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Paul1275s

Member Since: 21 Apr 2019
Location: East Sussex
Posts: 80

TD5 SW 2003. The scruffy one!

Well, after not owning a Green Oval for about 15 years the calling got me in the end with this thing which was advertised fairly locally at a rather cheap price for a 110 of its age. It looked a bit scruffy in the pics and has a highish mileage but I thought it was worth a look. It was scruffy, interior is wrecked but a good poke around underneath revealed a very good chassis with zero welding and a pretty much perfect bulkhead. Rear crossmember has a few years left in it. Passenger doors aren't too bad, a few areas that need attention, rear door is shot, bent, rusty, cracked. It started an ran nicely, took it for a drive around, was down on power and making an awful noise that sounded like a boost leak. Gearbox ok, a bit of slop in the drivetrain but no bangs/clonks/rattles (apart from the rear door/spare) Steering spot on! Managed to haggle down a few hundred by virtue of a few obvious bits that belied the recent MOT, the windscreen has huge cracks in it and there was a very obvious rotten brake pipe (more on this later). It had been owned by a family that have a Tarmac/Groundwork company and was their utility/crew bus for this time. Pics as bought.

Click image to enlarge

Click image to enlarge

Collected a few days later, trundled home through the Kent and Sussex lanes and even went down one of my local byways to take these.

Click image to enlarge

Click image to enlarge

tbc. 2003 Defender 110 TD5 SW
2003 Caterham 7
2006 Mini Cooper GP

12th May 2019 10:58am

Tommo

Member Since: 19 Dec 2013
Location: Leicestershire
Posts: 830

2006 Defender 90 Td5 Black LE Java Black

I like it...prefer defenders to look used rather than prinstine

12th May 2019 7:23pm

yostumpy

Member Since: 01 Aug 2010
Location: n/kent
Posts: 327

Yes, I saw this on FB marketplace, nnear Ashford I think, was cheap. 'Volvo XC 70, taking the rough with the smooth’

13th May 2019 5:25am

Paul1275s

Member Since: 21 Apr 2019
Location: East Sussex
Posts: 80

Yup, that was it. Commuted to Gatwick in it today, loving the TD5. 2003 Defender 110 TD5 SW
2003 Caterham 7
2006 Mini Cooper GP

13th May 2019 7:38am

L110CDL

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

Nice and used

1996 Golf Blue 300Tdi 110 Pick up.

Keeper.

Clayton.

13th May 2019 8:35pm

Paul1275s

Member Since: 21 Apr 2019
Location: East Sussex
Posts: 80

Well now.... 7 month update.

Love this thing. 7000 done miles since April. trailer towing, commuting, Salisbury Plain etc.

Right, from the beginning. a week after purchase the clutch began to fail, it was a classic hyd failure so I bought a master and a slave. It was parked in my second garage and i was manoeuvring it into and out of the garage by putting in gear, starting and then stamping on brakes. This was when the thinning brake pipe decided to burst... So, clutch bits fitted, solid pipe from slave to flexy decides to leak after fitment. New pipe ordered. LH burst brake pipe removed from vehicle, took it to a mate's garage and he spliced a new bit of copper pipe into the end saving a few quid and tbh making sense. Clutch pipe arrives, fit, bleed, all is good.

Windscreen replaced (£90 fitted with a new seal) by a local glass guy, old one was cracked from corner to corner despite having been through an MoT 200 miles previously.

Ok, engine woes. Lack of power etc quickly diagnosed (with much google-fu) to a combination of Exhaust mani, seized wastegate and an oil soaked injector loom... All three sorted within a Golden three hours where all nuts, bolts and studs miraculously came undone without resort to violence/guile. De-cat pipe fitted too. Now hits 75mph rather than topping out at 55mph.

This is where it starts getting used. The odd commute (90 mile round trip), a bit of light green laning, towing a trailer to South Wales, quinoa shopping at Waitrose etc. Interior gets slowly decontaminated, dash apart to address lack of heater and general 'held together with wood screws' ness. Keeps doing the miles reliably. 222k when purchased, 229k by end of Nov.

