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Retroanaconda

Member Since: 04 Jan 2012
Location: Scotland
Posts: 2646

So three years on from the last update I suppose it's time for another...

Still in Scotland, got myself a permanent job in 2013 so I'm here for the foreseeable future. Haven't managed to buy/sell any more cars in the intervening time however so the collection remains as was.

Defender 90

Continues sterling service as daily driver and work car, clocking up 30,000 miles a year now all across central southern Scotland. As ever with a standard and looked after Land Rover it does this without fuss, though the maintenance intervals come round a bit quicker nowadays! And the chassis is starting to show its age, nothing that can't be sorted with a welder and some new metal but it will need a new one at some point in the not-too-distant future.

In 2013 I re-fitted the rear of the car out with proper SW trims rather that the carpet-covered-plywood I had before, which gives a much nicer interior:

Click image to enlarge

Then in 2014 I decided to fit cruise control to help with longer journeys:

Click image to enlarge

Works very well, though as ever with cruise it's less efficient that doing the work yourself - particularly in hillier areas. In May of 2014 it also ticked over to 200,000 miles so I think I can safely say the engine is run in now.

A routine service later in 2014 turned into a larger problem when I removed the cover from the boost compensator housing on the fuel injection pump. Things appeared rather seized up so I attempted to free it up:

Click image to enlarge

Unfortunately in doing so something got upset internally and the car wouldn't run properly after putting it back together. I subsequently removed the FIP and stripped it on the bench to get things working again - this worked but unfortunately the pump now leaked diesel. A second hand pumps was sourced and then this sent off to Diesel Bob for reconditioning:

Click image to enlarge

New pump fitted and happily all working great! The engine also ate one of the valve caps so I replaced all of those with a new set from Turners.

Shock absorbers starting knocking on the bushes so I thought I'd treat it to a set of new ones. Put a set of Koni Heavy Track on but wasn't particularly impressed to be honest - struggled to get the bushes to tighten enough to stop the knocking (even after repairing axle mounts) and the ride quality was no better than the standard ones that were on it. As such they're sat in the garage and I put a set of new take-off Land Rover ones on which are fine.

The next major work planned was the clutch, which I changed last month. The car is now at 240,000 miles and since purchase I have done 100,000. In that time I had not changed the clutch and I could find no record of the last time it was changed before that. Therefore I decided to pre-empt the inevitable by changing it at a time to suit me rather than when it decided to let go in the forest somewhere 15 miles from a public road... for example.

Booked a week off work and got the car in the workshop where the strip-down began:

Click image to enlarge

Click image to enlarge

Got the engine out and set about changing the clutch (home-made alignment tool did the job admirably). Also did the timing belt and the seal between timing chest and block (which was leaking). Plus took the manifolds off to change the gasket and clean the block up etc:

Click image to enlarge

Click image to enlarge

So all back together and happy days, which brings us up to the present. Think I'll treat it to a set of reconditioned injectors when it gets to 250,000 miles.

Series III 88"

As of the last update the 88" was still stuck down in Sussex, however it got transported north with the rest of my junk as part of the permanent move (see below) and I put it through an MOT and insured it so it was available for use. I was never really happy with the body alignment when I first put it together and so in the summer of this year I took it into the workshop for a re-fit.

As it arrived in Scotland:

Click image to enlarge

Stripped it down and re-aligned the bulkhead and rear tub to that the doors fitted properly (unfortunately the outrigger on the Richards chassis was slightly too far forward so I had to be creative with the grinder), then a hard-top roof was put on instead of the canvas.

Click image to enlarge

Click image to enlarge

Also rebuilt the steering relay:

Click image to enlarge

And here we are!

Click image to enlarge

Still needs some more work, I've got a replacement gearbox to go in as the current one whines like a banshee. Plus it needs the sill plates re-fitting and the rear door/roof tidied up and/or painted. But a lot better than it was!

Defender 110

The 110 is certainly the black sheep of my family! At the time of the last update it was languishing in bits in my storage down in Sussex. So I bought a decent sized trailer and in a few (very) long weekends hauled all the various parts of the car, as well as all the rest of the useful junk/spares that I had accumulated, up here to Scotland. I had already built a workshop in which to store it all and work on the vehicles and so a lot of the stuff would end up in there.

