Innholdsfortegnelse for October 2019 i Land Rover Monthly

LAND Rover Classic is introducing a range of upgrades for 90 and 110 Defender derivatives built between 1994 and 2016. All parts are covered by the brand’s standard aftermarket parts and accessories warranty and deliver enhanced performance and on-road agility inspired by the Defender Works V8. Calum McKechnie, Head of Land Rover Classic, said: “In 2018, Land Rover’s 70th Anniversary year, we saw unprecedented demand for the limited-edition Defender Works V8, which brought new levels of handling and performance to this iconic vehicle. Extending the range of fully engineered, tested and approved upgrades offered by Land Rover Classic underlines our commitment to supporting existing Defender owners.” Upgrades start with diamond-turned 18-inch Sawtooth alloy wheels (£2160 for a set of five, or £432 for one) which can be fitted to Defenders…

RAPTOR PRIMER PRICE: £35.99 CONTACT: britpart.com THIS 400 ml can of Raptor Anti-Corrosive Epoxy is a 2K high performance primer designed to be used under the Raptor Protective Coating to further protect and enhance the anticorrosive properties of Raptor. Easy to use and no need for special spray equipment. XD MINERAL ENGINE OIL PRICE: From 12.99 CONTACT: britpart.com THIS 20W-50 oil is great if you are running your Land Rover in a place with high temperatures. It protects against the ring sticking at high temps. Available in 1 litre, 5 litre or 20 litres. BENCH BUFFER PRICE: From £79 CONTACT: machinemart.co.uk THIS is ideal for buffing and polishing metal and composite surfaces to a bright lustred finish. The buffer has a robust cast iron base with rubber feet that reduces…

MANY LRM readers have joined the chorus of condemnation following JLR’s formal announcement that the New Defender is to be built alongside the Discovery at the company’s factory at Nitra in Slovakia, although this was not totally unexpected news. I have to say that I also think it is a shame that the New Defender will not be built at Solihull. It feels like the end of an era somehow. It’s easy to see why JLR made the decision, though. On the one hand, I’m sure it’s important to them to have a plant in the EU, although since they were planning it long before the referendum they can’t blame it on Brexit. But the real reason is, of course, to do with money. The European Commission produces a league…

SHOULD I be worried that I’m now twice as old as the original Land Rover Discovery? As mentioned last month, I’ve just celebrated my 60th birthday, and this year the Discovery turns 30. My own milestone involved a few beers on the Bluebell Line steam railway, but Land Rover put on a slightly more lavish Discovery 30th knees-up during the Goodwood Festival of Speed, when it invited journalists to sample various examples from the model’s history. The Dunsfold Collection is sometimes asked to loan significant vehicles for events like these, and we supplied three important Discovery 1s for static display at the country hotel that JLR was using as a base. They included both the earliest survivor and the last one off the line: a 1988 pre-production V8, and a…

WHEN it comes to off-road tyre comparisons the word ‘best’ is all too loosely thrown around, like an overloaded Defender on racing slicks. Best could literally mean anything from traction performance, to puncture resistance, or even price for that matter. Much like the Land Rover you’re driving tyres are a compromise between what you want, what  you need, and what you may not know you need in a tyre. Just like a Defender can’t be compared to a Freelander, a factory-fitted tyre can’t be compared to the Light Truck (LT) alternative. Although most off-road tyre comparisons aim to compare the traction performance of one product versus another, in truth, with so many terrain variations available, traction is the most inconclusive means of comparing two off-road tyres. Rock alone varies in…

“WE rolled six or seven times”, remembers Colin Parkes. “Dan Archer was driving the Range Rover and I was in the passenger seat with a recording and measuring rig on my lap, and we’d just come onto the banking at MIRA when the offside rear tyre blew. The speedo was showing over 105 mph at the time. Dan tried to bring the car off the top of the banking but a wheel dug in and the back end came round, and that was it. We had a load of filled sandbags in the back, and it was said that one of these had shifted and knocked open Dan’s seat belt. In those days the latches were aircraft-type lift-up jobs. Dan was thrown out on the first roll but I stayed…

CUMBRIA Classic Land Rovers was inspired by the start of a Land Rover magazine for classic Land Rovers, hence the name. At the time Cumbria didn’t really have a club or group that just covered all the Series Land Rovers, and most of the group’s founding members were of the Old Leafsprung Land Rover and the Seriously Series Forums. They decided to do something better and keep it more local. Since its launch, the group has gone from strength to strength and attracted lots of interest and new members. Some of these new members had more modern Defenders and the like, although newer models were welcomed they were never really what the Cumbria Classic Land Rovers group was about, and they splintered off to form the Lake District Landrover Meet…

