Innholdsfortegnelse for Winter 2023 i Land Rover Monthly

@busheditor SEEMS like just yesterday that we were doing the Show and Tell stage on a middle-of-summer’s day at the Billing Off Road Show. I do miss the long days and BBQ aromas of the British summer, a time of the year when you can really pack in the fun-in-the-sun activities. That said, there is no such thing as an ugly season. During the last few weeks I have loved my autumn runs through a nearby, deserted forest. I love doing this six-mile loop and have yet to see another human being out there. My only companions are the muntjacs, squirrels and millions of falling autumn leaves. I know that winter is fast-approaching when we do the second Newbury 4x4 Spares Day of the year; read more about this great…

I went to the Goodwood Revival in September, the first time I’ve been for several years, what with Covid and other distractions. I was looking forward to a full-on petrolhead day out and excited to be meeting a few old friends I haven’t seen for a long while. I was also keen to see how the Land Rover scene at the Revival had changed since I was last there. It amazes me to think about it, but my first visit to the Revival was over 20 years ago. I didn’t go in a Land Rover. It wasn’t really the done thing, back then. Apart from a couple of old Series trucks in use as recovery vehicles on the circuit or acting as racing car tow-start vehicles in the pits, you’d…

IT’S a glorious late autumn afternoon and I’m pottering around the quiet lanes of the Midlands in a canvas-topped Series IIA diesel, with Ian Baughan of IRB Developments beside me. I hate driving other people’s cars, but I’ve been implored to. Out of politeness, I’ve given in, and here we are. We’ve tootled out of his yard, looped a few lanes and I’ve learnt all I need to. Or, I thought I had. The road opens up, straightens out, and Ian urges me to push on. I do, in a respectfully measured way. “Is that full throttle?” Ian tests, obviously knowing full well it isn’t. “Give it full throttle,” he commands. I do as I’m told; the car picks up, turbo vanes change angle and we’re pulled onwards at a…

ANYONE with half an eye on the history of Land Rovers in the UK will be well aware that at one point, it was commonplace to see 80in models changing hands for the price of a night down the pub. There will be plenty reading this, nodding sagely in agreement as they recall these halcyon days, where the diminutive wheelbase had some new owners reaching for the disc cutter rather than chequebook. The aim? To create a competitive trialler rather than a factory-fresh restoration piece. The last 20 years has witnessed a revival of interest in the Rover Company’s first offering – specialists, owners and even the parent company going to great lengths to restore early models. But more recently, there has been a broadening appreciation for those Land Rovers…

1998 DEFENDER 110 2.8i Miles: 320,000km Power: 193bhp Torque: 206lb-ft MPG: 20 I have owned several Defenders in my lifetime and three of those were in or from Africa. All of my African Defenders have one common accessory, the ARB bull bar. When I used to drive home from work in Cape Town I would have to go down Strand Street in the city centre. The taxi drivers there were above the law; they would stop where they liked, drive through red traffic lights, overload their rides and generally do whatever they wanted to. A nightmare if you were in a regular sedan but not so if you were in a Defender 90 with an ARB bull bar. Then they were afraid and treated you like Shaka Zulu, while keeping…

1958 SERIES I Mileage: Unknown Power: 156bhp Torque: 210lb-ft MPG: Not a lot THIS time last year I said I’d drive SXF more next year. But to be honest I didn’t, apart from going to a couple of local club events during the long hot summer with the tilt off. I did, however, finally get round to doing something about the clicking front CV joint. It’s been clicking now for more than six years so it was really about time something was done about it. Now with having classic Range Rover axles under SXF, the first job was to find out just which CV joints I had. The conversion to Range Rover axles was done way back in 1995 and I guessed they were early ones, because of the domed…

NEED TO KNOW TIME: 9 hours COST: £246.19 DIFFICULTY: MODELS: Defender 90, 110, 130. TOOLS NEEDED: Drill, side cutters, spanners and socket wrenches, sharp craft knife, general workshop tools, square files. PARTS & COSTS: Defender and SIII Dash Console £112, Raptor Engineering; Defender and SIII Dash Pod £49.20, Raptor Engineering; Defender and SIII Trim Panel £25, Raptor Engineering; CB radio TCB-55ON. £59.99, UK 4x4 Norfolk CB Centre. WORK SAFELY: Disconnect battery before work begins. Ensure cables are secure and protected from sharp objects. Have your work checked by a professional if you have any doubts. Take great care when using a sharp craft knife. CONTACTS: Raptor Engineering Ltd, 07503 122 223, raptor-engineering.co.uk • UK 4x4 Norfolk CB Centre, 07985 170973, cbradio.co.uk Acouple of years ago I fitted a new radio…

THERE are thousands of early-shape Freelanders still on the roads, being used in every situation from shopping runabout to full-blown off-roader and even race car. They’re cheap, they have shedloads of character, the diesels average 38mpg, they have a spare wheel on the back door (which is a rare commodity nowadays, and a recognised statement of intent), and they’re utterly practical family car cars, load luggers and off-roaders – just like a Land Rover, really. So what’s not to like? Plenty, which I’ll explain as this project progresses. Maybe I should have allocated a bigger budget to buy this project car and started off with one that could actually be used – after all, you can’t expect much for £300. It’s certainly going to cost a lot more to turn…

