Innholdsfortegnelse for May 2019 i Land Rover Monthly

FACING HATRED in its purest form makes you question whether being where you are is really worth the effort? That is exactly how I felt when doing the Lake District greenlaning feature on page 50. There were several incidents of pure nastiness aimed at us during the two days of off-roading. On one occasion an elderly gentleman shouted at me: “Call that an adventure? Why don’t you join the army and go on a real adventure”. I smiled and quietly replied: “Been there, done that”. He, too, had a reply: “I did 25 years in the Marines”. I wanted to tell him that the last guy who told me that turned out to be a Walter Mitty, but there was no need for that. While my laning article is all…

AS WINTER gives way to spring, business usually picks up here in the Norfolk Garage. With my back injury now under control (although still not quite banished), I have been getting on with a nice variety of jobs on old Land Rovers, which is just how I like things to be. Life would be very dull if I spent all my time doing routine services on five-year-old vehicles. I consider myself very fortunate to be able to make a living from doing something I love: I leave home for work on Monday morning full of enthusiasm for the week ahead and wondering what interesting new challenges will come my way. Even after 30 years of owning and repairing old Land Rovers, there are always new tricks to learn. First up…

ONE OF my regular customers turned up in his Defender 300Tdi, complaining that the indicators had stopped working. He had checked the fuse and found it had blown: replacing the fuse made the flasher unit buzz like a trapped bee, but nothing more. I concluded that the flasher unit itself had most likely failed, which is not uncommon. When he dropped the vehicle off he asked me to look at two other lighting faults. One of the brake lights was out, and depressing the brake pedal with the lights on would extinguish the tail light on the same side; and the driver’s side main beam headlamp had stopped working. The first job was to replace the flasher unit. The original unit (PRC8876) has now been superseded by a more robust…

THE POPULAR five-cylinder Td5 Defender was produced between 1998 and 2007. This means that the first ones are now over 20 years old, while the last ones off the production line only recently celebrated their 10th birthdays. While that may not be a long time in classic car years, if your Td5 Defender has lived a colourful life on a farm or in the military, then it is sure to be showing some signs of wear and tear. This could include blisters in the paintwork, rust on the rear crossmember and a seat that might need replacing if you have done loads of miles in it. Since Defenders are no longer produced and their values are just going up and up, owners are reluctant to sell them. Moreover, in a…

THE FIRST thing Mike Williams did when I met him recently was offer me his business card, which reads ‘The Prince of Wales’, and it wasn’t immediately clear to me quite what was meant by this. He certainly has a long-standing reputation for being way up there among Welsh Land Rover enthusiasts, but could he be claiming descent from the last true sovereign Prince of Wales? Before I have time to ask, Mike volunteers that his house in Pontllanfraith used to be a pub that bore that name, with a history dating back to 1868. The other thing on his card that grabs your attention is the line drawing of what appears to be a Lightweight, but on closer inspection you can see that the drawing isn’t quite right. That’s…

Defender Day Defender Day takes place on Sunday April 14 from 11.00 am to 4.00 pm at Pentillie Castle, Saltash, in Cornwall. It’s a celebratory day of the iconic Land Rover workhorse, from the early Series I to the latest Defender, and all the models and specials in between. The day will include line-ups, the ultimate Land Rover display, off-road course, trade stands, activities and entertainment for all the family, plus free entry to Pentillie’s woodland gardens. Tickets are £20 per vehicle in advance and are available online or £30 on the day. Check the website or call for more details: Tel: 01579 350044, pentillie.co.uk…

THIS IS it. The time we’ve all been waiting for. Or, at least those of us who don’t use our Land Rovers every day. The back end of March and the start of April means only one thing to us – it is time to use our Land Rovers again. 2019 so far has been fairly dry, so I’ve already snook in a few spells in the Series I, thanks to the higher than average temperatures. I just picked a time when we’d had a few dry days, so any road salt still crystallised was dispersed by the volume of daily cars. The boys have gone to school in it, and tonight is the run to Cubs in it. I’ve even been shopping in the Classic, too, but we did…

ON A fine day back in early February the Series III had its second run of the year, this time a jaunt to the local Saturday morning classic car meet. A round trip of 20 miles or so gave time to confirm the engine was in fine form, the rebuilt gearbox managing to stay as selected when accelerating and decelerating, and the brakes bedding in nicely and proving to be well balanced. I wish I could have said the same for the steering, which was still far too floaty – alarmingly so, when squeezing past oncoming trucks in the narrow lanes. I’ve since adjusted the play in the steering box, but haven’t had a chance to test it back out on the road yet. I hope that’s done the trick,…