Leafers Only The Patina National RTV Trial run in conjunction with the Yorkshire Land Rover Owners Club takes place on Saturday September 7 at Helmsley, North Yorkshire. The Patina National is for non-shiny road-legal leaf-sprung Land Rovers and is a RTV Trial. With Series Land Rovers competing in three classes, up to 87in, 87in to 95in and over 95in. Leaf sprung non-Land Rovers including Jeeps and Austin Gipsys are also welcome. In addition to overall class awards there are awards for non-Land Rovers, best-dressed crew, furthest-travelled and more. If you want to turn your trip to the Yorkshire Moors into a full weekend then the YLROC will be running a RTV trial on the Sunday or there will be the opportunity to drive local greenlanes. Camping/caravanning is available at a…

THE story so far... Last month I reported how my 1984 Ninety had needed some extensive repairs – including new footwells – to get it through its MoT, thanks to ravages of rust. My mate Norfolk Nigel did the repairs and I picked it up for the drive home to Northamptonshire, leaving my 1996 Discovery 1 in his capable hands to get it ready for its turn at the MoT station. I left believing it wouldn’t need too much work... The next day, Nigel phoned with the bad news: the rust was terminal, he reckoned. The passenger side sills were shot and there was rust elsewhere, too. “The cost of repairs will be far more than it’s worth,” was his considered opinion. It was a sad moment. I’ve owned that…

NEED TO KNOW COST: £89.95 fitted TIME: 1 to 2 hours DIFFICULTY: TOOLS: General workshop tools, 13 mm spanner or socket, pozi-driver or T40 Torx drive PARTS & COSTS: Bombproof Hinge Guard kit (for two doors), part number DA1398, £29.95; Parts supplied and fitted by MPB4x4, £89.95; Stainless steel hinge bolt kit, DA1132, £12 WORK SAFELY: • Always read the fitting instructions • Wear protective gloves or barrier cream to protect your skin from oils and sharp edges • Wear eye protection when releasing and fitting components with spring clips, such as the door window handle • When grinding or cutting, wear thick gloves and eye/face protection as appropriate CONTACT: MPB 4x4, Unit 2, Holme Mill Industrial Estate, Holme Mill Lane, Keighley, BD22 6BN. Tel: 01535 661203, mpb4x4.co.uk…

WE tried each power pack on various devices to check compatibility, including a tablet, Garmin sat-nav, Kindle Paperwhite e-reader, HP laptop and Samsung Galaxy S6 smartphone. Then we discharged an iPhone 6 and iPad 4 to around 45 per cent capacity and noted how much each pack added to the battery after 30 minutes. Other factors considered were weight, the number of sockets and their power rating, charging speed, pass-through charging (charging while a device is in use) and extras such as waterproofing, connectors and storage bags.…

COST: See below TIME: 1.5 hours DIFFICULTY: MODELS: Discovery 1, Defender and early Ninety/One Ten, Range Rover Classic PARTS & COSTS: Ball joint on fulcrum bracket for A-frame, Britpart number DA1129, £39 (for models without self-leveling unit); Bolt kit, DA1129KIT, £3 THANKS TO: Steve Grant and Britpart WORK SAFELY: Ensure the vehicle wheels are securely chocked and gear engaged to prevent rolling; If the vehicle is to be raised without using a vehicle lift, ensure it is supported on strong axle stands; Ensure the differential is securely supported before releasing the A-frame and joint; Always wear safety specs when working overhead; Wear gloves or barrier cream to protect from dirt and oils.…

WE’RE used to totally original barn find Series Is and Classic Range Rovers being imported from Australia to provide rust-free restoration problems for UK enthusiasts, but we have to admit we’ve never come across anything quite like this heavily-modified early Range Rover, recently offered for sale on eBay. The seller of this 1975 two-door started his eBay description with a disclaimer: “I did not do any of the mods on this vehicle!” he insisted, explaining that he had imported it from Australia as a restoration project, but now he was selling it to raise cash for a house purchase, adding: “Please do not confuse this with the rot boxes over here. “You can get in and drive this thing all year and gradually put it back to standard – well…

REFLECTING its ever-growing success within the Land Rover world, Exmoor Trim has opened a new state-of-the-art showroom and shop at its site in Williton, West Somerset. The launch of the new retail outlet attracted specially-invited visitors and Land Rover fans from around the world, while the ribbon to declare it officially open was cut by Lew and Rita Gostling whose son, Julian, has taken the firm from being a small single-operator business to employing more than 55 staff. Julian, chairman of Exmoor Trim, said: “Our skilled staff understand exactly what is required and ensure that all our specialist Land Rover seats and hoods are made with care and attention to detail.” Visitors to the showroom now have the chance to study the heritage that has allowed Exmoor Trim to build…

