Innholdsfortegnelse for June 2019 i Land Rover Monthly

WE’VE SO enjoyed compiling this issue for you. It’s packed with a little something for everyone. I’ve known Land Rover mechanic (and our cover star) Pete Long for years now. He is the kind of guy you can phone at 10.00 pm with a Land Rover problem and 30 minutes later he will rock up at your place with his toolbox to help. Provided he answers the initial call, of course... His 110 is an impressive labour of love that took him a few years to get it exactly the way he wanted it. While the those at Twisted might declare it needs a paint job, bigger engine and some Recaro bucket seats, we absolutely love it. It’s a working man’s truck and Pete has not broken the bank to…

YES, YOU read that right. Your future Land Rover or Range Rover could help to stop the spread of bacteria and harmful viruses, according to JLR. By integrating ultraviolet light technology (UV-C) borrowed from the medical industry, where it has been used for more than 70 years, JLR believes it could help to stop pathogens from surviving in the cabin. UV-C is currently used for disinfecting water, filtering air and sterilising surfaces by utilising wavelengths of light between 200 - 280 nanometres. Exposing pathogens to UV-C within the air conditioning system breaks down the molecular structure of the DNA, neutralising them. Clean air is then released into the cabin. The technology could even help in the fight against drug-resistant superbugs. The manufacturer is piloting a wide range of driver and…

THANK YOU LRM for paying tribute to David Mitchell (Land Rover Legends 18, May) whose impact on the Land Rover off-road scene as we know it today was immense. He was teaching people to drive Land Rovers in the rough when many of today’s so-called experts were barely out of nappies. That he also found time to become the world’s leading authority and supplier of Land Rover models is astonishing, but it’s a fact all the same. I’m writing this because I know that David is far too modest to boast about his own achievements. He will probably be embarrassed that I have written this, which is why I ask you to omit my name and address. I don’t fancy an ear-bashing from the man himself! Keep up the good…

DOG RAMP PRICE: £175 CONTACT: Britpart.com DO YOU have to pick up your dog to get it into the Land Rover? Get yourself a telescopic, lightweight dog ramp. Only weighs 7 kg and can handle weights of up to 90 kg. So a baby lion can also use it. CAMPING AIR CON PRICE: £84.99 CONTACT: campingworld.co.uk STAY COOL this summer with the Caleta Camping air con, which uses a tank of water to quietly cool internal air to 5˚ C below the ambient temperature for 7.5 hours, or it can be used as a fan without water. Three fan modes and three power settings. Easy to control. Runs off 230 volts. CAMPING FAN PRICE: £19.99 CONTACT: outwell.com GOING SOMEWHERE hot in your Landy? The 8 W Christianos Camping Fan features…

YOU WON’T be surprised to hear that I’ve just bought another vehicle. Did I need it? No. Did I particularly want it? No. But when I was offered a one-family-from-new Freelander 50th Anniversary model, a three-door petrol, in very presentable condition – and with its 4wd system intact and working – for just a few hundred pounds, I couldn’t resist. Being a 50th special edition, the Freelander is finished in a rather nice colour called Atlantis Blue, and it got me thinking about the many colours that Land Rover has used over the decades. They’re not all Bronze Green! Most people will have heard the story about the very first Land Rovers being painted Light Green to use up stocks of ex-RAF cockpit paint. That’s a myth, of course. For…

THE SOUND of spring is in the air, with birdsong emanating from tree and scrub in the unspoilt setting of the Billing off-road course. But suddenly the dawn chorus ceases as a new sound grows steadily louder. It’s the distinctive note of a 300Tdi engine in a fine state of tune – a sound as familiar as a skylark in the British countryside – and it’s under the bonnet of what is at first glance a pretty ordinary Land Rover. This is a Defender, but this is not yer average 110 LWB. This battle-scarred warrior has been owned by enthusiast Pete Long for almost half his life – and most of the life of the vehicle itself, come to that. What’s special about it is that he has done a…