WHEN I was made redundant from my last job back in 2004 I decided to try to make a living from buying and selling older Land Rovers. Internet auction sites had started to take off and it was quite easy to source promising-looking vehicles at sensible money. In my innocence I thought that all I would have to do was give them a good clean, maybe repair a couple of minor defects and then sell them on at a profit. I still have the invoices from all those early vehicle sales and it is not hard to see why I ended up burning through my redundancy money so quickly. A Series III 109 V8 (bought for £1500) needed a full engine rebuild (including a reground crankshaft, new camshaft and followers)…

AUROCHS are an extinct breed of European wild ox, from which domestic cattle are probably descended. It’s also the third name for this Defender-based motorhome during its two-year gestation – other brands objected to names one and two. We first encountered what was then provisionally called the AeRover in mid 2021 in Somerset, when the target price was around £200k. We’ve had to wait over a year since then to finally get our hands on this most individual leisure vehicle, a true one-of-a-kind. The delayed progress is easier to comprehend when you arrive at Duckworth Overland’s modest industrial unit a few miles south of Bristol. Despite its ambitious design, there is no team of staff here – just two blokes and a shedload of passion for the project. “It was…

ONE of the great things about travelling the UK and the world to report on Land Rovers is that often you find yourself off the beaten track, away from the maddening holiday crowds. This all changed nine years ago when my son Isaac was born. I am not complaining, he’s the biggest blessing in my life. While some fly to Spanish or Greek isles for summer holidays, I normally fire up the Land Rover and look for a camping adventure somewhere. This is exactly what I did during the now all too distant summer holidays. The general advice is don’t go to the north of Scotland because of the crowds and midges, but I decided to see if I could avoid both while doing a week-long tour of the Isle…

I read about it on social media – a new, one-day event called The Rover Social. It almost sounded like an informal pop-up thing, but since it was only a few miles down the road from home and the sun was shining, I decided to go. It gave me an excellent excuse to dust off the Stage One 88 and give it a run. My brother decided to come as well, in his immaculate 1990 Discovery, and we managed to persuade Philip Bashall to bring something interesting and topical from the Dunsfold Collection. He chose the Darién Range Rover, fresh from its glamorous week at the Royal Automobile Club. We had quite a convoy. Well, what a wonderful day it turned out to be. The Rover Social is the brainchild…

THE beginning of June saw Southern Rover Owners Club (SROC) celebrate its 50th anniversary at a very sunny and warm Renhurst Farm in Sussex. The club is in fact older than 50, but was previously known as Southern Land Rover Owners Club, and it still has a few members from before 1972 who are competing in events to this day. Combining celebrations with its annual trailer-handling event, it also marked the club’s participation in the 1976 Lord Mayor’s Show in London, where a team towed boats for the Royal Yachting Association. In recognition of this, the RYA presented SROC with a magnificent trophy. The challenges for trailer-handling, were set by the previous winners, Chris and Emelye Snowdon and included sections for manoeuvring the club trailer forwards, in reverse, into a…

WE now have the engine timed up, having set the timing of camshafts and fuel pump with the crankshaft last month, and we’ve fitted the exhaust and turbocharger. This month, we continue by fitting the many other ancillaries, sensors, mounts and pulleys. By the end of this session, the engine will be ready to fit into the car. The process is broadly a continuation of the approach of last month, working methodically, being organised and following the torque settings religiously. Organising the parts and fixings to be ready to hand is also time well used. One notable part that we’re changing this month is the sump. The new engine comes with a Transit sump, so we’re swapping that for a Defender part which is identical in appearance, apart from a…

EARLY SERIES I 80in, 1948 to 1953 RATINGS: Servicing: Reliability: Economy: Towing: Off-road: On-road: PRICE GUIDE Poor: £3500 – £6000 Average: £6000 – £7500 Good: £7500 – £18,000 Excellent: £18,000 – £50,000+ SPECIFICATIONS 1948-1951: 1.6-litre four-cylinder petrol, 55bhp, 83lb-ft torque. Four-speed manual, two-speed transfer box with permanent fourwheel drive (to 1950), later selectable. 1951-1953: 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol engine, 52bhp, 101lb-ft. EXPERT OPINION: THIS is the ultimate classic Land Rover – 73-years old and more desirable than ever. The early 80in models fetch the highest prices. The earlier and more original, the better. Pre-production and historic examples are the most sought-after, and 1948-50 models the most expensive. Even barn-find derelicts are in demand for restoration projects. The Holy Grail of all Land Rovers is the missing Centre Steer prototype from 1947…