JAGUAR Land Rover has won four categories at the Auto Express Awards 2019, including two victories for the all-new Range Rover Evoque and a Lifetime Achievement Award for former Jaguar Design Director, Ian Callum. Introduced only this year, the latest Evoque has already been named GQ’s Compact SUV of the Year. Now, the Evoque can add another two major titles to its roster, following this year’s Auto Express Awards. The expert team of journalists named the Evoque their ‘Small Premium SUV of the Year’, and highlighted ClearSight Ground View in their Technology Award. The realisation of Land Rover’s 2014 ‘invisible bonnet’ concept, ClearSight Ground View uses cameras to project a 180-degree view of what’s ahead of the occupants, including underneath the car’s bonnet. They also named the Discovery as its…

WRESTLING with the steering wheel of an ex-army LWB Defender climbing over rocks in the Lake District, I realise it must have been over a decade since I last went off-roading. I feel out of shape and out of practice, and there’s still another four and a half hours to go. To be honest, I had even struggled on the road. Perhaps Lake District off-road adventure company Kankku gave me the toughest old beast amongst their fleet, as I can’t imagine a total Land Rover novice handling this vehicle much better. “Come on Land Rover owner,” crackles expedition leader Brian’s voice over the radio. Cruelly crunching the gears as I repeatedly try to locate second, I shamefacedly regret ever having mentioned my Lightweight. The gearstick mercifully slips into second and…

August 23 – 26 ■ Dorset Land Rover Club, Gala Weekend, Gymkhana Stevens Farm, Dorset dorsetrover.co.uk ■ Peak and Dukeries LRC, Eckington Interclub RTV and CCV Trial, Comp Safari Eckington, Dronfield panddlrc.co.uk ■ Nottingham Land Rover Club, Off-road Club Event Northamptonshire nottslrc.co.uk ■ Northern Counties Off Road Triallers Club, Trial Dalton, Cumbria ncortc.co.uk August 24 ■ Ripon 4x4 and Vintage Spares Day Ripon Racecourse, Ripon 4x4sparesday.co.uk August 24 – 26 ■ Leafers at t’Pit, Leafers Only Land Rover Weekend Apedale Valley Light Railway, Chesterton leafersatpit.org.uk ■ Ireland – Club Land Rover Ireland, Charity Challenge Ireland clri.net clrifacebook.com/ landroverireland ■ North Wales Land Rover Club, Interclub Weekend RTV, CCV Trial and Comp Safari Llangernyw, North Wales nwlrc.co.uk ■ Pennine Land Rover Club, RTV and CCV Trial North Wales penninelandrover.co.uk ■ Southern Rover…

International Autojumble Autojumbles come in all shapes and sizes, but when it comes to size then the largest has to be the Beaulieu International Autojumble, which takes place over two days at Beaulieu in Hampshire. The autojumble is not restricted to just Land Rover and 4x4 items, this International Autojumble is for all models and makes from all decades of motoring and with over 2000 stands it’s the largest outdoor sale of motoring items this side of the Atlantic. If it's vintage or classic motoring ephemera you are looking for, they say if you can’t find it at Beaulieu then it doesn’t exist. There is also a Bonhams Auction on the Saturday featuring a host of vehicles and Sunday sees the Trunk Traders when amateur autojumblers get the opportunity to…

PATRICK CRUYWAGEN EDITOR 1998 Defender 110 2.8 TREVOR CUTHBERT CONTRIBUTOR 1984 Land Rover 90 Mazda 3.5 Tdi automatic soft top (rebuild project) 1990 Land Rover One Ten LHD V8 soft top 1994 Defender 130 Tipper 300Tdi 1998 Defender 90 Station Wagon 2.8i BMW six-clyinder petrol 2002 Discovery 2 Td5 Adventurer 2004 Defender 90 Td5 hard top DAVE BARKER CONTRIBUTOR Discovery 4, Freelander 2 XS Defender 90, Series I ED EVANS TECHNICAL EDITOR 1976 Series III 88 soft top 1989 Ninety Station Wagon 1998 Discovery 300Tdi 2000 Freelander 1 L-series 2000 Defender 110 Td5 2006 Range Rover Sport TDV6…

