TECHNOFILE
LRM workshop
by Lindsay Porter
in association with MCL (Mobile Centre Limited)
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The light fantastic
And Lindsay said, Let there be light (emitting diodes) on my Defender, and Lindsay saw the light emitting diodes. And they were good. Absolutely fantastically brilliant, in fact!
If you’re interested in the ultimate in work lights, you’re seeing them here! MCL’s LED lighting units are supplied to utility, military and railway companies and are made to withstand the harshest of working conditions while producing a huge amount of light and, at the same time, consuming a minimal amount of electricity. We decided that the space above the Defender’s rear door was crying out for one of MCL’s Model 9049 12 volt, four module work light units. At £771 plus VAT, it’s not exactly the sort of thing you’d pick up from Halfords, but there are less expensive LED options available from MCL, as shown later. This particular lamp gives the output of six halogen work lamps while using just over the power of one. PICTURE 1 Just after fitting these lightof-lights, I was trying to cram in a bit a last-minute lawn mowing when the blades grabbed a piece of wood and threw the drive belt. It needed fixing but it was getting dark, so what do you think? The beauty of MCL’s LED lights is that they can be left on for hours without running the battery flat, something you couldn’t do with a conventional halogen or other incandescent bulb.
90 November 2011 LAND ROVER monthly
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PicTURE 2 Ian started by removing the rear trim panel, found on Station Wagons. It simply unclips, as you’ll see later. PicTURE 3 The trim panel over the top of the rear door is held on with these push-in clips. You’ll need a proper trim removal tool, like a spoon with a fork in the end, in order to remove these clips with no risk of causing damage. PicTURE 4 After all the plastic clips have been removed, the trim panel is loose and ready for removal. PicTURE 5 Just one small example of the superior quality of these MCL units is the gland nut assembly used for passing the electrical cable through the vehicle’s bodywork. On the right is the nut that holds
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the unit to the body, while on the left is the gland nut that tightens on the gland in the body of the fitting, after the wire has been passed through it. PicTURE 6 During the offering-up process seen in the heading picture, we had marked the bodywork to indicate the best place for passing the wiring through. Ian used a stepped hole cutter to drill the correct sized hole for the fitting. PicTURE 7 Even though you’re dealing with aluminium, it’s best to apply primer to the edges of the drilled hole because, while aluminium doesn’t corrode anything like as quickly as steel, it does corrode in time.
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PicTURE 8 The connector on the MCL light unit is an industrial push fit plug and socket, waterproof to IP68. PicTURE 9 Ian pushed the cable through the gland fitting… PicTURE 10 …leaving an appropriate amount of cable for plugging into the light unit. First, he tightened the attachment nut on the inside of the body, then the gland nut which closes the gland into the electrical cable. Once the gland nut has been tightened, the wire can only be moved by slackening off before sliding the cable through. PicTURE 11 Meanwhile, MCL’s Tim Consolante was busy running the wiring into position.
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LAND ROVER monthly November 2011 91