WHEN I was invited to Polybush’s Wrexham factory to see suspension bushes being made, I expected to see polyurethane entering one end of a high-tech machine, with nicely packaged suspension sets popping out of the other end. The process is certainly high-tech in a scientific way but, in practice, each Polybush is created by hand from start to finish. And there’s no white-coated quality technician at the end of the line – every bush passes through so many experienced hands and is checked by so many eyes that it’s hard to imagine even the slightest defect reaching the end of the process. Of course, this makes manufacture hugely labour-intensive, but the company sees this as the best route to their ideal product. Polybush is a family business whose profits continually…

Tell us about yourself I am 41 years old and for the last 22 years of my life I have been serving in the Belgium army. I have the best job as I am a soldier and a mechanic. How did you find your project? As with most people’s Land Rover projects I found this Stage One for sale on the internet. It was in the Netherlands which I suppose for UK readers is like living in Liverpool and buying a Land Rover in Manchester. I liked what I saw and so I purchased myself a project. Do you know anything about its history? It was originally imported to Germany in 1983 where it stayed until 2011. It was then sold to a chap in the Netherlands who held onto…

LAND ROVER Special Vehicle Operations has revealed the latest version of its armoured Range Rover Sentinel, which now features more power, all-terrain capability and the latest in occupant protection. The 380 hp 5.0-litre supercharged V8 petrol engine provides an extra 40 horses over the V6 petrol fitted previously, which is a good job as it carries more than one tonne of armour plate and glass. Still a zero to 60 mph time isn’t shabby, taking 9.8 seconds before reaching a top speed of 120 mph. The chassis, suspension, braking and electronic stability systems have all been optimised as well to ensure Range Rover’s renowned all-terrain capability, while specially-manufactured wheels incorporate a run-flat system so the vehicle can be driven over distances of up to 30 miles at speeds of 50…

THE INTERNATIONAL Land Rover community has lost one of its pioneering restorers and preservationists. Sadly, Huub Houben passed away on March 3 at his home town of Kerkrade, in the Netherlands. He was 79. Huub had been a passionate Land Rover enthusiast since childhood when, in 1952, his uncles purchased an 80-inch as a working vehicle for their farm. Huub was soon driving it around the farm in low-box and his lifelong love affair with the marque had begun, although he had to wait until 1976 before he was able to buy his first Land Rover, an 80-inch just like the one his uncles had owned. Another 80 was acquired in 1983, and this time Huub’s focus was on restoring the vehicle to factory specification. By then, his three sons…

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I ALWAYS enjoy trying to find out what has caused a component to fail. This kind of detective work can be very important: if you do not know why something has broken, simply replacing the broken bit without tackling the underlying cause will inevitably lead to the new part failing in the same way as the old. Faced with a pile of mangled metal it is not always easy to work out what exactly went wrong. So it was with a 200Tdi-engined Ninety that was dragged into my workshop last week. The reason it was trailered in was obvious enough. The end of number one conrod was sticking out of the bottom of the sump, and there was a hole about two inches square in the side of the block…

THE FIRST time I laid eyes on Damian Lucev’s Orkney Grey Defender 90 was in 2016 and to say I was impressed would be an understatement. The little Landy had been built tough, designed to tackle extremely harsh off-road terrain without fear of breaking, as well as to carry enough gear for Damian and his girlfriend to escape the confines of suburban Melbourne for weekend camping trips in the Victorian High Country. When Damian bought the Defender Limited Edition in 2013, he had no idea of the obsession that lay ahead. Originally the vehicle was to be used as little more than a daily driver, but then the Landy Bug bit, and it bit hard. “I had no idea about Land Rovers,” recalled Damian, when reminiscing about his carefree pre-Landy…

THE PROBLEM with Defender and Series Land Rovers becoming fashion icons in recent years is that values have soared. And as prices have risen, the number of folk prepared to put these precious vehicles through their paces on off-road courses has fallen. It’s hugely ironic that rugged vehicles designed to work hard for their living by traversing tough terrain are now ending up as pampered playthings that seldom venture off tarmac, but it’s a truism all the same. Veteran off-roaders like me who can remember when it was possible to buy an old workhorse for hundreds of pounds and turn it into an off-roader often moan that the good old days are gone – but are they? After all, off-roading doesn’t begin and end with Defenders... It’s time for you…

Late in 2018 a group of 35 vehicles meet in Bovey Tracey, Devon, for a Charity Mystery Drive. Each vehicle was issued with a set of clues and questions to help the drivers and co-drivers navigate the route, which included exploring Dartmoor and the South Hams and incorporated some greenlanes. Everyone was invited to wear fancy dress based around Christmas or a pantomime theme. This resulted in some interesting conversations with other people who were out enjoying the countryside when they met up with a Land Rover driven by something unexpected such as an elf, turkey or the Grinch, who were all very keen to explain what they were doing and why. New friendships were formed as the Land Rovers were sent out in small batches of five or six…