DAVE PHILLIPS CONTRIBUTOR 1996 Discovery 300Tdi 1984 Ninety 300Tdi MARK WILLIAMS CONTRIBUTOR 2005 Freelander 1 TD4 HSE Station Wagon STEVE MILLER CONTRIBUTOR 2007 Discovery 3, 2004 facelift Freelander 1 Td4 SE TIM HAMMOND CONTRIBUTOR 1991 Range Rover Classic 300Tdi 1987 Range Rover Classic 3.5 EFI V8 1986 Range Rover Classic 300Tdi 1984 Range Rover Classic 3.5 V8 1984 Range Rover Classic 3.5 V8 1982 Range Rover Classic 3.5 V8 1982 Range Rover Classic 3.5 V8 1989 Land Rover Discovery 200Tdi ALISDAIR CUSICK CONTRIBUTOR 1995 Range Rover Classic 1957 Series I…

• Wear thick protective gloves when working with sharp edges, grinding, cutting and when using an angle grinder • Hold the angle grinder with two hands to control torque twist and kick-back • Wear eye protection when grinding, cutting, wire brushing, sanding, releasing springs and clips, when opening fluid lines and working on overhead parts • Wear a particle filter when removing rust and cleaning brake parts • Wear steel toe-capped work shoes that will protect against falling objects and ensure better grip on slippery floors • When welding, wear specialist welding protective gloves, clothing and mask. Ensure appropriate fire fighting equipment is available close by • Never work on a cooling system, nor remove the filler cap, until the engine and coolant are fully cooled; and then always remove…

NEED TO KNOW COST: £285.58 TIME: 6 hours DIFFICULTY: MODELS: Defender 90, 110 TOOLS: Wire terminal crimpers, automotive test light, multimeter, drill, spanners, trim tool PARTS & COSTS: Parts from Gwynn Lewis 4x4, ARB High Output Compressor Kit CKMA12, £226; ARB Pump-up Kit arb171302, £31.38; ARB Air Gauge, ARB605, £28.20 CONTACT: Gwyn Lewis 4x4, Tel: 01938 810298, gwynlewis4x4.co.uk WORK SAFELY: • Wear protective gloves and safety boots, plus eye and hand protection when cutting, filing and drilling • Disconnect the battery (earth lead first) before starting work • Check all wiring carefully and ensure correct fuses are in place…

SOME Defender 110, 130 and Range Rovers are fitted with a Boge self-leveling unit mounted from the chassis crossmember to a special cup which is part of the fulcrum bracket casting. This fulcrum bracket is expensive so it is not possible to buy a ball joint and fulcrum bracket assembly as one piece. Instead, the fulcrum bracket can be removed and a replacement ball joint fitted to it. A hydraulic press is needed to remove and replace the ball joint from the fulcrum bracket, and it’s often possible to get this done by a local garage.…

AS mentioned above, we are now used to seeing rust-free early Land Rovers being imported to the UK, but it’s not all one-way traffic, you know. Top classic car auction house Coys says plenty of British classic – including Series Land Rovers and early Range Rovers – are leaving the UK bound for the EU, as European collectors benefit from the weak pound. Coys say they have seen a “noticeably higher than average sale rate of cars being shipped to European countries” – sometimes in bulk. At a recent Blenheim auction, a collector arrived from Marseille and bought a Mercedes-Benz 230 SL, a Fiat 500, a Jaguar E-Type and a Ferrari 308. Chris Routledge of Coys said: “The strength of the Euro against Sterling has undoubtedly created a very advantageous…

ON September 29 the infamous Billing Lakeside Off-road Course in Northamptionshire will be hosting a Driving Day exclusively for women. A brand-new event for 2019 and LRM, it will run from 9.30 am to 1 pm and guests will get to trial their Land Rovers on the less technical of the two courses at Billing, and learn what they need to do to take on all types of terrain, giving them the confidence to take their vehicles out whatever the weather. The LRM Women’s Day offers a fantastic opportunity for ladies to take their vehicles off-road in a safe environment, complete with help and advice from on-site experts – including Ro Furby who is the LRE Lead Instructor for Solihull and specially supporting the day for LRM. Ro has hosted…

JAGUAR Land Rover is trialling an innovative recycling process which converts plastic waste into a new premium grade material that could feature on future vehicles. It’s estimated that the amount of waste plastic is predicted to exceed 12 million tonnes globally by 2050. Today, not all of this plastic can be recycled for use in automotive applications – especially in vehicle parts that are required to meet the most exacting safety and quality standards. Working in conjunction with chemical company, BASF, JLR is part of a pilot project called ChemCycling that upcycles domestic waste plastic, otherwise destined for landfill or incinerators, into a new high-quality material. The waste plastic is transformed to pyrolysis oil using a thermochemical process. This secondary raw material is then fed into BASF’s production chain as…