IT’S BEGINNING to look a lot like Christmas and if you’re stuck for present ideas for the Land Rover lover in your life then look no further – our festive gift list will make your Christmas shopping stress-free. We’ve come up with some fantastic ideas for presents, whatever your budget, or whoever you are buying for. Our Christmas gift ideas have something for everyone – as long as they’re not on the naughty list. WHEELCOVERS PRICE: £99 CONTACT: melvillandmoon.co.uk WHEEL Covers for Standard Land Rover. Size: 235/85/R16. Please enquire for different size options. Available in Sand (pictured) or Charcoal. MACHINED BILLET ALLOY PARTS PRICE: Wiper, Indicator and Light Stalk switches, £279; Land Rover Defender Locking Peg Surrounds, £85 CONTACT: optimill-uk.com SWITCHES: Fully assembled on original Lucas switch gear, easy to…

IF the summer Newbury 4x4 Spares Day is the biggest Land Rover autojumble in the world, then the autumn version of the event has to be the second biggest! It must be good, as Land Rover legend and the man behind the Dunsfold Collection, Philip Bashall, and about a dozen of his friends, arrived early on the Saturday afternoon to set up their trade stands for the Sunday. Once again, the indoor trading space was a sell-out. Was this because of the predicted rain? Thankfully after about an hour of trading on the Sunday the rain disappeared and the blue skies were back. So too were the Europeans, in their droves. One gentleman from France was on a mission to buy several engines. You know that when the Houben brothers…

ONE of the most popular vehicles in the Dunsfold Collection is the 1971-72 British Trans-Americas Expedition vehicle VXC 765K, better known as the Darién Gap Range Rover. It is one of two that were provided and prepared by Rover for what would turn out to be one of the most exciting and challenging chapters in the company’s history, as described in the last issue of LRM by Thom Westcott in her interview with expedition leader, Colonel John Blashford-Snell. It is interesting to note that even today, the British Trans-Americas Expedition is still sometimes referred to as the first vehicular crossing of the Darién Gap. It is a claim that was made by Russell Braddon in what was the first and supposedly ‘official’ book on the expedition, published in 1974. It…

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2001 DEFENDER 110 Td5 HCPU Mileage: Circa 83,000 miles Power: 185bhp Torque: 266lb-ft MPG: not yet THE nature of my business and the way in which it has evolved means that I am continually moving parts, materials and vehicles. This is mainly due to working across three locations, albeit one of these is temporary. My primary workshop is in the grounds of my house, which is very convenient. Close by, I have had the use of another small yard, which is in the family, on a temporary basis. This temporary basis has been going on for some ten years and it is unknown how much longer I can use it – it could be one more year, or ten more years. Because of this uncertainty, I acquired another place in…

lrmtechnical@gmail.com THERE’S a theme running through two of this month’s tech features, and it applies to all work on Land Rovers. Alisdair Cusick’s third instalment on building a Defender TDCi engine emphasises the need for a spotlessly clean work area, the correct tools to hand, an organised approach to the job of building an engine and, crucially, taking time to think the job through as you go and never rushing any single stage of the build. Not only does this make the job easier and more accurate, it means the whole task is a pleasant and rewarding experience. Likewise, Trevor Cuthbert’s ongoing build of his personalised Defender 110 illustrates the importance of taking a similar approach with vehicle wiring systems, especially when bespoke systems are powering non-standard accessories via a…

MOST later Land Rovers use a sensor probe in the coolant expansion tank to monitor the coolant level, giving a visual warning on the instrument display if the level becomes low. Like all electrical components, the sensor can fail, resulting in warning messages and warning lights being displayed even when there is adequate coolant in the system or, worse, showing a misleading correct level when the coolant is dangerously low. In the case of this 2010 Discovery 4 with 195,000 miles on the clock, it was the coolant level sensor probe that had failed and was giving a false reading, suggesting the coolant level was low when, in fact, it was at the correct level. To fix this problem, the sensor needed to be replaced. The level sensor probe is…

Fri 11 – Sun 13 Nov LAND ROVER TRIAL Penrith, Cumbria nero.org.uk Sat 12 – Sun 13 Nov WILD WALES SAFARI WEEKEND Lllangollen, Wales protraxoverlandadventures.co.uk PEDDARS WAY & ERMINE STREET GRAND TOUR Thetford, Norfolk trailsandtracks.co.uk Sun 13 Nov RTV TRIAL Shotts, North Lanarkshire, Scotland slroc.co.uk RTV & CCV TRIAL Haggate, Burnley, Lancashire penninelandrover.co.uk YORKSHIRE DALES LAND ROVER TOUR Reeth, North Yorkshire uklandroverevents.com 4X4 PAY & PLAY DAY Canewdon, Rochford, Essex 4x4er.co.uk 4X4 OWNERS DAY Slindon, West Sussex 4x4driving.co.uk RTV & CCV TRIAL Brotherton, North Yorkshire ylroc.co.uk GREENLANE TRIP Devon/Dorset borders sadlrc.co.uk RTV TRIAL Dersingham, Norfolk brecklandlrc.com CCV TRIAL Brotherton, North Yorkshire llrc.co.uk RED ROSE RTV TRIAL Briercliffe, Burnley, Lancashire landroverclub.co.uk INTERCLUB CCV TRIAL Sudbury, Suffolk elrc.info PUNCH HUNT Tring, Hertfordshire muddyduck.org.uk PAY & PLAY DAY Harbour Hill, Aldermaston, Berkshire 4x4-withoutaclub.co.uk…