The first trailer load consisted of engines, axles, gearboxes, some body panels and plenty of other heavy stuff but as ever the 90 pulled it without any problems. Second load was mostly the rest of the body panels plus all the shelving/racking from the garage and the roofing sheets/timber from the lean-to I built next door. Suffice to say I was glad to get it all back with me.

Click image to enlarge

Click image to enlarge

Now it was all up here I could continue (slowly) with the 110 project. The first task was to establish the viability of the Mazda engine that I had been storing for nigh-on five years in the garage. So it got hooked up for a test run:

Click image to enlarge

Click image to enlarge

So it seems to run OK. Sourced an R380 in V8 flavour that needs rebuilding so once I have got a bit of cash together I will get a new chassis ordered and crack on!

5th Dec 2015 3:40pm

jk84

Member Since: 17 Feb 2015
Location: Wherever my Defender takes me...
Posts: 720

2015 Defender 110 Puma 2.2 XS CSW Aintree Green

Retroanaconda, excellent read, have just had a leisurely lunch and went through your thread with great interest! What a collection and great efforts maintaining it

Quite some skils you seemed to have acquired over last couple years playing around with your precious ones. MY15 Aintree 110 SW - for sale - https://www.defender2.net/forum/topic82781.html
MY16 Santorini 90 HT - sold

7th Dec 2015 1:56pm

RRUK
Site Supporter

Member Since: 31 Mar 2010
Location: Leicestershire
Posts: 2025

same here. cool stuff 2016 D4 HSE

1998 110 TUM HS FFR Hard Top XD WOLF

1982 Series 3 SWB Petrol

7th Dec 2015 2:13pm

Retroanaconda

Member Since: 04 Jan 2012
Location: Scotland
Posts: 2646

So another year or so has passed, what's the latest?

The Series III got sold last year - it pained me to do it but at the end of the day I simply wasn't using it enough to justify it and it would be better off with someone who would do so. Hence it disappeared in the summer.

The 90 continues to perform admirably. Now at 283,000 miles - it never got its new set of injectors at 250,000 I'm afraid to say. Perhaps I'll treat it at 300,000! It has had other work done though, the pre-MOT poke-about underneath revealed that a new tubular outrigger was required which also turned up this rather nasty hole:

Click image to enlarge

More prodding and cutting removed a good section of the chassis and a lot of mud:

Click image to enlarge

And then application of the magic metal glue gun put us back firmly in MOT-able territory:

Click image to enlarge

This coming MOT will probably require similar attention, unfortunately the chassis is really getting past it's best. Must get the other car sorted so I can take the 90 off the road and replace it.

Which brings us nicely onto the 110. Not a great deal of progress in the time since the last update, though I did manage to finally obtain a new chassis last year which is patiently awaiting treatment/painting before being built up with axles etc.

Click image to enlarge

Click image to enlarge

I also nipped down to Derbyshire to collect a very nice R380 gearbox which I hope will survive behind the Mazda engine:

Click image to enlarge

My hope is to have the chassis rolling by the time the 90 needs its MOT (mid-April) so that I can clear space in the workshop to facilitate any welding required. But to do that I need to prep and paint it, and to do that I need to get my compressor up and running, to do that I need to finish building the small shed out the back of the workshop for it to live in etc. etc... you get the idea

13th Feb 2017 7:45pm

L110CDL

Member Since: 31 Oct 2015
Location: Devon
Posts: 10756

I have just read your thread right through, with just not the pics at the very beginning, i remember you putting your S111 up for sale, but didn't click at the time

All what you do is to me truly amazing, my hat of to you sir

I will be watching your 110 rebuild with great interest, hoping that if you got a we bit of spare time to put an odd pic or two up

and it is a great feeling when you have all your "spares/junk/etc" back in one place near to you

1996 Golf Blue 300Tdi 110 Pick up.

Keeper.

Clayton.

13th Feb 2017 9:04pm

Retroanaconda

Member Since: 04 Jan 2012
Location: Scotland
Posts: 2646

Thanks. There's a build thread running on LR4x4.com but I'll see about sticking some pics up here now and again as well

13th Feb 2017 10:00pm

L110CDL

Member Since: 31 Oct 2015
Location: Devon
Posts: 10756

Many thanks Retro, that would good of you as this is the only forum i go on

1996 Golf Blue 300Tdi 110 Pick up.

Keeper.

Clayton.

13th Feb 2017 10:48pm

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