JAGUAR Land Rover has reported a year-on-year 11.6 per cent decline in its global retail sales to 128,615 vehicles for the quarter. Encouragingly, the company had record sales in the UK, up 2.6 per cent year-on-year for the period, while China sales rose in June compared with the prior month with sales of the new Range Rover Evoque helping to partially offset the impact of weaker market conditions on other models. JLR also reported a pre-tax loss of £395 million, compared to a £264 million loss in the same period a year ago, on quarterly revenues that declined 2.8% year-on-year to £5.07 billion. Additional plant shutdown time and delays in WLTP certification resulting from Brexit contingency planning also contributed to the lower sales and profits. On a more positive note…

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AS you grow older you’re supposed to grow wiser, although some would question the age/wisdom ratio in my case. Many more would say that growing older has little to recommend it, but I’m glad that I’m old enough to clearly remember two key events: England winning the World Cup and Neil Armstrong setting foot on the Moon. Both happened over 50 years ago, but I remember them as though it was yesterday. It’s remembering what happened yesterday that’s the problem: like most folk old enough to remember the Moon landing, my short-term memory isn’t what it used to be. Now where was I? Oh yes, the Moon landing. That it ever happened in the pre-digital age is nothing short of remarkable. Apparently the mobile phone in my pocket contains more…

Afew weeks ago I was asked by British explorer, and fellow expat, Tim Jarvis (you can find him on Instagram, @ timjarvisam) to find him a short wheel Series IIA Land Rover. He had seen mine and seemingly developed the Land Rover bug. Relishing the challenge I jumped online to check my usual haunts. We are pretty fortunate in Australia, there are lots of Series Land Rovers about and thankfully most of them (except my other project) do not suffer the same levels of rust that you find in the UK. After a couple of days searching, a tatty-looking Series IIA popped up on Facebook Marketplace. As with most car ads in Australia, the description was extremely brief with no details on the condition of the car but as it…

WHILE most of us take great pride in how our Land Rovers look, whether polished to perfection or displaying the patina of busy careers, we’re sometimes ambivalent about personal style. As with our cars, first impressions are important and taking care over how we look benefits both personal and business relationships. Here are a few tips, gathered over nearly eight years of blogging, on how to make a good impression style-wise: 1 Buy clothes that fit properly. Women seem to do this well. The majority of men I see wear trousers too long and jackets too large. 2 Buy as good quality as you can afford. Well-made clothes last longer and fit better. 3 Buy sustainably. Sadly the clothing industry is one of the most wasteful and polluting. Many of…

The Majors This year sees the Major’s Memorial Trial run by the Midland Rover Owners Club celebrating 50 years since the first Majors Trail and will be held as in past years in the Eastnor Deer Park near Ledbury on September 13 to 15. The Majors CCV Trail itself takes place on both Saturday 14 and Sunday 15, with up to 20 CCV sections. The Majors Trial is a classless event for teams of three drivers representing their clubs and is regarded as the most demanding CCV trial on the ALRC clubs calendar. It is designed to test the driving skills of the best CCV drivers in the country and is not recommended for the inexperienced. Full details and booking forms can be found on the Midland Rover Owners Club's…

ED Evans calls up recently, pointing out he could do with a Range Rover feature for the tech section. Ever keen to please, I set out to squeeze in a shoot showing an anti-roll bar refurbishment. Which is where I started to break my rules, and where things went wrong. Firstly, the car could have done with being on ramps. Secondly, I was rushing, but perhaps most stupidly, I was alone. Ten minutes in, the first bolt was just getting tight on the corroded threads. Me on my back, contorted in the available space, pulling with all my might – you can guess where this is going, can’t you? Yes, the 1/2 inch ratchet and 17 mm impact socket suddenly slipped off the bolt at the point of maximum pull,…

OWNING a good Defender is not just about the fun of driving it and the rewards of maintaining it. A significant and ongoing part of ownership can be simply trying to hang on to it. There are people around who are unable to understand the concept of having a job and being part of society. They find it more within their moral and mental capabilities to simply steal stuff that others have worked for, and Defenders, being relatively simple to break into, are high on their list. Nor are these people mentally challenged by the complications of selling-on a stolen Defender. Instead, they strip it down and flog the parts through the usual dodgy channels. Anyone can strip a Defender (it’s putting it together again that demands brainwork) and it…