BXCC Since first being announced as the NXCC Comp Safari Championship, championship organisers That’s – Motorsport have been granted the title British Championship by Motorsport UK (MSA) and the championship has been retitled as BXCC (British Cross Country Championship). Dates, venues and the number of rounds will remain the same with the first round taking place at Walters Arena near Glynneath in South Wales on Saturday 6 and 7 of April. Details and further information can be found on the championship Facebook page or the new website below.facebook.com/groups/BXCC19 or crosscountryuk.org…

C4H 2019 To date Convoy for Heroes (C4H) has raised £52,627.89 for Help for Heroes and with plans in place and booking already being taken, 2019 looks set to significantly add to that figure. For starters, there is a new venue for the Easter weekend event, which will now take place at Stratford Armouries, Stratfordupon-Avon. The Convoy itself takes place on Easter Sunday April 21 but there are other activities taking place all weekend. Entry for one Land Rover for the convoy is £35 and camping for the weekend is £35. Details and booking forms can be found on the event's website and Facebook page.convoy4heroes.org.uk;facebook.com/convoy4heroes…

MARCH IS the start of the MoT season for me – well normally, anyway. The first MoT of the year has always been the MGB GT, but after the change in the rules last year to a 40-year rolling exemption, the MGB is now MoT-exempt. I know that exemption is a matter of great debate in the classic cars community, but with my Series I having been MoT-exempt for many years now, I will continue to do with the MGB what I’ve done with the SI – namely have it thoroughly checked over – in effect a pre-MoT inspection – but without going on to pay the government 40-odd quid for an MoT test. The second MoT is the Freelander, so in late February it was booked in for its…

AT LAST, it’s time to shut the bonnet on this project and get on with driving the superb machine that we’ve built. Producing a fully-restored V8 Ninety from a 1989 high mileage and well weathered 200Tdiconverted truck was never going to be a simple job, and it certainly took far longer than I expected. But then, what project doesn’t? Having originally been factory built with the early 2.5Td (turbo diesel) engine and later converted to 200Tdi, this third conversion to V8 petrol power threw up all kinds of compatibility problems that had us searching for rare parts and modifying others. There were times when it was a case of one step forward and three back, especially when selecting the engine and ancillaries and producing a bespoke transmission from the parts…

Riveting read I THINK it should be brought to your attention that a new novel has been published. Called Buster, written by Mary Hatfield, she is an avid reader of LRM and has written about Defenders in her novel. Her book is set in Scotland and is narrated through the eyes of a young wildfowler who travels up through the Highlands goose shooting on the foreshore with his parents and their dogs. It really is a good advert for Land Rover with pictures of a Defender 110 as well as in-depth descriptions of the vehicle. I think that she deserves a mention in LRM. Anyone who’s ever owned a Defender will be able to identify with her book. It truly is one of a kind. P.S. I ordered my copy…

DON’T ASK me why, but I have this thing about the year 1966. I’m not a football fan, so it has nothing to do with the World Cup, but there’s just something about this specific year that gets me excited. It was an extremely good year for British vehicles in general and Land Rovers in particular, and I think it’s because they were still being made to a very high standard, before the rot set in under British Leyland. That’s why, when I was offered a 1966 Series IIA recently, I just couldn’t resist it. I have a history with this particular short-wheelbase Landy, because I sold it back in 2010 to a family friend who was looking for one to potter around in at weekends. The reason I just…

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WE LAND Rover fans are breeds apart. I have underpants, socks, ties, cufflinks, T-shirts, shorts and caps with pictures of Land Rovers or the Land Rover emblem on them. In fact, I once bought a jacket and sowed a Land Rover badge on it. How sad am I? My five-year-old son Isaac has a big Land Rover Monthly poster on his wall and he has more Land Rover models than a toy shop. My wife knows the difference between a Series III and a Series IIA. When we go on family holidays we cannot help ourselves and it’s always a competition as to who can see the rarest or most impressive Land Rover first. It’s fair to say Land Rovers dominate our lives. My wife might argue not always for…

ASK ME what the current big thing in the classic Land Rover market is and I would have to say the Range Rover Classic. Jaguar Land Rover Classic Works are currently restoring early examples and selling them at well over £100,000, and independent Land Rover specialists are casting their nets far and wide to find fine, unmolested examples. Total originality seems to be key, so when I heard that Mark Pugh from independent Land Rover and Range Rover specialist Broad Lane Land Rovers had put a Td5 engine into his 1992 Range Rover Classic, I had to go and have a look for myself. First, I want to know a bit more about Mark. Having previously worked in the IT industry for a decade, running networks and servers for web…