November. MoT on the Horizon. crossmember really didn't have a few years left in it so I ordered a new one. Other bits spotted by me pre MoT, Tack rod end, dust cover on drop link and o/s rear seat belt has a massive hole in it.(as recorded as an advisory on the 2010 Mot) Got all bits in stock, booked into a local LR specialist (a proper one) for the crossmember fit. Decided to book for the test before running it out there in case of surprises, failed on xmember, rear seatbelt, o/s TRE, drop link dust cover and front pads. Passed emissions, result. Picking it up in the morning, re-test hopefully Sat after I've done the pads and rear seat belt.

Bits not mentioned. 4 new tyres, lots of sound deadening, mirrors, Mantec spare wheel carrier

Bits in stock but still to be fitted. Rear door, Terrafirma Springs and dampers. Radius arm bushes, ex MoD snorkel from Blanchards.

Jobs to do. Clean and protect chassis, sort suspected leaky Fuel Pressure Reg. Several hundred more niff naffy jobs.

Looking forward too seeing it tomorrow after a week away!

Click image to enlarge

Click image to enlarge 2003 Defender 110 TD5 SW
2003 Caterham 7
2006 Mini Cooper GP

6th Dec 2019 1:19am

Paul1275s

Member Since: 21 Apr 2019
Location: East Sussex
Posts: 80

Click image to enlarge 2003 Defender 110 TD5 SW
2003 Caterham 7
2006 Mini Cooper GP

6th Dec 2019 1:38am

Barneyboy

Member Since: 19 Nov 2014
Location: Exmoor
Posts: 1621

1986 Defender 90 2.5 n/a Diesel ST Nato Green

Hi that looks lovely especially with the wolf wheels suits it down to the ground

and as already mentioned good to see it used, you’ve got a good one there

cheers Paul

6th Dec 2019 6:13am

Tommo

Member Since: 19 Dec 2013
Location: Leicestershire
Posts: 830

Really like that...I have TD5 and wouldn't change it. Personally think there the best!
Bet taking off the roof rack gave it a few mph extra

6th Dec 2019 4:15pm

Mash

Member Since: 09 Feb 2015
Location: Guernsey
Posts: 1674

Nothing wrong with a few dents and scrapes,I don’t think Buggsy has a straight panel on her but who cares it’s all part of the charm.

90 wolf - Jasmin http://www.defender2.net/forum/topic39408.html
90 V8 - Maggie http://www.defender2.net/forum/topic42564.html
110 TD5 - Buggsy http://www.defender2.net/forum/topic59029.html
52HG25 lightweight https://www.defender2.net/forum/topic72342.html
D3 Hse - Fiona
Capri 2l S - Anna

Think I might have a problem............

6th Dec 2019 5:29pm

seriesonenut

Member Since: 19 Nov 2014
Location: Essex
Posts: 1211

So at what point does a vehicle transition from being clean & straight to lived in? Is it the first scratch or dent? Thinking about my old 110 (and Ill be careful in case James is reading this

) I would be happy filling it capacity with all sorts of err junk, or getting it in a bit of a state before cleaning it up. Now I am paranoid about marking the interior or scratching the paintwork on the USW. Spoils the fun a bit.

Perhaps this is telling me something and a nice lived in TD5 CSW is calling me................. 2010 XS USW
1957 Series One 88 diesel
1958 Series One 88 4x2

6th Dec 2019 5:53pm

Mash

Member Since: 09 Feb 2015
Location: Guernsey
Posts: 1674

You can never have too many

6th Dec 2019 5:55pm

L110CDL

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

Great update and you still loving the 110

1996 Golf Blue 300Tdi 110 Pick up.

Keeper.

Clayton.

6th Dec 2019 9:35pm

Paul1275s

Member Since: 21 Apr 2019
Location: East Sussex
Posts: 80

Mash wrote:
Nothing wrong with a few dents and scrapes,I don’t think Buggsy has a straight panel on her but who cares it’s all part of the charm.

Every dent tells a story! I absolutely love the way that the paint on the sills is worn on all four doors from people getting in/out over it's last 16 years... 2003 Defender 110 TD5 SW
2003 Caterham 7
2006 Mini Cooper GP

6th Dec 2019 10:08pm

Tommo

Member Since: 19 Dec 2013
Location: Leicestershire
Posts: 830

Have you removed the EGR?
I did but have had it re-instated for the last 5 months.

7th Dec 2019 8:58am

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