 | Home > My Defender > The White Camel - my 90 300Tdi |
 
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| Arierep Member Since: 12 Apr 2013 Location: Portugal Posts: 258   
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So, immediately after purchase, I started to renew it.
Tires were a priority, the one I got were tubed Portuguese 205R16 CAMACs. And yes, Portuguese tyres are a thing, supposedly very sought after by UMM collectors.  Click image to enlarge Click image to enlarge So I got a set of 235/85R16 BFG ATs. Being in a tight budget at the time, had to opt for cheap Modular rims 16x7 ET8, at �36 each. Surprisingly, these went rust free for 3 years, also being unbelievably air tight. Also started to replace suspension bushings, renew pedal and gear lever rubbers and replacing missing body bolts. When I learned about the thickness (or lack of) of the diff pans, immediately got a pair of these: Click image to enlarge The Superwinch X6 was not working properly, so I ditched it with the bumper. Luckily, a guy restoring a Camel Trophy special edition Discovery 300Tdi was after one, so that was a quick sale. Click image to enlarge Here is how it looked 1 month later, in it's first trip: Last edited by Arierep on 5th Jan 2019 10:10am. Edited 1 time in total |
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24th Nov 2016 7:21pm |
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| familymad Member Since: 13 Dec 2011 Location: Bucks Posts: 3481  
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Good looking 90
 1951 80" S1 2.0
1995 110 300TDI 1995 90 300TDI |
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24th Nov 2016 7:26pm |
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| williamthedog Member Since: 29 Dec 2012 Location: south wales Posts: 3441 
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Nice truck
Nothing much wrong with it really. |
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24th Nov 2016 8:19pm |
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| Peter Td4 Member Since: 23 Oct 2010 Location: Antwerp, Belgium Posts: 227  
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I'm going to follow this thread
Keep the story coming  Peter,
Defender 110 StaWa - Td5 Defender 110 HCPU - Puma Defender 90 Soft Top - Td5 |
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24th Nov 2016 8:24pm |
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| Arierep Member Since: 12 Apr 2013 Location: Portugal Posts: 258
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So, after the first upgrades, I proceded to install a Paddock galvanized steel steering guard. That was just me being cheap and avoiding to buy the Mantec one I really wanted, only to do so some years later.
After a couple of close calls with garranos (wild horses) in Geres, I decided I needed some basic front protection. Wanted a Camel Trophy type bull bar, but they are really, really rare in Portugal. Found a genuine LR bullbar close to me and pulled the trigger. Nothing heavy duty, but should protect the radiator and also the headlights from branches, etc. Click image to enlarge Meanwhile, reversed into a light pole and bent in the rear door. Managed to repair it, but it was weakened in the process. In order to avoid cracking the door I installed a Bearmach spare wheel carrier. It's a perfect copy of the expensive Mantec one, except for the cr@ppy paint job, which I redid myself. Click image to enlarge And it was more or less done for 2013. In 2014 and most of 2015 was also in a limited budget, so all the effort went into mechanical renovation. Here's a small list of what was replaced (using only OEM parts): - Radiator; - viscous fan coupling; - thermostat; - "Y" cooling hose; - expansion tank cap; - front propshaft; - rear propshaft; - front transfer case output bearing; - water pump; - brake pads; - every single suspension bushing; - full chassis linseed oil anti rust treatment. And that was mostly it |
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25th Nov 2016 7:27pm |
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| CarMan Member Since: 29 Nov 2010 Location: Cotswolds Posts: 1860 
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Click image to enlarge[/quote]  Rob
1993 200tdi 90 hard-top 1998 300tdi 90 soft-top 2016 2.2 XS 90 hard-top (sold) |
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25th Nov 2016 7:45pm |
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| Arierep Member Since: 12 Apr 2013 Location: Portugal Posts: 258
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You are kind of making me feel bad, as it looks so different right now
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25th Nov 2016 7:46pm |
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| L110CDL Member Since: 31 Oct 2015 Location: Devon Posts: 10742 
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Good looking landy then and most probably now, thanks for sharing the info with us
1996 Golf Blue 300Tdi 110 Pick up.
Keeper. Clayton. |
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26th Nov 2016 10:40pm |
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| Arierep Member Since: 12 Apr 2013 Location: Portugal Posts: 258
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Thank you guys
In late 2015 I had most of the mechanical overall done. Time for upgrades. First was a set of HD steering bars with OEM TRE's. The original ones were reshaped at least 2 times. The HD ones should be standard, they are nothing over the top, more akin to what Japanese and Mercedes models come stock Click image to enlarge Click image to enlarge Next was the steering guard. I never truly liked the steel one I had. Ended buying a Mantec guard, the one I always wanted. Is reasonably light, very sturdy and protects as far back as possible. On the other hand, is not very friendly for tall suspension lifts since the front steering rod might hit the guard. For me is perfect. In true LR / Mantec fashion, tolerances are all over the place, instructions are cr@p, some bolts are missing are other bolts are doubled. Easy to see how the two brands were buddies for so long. Click image to enlarge Wanted to replace the tired suspension and played a bit around with different setups. Settled on: Front - NRC9448/9 (130 fronts) Rear - RKB101230/40 (90 HD progressive rears) ANR2938 isolators on the rear springs Genuine shocks all around This gives a 1 or 1,5" lift when unloaded, a firm ride and a fantastic load capacity. It corners very good, even without sway bars. Offroad it has a hard time fully flexing unloaded, but given the true purpose of the White Camel this is OK. PS: tried some different suspension setups and concluded there's no real need to lift a Defender unless you want to run 35" and up. Their stock suspension is already quite tall, more so than most of the competition like Patrols, etc Last edited by Arierep on 5th Jan 2019 10:11am. Edited 1 time in total |
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26th Nov 2016 10:59pm |
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| Arierep Member Since: 12 Apr 2013 Location: Portugal Posts: 258
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Next was the biggest investment so far, the mighty roll cage.