Land Rover Charity Events is a group for Land Rover enthusiasts with a sense of adventure, who like to attend driving events, shows, carnivals and off-road days, all while raising money for local charities. Throughout the year it and its sister group Charity Mania 4x4, which is open to any 4x4 owner, raise funds for the three chosen charities of the year. As well as running a number of weekend charity events the group ends the year with a tour of a selected county supported by local landowners, who allow them to use their land for wild camping in order to keep costs down and maximise the amount raised each year for charity. Each year members of the group are invited to nominate three charities for the groups charities of…

Western Front Battlefields by 4x4 are running a new tour for 2019 called the Western Front, which sets off from Ypres in Belgium and finishes in Arras. The tour starts on Saturday 6 and will visit sites and locations unique to this tour, before for an overnight stop and taking in the Last Post Ceremony at the Menin Gate. The tour will then drive south visiting various sites and battlefields before arriving in Arras, to attend the Dawn Service at Wellington Quarry on the Tuesday. Full details of this and other Battlefields by 4x4 tours can be found on their website: battlefieldsby4x4.com…

Informal Gathering The 2019 annual Informal Gathering of Series I Land Rovers at the Bolton Abbey Railway Station near Skipton will take place on Sunday April 28. The Informal Gathering has taken place since 2013 and coincides with the national Drive it Day, so making it a double excuse to get your Series I or classic Land Rover out for a drive. Around 50 Series Is lined-up last year along with a few other models, together with a handful of autojumble stands. There's also the opportunity to ride the heritage steam railway to Embsay Station or take some refreshments in the Bolton Abbey Station café. Some details can be found on the Series One Club's forum, otherwise just turn up.lrsoc.com/forum,embsayboltonabbeyrailway.org.uk…

SOME SAY nostalgia isn’t what it used to be, but for me the memories of my childhood growing up in the Norfolk countryside are simply magical. It truly was a rural idyll as far removed from the stereotypical image of the 1960s as it was possible to be. It’s been said that if you can remember the Swinging Sixties you couldn’t have been there, as though everyone was stoned on drugs, but that’s the sort of lazy nonsense peddled by BBC researchers who weren’t even born then. The 20 best-selling singles of the 1960s included several by the Beatles, but there were none by the Rolling Stones, who were out-sold by Ken Dodd, Acker Bilk and Rolf Harris. Even Englebert Humperdinck managed two records in that decade’s all-time top 20.…

MY DISCOVERY 2 doesn’t often have much fun these days. The poor thing is really beginning to feel that all it is wanted for is to work – and most of that is hauling a large trailer laden with Land Rover chassis. The last time the D2 was really able to be a family car again was when LRM editor, Patrick Cruywagen and his family borrowed it on a visit to Northern Ireland, touring the North Antrim coast. Back in the day, the D2 used to be regularly loaded with my family and Luna, my Golden Retriever, for trips to Co Donegal and other corners of Ireland. But now two of my children have flown the nest and mostly live in Glasgow and Bristol, so the truck is only really…

IN YEARS gone by, it was often the case that rust in the chassis was the main reason for the downfall of a Land Rover Ninety or One Ten, and later the Defender. Secondary to this was rust in the bulkhead. When the bulkhead or the chassis got too bad, the vehicle was condemned to be dismantled for parts, as repairs were uneconomical with replacement vehicles on the secondhand market quite plentiful – and not particularly expensive. In addition to these problems, the 110 Station Wagon and the 127 and 130 Double Cab HCPU had the added rust-prone areas around the B-posts, sills and C-posts. These steel sections were attacked by rust, just like the chassis and bulkhead, and repairs or replacement were difficult and expensive. Nowadays, with Defender production…

KEEPING A check on the coolant level is important with any vehicle to prevent the engine overheating. Most Land Rover engines (except the very earliest) are fitted with some form of expansion tank that allows the coolant level to rise slightly as the engine and coolant heat up, and to fall as the engine cools, though with the level in the expansion tank always staying within prescribed limits. If a leak in the system causes coolant loss, the reserve in the expansion tank would initially make up for the loss, causing a drop in the level in the tank. A weekly check of the coolant level when the engine is cold would alert us to the coolant loss, allowing the leak to be fixed before the level dropped further and…

THE NINETY is an absolute delight to drive. It sits high on the standard Britpart springs and damper setup, which I like, and the handling is perfect. The smaller steering wheel still produces light steering, while giving more elbow room compared to the standard wheel. The Ninety has been built as a road vehicle mainly, which will be travelling long distances at high-ish speeds, and the installation of Dynamat soundproofing front and rear, combined with the County carpet sets and a petrol engine, has produced a very quiet and smooth-running truck. The V8 engine, exhausting through tubular manifolds, sounds superb without being loud inside the cab. After being used to diesels with their low-rev torque, I’m accustoming to the petrol’s torque coming at higher revs in shed loads. The performance…