on inclines and normal daily driving. No flat spots and it’s eager to move in any gear. Some tweaking on fueling- idle screw and star wheel adjusted. I have not changed the main fuel screw. MD suggest 1/4 turn. The radiator and viscous are new, and the intercooler is the thicker/deeper version. 18 psi on incline and egt”s at 1100 full throttle. There is room to tune to 1300 EGT with the fuel, but would be more smoke.
It is an upgrade you can feel on inclines and normal daily driving. No flat spots and it’s eager to move in any gear. Some tweaking on fueling- idle screw and star wheel adjusted. I have not changed the main fuel screw. MD suggest 1/4 turn. The radiator and viscous are new, and the intercooler is the thicker/deeper version. 18 psi on incline and egt”s at 1100 full throttle. There is room to tune to 1300 EGT with the fuel, but would be more smoke.
There are faster engines for less $, but I didn’t want to relearn on a TD5 or other swap. My tool box knows it’s way around a 300 Tdi. The 2.8 delivers just fine imo.
SaintPanzer
Well-known member
Today, I installed the rear mud flaps. Somehow, one was torn off (weird, the bracket was still there, but the flap itself was MIA, and I don't remember ripping anything) somewhere between Shetland and Southampton. Finally "got around to it".
Wanted to install the fronts as well, but wouldn't you know it, there were fronts at one time, but they are gone. The bolts and the rivet nuts are still there, and rusted in fairly well. If fact, the outriggers are rusted more than I'd like, but that's a different issue. Heat with penetrating oil did not seem to work, so I gave up for the evening. I think maybe I might try chiseling off the bolt head, and trying to punch the rivet nut. I'm open to suggestions on this; that is to say suggestions that don't involve a new galvanized frame, which would be nice, but is probably a few years away.
Wanted to install the fronts as well, but wouldn't you know it, there were fronts at one time, but they are gone. The bolts and the rivet nuts are still there, and rusted in fairly well. If fact, the outriggers are rusted more than I'd like, but that's a different issue. Heat with penetrating oil did not seem to work, so I gave up for the evening. I think maybe I might try chiseling off the bolt head, and trying to punch the rivet nut. I'm open to suggestions on this; that is to say suggestions that don't involve a new galvanized frame, which would be nice, but is probably a few years away.
SaintPanzer
Well-known member
OK, so front mud flaps were a complete failure. On the left side, my plan worked perfectly. I got the previous screws/rivnuts out, and was ready to go. The problem was the right side. The outrigger simply had too much rust. As I started trying to break the screw, the rust hole got larger, and one of the screws "folded in" I stopped before I really broke something.
Other than the outriggers, the frame looks fairly good. The rear crossmember was replaced before I bought it, and while there is some surface rust, I think I can clean that up and repaint. The front scares me a little, as there is some rust where the bumper meets, but it's not an emergency. I see outriggers are available, but would have to hire that out, and I think I'd be overwhelmed by labor costs, as it looks like the wings would have to come off, and something done with the bulkhead mounts as well. I'm at a loss with that, and if anyone has info on the process, it would be very much appreciated!
Other than the outriggers, the frame looks fairly good. The rear crossmember was replaced before I bought it, and while there is some surface rust, I think I can clean that up and repaint. The front scares me a little, as there is some rust where the bumper meets, but it's not an emergency. I see outriggers are available, but would have to hire that out, and I think I'd be overwhelmed by labor costs, as it looks like the wings would have to come off, and something done with the bulkhead mounts as well. I'm at a loss with that, and if anyone has info on the process, it would be very much appreciated!
If you ever see my defender up for sale, this would be the only reason!
I installed some Trekworks LED headlamp bulbs. I haven't driven at night, but they look factory installed and much cheaper than the Holley Retrobright headlamp assemblies. I'm excited to have these to offer to customers assuming they perform well, which I'm sure they will.
erover82
0
Nice shot. What kind of housings do you have them in?
I think they are Hella, I bought them from Rovers North in 2018 IIRC
erover82
0
Koito have slightly better build quality so you can’t go wrong either way. It comes down to preference between ECE or DOT beam and flat or domed glass. The bulb fixing ring, while difficult to secure, is admittedly more robust and can be made easier to assemble with a bit of antiseize. Again, both are far superior options to everything else out there (except NLA Cibie).
Last edited: