4X4 Magazine April 2023

4x4

NEWS • VIEWS • KIT • EXPEDITIONS • MODIFIED VEHICLES • GREEN LANING PLUS Is the cheapest new Defender still also the best?

THE UK’S ONLY 4X4 AND PICK-UP MAGAZINE

THE LAND ROVER ISSUE

FEATURING

• Groundbreaking overland travel • The best of the new • Classics from the early era • Real-world modified Landies • Products for every Land Rover owner • Comprehensive guide to buying a Defender

4x4 of the Best: A quartet of leaf-sprung legends

£4.99

How long does it really take to build a 100” hybrid?

APR 2023

Journey’s end for the first L322 to conquer Africa 4x4 Cover Apr 23 WITH SARAH.indd 1

14/03/2023 16:45

4x4 Magazine_2023_Feb_Heritage 1948_FP.indd 1 Resized for Flap A_4x4 Magazine_2023_Apr_Heritage 1948_FP.indd 1

16/01/2023 14:17 13:13 14/03/2023

19785 Allmakes Ltd 4x4 Magazine - 3 page advert - Discovery.indd 1

21/08/2020 10:39

The World’s best accessories for Land Rover Discovery

At Terrafirma we stand behind every product we sell, we el e e t at al t s t e efi t o o somet s er or more t a fit for purpose and that meets customer’s expectations.

Terrafirma Serious 4x4 Accessories ow come w t a ert ficate o Conformity, the ultimate statement of al t a a str first

19785 Allmakes Ltd 4x4 Magazine - 3 page advert - Discovery.indd 2

21/08/2020 10:39

Terrafirma accessories are available from over 100 distributors worldwide Wheels, Brakes and Drivetrain

Suspension

Protection

Exterior

Lighting

Interior and Performance

For more information visit www.terrafirma4x4.com email sales@terrafirma4x4.com

19785 Allmakes Ltd 4x4 Magazine - 3 page advert - Discovery.indd 3

21/08/2020 10:43

April 2023

C O N T E N T S

52

‘A Rover V8 was good for all the power a man could a portal-axled Lightweight…’

46 56

2 | APRIL 2023

Contents Feb.indd 2

20

4x4 14/03/2023 14:39

78 EIGHT MAGAZINES FOR EIGHT QUID! Get 8 issues of 4x4 for just £8 – yes, you read that right, a quid each! That’s 68% off – and you get them delivered to your door. Madness not to!

4x4 Scene: News, Products and More…

6 8 10 12 13 14 14 16 17 18 19 19

Bowler Famed Land Rover tuner creates its 100th special 90 Volkswagen Final testing as new Touareg prepares to break cover Pick-Ups for Peace Mission to send 100 supplies-laden trucks to Ukraine Matt Henchcliffe Obituary for the sadly departed GLASS Chairman Rights of Way The latest instalment of green laners versus stupid people Design Development Engineering Flex Shackles to transform your leafer Britpart Universal bulkheads to fit every pre-Puma Defender Truckman Wide range of kit for the new Ford Ranger Mountney Classic steering wheels for all sorts of old and new vehicles ARB Ratchet straps for keeping spare wheels secure on a roof rack Maer Prototype winch mount in development for current D-Max Revotec High-spec cooling kits for V8-engined Range Rover Classics

Every Month 4 78 80

Alan Kidd If you had £50,000, would you spend it in a Land Rover main dealer?

Subscribe Eight issues of 4x4s for a franky ridiculous £8.00!

Next Month A feature vehicle so special we can’t even show you a pic of it yet

Driven 20

Defender 90 Hard-Top Is the base-speccer still the best Defender?

Features 26 42 46 52 52 56 58 62

Defender Buyers’ Guide Assembled experts give their wisdom 100” Hybrid The one that makes hybrid-building still worth the effort High-Mile Disco Playday special that’s been 27 times round the world 4x4 of The Best Four great modded 4x4s. This month: Leaf-Sprung Landies Legendary Lightweight Portal axles and articulation to die for Cool IIA Minus lots of rust but plus a shedload of classic Landy image Patina Perfect A Series I that’s never needed to be restored Not a 90 Defender lookalike that’s a leafer through and through

Our 4x4s 76

Project D-Max Time to take a deeeeep breath…

Travel 64

want. Well, a man with

African Arrival How it feels when your expedition reaches its final desination

64

42

4x4 Contents Feb.indd 3

JANUARY 2023 | 3

14/03/2023 14:39

4x4 Tel: 01283 742969 Email: enquiries@assignment-media.co.uk

Alan Kidd Editor

I

Thankfully, you can still get the Defender in van form

n a magazine that prides itself on being the all-marques title among a sea of Solihull sniffers, doing a Land Rover special issue always feels a bit counter-intuitive. But while 4x4 will always be the mag that covers the whole market, it’s inescapably true that since the beginning, a huge proportion of our readers have owned Landies.

I myself am determinedly promiscuous when it comes to the 4x4s I own. Yet when I look back at them, I see a clear pattern: 90, 110, 90, Cherokee, Range Rover, Patrol, Discovery, Land Cruiser, Jimny, D-Max, 90.

There hasn’t been one bad vehicle among that lot (a few rotten ones, but you know what I mean), but it’s pretty obvious that I’ve never been to any marque more than once – with one very obvious exception. ven though find and overs enormously frustrating at times, there’s a lot I don’t like about the direction the company has taken in recent years and some of the least likeable people I’ve met have been dyed-in-the-wood Landy types, there’s something about these trucks that appeals to your soul. I should also add that some of the most likeable people I’ve met have been dyed-in-the-wool Landy types, too, and of course the good always outweighs the bad.

Anyway. Land Rovers have character.

Few people would deny that, even the many who would never touch one in their lives.

And that, ultimately, is why we’ve taken to doing a special issue each year. It’s the reason why there’s a Land Rover scene within, or to a great extent alongside, the off-road scene, and like it or not those of us who hop from marque to marque are strongly outnumbered by those who would never think to turn their back on Solihull.

Nonetheless, this is still 4x4 magazine.

So there’s an off-road theme running through most of the Land Rover material in this special issue. Blinged up Defenders with 22” alloys and ten-grand paint jobs whose owners would sooner touch a live rail than their transfer lever are not what we’re about here. It’s not wall to wall hardcore, because we are still trying to re ect the traditional andy scene in ull, but we’ve focused mainly on the building

4 | APRIL 2023

Edline Mar 23.indd 4

and using rather than the polishing and looking at.

Which brings me to the new-shape Defender. To the overwhelming majority of owners, it’s an SUV just the same as a BMW X5 or something like that. However it re ects the act that tastes have changed, from vehicles that don’t care how fake they look to those which genuinely can walk the off-road walk. Rugged Utility Vehicles, they’ve been called, which sounds to me like a classic case of coming full circle.

First there were off-roaders, then there were SUVs, then there were Crossover SUVs and Super SUVs and now we’ve got off-roaders again. At least in the context of the I-don’tactually-go-off-road-but-I-want-you-to-knowI-could-if-I-chose-to market – and as we know very well by now, it might be packing an awful lot of electronics but the new Defender certainly can turn a trick or two.

In the wake of the Defender’s launch, when it won an almost unprecedented two 4x4 of the Year titles in a row, we tested all manner of different variants. Several of them have already been discontinued – and we were disappointed to discover recently that among them is the base-spec version of the station wagon model, with steel wheels and coil springs instead of alloys and air-suspension. This was, to us, the best Defender you could buy – not just because it was the least expensive but because it was the best full stop.

Thankfully, though the station wagon is gone you can still get the basic Defender in van form. Obviously, this is only any use if you don’t need to carry more than one passenger, but a further advantage is the obvious one involving the taxman. If you don’t need the seats and you don’t mind being seen driving a commercial vehicle, the basic 90 Hard-Top is a hell of a lot of truck for your money.

Does this make it the best Land Rover you can buy? That’s a question we set out to ask in this issue – though as you read through it, you might conclude that with fi ty grand to play ith, the place to spend it may not be a main dealer after all.

Web: www.totaloffroad.co.uk www.4x4i.com Online Shop: www.toronline.co.uk Facebook: www.facebook.com/totaloffroad www.facebook.com/4x4Mag Editor Alan Kidd Design WW Magazines Tel: 01283 742970 Contributors Graham Scott, Olly Sack, Gary Noskill, Dan Fenn, Paul Looe, Tom Alderney, Gary Martin, Mike Trott, Raymond and Nereide Greaves Photographers Steve Taylor, Richard Hair, Harry Hamm, Vic Peel Advertising Sales Tandem Media Tel: 01233 555735 Colin Ashworth Tel: 01283 742969 Advertising Production Sarah Moss Tel: 01283 553242 Subscriptions Agency WW Magazines, 151 Station Street, Burton on Trent, DE14 1BG Tel: 01283 742970 Publisher and Head of Marketing Sarah Moss Email: sarah.moss@assignment-media.co.uk To subscribe to 4x4, or renew a subscription, call 01283 742970. Prices for 12 issues: UK £42 (24 issues £76); Europe Airmail/ROW Surface £54; ROW Airmail £78 Distributed by Marketforce; www.marketforce.co.uk Every effort is made to ensure the contents of 4x4 are accurate, but Assignment Media accepts no responsibility for errors or omissions nor the consequences of actions made as a result of these.

When responding to any advert in 4x4, you should make appropriate enquiries before sending money or entering into a contract. The publishers take reasonable care to ensure advertisers’ probity, but will not be liable for loss or damage incurred from responding to adverts Where a photo credit includes the note ‘CC BY 2.0’ or similar, the image is made available under that Creative Commons licence: details at www.creativecommons.org 4x4 is published by Assignment Media Ltd, PO Box 8632, Burton on Trent DE14 9PR

© Assignment Media Ltd, 2023

4x4 14/03/2023 14:16

Underside Protection DA5507

DA5508

DA7530

DA7535

DA7536 / DA7532

DA5625

VPLEP0436LR

Great Protection from Hidden Dangers!

DA5507LHD

Sump Guards These guards from Britpart are manufactured from high-quality, hard-wearing and corrosion resistant materials to counteract any unforeseen obstacles your Land Rover may encounter whilst off-roading. All fixings are supplied and the guards fit into the vehicle’s pre-existing holes. Each guard has holes at the front to allow for water drainage and also to help with ventilation for the cooling system.

DA5507 Defender - 1985 -2006 & 2007 onwards Aluminium RHD Main plate - 8mm thick; brackets - 8mm thick DA5507LHD Defender - 1985 -2006 & 2007 onwards Aluminium LHD Main plate - 8mm thick; brackets - 8mm thick VPLEP0436LR New Defender 90 & 110 Aluminium Robust, 5mm anodised aluminium. Protects lower bumper area and radiator when driving off-road. The undershield is also reinforced by the mounting assembly which enhances the protection. Allows easy access to the recovery loop which facilitates recovery of the vehicle if grounded.

DA5507KIT Spare fitting kit for DA5507 & DA5507LHD. Nuts, bolts & washers.

DA5508 Discovery 1/Range Rover Classic Aluminium RHD & LHD Main plate - 8mm thick; brackets - 8mm thick DA2249 Discovery 2 Powered coated steel RHD & LHD Main plate - 5mm thick; brackets - 5mm thick. Note - For use with Discovery 2 winch bumper DA5645 An essential purchase for any off road use as they prevent damage to the underside of the engine and the intercooler at the front of the vehicle. Manufactured from 8mm 5083 aluminium with a smart silver or black finish and supplied completely machined and drilled ready to bolt directly to the 4 pre-drilled holes in the chassis with supplied galvanised fixings. The guard requires no additional drilling just unscrewing and unclipping of the plastic OEM parts. Fitting should take 5 minutes.

DA7530 Discovery 3 Silver finish DA7530B Discovery 3 Black finish DA7535 Discovery 4 Silver finish DA7535B Discovery 4 Black finish Sump Plate DA7536 Discovery 3 This sump plate protects the underside of the engine and allows the car to slide over objects, forward and backwards due to the rear lip. With a natural finish the plate is made from 6mm 5083 grade aluminium and has been water jet cut to a precise finish. Plate bolts directly into existing holes and bulkheads already in the chassis, using the standard Land Rover fixings.

Transmission Guards DA5625 Defender - Td5 Reduce damage to your Defender 90. Made from galvanised steel, this transmission guard protects your 90’s gear box and cross members from snagging and reduces damage to your vehicle. Bolts on and is easy to fit and importantly it is also easy to remove when your vehicle needs servicing. Note - Only fits with centre exhaust removed and pipe fitted.

DA7532 Discovery 3 This transmission plate protects the underside of the transmission and allows the car to slide over objects. With a natural finish the plate is made from 6mm 5083 grade aluminium and water jet cut to a precise finish. Plate bolts directly into existing holes and bulkheads already in the chassis, using the standard Land Rover fixings and two additional fixings.

Note - Can only be fitted when sump plate (DA7536) is also fitted.

Fuel Tank Guards Protect your Defender’s fuel tank. Manufactured from 6mm aluminium.

DA6538 Defender 90 - Td5 & 2007 onwards DA6539 Defender 110 - Td5 & 2007 onwards

DA2249

DA7530B

DA6538

DA6539

www.britpart.com Find your nearest stockist - www.britpart.com/stockist

4x4 Magazine_2023_Apr_Britpart_FP.indd 1

14/03/2023 09:25

NEWS

Bowler pulls out all the stops as it

Y

ou have to take your hat off to Bowler. ‘Chapeau,’ as Tour de France riders say. The latest vehicle to raise eyebrows and hats is the 100th Edition Fast Road Conversion.

Anyone who knows Bowler knows this doesn’t mean it’s a vehicle that can only survive on the road.

6 | APRIL 2023

4pp Scene News Apr 23.indd 6

Drew Bowler started the company on his Derbyshire farm back in the 1980s (yes, that’s last century children, when you had to dodge dinosaurs on the way to work). After decades of success in creating bespoke road and race variations of the Land Rover, the company was acquired by JLR in 2019 and is now

part of the Special Vehicle Operations division. It’s come a long way and made a lot of vehicles.

Now, you may see that this is a Land Rover 90 and be slightly puzzled by the ‘100th’ tag. I mean, Land Rover’s been going a long time, but 100? The explanation is that this is the 100th Land Rover 90 that

Bowler has created. Which in itself presents a bit of a problem. It’s not as if you could base this on the new Defender and convince anyone. So the company had to go find a used version and then set about making it look like new and then some.

Of course, when you’re part of it s a bit easier to find the right

4x4 14/03/2023 16:47

NEWS

creates its hundredth Defender 90

donor vehicle than someone who’s scouring the small ads, but this is a Bowler so it still needed some upgrades to just a few areas. Including, but not restricted to (as the lawyers say): power, suspension, brakes and wheels. After all, this is the company that made Paris-Dakar winners and created the Bowler Defender Chal-

4x4 4pp Scene News Apr 23.indd 7

lenge with all the bonkers Bowlers that created.

However, it all means Bowler has a reputation to live up to, and just adding some stickers and alloys wouldn’t do the brand – Bowler or Land Rover – any good. So here it is.

And what is it really? It’s a rolling showcase, and it’s designed to be a

collectable. That means it’s probably not going to get driven a lot. If you’re in a place where you’re paying £78,000 – and don’t forget the VAT on top – for a second-hand Land Rover 90 then you’re probably not planning on using it for any work or anything mundane or damaging to its value. Pedestal not included.

So what is included? We don’t know much about the base vehicle, except of course that it’s been comprehensively titivated. Let’s start under the bonnet since so many new vehicle press releases barely mention the noisy bit at the front (no, not him, the engine). For starters, there’s a Stage 2 engine upgrade which includes an intercooler.

‘Various mechanical components’ have been replaced or upgraded, including the transfer case and steering box so one can only assume it’s all tickety-boo. And it should stop as well as it goes thanks to the Bowler Big Brake Kit. It should also sound good as well, as there’s a performance exhaust under there, and it looks good because of a raft of, indeed, goodies that have been added. Naturally it leads with an array of fancy LED headlights with Bowler headlight surrounds, smoked sidelights and all those glitzy bits that make it looks special as it approaches.

There’s also plenty of bespoke graphics and lettering, and even badges that have been commissioned by Fattorini’s artisan badge makers (sounds like you should eat them rather than admire them). But that’s for others to admire. What you want to admire is what it feels like when you’re driving past those people admiring your admirable royal progress.

The interior carries all those labels you want to see – Alpine, Recaro, Momo and of course Bowler.

Seats, soundproofing, leather dash tops, Alcantara everywhere else like roof lining and steering wheel, all lavishly fitted in to create an ambience that means you can sit in some luxury. Apart from your right elbow of course.

Bowler talks about the fortunate ‘owners or collectors’ who may enjoy this vehicle now and in the future. That’s the ‘tell’ isn’t it? It’ll probably enjoy years in climate-controlled comfort, some distance from the Series 1 working on the farm that was its mighty ancestor.

Is that a good thing or a bad thing? Well, this particular Land Rover would probably vote for it without hesitation.

APRIL 2023 | 7

14/03/2023 16:47

NEWS

Volkswagen shines a light on the new Touareg – and the new Touareg shines straight back

YOU’D NORMALLY FIND THE TOUAREG IN THE SAHARA, but right now you’d have to search much further north. In fact you’d have to go all the way from the desert sand up to the snow of Lapland in Sweden. So, in the homeland of Father Christmas, what magic sparkles have VW managed to scatter over its third-generation SUV? Volkswagen does seem to have focused on the sparkly bits. At the rear the Touareg has a red-illuminated logo, which is quite fun if pointless.

This has already been a feature on the company’s vehicles in places like China and the US but now, lucky us, it has come to Europe. But it’s at the front that it all lights up.

8 | APRIL 2023

4pp Scene News Apr 23.indd 8

Remember when you used to get headlights, you know, with like a bulb or two in each housing?

But that was when you used to believe in Father Christmas. Now we have headlights and a light bar between them. And that means – we’ve counted them so you don’t have to – 38,400 micro LEDs. Those who remember fighting with the lights on Christmas trees back in the day may recoil at the thought of that many bulbs but we live in a brave new world where such things work. Although what they’ll look like in ten years’ time is anyone’s guess.

The effect of the IQ.LIGHT HD matrix is to give a better spread of light on the road ahead without dazzling oncoming reindeer.

The fact that VW leads its information on the forthcoming Touareg with what the headlights are like shows you that this isn’t a major makeover, even after five years of the current model. The lines of the German SUV are virtually the same, although there’s a slimming to the front end, particularly around the light show.

Up above there’s a sensor in the roof, which is there to see if you’re carrying a roof box or similar – in which case that will affect the active electronic system, allowing it to corner with a thought to a weight above the cabin. Yet more complexity, yet a good idea. Underneath, the steel springs or air suspension are programmed with a wider spread, so there’s more of a contrast between comfort and performance modes, again a solid idea.

Inside, the excellent Innovision Cockpit is carried over but with improved software to things like HD maps, voice control, Apple CarPlay and more. And under the bonnet – something we hardly talk about now it seems – the engine line-up is also carried over so there’s petrol, diesel, eHybrid and performance R. And that’s kind of it. Expect to see this mild revamp this summer, giving you plenty of time to put it on your Secret Santa list for the office.

4x4 14/03/2023 16:47

BLACK MAGIC LED SERIES AUXILIARY LIGHTS

TAKE THE ADVENTURE WITH YOU THE NEW BLACK MAGIC LED SERIES AVAILABLE IN CUBES, LIGHTBARS AND MINI LIGHTBARS. Robust and stylish all-black design delivering exceptional LED illumination and performance both on and off the road.

www.hella.com/offroad

6635 Black Magic A4 Advert.indd 1 Hella HELLA UK_FP.indd 1

14/03/2023 14:11 12:08 14/03/2023

NEWS

Scottish farmer rallies mission to supply 100 4x4 pick-ups laden with supplies to war-torn Ukraine

P

ick-ups For Peace – it sounds a bit odd but the thinking and the execution are spot on. We in the West have a mostly easy life where the worst that happens is our car gets a scratch in the car par or e find there are no avocados in the supermarket.

Further east, we know things are even worse than that. Hard to believe but true. In fact Europe once again has an Eastern Front with all the horrors that go with that, particularly in the winter.

Which is what Mark Laird was thinking. Mark is a farmer from Angus, Scotland, but for the last 20 years he’s been farming in Ukraine. And he knows better than many just how dreadful conditions are in the east of the country – not that they’re great anywhere else there, but the closer you get to Russia the more awful things become.

So he wanted to help.

Along with Vince Gillingham, Alastair Stewart and Dr Keith Dawson, Mark set about trying to raise both supplies and vehicles to help the people who need it most (no, not those distraught at the shortage of avocados). And the results are already there to be seen. ecently a convoy o pic -ups filled ith supplies arrived in Lviv, near the western border

10 | APRIL 2023

4pp Scene News Apr 23.indd 10

in Ukraine.

Those hard-working vehicles and their payloads are already heading east to help the people who need them most, rescuing villagersand the wounded and bringing them the help they’ve been crying out for.

Shout out to the 29 British farmers and agronomists, including the organisers, who drove the vehicles and supplies there. The drivers, aged 18 to 74, covered 2100km to get there but that’s not the end of it.

Another three trips are planned but obviously this requires either donated pick-ups or money to buy them and the urgent supplies they carry.

They’re looking to deliver 100 pick-ups in all, a plan that looks like working, as Mark Laird commented: ‘We already have 12 pick-ups donated for our next convoy, and cash donations are helping us to fund more pick-ups and deliveries of aid. All help is gratefully received.’

What a fantastic initiative that is already working. If you want to help in any way then please contact: PickupsforPeace@memus.com

4x4 14/03/2023 16:47

Land Rover Rummage SUNDAY 14 MAY 2023

Includes admission to

Spring

Autojumble

13 & 14 May 2023

Beaulieu_FP.indd 1

2 FOR 1 OFFER Free rummage stand at Simply Land Rover on 9 July when you book your stand at Land Rover Rummage.

Terms and conditions apply, see website for details.

14/03/2023 12:49

RIGHTS OF WAY

Matt Henchcliffe 1971-2023

M

att Henchcliffe was born on Friday the 19th of November 1971 in Warwickshire. He was a keen Land Rover enthusiast and became chairman of the Green Lane Association.

Matt was enthusiastic about trains from a very early age. At school, he was regularly told that he would never get a job by staring out of a window all day, yet In his late twenties he applied for a job as train driver and was accepted. For Matt, this was a dream job!

Matt had many Land Rovers over the years. These included a Range Rover, which he quickly came to realise wasn’t suitable for the type of green laning he was doing. Following this he bought a modified iscovery which he considered a more capable and robust vehicle for use on the lanes. e final eet consisted o a e ender his green laner a uma his utility vehicle a e ay possibly the most rotten Land Rover I have seen) and a new-shape e ender his daily drive Matt hadn’t done a great deal of green laning in recent times, as in he started creating a life in Blaenau Ffestiniog, a place he loved. He sold his home in Nuneaton, bought property in Blaenau and started businesses in the area, as well as taking on a hotel during lockdown.

He always said to me that he spun many plates. With his family life, business ventures, property development, cleaning company, continued freight train driving and voluntary work for the Green Lane Association, as well as efforts to re-open part of a decommissioned railway track and running the Queens Hotel in Blaenau Ffestiniog, he really wasn’t exaggerating!

He will be missed by many. To a great man, Rest in Peace.

Sam Helliwell

12 | APRIL 2023

2pp Scene GLASS Apr 23.indd 12

4x4 14/03/2023 16:46

RIGHTS OF WAY

GLASS aiding progress on maintenance of Lake District lanes AS WE WENT TO PRESS ON THIS ISSUE OF 4X4, the Lake District National Park Authority has just actioned a temporary closure on Stile End. Scheduled to last at least a month, this will allow a programme of work including management of the stone pitching and drainage repairs on the steep section at the Sadgill end.

The Green Lane Association has offered to help with the work, and it has also been involved with the rehabilitation of Breasthigh Road. At the start of March, the Association’s umbria reps team met officials on a site visit to chec the trail s condition during which they also planted around 40 trees on the fellside.

‘This is an interim inspection to see if further work is needed before what will hopefully be the final inspection toward the end of pril comments SS. e will be assisting on both occasions and helping to plant trees with local GLASS volunteers.

‘Having walked over from the east at the end of January, we are hopeful that a favourable decision will be made at the end of the TTRO so that we can enjoy the ride over Breasthigh once again.’

ramley ane follows ack ane in being attened

but for how long?

GRADING WORK HAS BEEN TAKING PLACE on the unsealed section of Bramley Lane, near Hassop in Derbyshire. This is tarmacked at its western end but had become steep and rocky towards its junction with the B6001 to the east.

Chris Mitchell, Derbyshire rep for the Green Lane Association, reports that this section has now been levelled, making it more suitable for standard 4x4s.

‘Unfortunately,’ he continues, ‘they don’t seem to have done any meaningful drainage work and the new graded gravel surface has already started to be washed away by heavy rain in the steepest section, making a channel or single rut on one side which over time could end up as a ‘Back Lane style’ V-gulley.’

Talking of Back Lane, the savagely uneven section at its southern end has been completely attened in a programme o or carried out during a lengthy closure The repairs, which were completed around a year ago, mean the track no longer presents any kind of technical challenge.

Avoiding fences on the Fosse Way A TEAM FROM THE GREEN LANE ASSOCIATION, led

by Somerset rep Charlie Moors, recently set out to cut bac hedges ad acent to a section of the osse ay at Radstock. As you can see from his photos, the real issue restricting the width of the byway was a chain link fence which has started to lean in to the right of way. You have to wonder why whoever built it chose to leave so little space…

A sorry urrey saga THE LATEST ISSUE of the Green Lane Association’s Green Lanes Bulletin reports that Surrey County Council has recently revised its byway management and TRO policy, bringing it into line with those recommended by central government and used by other counties.

‘We imagine this is because of the way the Wolvens Lane TRO process was undertaken, and GLASS’ long complaint document submitted as a result,’ comments local rep Stuart Boreham. ‘It might also explain the delay in the actioning of that closure.’

Stuart continues that the closure is now expected to go forward for further consultation. ‘This I must stress is only a rumour,’ he says. ‘But it seems well placed and if procedures are followed, should result in a public inquiry. This would be both a remarkable result and quite a spectator sport!’

4x4 2pp Scene GLASS Apr 23.indd 13

APRIL 2023 | 13

14/03/2023 16:46

PRODUCTS

Series Flex Shackles promise to transform your leafer’s articulation Price: £260 plus VAT (£312 inclusive) Available from: www.designdevelopmentengineering.co.uk

DESIGN AND DEVELOPMENT ENGINEERING’S SERIES FLEX EXTENDING SPRING SHACKLES open when the wheel next to them wants to droop, allowing greater articulation. As the name suggests, they re designed specifically or lea sprung Land Rovers.

The shackles have a closed length o mm and a ma imum e tended length o mm hus they help to compensate in an area where coils traditionally have an advantage over

the old tech hey re made rom -machined high grade steel ith stainless pins and saddle, custom polyurethane bushes and a highload Oilite pivot point bush – which is maintenance ree

So, you’re thinking, that’s all very well but what happens when you’re out there on the road and the very last thing you want is your spring shackles yawning open and closed every time you go round a corner?

Well you evidently weren’t the only one thinking it, because they incorporate a loc ing eature to eep them closed in just that scenario.

Who knew simple cart springs could be so clever?

Universal bulkhead for pre-Puma Defender Price: ca £3300 inc VAT • Available from: Britpart dealers IF YOU’VE GOT A DEFENDER, or pre-Defender, dating from 1983-2006, there’s a pretty strong chance that if it doesn’t need a new bulkhead yet, it soon will. Hence this British-made Universal Replacement Bulkhead from Britpart, which comes in a kit with loose brackets allowing for all the differences with which they came out of the factory from model year to model year. ritpart warns that when you re installing one of these you may need to ma e some modifications to the transmission tunnel. This will for e ample be the case with a V8 model. Any alterations that are required will, however, only be minor.

14 | APRIL 2023

3pp Scene Products Mar 23.indd 14

4x4 14/03/2023 16:32

4x4 Magazine_2023_Mar_MAER ATS Ltd_FP.indd 1

14/02/2023 12:52

PRODUCTS

Truckman covers work and play with hard-top and accessory lines for new Ford Ranger THE NEW FORD RANGER HAS BARELY ARRIVED IN THE UK, but 4x4 accessory giant Truckman already has a range of kit available for the vehicle. These include a number of its own UK-made items, in addition to a selection of products brought here from the company’s Australian owner ARB. We’ve previously featured the ARB range, so here we’re going to concentrate on what Truckman itself has to offer. Given the company’s stellar reputation in the field o load space covers, it on t surprise you that the range leads ith a variety of new high-spec hard-tops.

These include the Grand, which features pop-out windows; the GLS, on which the side windows slide; the S-Series, with its trademark gull-wing doors; and the solid-sided L-Series. In every case, these have luxury interiors and remote central locking.

Truckman’s range also includes a choice of commercial hardtops which promise to transform the back of the Ranger into a mobile workshop. Principal among these is the cab-high Truckman RS, which can be customised for commercial clients with beacons, vents, racking and conduit to power electrical equipment in the truck bed.

Following on from these, the range will imminently be expanded to include high-roof options in the equally well known Truckman Classic and Utility.

Whichever top is right for your Ranger, you can instal Truckman’s customisable Decked drawer system inside it, giving you a twin-drawer storage system with which to organise the stuff you carry.

All the above are designed for commercial variants of the Ranger, however the Raptor hasn’t been forgotten about either. Truckman’s range for the performance-focused super-truck includes manual and electric Mountain Top tonneau covers as well as cargo carriers, bed dividers and sliding trays.

And if you like the look of the Raptor but need something a bit more practical (and taxman-friendly), you can go a little way towards it with Truckman’s heelarch it or the anger eavy-duty oor mats, hule roo bo es and cargo carriers are also included in the range ‘The Ford Ranger is a true workhorse that’s used by tens of thousands of leisure and commercial drivers across the UK,’ said Truckman boss Mike Wheeler. ’It allows us to showcase our capabilities as an OEM with a premium range of quality and practical accessories that meet the needs of drivers today.

‘Whether you will be taking your new Ranger out on a family adventure or around the most challenging construction site, this new collection offers a comprehensive mix of practical and stylish accessories.’

● Build cost of £50k+ (all receipts available) ● Modified and upgraded by Surrey Off-Road Specialists. ● Part of a private collection ● 4.0-litre straight-six, four-speed automatic transmission. ● Registered in April ‘05, re-registered January ‘21. ● Shake down (road) miles only since the upgrades were installed in ‘21. ● White with black bumpers, door mirrors, side rails and wheel arches, black soft-top roof. ● 15-inch Method wheels and BF Goodrich All Terrain T/A tyres with matching spare. ● WARN winch, ARB Intensity LED spotlights, a Safari snorkel, ARB air lockers all round, Price £21,995.00 J.W. Speaker, LED headlights, Professionally built Jeep Wrangler (touring off roader) adjustable Old Man Emu 4x4 Using a low mileage (60k) Japanese (rust free) TJ sport suspension from ARB, TeraFlex one-inch lift kit.

Jan ‘21, fitted with a host of desirable modifications. ● Recently MOT’d and serviced.

Vehicle located in Marlborough, Wiltshire

LE A S LER R G N FO A R 983 0 W 4 P 3 E 0 JE 86 7 0 l l a C

4x4 Magazine_2023_Mar_Arlington Packaging Ltd_HP.indd 1

16 | APRIL 2023

3pp Scene Products Mar 23.indd 16

08/03/2023 13:47

4x4 14/03/2023 16:33

PRODUCTS

Mountney steering wheels for giving your 4x4 the classic look Price: ca £145 plus VAT From: Britpart dealers THERE WAS A TIME WHEN A LAND ROVER’S STEERING WHEEL was only there to make it go round corners. Ugly to look at and nasty to hold but as tough as a rottweiler’s chew toy, an early Landy is not what you’d call an aesthetic masterpiece in this department.

But then along comes the modern world, in which old Land Rovers have transitioned into classics. You might want to take yours back to showroom or turn it into a retro street machine, but either way it’s all about the image. And that includes its steering wheel.

Obviously, these 15” Mountney jobs are not showroom. But they are very, very cool. Each has a three-spoke centre in polished aluminium, surrounded by a rivited wooden rim in a variety of styles for the traditional appearance of your choice. Seen here, the two wheels to the left and right have slotted spokes and a silver centre ring in a semi dished layout with a choice of natural or dar ened wood rims while the design in the middle has a at dish layout with holed spo es in a one piece design. n each case the wheels are fitted using a ountney boss it ma ing them suitable for a wide variety of whatever you fancy.

4X4

RLG Tyres

Tyres cheap. Not cheap tyres!!

OFFICIAL STOCKIST

The Leading Land Rover & Range Rover 4×4 Engine Specialists

• Engine Rebuilds & Servicing • Electrical Repair Work • Health Check • General Repair Work • Air Conditioning • Older & Classic Vehicles

Main supplier of and all major 4x4 tyres

Groundcare • Car • ATV • Tubes • Mobile Tyre Fitting Puncture Equipment & Repairs • Four Wheel Alignment Durrants Farm, Rushlake Green, Heathfield, East Sussex TN21 9QB

Workshop: 01435 830664 Mobile: 07710 372672 Email: chris@rlgtyres.co.uk

www.rlgtyres.co.uk

4x4

4x4 Magazine_2023_Feb_RLG Tyres_QP.indd 1

3pp Scene Products Mar 23.indd 17

A friendly, personal service with the professionalism of a larger dealership

Tel: 0203 542 0100 sales@4x4enginerebuilds.co.uk

www.4x4enginerebuilds.co.uk

Unit 16, Riverside Industrial Estate, 27 Thames Road, Barking IG11 OND

4x4 Magazine_2023_Apr_4x4 Engine Rebuilds_QP.indd 1 11/01/2023 17:23

| 17 APRIL 2023 08/03/2023 14:54

14/03/2023 16:33

PRODUCTS

ARB Y-strap promises security for your spare wheel Price: ca £28 plus VAT Available from: Britpart dealers

ONE OF THE FIRST THINGS THAT SHOULD BE ON YOUR LIST when you’re prepping for overland travel is to equip yourself with a second spare wheel. hich means that the second thing on your list is li ely to be to find somewhere to put it.

Your roof rack may well be home to a tent. But if it’s not, there’s an obvious answer right there. And to help you make the most of that obvious answer, ARB’s Wheel Y-Strap with Snap Lock Hooks is designed to make securing it as easy as possible.

This was designed with the eye bolt tie-downs on the Aussie company’s BASE Rack in mind, but will also work with other aftermarket eyelets. It features a tether strap and snap lock hooks, which ARB says will keep the wheel in place even in the event of the tyre de ating. This feature improves its ability to retain an unmounted tyre carcass, too.

The strap combines a 32mm ratchet with 32mm and 25mm polyester webbing, with snap lock hook ends which will always stay retained. Its one-metre length means it would take a pretty huge tyre to go beyond its capacity (this is ARB, after all), and its lashing capacity is rated to 500kg.

18 | APRIL 2023

4x4 Magazine_2023_Mar_Freelander Specialists_HPV.indd 1

3pp Scene Products Mar 23.indd 18

09/02/2023 16:02

4x4 14/03/2023 16:33

PRODUCTS

Maer shows work on prototype winch mount for current D-Max

MAER IS BEST KNOWN FOR ITS CHASSIS AND BULKHEADS, but the company is also currently developing a range of accessories for the current Isuzu D-Max. This includes a heavy-duty rear bumper which is already in production, and the company is also currently working on a hidden winch mount for the vehicle.

This is made from 6mm S355 SJ+N steel. Unlike some of the solutions on the market, which require you to spend more on top for towing points, it will come complete with 20mm shackle mounts. What you see here is a prototype; no indiction yet of what it will cost, but given the huge price of most options we reckon there’ll be no shortage of interest from the burgeoning ranks of D-Max owners.

High-performance cooling kits for V8 Range Rover

4x4 Magazine_2023_Feb_MAER ATS Ltd_QP.indd 1

11/01/2023 10:58

Prices: ca £330 plus VAT • Available from: Britpart dealers FEW THINGS GO TOGETHER LIKE A RANGE ROVER AND A V8 ENGINE. But also, few things go together like a V8 engine and overheating.

That’s why Britpart is now offering a range of Revotec cooling kits for versions of the Range Rover Classic running ye olde Buick lump. These include a fan controller, two 13” high-power suction fans and all the laser-cut brackets you’ll need to install them.

The kits use slimline Comex fans, which have balanced blades for quiet operation and are rated to run continuously. They’re also rated to IP68, so they won’t object to the odd dunking or life in a cloud of desert dust.

Running the fans is Revotec’s own electronic controller, which offers instant response no interruption to water ow and an ad ustable range of temperatures from 70-120°C. Installing it promises to be an easy job, with just three wires to connect and mounting the fans themselves re uires no permanent modifica tions to the vehicle.

Separate kits are available for V8 Range Rovers up to 1985, from ’85-’93 and soft-dash models from ’92-’94.

4x4 3pp Scene Products Mar 23.indd 19

See & be seen better with our High Quality, Plug & Play 6, 12 & 24v Interior, Dashboard, Exterior & Headlight LEDs. Our LED Headlights are MOT Compliant for Vehicles registered before 1.4.86 and all Motorcycles Designed for a wide range of Classics including our Warm White Range for a brighter but period look.

Complete car, part car and bespoke upgrade kits also available for many marques such as Healey, Land Rover, Jaguar, MG, Mini and Triumph.

FREE UK POSTAGE—WE POST WORLDWIDE DAILY 5% Off with voucher code Defender23 Email: sales@classiccarleds.co.uk

4x4 Magazine_2023_Apr_Classic Car LEDs_QP.indd 1

| 19 APRIL 2023 09/03/2023 15:15

14/03/2023 16:33

STILL OUT IN Following the launch of the new Defender, we soon concluded that the best version you could buy was the most basic.

Now, after so many new engines, spec levels and special editions, is the simplest, cheapest Defender still the one that will see you right?

Words: Olly Sack Pictures: Land Rover

W

hen we sat down to write this article, it as going to be a re ection of the two years that have passed since we drove what we felt was the best version of the new Defender. In basespec form, with steel wheels, coil springs and the entry-level D200 engine, the 90 we piloted up Fremington Edge and beyond was as close as you could get to a Defender with everything you need and nothing you don’t.

The question we were going to ask is whether that simplest of Defenders is still the best. The range has moved on since then with the addition of various engines and editions, not to mention a whole new wheelbase, but much as we’ve enjoyed every example we’ve driven, none have ever spoken to us the way the base-spec 90 did.

So we looked at the models listed on Land Rover’s website and of course, the base-spec 90 (and 110) aren’t there any more. So there goes the one e d actually have ta ing ith it the entire premise of this article.

Fortunately, the Defender Hard-Top is here to save us t s still available in hat ualifies as nofrills spec, with those same steel wheels and coil springs, but these days the D200 has made way for the D250 six-pot. A superb engine, we can tell you, having previously experienced it on board a 110, so apart from the inevitable consequence for the vehicle’s price it’s a step forward.

Ah, price. Go on then. At the time of writing, the Defender 90 Hard-Top listed at £51,365. Your friendly Land Rover main dealer will pretty much hold you hostage until you’ve bumped that up by at least 10% with options he’ll convince you

20 | APRIL 2023

4pp Defender 90HT.indd 20

4x4 14/03/2023 16:43

FRONT?

4x4 4pp Defender 90HT.indd 21

FEBRUARY 2023 | 33

14/03/2023 16:43

that you need, but in theory you could get one for that. Making this, almost unbelievably, one of the cheaper ways of getting aboard a real off-roader in today s mar et nd that figure includes , so if you’re suitably registered you can subtract 20% from it – at which point things become more interesting still. e ere ans o the ard- op hen e first drove it. In fact, that was the point at which we first suggested that the base-spec coiler is better to drive than the air-sprung models that make

up the rest of the range. So, whether or not in the absence of the station wagon model, is the entry-level e ender ard- op the best and Rover you can buy? o ans er this, let s go bac to that original e perience e had o the vehicle t the time, and Rover pointed out that around one in four Discoverys are vans hat s an astonishing proportion – and it just goes to show that if you don’t need a second row of seats, the appeal of sticking it to the ta man is strong

Here’s what the absolutely bog-standard, entry-level e ender ard- op gives you cruise control, headlamps, heated indscreen, fabric (not vinyl) seats, dual-zone climate, electric power-fold mirrors, 10” touchscreen, sat-nav, DAB, Apple CarPlay, 3D surround camera, 360-degree par ing aid and the latest version o errain Response, along of course with low range and full-time four-wheel drive. You also get a wide range o sa ety it and a five-star uro score to back it up.

Being a two-seater will inevitably limit the Hard-Top’s appeal, but as with the original Defender you can option it with a third. This is a lot better than the one in the old model – it’s a proper seat, for starters, even if you do still have to splay your legs to sit in it, and it folds down when not in use to create a useful console with cupholders and a stowage tray

22 | APRIL 2023

4pp Defender 90HT.indd 22

4x4 14/03/2023 16:43

Hard-Top models have a lockable stowage compartment under the rear floor – not much to write home about if you’re using it as a van, but if you’re one of the many customers who’ll make a taxmanstumping car out of it, a handy way of hiding the luggage you’d normally be locking away in the boot It’s notable for its white steel wheels, of course, which in our view look totally in keeping, and it’s just a two-seater – though you can specify a third which, very much unlike in the old Defender, is a proper seat. It folds down into a multi-function armrest when not in use, too – it costs the best part of a grand but it’s a very cleverly thought-out bit of kit.

If you don’t go for the third seat, a cubby box is also available on the options list. Either way, oddment stowage as standard is very good with a decent glovebox, deep, wide door pockets and a full-width tray within the dashboard whose rubberised surface makes it ideal for odds and ends.

Also very good is the space in the Defender’s seats, with plenty of leg and elbow room as well as so much headroom you could give the Pope a lift home and he wouldn’t even have to take his hat off. The full-height bulkhead separating the cab from the load area behind it is far enough back to let the seats slide fore and aft through a full range of adjustment, and they recline just as effectively too. ehind that bul head is a load area ith a at oor measuring mm long, mm ide and mm high here s also a loc able under oor stowage compartment, adding to a total cargo capacity o litres he side-hinged tailgate opens to reveal a gaping aperture, too overall, it’s so much better than the old Defender, the difference is almost comical. Payload capacity is g or models ith the engine, dropping to g or more ancier versions ith the more po er ul lump all are capable o to ing the all-important g

4pp Defender 90HT.indd 23

Since we’re on the sub ect, the has bhp and lb t hile the ups that to bhp and 479lbf.ft. Both are mated to an eight-speed auto bo as standard it’s as slick as you like, both engines are glorious and like all e enders, the basic is easy to drive es, even on simple coil springs (gasp).

Land Rover has been using air suspension for decades no , to the enormous financial detriment of its vehicles’ later owners, and there are certainly areas in which this can deliver real advantages in dynamics, ride and off-road ability. ut you no hat n coils, the handles like a Defender. A proper old-shape one, with all the playful body roll and gung-ho handling of a stubby short-wheelbase off-roader romping its way through corners. It’s involving, engaging, liberated robust but real, inviting you to chuc it around and ride the waves in a way no Land Rover has since the days be ore the di as saddled with anti-roll bars. It was, by some distance, the most fun we’ve had in a new-generation Defender. hat as the case hen e first drove the ard- op bac in and several e enders later, it’s still the case now. The range has quintupled since then to add SE, HSE, X-Dynamic S and models the latter costs , not a misprint) and for all the leather, alloys and air springs in the world, it’s the simplest and most

basic model that gets our vote – and, if only we had any, would get our money.

So, is the base-spec still the best and Rover you can buy? We’d say yes – though it’s not the same base-spec e started o riting about. The station wagon may have disappeared from Land Rover’s price list in this form, but the Hard-Top is more relevant anyway to an awful lot of people, and the short-wheelbase Defender is much more comfortable in its own skin when it doesn’t have to squeeze in an extra row of people.

Best of all, assuming a van works for you, all this makes it cheaper than ever (relatively speaking, at least – though the notion of cheapness can hardly be anything else). A Defender for , is decent value in today s mar et, not least because it’s so well equipped even in basespec form – but what matters most is the smile it will put on your face. It’s the one you buy because you can’t afford to go any further up the range – but what you get is a Defender that questions hy you ould ever do that he ard- op is the best Defender you can buy – and therefore by definition, it s still the best and over

14/03/2023 16:43

4X4 PLAYDAYS EVERY MONTH

For trade advertisements in

Slindon is open on the second and fourth Sunday of every month (BN18 0NB) 4x4 entry £35 per vehicle Quad Bikes £20 per rider (all riders 14 or over)

We specialise in organising 4x4 owners days and experiences at our 4x4off-road site at Slindon in West Sussex for owner-drivers

Please call Laura on

01233 228754

www.4x4driving.co.uk

Get in touch with us: Tel / Fax: 01903 812195 Mobile: 07802 582826

14/03/2023 4x4 Magazine_2023_Feb_Morgan 12:02 4x4_QP.indd 1 11/01/2023 11:04 LAND ROVER CLUBS: Book a free stand and receive Discounted off road course drive around tickets 4 staff passes and half price + Discounted Land Rover Experience Passenger ride time slots available! advance and on the day ticket prices for all your members.

4x4_Please Call_Filler_Laura_QP.indd 1

the

GREAT BRITISH VER SHOW LAND RO

➤ ➤

Drive your vehicle round our off road course Land Rover only parking areas + further features to be announced...

3!

202 N FOR

CATIO NEW LO

HEADLINE

SPONSOR

drich.co.uk

www.bfgoo

HALFPRICE TICKETS IN ADVANCE!

SAVE THE DATE AND BOOK IN ADVANCE FOR THE BEST PRICES! Bath and West Showground, Shepton Mallet, BA4 6QN NEW Saturday 29th & Sunday 30th July 2023 Stoneleigh Park, Coventry, CV8 2LG Sunday 19th November 2023 All the best Land Rover kit, parts and merchandise. Special show offers and exclusive deals

Find our exhibitor list online at

4x4_Composite_Apr23.indd 24

HALF-PRICE ADVANCE TICKETS NOW ON SALE! See website for more details and to buy tickets!

HEADLINE SPONSOR

www.bfgoodrich.co.uk

www.gblandrovershow.co.uk

Join our Facebook page for all the latest news about the show www.facebook.com/gblandrovershow

24 | APRIL 2023

BACK FOR 2023 – your chance to have a passenger ride in a new Defender + the latest vehicles from Land Rover with Land Rover Experience! – Book your time slot NOW! VIP Car Parking – Be Part of the Show!

SPONSORED BY

#GBLRS2023

4x4 14/03/2023 12:29

We sell everything but . . .

WWW.CAARPARTS.CO.UK

WITH OVER 350,000 PARTS & ACCESSORIES FROM OVER 300 INDEPENDENT MEMBER STORES

CLICK & COLLECT

Not all member stores currently offer buy online / collect in store but all stores offer a telephone ordering service.

Mech_2021_10_Oct_CAAR Parts_FP.indd 1 1 Car Mech_2022_05_May_CAAR Parts Ltd_FP.indd CAAR Parts Ltd_FP.indd 1

31/08/2021 09:51 14:36 16/03/2022 17:17 24/01/2023 15:28 14/03/2023

DEFENDER

BUYERS’ GU

IDE

T

here are many good reasons for wanting to own a Defender. Driving a British motoring icon, owning a forever vehicle, having a brilliant off-roader that’s ready for anything, investing in a car that never depreciates… every single one of them makes complete sense.

The Defender is the only car in the world that gets driven by a bloke-wot-goes-down-sewersin-big-muddy-boots, and also by the royals. It’s a farmer’s car and a rock star’s car. It’s the coolest thing on the planet, specifically because it s the least cool thing on the planet. A women’s mag once did a poll of its readers about the cars that blokes own, and Defender Man was far and away the one they all wanted to get into bed with.

Because Defender Man is not Up Himself Man. So there you are, a world of reasons for buying a Defender. And all of them are good.

But there’s also a world of reasons for buying the wrong Defender. And these are not so good.

26 | APRIL 2023

18pp Buyers Guide.indd 26

Most, however, come down the equivalent of screwing your eyes tight shut, sticking your fingers in your ears and going as loudly as you can while your inner voice of reason is trying to tell you something you know deep down is blindingly obvious. ecause li e the paint is a bad reason or buying a e ender, or e ample So is it s got big wheels on it.’ These are things you can sort out for yourself once the truck is yours.

There are of course many excellent Defenders with nice paint and big wheels, and any of them could ma e a fine purchase he problem comes when you’re loving the paint so much that you don’t bother checking to see that the low-mileage Tdi engine under the bonnet is actually a rough old TD, that the chassis number has mysteriously been ground off, that all the suspension bushes are in tatters, that the dashboard has been eaten by a dog, that the ground underneath it is completely covered in oil… you get the picture.

This purpose of this guide is to help you see the stuff that really matters. Whether you want to buy a Defender to use as a car, or you’re looking for a workshop project, people who know what they’re on about will always advise you to start with the best one you can afford. To help you do that, we’ve spoken to some of the most respected names in the and over game and gathered together their combined wisdom into one big list of things to think about when you’re shopping for a Defender – from where to go looking to what to do when you get it home.

There’s no such thing as a fully comprehensive bible of everything about buying a used car, let alone a used Defender. But our in-depth guide to examining a vehicle will help you pick a good one.

All that leaves you to do is choose the Defender that’s right for you. That’s not as easy as it might sound, because they’re all different – but this means that whatever you want from it, your ideal and over is definitely out there

4x4 14/03/2023 16:22

I F YOU’VE MADE IT THIS FAR IN LIFE, YOU ALMOST CERTAINLY KNOW THE NORMAL PLACES TO GO LOOKING FOR VEHICLES. FUNDAMENTALLY, IT COMES DOWN TO ONE BIG DECISION: TRADE OR PRIVATE. Some of the best, most decent and most honest people we’re ever met sell Land Rovers for a living. So too do some of the foullest; there are professional liars and indeed full-on criminals in the Landy game, just as there are elsewhere in the used car business, so it’s up to you to make sure you’re not dealing with one of them. Ask around among Land Rover or 4x4 club members on social media, and search for the company’s name to see what comes up. Just assume that every actual review you read online, whether good or bad, is fake – that’s why social media is good, because it’s an actual dialogue between you and real people.

Buying from a dealer means you’ll pay more for the vehicle than you would if you were going private. But you should get something for that extra money: the vehicle ought to come to you with a full, or at least a long, MOT, and it should be properly serviced before the dealer hands it over.

Legally, dealers have to offer a warranty with any used vehicle unless it’s sold as a trade sale. That may be one reason why so many of the private sellers you see on eBay are actually traders or maybe they re ust trying to dodge fees. Either way, you’ll need to make your mind up about ho honest they ll be i that s the first impression you get of them.

Anyway, dealer warranties vary in substance and quality. Many are, in effect, parts insurance policies bought through a third party, and they can have many exclusions. Some even exclude

4x4 18pp Buyers Guide.indd 27

oil leaks, which is a bit comical. You need to read the small print here – because if you’re paying an extra 10% to go with a dealer, you want some back-up.

Another way of buying is at auction, whether real or online. You must be very careful, though, because you risk paying out for an absolute stinker – not least because a lot of the Defenders sold at auction are the type that the experts try to avoid, li e e -site vehicles and eet motors that have been given a hard time and received grudging maintenance.

All the same, you can pick up a vehicle quite cheaply at auction, so it’s certainly an option if you re confident and illing to learn Start o by going along to a few and just watch – you’ll start to recognise the pros, so keep an eye on which vehicles attract their interest. This way, you’ll also start to spot vehicles that are bunged into sale after sale in the hope that sooner or later some mug will buy them.

Either way, be in no doubt that at an auction, you’re going to be up against people who’re better at it than you. The trade is a hotbed of experts who’ve been buying a selling Land Rovers for longer than you thought possible, and they know exactly what a vehicle is worth. Of course, they also have to be able to turn a profit on the Landies they buy, and you don’t, so there’s a sweet spot just above trade value where you might be able to take one home for less than it would cost on the forecourt – when the bidding reaches a point where the traders around you all pull out, you’re in business. Just don’t keep going too far beyond this.

Something else to be aware of about the trade is that if you see a Defender on private sale and

it hasn’t already gone, all the dealers in the area have already looked at it and knocked it back for being too expensive, too weird or a shed. If that sounds like rather a sweeping statement, consider this: there are Land Rover specialists with full-time members of staff whose only job is to scour eBay, Auto Trader and so on all day, every day for promising looking Defenders to buy.