Keeping with the Camel theme, opted for the Safety Devices L142. It's the Camel Trophy model, but with rear stays compatible with the bench seats. Other advantages: - nearly 50% cheaper than other options; - compatible with traditional roof rack; - safe, as is has an actual internal loop. It took me 40 man hours over 3 days to install it. Click image to enlarge Click image to enlarge Click image to enlarge Click image to enlarge Click image to enlarge Also installed a Southdown snorkel by this time. It's a proper snorkel, goes direct to the airbox, ditching the tight and impossible to seal stock ducting Last edited by Arierep on 5th Jan 2019 10:12am. Edited 1 time in total |
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2nd Dec 2016 8:38pm |
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| BossHog Member Since: 28 Jun 2013 Location: Fylde Coast Posts: 185
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Looking good
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3rd Dec 2016 11:20am |
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| Arierep Member Since: 12 Apr 2013 Location: Portugal Posts: 258
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Some interior upgrades followed
The original 20 year old steering wheel was falling apart, so I installed a rally style generic brand steering wheel. Some local guys have been racing this model for some time, and it's very durable. The offset only works well with the next upgrade Click image to enlarge Being 184cm I always felt a bit cramped in the Defender, mostly on the knees. There are plenty of aftermarket seat raisers on the market but they felt a little too expensive for what they are. �10 of 30mm tube later and I got a pair of seat extensions made (and an extra pair for a buddy). They are 30mm tall (duh) and allow for the seats to be mounted 50mm back Click image to enlarge Being sometimes a cheap b@stard, I rode for 2 years with the hi lift between the seats and the bulkhead. Not only very dangerous in case of a crash, it was also a total PIA to use. The I maned up and got a 4XRAC mount kit. Was planing to mount it along the left wheel box, but noticed it fits perfectly on the bulkhead, even with the roll cage loop. Click image to enlarge Then we bought a companion for the Defender It's a mint condition, very late manufacture 1998 Discovery 300Tdi. Absolute pleasure to drive, super comfy and delivers over 35 mpg Last edited by Arierep on 5th Jan 2019 10:13am. Edited 1 time in total |
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7th Dec 2016 11:17pm |
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| Arierep Member Since: 12 Apr 2013 Location: Portugal Posts: 258
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Then it was time for proper shoes.
It was a very a tough tough decision, spent many months considering different tyre and wheel combinations. I wanted rims with a reasonable offset, but wanted to keep the genuine LR look. Wolfs are, IMO, the prettiest of them all and can fit (with some good faith) up to a 285 tyre. With spacers they get equivalent to a -10mm offset, so thats about what I wanted. Also, being a standard rim (instead of some obscure sourced modulars with a specific offset) they're easy to replace. On tyres, I wanted height, but had little interest in width. Checked the 285/75R16s but the height advantage to the 235/85R16 seemed small. Was even considering 35"s, but they were too wide. Also, measuring some units in the real world, they were barely 34" tall, so hard to justify the investment and disadvantages. I'd go for 8.25R16 or 9.00R16s, but theyr are too rare and expensive. Ended up choosing 255/85R16, specifically the BFGs KM2, as they where the cheapest ones here. Pros - narrowish - not too expensive - not too punitive to stock drivetrain - keeps the LR look while improving performance - tall Off the car, at 2.5Bar on the Wolf rims, my units measured 33,5" tall. Most 35s I measured were about 34,2" or so, so we are talking about a 0,7" diameter difference here. Old vs new Click image to enlarge Click image to enlarge Please ignore the roof rack, it was a cheap Bearmach one I got to take some measurements to build a custom one (and yes, that bumper is "somewhat bent") The Disco keeps getting smaller Last edited by Arierep on 5th Jan 2019 10:13am. Edited 1 time in total |
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10th Dec 2016 1:46am |
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| RoddyK05 Member Since: 08 Apr 2015 Location: Inverclyde Posts: 633  
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Very nice indeed
Yes, laughing at you diminishing discovery  35 mpg you say, I had a 1998 auto which returned round about 20, maybe 23 on a run  , yours is obviously manual - I like the series one discovery very much. |
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10th Dec 2016 9:08am |
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