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| donmacn Member Since: 07 Nov 2017 Location: Nth Scotland Posts: 1841  
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Hi there,
I’ll have a go, if only to start the ball rolling, as I’ve done most (though not all) of your shopping list. 1) spare wheel carrier - yup. Well worth it if you’ve a Tdi-era door. Mine is now stainless, Nakatanenga, but I have to say I bought it for a good price on the forum here, not full shop price. Nowadays though there are others. It replaced a much older ‘Scorpion racing’ one which I either had galvanised, or bought that way. 2) You’ll just need to count the splines. I have the Optimill lock/QRboss and mount. Friends, having seen it have gone for that too. Just an easy thing to use. 3) Sound proofing - oh yes! Mine was originally a very utility vehicle (airport ops). It now has 3mm silent coat on lots of the cab/2nd row/and boot area; with Wright acoustic floor/seatbox mats on the front, and some of their PU chequer plate matting cut up and mounted throughout the rear area. It makes a huge difference, but the benefits are incremental. A mat would make a huge difference to start with, and be fairly easy to fit. Silent coat or similar could come later if you felt the need. Our car has become a long distance camper, so a quieter (relatively speaking) cab is worth it for us. 4) wheels - I went for alloys once inner tubed tyres on steel rims needed changing every 2 or 3 days. Can’t really comment on steel wheels - not had them on the car in 20 years. Powder coating though….. Devil’s work! 5) Rear window tints - can’t comment. 6) Tighten handbrake - yep. But be aware that it might be loose ‘on purpose’ if the drum is slightly out of round and catching on the shoes at slow speeds. 7) Roof lining. I re-did mine not too long ago, and when I did, I added silver lined adhesive foam between it and the roof. I think I used ‘LaSalle’ stuff because they are fairly local to me, but you’d find something else closer to home. I think this really made the car warmer, and maybe a little quieter.  headlights - oooh. Can of worms. Where I am, in winter, I think LEDs wouldn’t melt the snow… I’d suggest the first thing to do is to get/make up a ‘boomslang’ or similar loom. Dead easy to fit; provides the original headlights with 14v; and takes the power away from the light switch on the column. Do this first and then decide if shiny new lights are really needed.
9) brakes and shocks - another can of worms - and so much dependent on your likely use. I have upgraded the brakes to the LOF ones ( mild road sort of thing) because I was heading for the Pyrenees and was going to be quite loaded, so good brakes = confidence. Shocks - I think I’m on Old Man Emu - but a lot of good makes out there. Some of this is covered in my ‘rebuild’ thread linked below, but it’s sadly out of date and needs me to wait for the dark winter evenings to get around to it! Enjoy! (Edit - forgot to comment on the roof painting. I had the car re-done when I fitted all new doors, but the shop I used couldn’t do the roof. It’s now got environmental protection because of the rare and extensive moss beds…. I can’t really see it, so I can’t really be bothered!) Donald 1994 Defender 300Tdi 110 SW - owned since 2002 - 230k miles and going strong (The 'rolling restoration' or tinkering thread: http://www.defender2.net/forum/topic58538.html ) 2000 Range Rover P38 4.0L V8 in the past.. RR classic - fitted with 200Tdi 1984 RR classic - V8 with ZF auto box 1993 Discovery 300Tdi not to mention the minis and the Type 2 VW camper... |
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9th Sep 2024 7:38pm |
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| Evil Elsie Member Since: 25 Feb 2023 Location: Cumbria Posts: 195  
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Hiya,
A couple of points to back up what Donald has posted; Optimill QR Steering wheel boss - like Frosties, they're Great..!!! Mine had two unexpected bonuses (1) if you are on the larger side of normally sized it makes it a lot easier to get in and get comfortable. (2) my steering wheel spends a lot of time on the dining room table which annoys my wife. Win - win. When counting the splines my eyes kept losing focus and I'd have to start again. I found it easier to take a photo with my phone once I'd removed the nut. Roof lining - I've insulated the rear of mine with 7mm foil backed foam and then carpet lined it. Much nicer place to be and didn't cost much...👍👍 Wheels - mine had rusty, badly painted steel modulars on when I got it. She's been sitting on black 'Boost' copies for the last 18 months. They were £80 each brand new (£400 for a set of 5). I was sceptical before I bought them but a mate has been running them for years with no issues and mine have been faultless. We both do plenty of Green lanes and motorway miles... Hope that helps, Dave 2002 Land Rover 110 Td5 Utility 1990 Suzuki GSXR 1100L 1980 Yamaha RD 350LC 1976 Yamaha RD 400C |
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10th Sep 2024 2:09pm |
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| kwd112 Member Since: 07 Sep 2024 Location: South Wales Posts: 4
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Hi both,
Firstly thanks for getting back to me. Just removed the wheel and counted the splines. Sure enough it's 48. Went to order wheel, boss and swivel lock.. £634.99 after VAT  Any suggestions on a cheaper alternative? Admittedly the momo mahogany wheel is bumping that price up... Seen some cheaper ones on ebay however they appear to be coming from China... So guessing not the real deal... Any tips?
Having watched the LR live video on Youtube I think I'm going to go for the mantec frame due to the apparent ease of installation, although a galvanised one would have complimented the chassis better |
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10th Sep 2024 7:08pm |
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| Evil Elsie Member Since: 25 Feb 2023 Location: Cumbria Posts: 195
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Hiya,
I got my 48 spline boss direct from optimism about 6 weeks ago - £165 (ish). You could look at Mountney steering wheels (series 7 I think are the correct pcd and hole number (check though 😁)). 2002 Land Rover 110 Td5 Utility 1990 Suzuki GSXR 1100L 1980 Yamaha RD 350LC 1976 Yamaha RD 400C |
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10th Sep 2024 7:48pm |
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| Evil Elsie Member Since: 25 Feb 2023 Location: Cumbria Posts: 195
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Optimill not optimism..🙄 2002 Land Rover 110 Td5 Utility
1990 Suzuki GSXR 1100L 1980 Yamaha RD 350LC 1976 Yamaha RD 400C |
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10th Sep 2024 7:49pm |
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| donmacn Member Since: 07 Nov 2017 Location: Nth Scotland Posts: 1841
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For me, the priority would be the lock and the QR boss. You can fit any old wheel onto that to begin with, and then replace that as budget allows - at least that way you get to keep the car!
With my older car, I decided a whizzy fancy wheel would look right out of place, so I got an older, leather one (momo) from eBay - fits right in. Trying to do too much at once will seriously damage your wallet, and sometimes your ideas/priorities change over time. Since I’ve had it, mine has gone from scuba truck (kit, towing and launching boats) to a family holiday wagon (bikes, canoes etc) to most recently a more dedicated camper during the summer, and more normal Defender in winter. It’s this huge versatility that makes them what they are. Donald 1994 Defender 300Tdi 110 SW - owned since 2002 - 230k miles and going strong (The 'rolling restoration' or tinkering thread: http://www.defender2.net/forum/topic58538.html ) 2000 Range Rover P38 4.0L V8 in the past.. RR classic - fitted with 200Tdi 1984 RR classic - V8 with ZF auto box 1993 Discovery 300Tdi not to mention the minis and the Type 2 VW camper... |
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11th Sep 2024 7:24pm |
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