Anything that comes up at the right price, they know about it within minutes. And anything that sticks around for ages, they know exactly when the seller will be ready to cut their losses and let it go for a big discount. Once again, you’re up against people who’re better at it than you – that doesn’t mean you should give up, but you need to be either very lucky or right on your game to get a good vehicle at the right price.

Chassis and body When you turn up to look at a Defender, it goes without saying that you don’t want it to be plastered in mud. Not only is this a sign of what might be called enthusiastic use, it might also suggest that the seller has left it there to hide something. Unless the guy is willing to get under there with a jet wash and make it right for you to examine, you have to assume the worst.

There’s a lot to examine, too. It may be that you’re buying the vehicle with a view to restoring it completely, hich is absolutely fine but either way, a new chassis or even just a replacement crossmember will cost strong money, and that’s the seller’s problem not yours.

Start by going all round the chassis, tapping it with a hammer. You want to hear the clang of metal on metal, not the crunch of rust. The chassis can trap mud, which will make it rust

APRIL 2023 | 27

14/03/2023 16:22

bove left galvanised chassis is an expensive investment, both in terms of buying it and the time it takes to t one ut an investment is exactly what it is – a efender that’s been rebuilt on one of these will always sell well, as a look at the prices they fetch will con rm Above right: If your Defender is still sound enough not to justify a full galvy rebuild, giving its chassis a thorough steam-clean then treating it with some sort of rust prevention product will rarely turn out to be a bad idea hen you nd out like this for sale, however, you do need to satisfty yourself that the seller hasn’t merely tried to hide a rusty disaster beneath a thick coat of underseal elow f you look up the term mud trap’ in a dictionary, you’ll nd a picture of a efender’s rear crossmember his is the absolutely classic area for rust on the vehicles’ chassis – so much so that you can have an otherwise rock-solid one whose strong, healthy metal gives way to a horror like this. On any other vehicle, you’d assume it had spent its life backing boat trailers into the sea

from the inside – or someone may have sanded it down and slapped underseal over it to hide the fact that it’s in a mess. If it’s in a beautiful looking condition, well, maybe that’s because it’s s beautiful as it seems. Just don’t hide from the fact that it might not be.

Look for rust on the bulkhead, too – this is horrendous to remedy. The door pillars are prone to it, especially around the door and windscreen hinges, as are the vent panel and windscreen sur-

round oo or signs o filler around the screen, as the surround can crack in an accident, and check that the rubber isn’t perished.

Next, move to the rear crossmember. This is an absolutely classic area for rust, even on a Defender that’s otherwise sound as a pound. For this reason, it needn’t be a deal-breaker, however there’s a good bit of work in replacing it and once again that’s for the seller to swallow, not you.

Check all the chassis outriggers, too – these

don’t trap mud quite as ferociously as the rear crossmember, but as a Defender ages they’re still likely to rust out before the main rails.

If this lot hasn’t yet provoked you into rejecting the vehicle outright, take a look at its bodywork.

Gaping holes are obvious, but do also examine the body cappings for small holes, peeling paint or bubbling, which are the sign of worse to come.

Check the bonnet, which can go rotten, and the doors. These are prone to corrosion, typically

The bulkhead is prone to rusting in various areas, all of them horrible to put right. You can see where the base of the A-post has been welded (far left), and note the paint bubbling up around the door hinge (left).

Replacing the windscreen seal (above) is one of those jobs it’s easy not to get round to, but let the rubber become perished and full of cracks and it’ll be a mainline for water to get into the bulkhead and start causing havoc

28 | APRIL 2023

18pp Buyers Guide.indd 28

4x4 14/03/2023 16:22

GRABBER 3 AT Your access to any adventure

EXCEPTIONAL DRIVE ON ANY TERRAIN • • • • •

Available for 15” to 22” rims Improved label rating for wet grip performance Features the next generation tread compound for improved cut resistance Designed for a more comfortable and quieter drive on the road Safe handling in all-seasons indicated by the three-peak mountain snowflake symbol (3PMSF)

NEW SIZES: 255/60 R20 - 113H XL, 255/65 R19 - 114H XL, 285/40 R22 - 110V XL, 285/45 R22 - 114V XL

BORN IN THE US IN 1915.

GENERAL TIRE. A BRAND OF CONTINENTAL.

ANYWHERE IS POSSIBLE

Visit our website for further technical information and details of your nearest 4X4 stockist

WWW.GENERALTIRE.CO.UK | 0870 112 9401 4x4 Magazine_2023_Apr_Southam Tyres_FP.indd 1

14/03/2023 09:35

A clonking noise when you get on and off the throttle during your test drive may well mean the end is in sight for one or more propshaft universal joints. Try moving them up and down by hand to look for signs of wear, and check to see if they’re rusting. A UJ that gets hot during use is going to want changing, too. If you can turn one end of the prop within the other, the splines in the sliding joint are being stripped away, and if the handbrake seems to work but doesn’t stop the vehicle from rolling away, it’s because it’s full of oil courtesy of a failed rear output seal in the transfer case. While you’re under the vehicle, try lifting each prop up and down just inboard of the axle – if there’s any movement in the drive flange, you have to assume the diff will need replacing along the bottom a e a visual loo first to ensure there isn t any agged metal aiting to tear at your esh, then run your finger along them to eel or bubbling paint or holes hile the doors are open, try li ting them up on their hinges they ve dropped a bit, chances are they re used to being slammed, in hich case the indo regulator is probably coming to bits hese are also prone to losing teeth, so ma e sure they or smoothly ear doors are some hat less li ely to rot out, but that doesn t ma e it unheard o there s an oversi ed spare heel on the bac , ho ever, its e tra eight is li ely to have crac ed the door inside you can obble the heel up and do n, it s not loo ing good and the antastically annoying noise it ill ma e a sort o metallic chatter means it on t sound good either ou on t need to listen out or it on your test drive, because it ll invade every corner o your brain

Drivetrain and overs clutches tend not to slip be ore letting go they ust brea up, so you go straight rom operation to none at all So you on t be able to tell i it s on the ay out o e amine the master cylinder or lea s, though nd loo out or e cessive sti ness and a graunching noise hen you press the pedal,

as these are signs that the release bearing is sei ing up nother problem on e enders ith the gearbo is that the actuating or , hich is made rom pressed steel, can ear through lmost all the vehicles you ll see ill have had at least one clutch replacement, and it s common to do this using a heavy-duty a termar et part hich ill last longer than the original e t comes the gearbo ach o these has its o n oibles and as this is a vulnerable and e pensive part o the vehicle, it s good to pay attention to it hen test driving the vehicle, try it in lo range, as you ve a better chance o sho ing up any ma or problems he Santana gearbo fitted to the is very strong, and you don t hear many tales o them brea ing t ill, ho ever, almost certainly be hining its brains out in all gears e cept ourth hich is direct drive hen you ta e it out on the road his is the laysha t bearings, and it s something you ve ust got to live ith i you re ect a because o it, you ll probably never o n one in your li e o be ary o really noisy ones, though the bearing ear means the gears and sha ts ill be running out o true, and their case-hardening ill be orn as a result he main trouble ith the is mainsha t ear, though this didn t become a ma or problem

until the days o the early di engines isten or clon ing as you go on and o the throttle this could also be coming rom the - rame, suspension bushes or prop s, though, or indeed any combination o the above he ay to confirm that the mainsha t is orn is to put the trans er bo in neutral and the main bo in gear, then ta e your oot o the clutch and let the engine idle you hear a horrible clac ing noise, it s the gear obbling about on a orn mainsha t n the end, the splines ill spin right off the shaft. he is a great bo in operation but in the early days it seemed to su er more or less every ailing under the sun ainsha t ear shouldn t be among these, as and over had thought to put an oil ay in there by this stage, though that s hat happened to a di e used to o n hen it had a ull service history and , miles on the cloc t any rate, uality improved mar edly as time ent on and most ill have been rebuilt at least once by no , probably ith more s ill and better parts than hen they ere first manu actured ou don t hear as many moans about the si -speed unit on uma models rom on, ho ever some issues did e ist including a problem ith it getting stuc in first gear hese do appear to have been mainly limited to early

Left: CV joints don’t last forever, to put it mildly. Listen out for a clicking noise on full lock as you circle slowly (do this in both directions) – a sure sign that one of them is not long for this world. The chrome swivels need to be in good condition, too – which means no rust or pitting, and no momement on their pins Right: Look for spatters of oil on the roadwheels, which mean the hub bearing is about to die – as does any movement when you try to rock the wheel in and out. You don’t want to see any worn splines where the halfshafts meet the drive flanges, either

4x4 18pp Buyers Guide.indd 30

14/03/2023 16:23

From roof tents and awnings to cookware and barbecues, LVB supplies all your overland and camping requirements.

Sole UK Bush Company importer

UNIT 10 Gunhills Lane Industrial Estate, Armthorpe, Doncaster DN3 3EF

4x4 Magazine_2023_Apr_LVB_HP.indd 1

14/03/2023 09:58

4x4 Magazine_2023_Apr_KS International_HP.indd 1

08/03/2023 14:40

4x4

4x4_Composite_Apr23.indd 31

APRIL 2023 | 31

14/03/2023 12:30

Engine Obviously, what you look for under the bonnet depends on the 90 you’re buying and which engine it’s got. Equally obviously, though, there are general things you want to see – a decent level of cleanliness, metal that hasn’t turned to rust and proper wiring that hasn’t turned into a rat’s nest.

Talking of which, we looked in a Defender’s engine bay once and found an actual nest, which we took as a sign… ots o non-standard parts can be a red ag, depending on hat you re buying. The same might be said about a non-standard engine, too – there’s probably no other vehicle in existence in which you’re more likely to see a replacement lump. These aren’t to be feared as such, though obviously they add an unknown quantity to the purchase – especially if the seller can t sho you a receipt to prove that a it as fitted pro essionally, and b its real owner would very much like it back.

Japanese diesels were a popular option for repowering early 90s, and at the opposite end o the scale people li ed to fit s o various degrees o rudeness. Probably the most common repower option in early Defenders is Land Rover’s own Tdi – a great choice, though the majority of these engines came from Discoverys and had to be adapted to suit. Again, this isn’t barge-pole stuff, but you want the seller to be open and honest about it from the word go.

Whatever engine you’re looking at, check for signs that the radiator core is rotting out. If the back is stained with antifreeze, that’s a dead ‘un, and the same can be said for if it crumbles away when you run a biro down it.

Of course, the same is the case if it’s totally clogged with baked mud.