IF YOU drive a Land Rover and live in the UK then you are in a massively privileged position. You and your loved ones can easily experience the wonderful landscapes on offer in the Welsh valleys, Lake District, Peak District, Scotland... I could just go on and on and on. The opportunities are endless. Just turn your Land Rover’s key, pray it starts and off you go. But what options are there after you have been there and done just that in the UK, time and time again? Remember the Land Rover slogan is ‘Go Anywhere’ and I don’t know about you but I see my Land Rover as a tool of exploration. So the next obvious place to play (nicely, of course) has to be Europe, or more specifically,…

WHEN TOM and Sophie Waters were planning their wedding little did they know that it would spur a fledging wedding car hire company. Fast forward two years and it’s grown beyond their wildest dreams, despite making no effort to push it very hard beyond word of mouth. Tom takes up the story: “When my wife and I were looking at wedding cars we couldn’t find anything we wanted; we certainly didn’t fancy the archetypal vintage white Rolls-Royce or Bentley. We’ve always had Land Rovers in the family, and when we got engaged we thought it would be nice to restore a Series I 80 inch that my father bought at an agricultural show in the early 2000s. “It wasn’t in a good way, but after a full nut-and-bolt restoration at…

AS THE dust settles on what was an amazing 70th birthday year for Land Rover, it’s interesting to consider the incredible number of commemorative events that took place. Many were organised by Land Rover clubs and enthusiasts in countries across the globe, while some were official events masterminded by the company itself. There seemed to be hardly a week in the calendar that didn’t have a Land Rover birthday event of some kind, somewhere. It all made an interesting comparison with the 50th anniversary back in 1998. The global economic situation was rather gloomier then, for a start, and Rover was owned by BMW and was already causing its parent a degree of emotional and financial heartburn that was created, it must be said, largely by issues on the car…

Gaydon Land Rover Show The Gaydon Land Rover Show takes place at the British Motor Museum, Gaydon, on Saturday and Sunday 11 and 12 May. This year will mark the 30th anniversary of the Discovery with displays of the model along with a host of other special and unique Land Rovers. Along with all of the various Land Rover vehicles on show and clubstands there will be a trade area, live music and an action-packed arena, plus activities including Mini Me’s. This year there will be a display of vehicles by the Ferguson 4 Wheel Drive Club on the Sunday. Details and tickets for weekend camping or day visitors can be found on the museum's website: britishmotormuseum.co.uk.…

Spring Adventure Returning to the Driffield Showground in East Yorkshire on the weekend of May 25 – 26, the Spring Adventure will feature all the regular attractions that made the show a firm favourite with Land Rover enthusiasts, clubs and families last year. It will feature the ever-popular Flatdog twist-off ramp, arena parades by Land Rover clubs of their members' vehicles, plus trade and industry stands along with autojumble pitches. For the rest of the family there will be kids' attractions and much more. Further details and information on advance admission and weekend camping passes, plus how to book a club stand can be found on the show's website: landroverspringadventure.co.uk.…

MY DISCOVERY 300Tdi automatic has been my everyday wheels for 13 years now. That’s the longest I’ve ever owned any vehicle and I’ve never even considered replacing it, as it does everything I could ask of a Land Rover, from speedy motorway cruising to gentle greenlaning adventures. I don’t take it on strenuous off-road outings any more, simply because I have a Ninety that is much better suited to the task. Besides, treating it rough seems a bit disrespectful to an old lady fast approaching her quarter century. There’s also the little matter of corrosion. Off-roading will put mud in places that even the most diligent power-washing owner will find difficult to reach. And there are lots of hidden corners in early Discos that will soon go rusty if that…

A FEW weeks back I was asked by Editor Patrick if he could use one of my Range Rovers for some photos for the What’s Hot guide (March issue). I said yes, but it would have to be my 1986 Classic, as that’s the only one on the road at the moment, while the others are tucked away for winter. After spending a long day doing a few jobs and a thorough clean, everything, so far, had gone to plan. Later that evening I popped out after tea to Ripon to fill up with fuel so I wouldn’t have to stop anywhere en route to the photoshoot. On my way back, it suddenly all went very dark. My lights had gone off! I put my hazards on and managed to…

SPRING EACH year sees the start of the season for many prized Land Rovers that have been safely stored away during the winter. Now is the time when the damaging winter road salt is being washed away, the sun has increased in strength, and cherished vehicles come out onto the roads again, back into fair weather use. Apart from winter lay-ups, Land Rovers are often taken out of service for other reasons. Some vehicles may be left for a week or two, others, like mine, are laid up over winter each year to avoid corrosive road salt, and some end up in long-term storage. So what’s the best way to get these vehicles back on the road with the minimum of issues? Technically, thanks to the 40-year-MoT test exemption in…

WHEN FIRST hitting the road, this is the time to further assess the vehicle. Satisfied the engine idle is good, select a gear, release the clutch and move the vehicle a length or two. Is drive taken up acceptably? Once the car is rolling, try the brakes. Is the action satisfactory? Investigate anything that isn’t as it should be. Note that old oil leaks may have dripped onto the exhaust in storage, producing smoke and smell as the fluid burns off. If all is well so far, head out onto the road. Avoid busy town centres in favour of quieter back roads where you can clock up about ten miles at a cruise. This will allow spark plugs to burn any carbon deposits off from idling, and the transmission oils…

How did you find this project? I sold my Discovery 2 and needed a Land Rover in a hurry. It was for sale down the road and so I went to take a look at it. I wanted a manual five-door Freelander as it suited my Land Rover needs. I did a good haggling job (I think) and successfully found a replacement for my D2. I am over the moon with it. So what have you used it for so far? It gets used all the time just like a Land Rover should be. I have driven it all over the UK and it has also been abroad. I have taken my Freelander greenlaning and overlanding. It has also attended various shows and events. Then I have driven it off-road…

JAGUAR LAND Rover has lost a trademark dispute in a High Court battle with North Yorkshire Defender customisation specialist Twisted Automotive. JLR contested that Twisted was “passing off” itself as being in some way connected with Land Rover, by using the LR Motors name for a business buying, modifying and selling secondhand Defenders. Twisted counter-claimed that it had registered the LR Motors name in 2015 because Jaguar Land Rover had never used ‘LR’ as a trading name or trademark. After throwing out the legal action lodged by the car manufacturer, the judge leading the case, Mrs Justice Rose, said: “I agree with submissions on behalf of Twisted that the underlying assumption on which Jaguar’s challenge rests, namely that everyone realises that the initials ‘LR’ in ‘LR Motors’ refer to Land…

Peter’s world-famous! A BIG thank-you from myself and the Scottish Green Road Club for running Peter Stewart’s story in LRM (Britain’s Oldest Greenlaner, May 2019). I saw Peter on Sunday when we did a green road run up at Forfar He didn’t realise LRM was sold worldwide, so he had a laugh when I told him he will be world-famous! Hopefully Peter and his Discovery will keep going and will feature in LRM again when Peter reaches 100 years old. Thanks again and keep up the great work with LRM. Allen Jackson Talking Defender... I THOUGHT you might like to hear some info I heard about the new Defender. I was on a flight heading back to the UK a few weeks ago and there were two guys in the…

THERE IS a new kid on the All Terrain (A/T) tyre block and they are calling themselves Terratoura A/T by Devanti, the fast rising British tyre maker. LRM got to try out their latest offering at the East of England Land Rover Experience. Then to spice things up and show that they are not scared of the more established off-road tyre makers, we also got to drive a Defender with the competitors’ tyres on. Davanti have only been in the tyre game four years but they quickly realised the importance of the ever growing AT market, so they took two years to develop their Terratoura A/T tyre. Sean Maddocks, Davanti sales director for UK and Ireland explains why: “We were entering a very mature market with some well-established big hitters.…

THE PHRASE ‘health and safety’ has acquired some very negative associations over the years. We think of Health & Safety officers as people who are there to stop everyone else from doing anything at all, especially anything that might be fun. We all think we are perfectly capable of looking after ourselves: we are grown-ups and don’t need to be nagged and nannied as if we were kids. And little by little we become complacent. Forgive me, Father, for I have sinned. I have used ordinary 12-point sockets on an impact gun, and without any eye protection should the socket shatter and send sharp fragments in all directions. I have jacked up a vehicle and ducked underneath for a quick look without putting an axle stand in place first. I…

Why a book called Break Point? It has taken me 48 years to compile and it’s not just about my life in the military. I want it to appeal to everyone. Even parents with troubled kids. For years I have told people stories and they were always saying you should write a book. I have learnt valuable lessons and been in some sh@t situations but I have always taken something positive out of them. This approach has helped me to achieve things. As humans we are geared negatively, we always look for what is going to go wrong? Focus on the positive and you will attract positivity. The book also has this positive underlying tone throughout. Tell us about the chimp attack My war started at 10 when I was…

THERE IS no better way to do a Land Rover tour of a European battlefield. They will take you places other tourists don’t go. The next Calais Taster Day Tours will be on July 27 and October 12. The cost of the tour is £59 per person, while kids go free. This does not include your ferry crossing. They also do a new weekend tour called The Western Front, which takes one all along the First World War frontline from Somme to Ypres (August 24-26). For more details go to: battlefieldsby4x4.com…

TINKERING WITH our cars is, for many, one of the great draws of owning a Land Rover. Easy to spanner, understand and fix, few cars are more DIY-friendly than our beloved Land Rovers. However, of all the fettling jobs on my cars, there’s only one item I don’t feel I’ve quite nailed; the slightly rich running of my Series I. As soon as we got the engine turning over, it would start brilliantly, idled well, but bogged down on rapid acceleration, and seemed to run a little rich. Not smoking like a Red Arrow, you understand just a faint dark tinge to the exhaust output. The first job was to overhaul the Solex carb, which James and I did with a full Solex kit, including new jets, washers, needle valve,…

THERE ARE several methods of using abrasives effectively when preparing surfaces for treatments and coatings. Abrasive paper used at high speed rapidly cuts through paint and surface corrosion to the substrate, making control of the abrasive important. More control means you are likely to achieve the result you are aiming for without removing too much material and creating additional preparation work. Variable speed controls allow their use on a variety of materials safely, including plastic, wood and metal. Compared with flap discs on angle grinders for dressing welds and other metalwork imperfections, a mini belt sander is able to home in on very localised areas without affecting surrounding areas, such as when levelling plug welds, for example. Their versatility isn’t confined to just the narrowness and speed of the abrasive…

REPLACING THE front disc brakes on Discovery 2, 3 and Range Rover P38 and Sport is a much simpler job than on the earlier beam-axled models, but the braking problems and their symptoms are similar, whichever Land Rover you drive. Later brake discs are easier to change because they are located onto the front of the hub, sliding over the wheel studs. They have a single locating screw, but are further held by the road wheel and wheel nuts. Early brake discs on beam-axled Land Rovers are bolted onto the back of the hub, so the complete hub needs to be removed to reach the discs’ multiple securing bolts. In this feature we’ll also see what happens to all brake discs and pads after an extensive period of use. My…

JAGUAR LAND Rover is developing an innovative recycling initiative to transform the vehicles of today into the cars of tomorrow. Called the REALITY Project, the process is currently being tested on early, pre-production Jaguar I-PACE prototypes which have had their batteries safely removed. While the batteries enter into their own second-life process which Jaguar Land Rover is developing, the scrap from the vehicles is sorted into various materials using high-tech sensors by Axion and, once separated, the aluminium scrap is melted and reformed to build next-generation products. The recycled aluminium is currently being put through its paces by Brunel University scientists, who have conducted strength tests and graded its purity to ensure it meets the required mechanical standards to be used in body panels right across the Jaguar and Land…

LAND ROVER has been engineering vehicles capable of tackling the toughest terrain around the world for more than 70 years, and now it is working with the Mobile Malaria Project, winners of the 2018 Land Rover Bursary in partnership with the Royal Geographical Society (with IBG), as it heads to sub-Saharan Africa to embark on a unique eight-week journey. Made up of three Oxford University researchers, led by Dr George Busby, the Mobile Malaria Project will travel more than 6300 km across Namibia, Zambia, Tanzania and Kenya. Driving a specially-modified Discovery, they will investigate the challenges facing those on the front line of malaria control in Africa – where 90 per cent of the world’s cases occur. Designed and developed by Land Rover Special Vehicle Operations, the Discovery is equipped…

Send us your shot  email patrick@lrm.co.uk to feature your photo in LRM…

PIGLET, MY 1996 Discovery, continues to earn its keep with a drive down to Bristol for family reasons, followed just a couple of days later by a day trip to West Sussex to pick up a 200Tdi engine for a conversion. These engines are not as easy to obtain as they were a few years ago and I was especially keen to get my hands on this one. It came out of a one-owner Discovery with just 95,000 miles on the clock and a fully-stamped main dealer service history to support the mileage. The vehicle had come brand-new from Stratstones in London and spent its life on a farm not far from Crawley. It succumbed to the usual Discovery rot but spent another three years as an off-road runabout (still…

OVER THE past few years a particular type of classic Land Rover has become more and more popular: the well-lived, unpolished and weather-beaten look of patina. In the past, these well-used examples that had survived the test of time would have been stripped down, rebuilt, rebodied and resprayed, ending up as highly-polished examples that would be the envy of many a concours d’elegance enthusiast. That would have been standard ten years ago, but nowadays there’s a new breed of enthusiast that tends to prefer the more lived-in look. These rebuilds get all the mechanical stuff underneath sorted, but leave the body and interior with the well-earned battle scars of the past. Faded paint shows age and every dent tells a story – testament to a life well lived and a…

PC: They say that planning and paying for an expedition is harder than actually doing one. Did you have anyissues? KH: There isn’t a team member of this Cape Town to Kathmandu journey that doesn’t thoroughly enjoy expedition life. The freedom of the open road, wildlife, tribes, sunsets and countless campfires, the excitement of not knowing what lies around the next bend in the river, or where you’ll roll out your bed. For all of us it’s become a wonderfully challenging way of life. But there’s one thing that we’ve all grown to hate and that’s the ‘visa wars’ – the endless bloody paperwork that it takes to move ourselves and our Land Rovers across borders. If you think Africa is tough – try crossing Asia to Kathmandu! Mountains of…

The National This year's Association of Land Rover Clubs National Rally will be held at Whaddon just outside of Milton Keynes jointly hosted by Anglian LRC and Chiltern Vale LRC along with the support of other ALRC clubs who will be running some of the events. The competitive events start on Saturday with the Tyro, CCV Trials and Team Recovery, Sunday will feature RTV Trial, Concours D’Elegance and Bike Trial with the Comp Safari on Monday. Camping is available throughout the weekend. Further information, regulations and online booking forms can be found on the ALRC’s website: alrc.co.uk.…

SOME OF you might recall my struggles with the Defender ‘death wobble’ last year. Despite the fact that we twice replaced the panhard rod bushes the problem still persisted. I just have to say thanks to all the useful emails that I received from several readers on how to rectify the problem. Thanks must also go to Greg King, the former JLR employee and Defender expert who suggested that I get the swivel preloads checked. They say it never rains but it pours. So while my Defender was in to get this done another little disaster occurred. As it was driven down to the workshop the fan once again shattered into a thousand pieces, damaged the radiator (which I recently had restored for an astronomical fee) and also the brand-new…

THE RANGE Rover Evoque is Land Rover’s best-selling model – and it’s also less likely to get nicked by keyless hackers than any other model. Soaring levels of car thefts by hackers using hi-tech gadgets to override keyless entry systems led car security experts Thatcham Research to launch a new rating scale to measure vehicle security. The Evoque came equal top, along with its stablemate the Jaguar X, the Audi E-tron and Mercedes B-Class. All four were rated “superior”, beating popular models like Ford Mondeo, Hyundai Nexo, Kia ProCeed, Lexus UX and the British-built Toyota Corolla Hybrid – all rated “poor”. Bottom of the pile, though, was Suzuki’s £15,500 Jimny SUV, which was given the lowest rating available – “unacceptable” - for its lack of security options. “Security has come…