Moving on to the engines themselves, the 2.25 petrol and diesel units are so rare your chances o finding one that s not already in a museum or private collection are verging on ero hings to loo or i you do find one include tappet noise and a badly set-up twin-choke Weber carb on the petrol, and deafening noise, vibrations and smoke on the diesel. The petrol engine is the more reliable of the two, but these are Series II engines and neither was really intended for the kind of speeds and mileages the more modern Defender is built to do.

The 2.5 petrol, too, is one you won’t see very often. It was more common than the 2.25, and lived on into the mid-1990s as an option that was taken up by a number o eet users, but once sold on into private hands almost all ere pulled out and replaced by dis or apanese diesels you find one, it ll be more refined than you e pect and reliability ought to be good but as always, look out for oil leaks. This engine retained the 2.25’s timing chain, so that’s one source of concern taken care of.

The 2.5 diesel was less gutless than the 2.25, but that still leaves a lot of room. It’s a noisy, shaky old thing, but is also very simple and reliable – at least now all the bad ones have either been completely rebuilt or simply fallen to bits. Ask when the cam belt was last changed, and look for a recent this matters because they can be tric y to get through emissions hec or oil lea s, too, and pull the filler cap o once it s running, to see i it s chu ng out smo e li e a train The 2.5 TD, too, offers you the rather cold comfort of knowing that if it’s lasted this long, it’s probably one of the alright ones. The classic complaint was cracks in the top of the pistons; oil leaks and ingested turbos

bove left hese days, you’ll be doing well to nd a efender with a -litre engine – most have long since been replaced, but any that do remain with them tend now to be in the hands of collections he petrol unit, as seen here, is more common – it lasted until ugust , whereas the diesel was replaced in anuary and never tted in the t’s worth considering that this was a eries engine, and never designed for the sort of mileages the later and overs were built to cover bove centre he n a diesel was tted in massive numbers and is particularly common on ex-military s and s t’s slow and unre ned, but very willing and dependable – though getting it through the emissions test can be a tricky business bove right he was prone to cracks in the block and the tops of the pistons, as well as failed bearings, oil leaks and ingested turbos he good news is that if it’s lasted this long, one of these engines has either been rebuilt already or it’s one of the ones that was put together properly in the rst place elow left his particular di is unbelievably well presented, but ust because the average one looks a lot less shiny than this doesn’t mean it’s not ust as good he di is famed for the immense mileages it can rack up on nothing more than a regular diet of oil changes, though it’s uite fond of the occasional head gasket too elow centre he di is much the same as the in terms of what you want to look for egular oil changes made all the difference, and both these engines appreciate regular cam belt changes he is more comples and less suited to maintenance, though elow right hen it comes to unsuitability for maintenance, the d has all earlier engines on toast he rmy re ected it because you need diagnostics when anything goes wrong, and as well as its electronics it was saddled with emissions control e uipment that’s an expensive failure waiting to happen t’s a popular engine with tuners, too, so be wary if it shows signs of having been pushed hard

32 | APRIL 2023

18pp Buyers Guide.indd 32

4x4 14/03/2023 16:23

bove left efenders with a factory- tted -litre are extremely sought after hey’ve been commanding a premium on the used market almost since before they had stopped being made amshaft wear is possible, but the most common problem people have with them is not being able to set up the twin carnurettors to work properly together bove right f you thought the was sought-after, try the scale – because it’s a th nniversary special edition

-litre f you nd a efender with one of these, it will be priced off the

elow left ome early examples of the i were replaced due to a fault causing oil starvation, but by and large this is an engine with the ability to cover enormous distances if maintained correctly he later i has a better reputation both are known for their longevity, but most efender owners will tell you the d and both di engines are better to drive

were also common, and early (pre-1988) examples were prone to failed main and big end bearings, as well as cracked blocks. Much was down to maintenance, however – and time has shown that if looked after properly, a can rac up a lot o miles t s still not a very refined engine, but the awful reputation it once had has softened over time. s e ve said else here, i you manage to find an original -litre you’ve got a rarity on your hands. These have sold at a premium on the second-hand market almost since they were still being made, and it’s considered a ready-made classic now. The main issues are camshaft wear, which saps performance, and poorly adjusted twin carbs. Setting these up is a bit of a dark art, and they need to be adjusted properly to work together in balance. bviously, i you re buying a these days it s because or one reason or another, fuel economy doesn’t matter to you. However the truth is that because you had to thrash them to achieve any sort of performance, most of the other engines in the range were just about as thirsty – and by not needing to be treated this ay, the didn t ear as badly Something to bear in mind if you do come across one now.

Both Tdi engines are capable of getting you to the moon and back if you keep them serviced on the nose and stick religiously to the oil change schedule. They have a fondness for timing belts, however, so this is something else that needs changing by the book (or more frequently still, if you’re using the vehicle in arduous conditions). Head gaskets are prone to blowing on the 200 Tdi, too, and this needs remedying pronto if the

4x4 18pp Buyers Guide.indd 33

cylinder head is to live through the process o ever the di as more complex and less suitable for DIY maintenance.

The Td5 went an awful lot further down that road, however, with its extra electronics and emissions-control equipment. When it was new, people said it signalled the end of the owner-maintainable Defender; time has shown that this is only partially true, however it certainly is the case that without diagnostic computers, you’ll be struggling to keep up with one of these. Turbo failure is not unheard-up, and nor are oiled looms or cracked cylinder heads, but given the number of them being worked hard on and off-road this is still a good, reliable unit. Be wary of how incredibly popular they are with tuners, however – it’s all very well to lean on the Td5 if you want a 200bhp Defender, but that will only ever do one thing to the engine’s life expectancy.

Despite being just as complex and packed with electronics as the Td5, both the 2.4 and 2.2 TDCi are known for their ability to cover vast distances. Once again, maintenance is key; if anything does go wrong, it’s likely to be either emissions-control equipment like the EGR valve or on the oil pressure side. Problems with the injectors are not unknown, either.

Land Rover also recognised that some early 2.4s suffered a heavy knocking noise when cold which was symptomatic of oil starvation in the lower cylinder bores. Any engines with this problem should have been long since changed under warranty, but if you’re looking at a 2.4 you should specifically tell the seller you ant to hear it starting rom cold as part o your test drive.

APRIL 2023 | 33

14/03/2023 16:23

Another potential source of clonking noises when you jump on and off the gas is a worn A-frame ball joint. Give it a heave with a pry bar – if it will go up and down, you’ll be needing to replace it before much time has passed models, however – though the box itself was made for the Ford Transit, so it’s different in nature to those in earlier Defenders.

Beyond the gearbox, check to see that both the transfer case functions (high/low ratio and diff lock) are working. If you get no response, it might be the linkage that’s broken, or something within the box itself. Either way, even if you only ever intend to use the vehicle on the road it needs to be right.

Next up, grab hold of the front propshaft just ahead of the transfer box and try to lift it up and down. If you can move it, the front bearing will need replacing – and it may have taken the centre diff with it.

Both transfer box outputs are prone to oil leaks. You can check the front one by looking for drips, while the back one ends up giving the handbrake a bath. If the handbrake feels as if it’s working but doesn’t stop the vehicle rolling, oddson it’s swimming in oil from the transfer box.

Propshaft UJs are prone to wear, and may clonk when you go on and off the throttle. Try moving them up and down by hand, and look for signs of rusting. Also, after a test drive, look out for a UJ that’s hot to touch. No, don’t stick your finger in it to find out Sliding joints are harder to inspect, but check that you can’t turn one end of the propshaft within the other – a certain sign of stripped splines.

What’s more likely, especially on later ones with te on-coated splines, is that they ll sei e up, in which case the UJ’s life expectancy is negligible.

Check the front and rear diffs by grabbing the propshaft just inboard of the diff and trying to lift it up and do n the pinion drive ange moves, you’re looking at a diff which is badly adjusted and possibly worn. While you’re about it, look for oil leaks from the diffs. In the unlikely event that you’re looking at an original V8, these had fourpin diffs – which change hands for absolutely staggering prices.

Go round in tight circles on full lock in both directions. If you hear a clicking noise, a CV joint is on its way out. Check the chrome swivels for rust or pitting, as these cost proper money to replace, and look for movement on the swivel pins.

Check the condition of the hub bearings by looking for spatters of oil on the wheel, and by

grabbing the top of each tyre in turn and trying to rock the wheel in and out. Then pull the dust covers off and get the seller to rock the vehicle back and forth while you look for worn splines where the hal sha ts go into the drive anges Finally, check the tyres. If you’re planning a proect, this is apt to be one o the first things you ll be changing, but that’s still no reason to accept a vehicle rolling on a set o ditch-finders, o -roading casualties or worn-out MOT failures that’ll get you a fi ed penalty on the ay home

Suspension Unless you’re talking about a late, low-mileage uma, it s e tremely rare no to find a e ender that’s still on its original springs and shocks.

The latter are most likely to have come from the aftermarket – there’ll always be someone trying to make a buck by importing a box full of garbage or knock-offs and punting it out on one of the usual online sites, but so long as it’s a brand you recognise and, ideally, the seller has a receipt from a proper Land Rover specialist, you ought to be alright.

The bounce test is still an essential part of your inspection, at any rate. Bounce each corner o the vehicle up and do n in turn i it eeps bouncing after you let go, the shock in that corner is going to need replacing. And that means the one on the opposite side of the vehicle is going to have to go, too, because for safety reasons you should only ever change them as axle sets. The same goes for all friction parts on the brakes, of course.

Also look at the rear shock bushes and, if they’re worn, the mounting holes. These may have to be built back up if the vehicle has been run for a long time in that condition.

The springs aren’t as complicated as the shoc s, but every no and again you ll find a Defender with a broken one. This isn’t the end of the world, because changing it won’t be a big job, but if the guy’s been running about with it in that state what else has he been letting go? It’s a sign of abuse or neglect at best.

A more common problem you might see is hen a vehicle has been modified badly someone has fitted shoc s ith longer travel than the springs were designed to provide, the

first time they e it up o -road the spring is going to be li ted out o its seat and unless the vehicle has dislocation cones, when the axle comes back into position the spring will end up out of position. Cue some spectacular vibrations at road speed.

Talking of axle travel, lots of this means death for suspension bushes. You have to accept that these have a limited lifespan – but at the same time, the guy doing the selling has to accept that this doesn t mean it s o ay to try and og you a Defender that needs a whole new set just so you can get it home safely.

As we’ve already mentioned, jumping on and off the throttle during your test drive may well cause a clonking noise. After checking for the dreaded mainshaft wear or a knackered universal joint in one of the propshafts, take a look at the suspension. Favourite culprits are the A-frame ball joint and trailing arm bushes, so get underneath with a pry par and go through the whole lot.

If the A-frame ball joint will go up and down when you put leverage on it, it’s worn; if the suspension bushes will go sideways or up and down, they are too. Look for bits of metal or rubber hanging out of them, as well as rust around the bolts.

If the vehicle tries to torque-steer under acceleration or deceleration, the rear radius arm bushes could be at fault. If it wanders about a straight line and pulls to one side under braking, those at the front are also suspect.

Right: Relocation cones became incredibly popular about 20 years ago among people building Defenders for hardcore off-road action. They’re less common now, but you might nd a vehicle whose shocks allow longer travel than its springs. In this case, without a relocator the spring won’t reseat itself properly after flexing out Far right: Yet another source of clonking noises is worn trailing link bushes. This polyurethane one looks pukka, but have a go with your pry bar and look for side-toside or up-and-down movement – if you nd any, it’s knackered

34 | APRIL 2023

18pp Buyers Guide.indd 34

4x4 14/03/2023 16:23

Above left: Worn out joints in the drag link and track rod are very common – one of the classic MOT fails. The joints can become seized into the tube, too, which is a whole new world of pain. If the steering damper is getting towards the end of its life, the likely result is that it will send shudders back up through the wheel Above right: Another source of shuddering through the steering wheel is worn panhard rod bushes. That’s a thing with Defenders – there are many symptoms that can come from lots of different ailments. Once again, get a pry bar on the case and look for movement in the bushes, as well as visible signs of deterioration like bits of rubber and metal hanging down from them

4x4 Magazine_2023_Feb_PS Autoparts_EP.indd 1

16/01/2023 16:11

COMPLETE READY TO DRIVE CARS OR SELF BUILD KITS • Build manuals & full kits, & ready-made bodies available controlled speed, lights, horn, • Manual includes full component • Pre-cut panel sets and body cutting dimensions & ready-made bodies available • Battery powered DIY kits or parts • Manual includes full component For more information please contact 01291 626141 sales@toylander.com www.toylander.com and body cutting dimensions

COMPLETE READY TO DRIVE •CARS BatteryOR powered kits or parts SELFDIY BUILD KITS

For more information please contact 01291 626141

sales@toylander.com • Build manuals www.toylander.com & full kits,

COMPLETE READY TO DRIVE controlled speed, lights, horn, CARS OR SELF BUILD KITS

• Pre-cut panel sets • Build manuals & full kits, & ready-made bodies available controlled speed, lights, horn, • Manual includes full component • Pre-cut panel sets and body cutting dimensions & ready-made bodies available • Battery powered DIY kits or parts • Manual includes full component COMPLETE READYsales@toylander.com TO DRIVE For more information please contact 01291 626141 COMPLETE www.toylander.com and body cutting dimensions READY TO DRIVE

CARS OR SELF BUILD KITS

CARS OR SELF BUILD KITS It was bound to come up sooner or later, wasn’t it? Defenders are • Build manuals & full kits, • Build controlled speed, lights, horn,manuals & full kits, legendary for their ability to leak fluid from places where most controlled speed, lights, Toylander is looking for builders tohorn, • Pre-cut panel sets vehicles don’t even have places. Some of this is down to rubbish • Pre-cut panel sets & ready-made bodies available DIY maintenance, some is down to cheap aftermarket seal kits assemble our vehicles, either from & ready-made bodies available • Manual includes full component and some is down to OE parts that never deserved to be on such •workshop, Manual includes full component home or at our and body cutting dimensions an illustrious vehicle in the rst place n some cases, it’s obvious and body cutting dimensions • Battery powered DIY kits or parts what the fluid is and where it’s coming from, but in others you need • Battery poweredinfo DIY kits at or parts Please contact us for more For more information please contact 01291 626141 sales@toylander.com www.toylander.com to look up. What you see here could have come from a number of For more information please contact 01291 626141 sales@toylander.com www.toylander.com hr@toylander.com different places, including the PAS box, which is extremely prone to leaking – so much so that in cold weather, the metal of its can Forbody more information please contact 01291 626141 sales@toylander.com www.toylander.com For more information please contact 01291 626141 sales@toylander.com www.toylander.com contract enough to let fluid out past the seal

4x4 18pp Buyers Guide.indd 35

4x4 Magazine_2023_Apr_Toylander_QP.indd 1

APRIL 2023 | 35

14/03/2023 10:24

14/03/2023 16:23

Above left, centre: Brake discs should be free of pitting, grooving and of course rust. A certain amount of wear is inevitable, unless they’re being sold as having ust been tted, but this should be in a good, uniform pattern that shows the pad is making even contact with the disc If the disc is wafer-thin, it’s ready for the scrap bin – and, worse, it’s a sign that the seller has been putting off what is essential maintenance.

Brakes can be cruddy even on an otherwise straight-looking Defender – note also the mud trappped on the upper spring mount here Above right: Something else that can happen on otherwise tidy Defenders is that the rigid brake lines start to rust. That’s a full replacement ob for the seller to spring for if you nd it

Steering and brakes ot all e enders ere fitted ith po er-steering, but many early ones either had it as an option or have gained it since then ost people see it as being more or less essential, though it does add something e tra to go rong hec the S bo very care ully or lea s, as it s incredibly prone to them believe it or not, during very cold eather the metal can contract enough to let uid out around the seal he condition o the pump is also important as, i it starts to brea up, bits can get into the uid and rec the bo any S bo es s ueal on ull loc as a matter o course, so don t be alarmed by this, but get the seller to aggle the heel rom side to side and listen or other noises as the system or s ry heaving the heel rom side to side yoursel , too, to loo or play in the bo this can be ad usted out to an e tent, but a S bo ill probably respond to the disturbance by lea ing orn drag lin s and trac rod ends are a classic ail, so loo or these too and ma e sure the oints aren t sei ed into the trac rod or drag lin tube ne other potential source o trouble is the steering damper, hich ill cause shudders to come bac through the steering i

it s in a bad ay his can also be caused by orn panhard rod bushes, though, so don t ump to conclusion he most simple ay o chec ing the bra es is to pull up sharply a e times you stop in a straight line, chances are they re or ing properly you don t, they might still be fine, as this can also be caused by orn suspension bushes aving pulled up sharply, no pull up really sharply nsuring you re some here sa e, stand on the bra e pedal to see i all our heels loc up bviously, this on t or so ell on a eender ith S ea ing bra e cylinders are incredibly common, though there s no ay o e amining them ithout starting to dismantle things you find the bra es are or ing o ay, you have to assume the cylinders are in good condition he same doesn t go or the rigid bra e lines, though get underneath the vehicle and loo or signs o them rusting, hich is something that can happen even on a e ender that s other ise sound amine the discs, hich you should chec or ear, pitting, rusting and grooving a e sure the pad is ma ing even contact ith the disc i it s not, the ear pattern ill ma e it very obvious indeed ou ant the disc to have plenty o meat

on it, too i it s a er-thin, the seller has been cutting corners and is leaving hoever buys his truc to ma e it right our choice as to ho you choose to e press this to him n pree enders ith drum bra es at the rear, these sometimes su er rom sei ed cylinders hey may also s ueal in operation hich could be do n to ear, or simply be because they re ull o dust

Interior e ve all seen e enders that loo s eet rom the outside but hen you open the door it s li e brea ing the seal on a portal to hell nd the state o the cabin is normally a good indication o the o ner s approach to maintenance in general, so don t ignore it i it s in a state bviously, unless you re buying some million- uid mod ob you needn t e pect lu ury Still, i the dashboard has had lumps noc ed out o it, been drilled ull o holes or been eaten by a dog, it s a sign that the rest o the vehicle has probably been treated that ay too and even i it hasn t, do remember that second-hand e ender dashes don t come either easy or cheap mouldy or damp interior, mean hile, is a sign that the vehicle hasn t been driven in ages or,

Above: A Defender’s interior is designed to work for its living, and a certain amount of war wounds is to be expected. All the same, when you’re taking on someone else’s old truck you need to be aware of what he or she has done to it. A few extra brackets and switches might not be much of a worry – but if the dashboard has been blown full of more holes than Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, it’s going to be a mess however you look at it

36 | APRIL 2023

18pp Buyers Guide.indd 36

4x4 14/03/2023 16:23

The UK’s largest range of Land Rover chassis Richards Chassis have been manufacturing and supplying high quality replacement Land Rover chassis in the UK since 1984. See our website for the entire range, or give us a call to discuss your requirements.

Series I • Series II & IIa • Series III • Defender • Discovery 2

UP TO 12 MONTHS INTEREST FREE CREDIT AVAILABLE NOW ON ALL OUR PRODUCTS. Call our sales team to find out more.

Web: www.richardschassis.co.uk

Tel: 01709 577477

Email: info@richardschassis.co.uk

Unit F2, Swinton Bridge Industrial Estate, Whitelee Road, Swinton, Mexborough, S64 8BH 4x4 Magazine_2023_Feb_Richard Chassis_FP.indd 1

17/01/2023 09:17

Inside Info • Find out where the vehicle has spent most of its life. If it’s been in the north of Scotland, by the coast or in some other hostile environment, look extra carefully for rust. A towbar that could have been used for pulling a boat should set off alarm bells, too Some di-era e enders, i they ve come rom eets, may still have one o the older engines So don t assume you re getting a di ust because the vehicle is of that age. Look through the grille and check that the silver-coloured intercooler is there beside the radiator – if the radiator goes the whole way across, you know it’s not a Tdi • Prices can vary wildly for seemingly identical vehicles. It might just be down to the seller’s expectations – or, more likely, they may not be as similar as they look • Be realistic about what you’re going to spend - not just on buying the vehicle, but on running it. If you buy one for £7000 and spend £3000 on it in the first year, it ll still be nothing li e as good as one you could have had or , originally • All things being equal, pick-ups don’t fetch as much money as hard-tops, and Countys make more than either. Soft-tops are rare but popular with enthusiasts. If you’re thinking about buying one and converting it to a soft-top, check out the price of a set of hood sticks before committing yourself • If the back of the vehicle is all scratched up, that’s a sign that it has been used for serious load-carrying. Likewise a heavy-duty tow-bar. Defenders are built to cope with this sort of use, but it’s better if they haven’t had to • Look at the seats and dashboard. If they’re in good condition, it’s likely that the owner has looked after the rest of the vehicle, too

again, that the seller doesn’t care about looking after his truck. Don’t be too worried about splits in the seat fabric, though, as this isn’t usually as bad as it looks, but that doesn’t mean you should shrug your shoulders if the seats are completely destroyed. Check the belts while you’re about it, too – and look at the bottoms of the seat boxes, which are a favourite spot for corrosion.

At the opposite end of the scale, you’ll see Defenders that have had vast sums of money spent on their interiors. The results can be incredibly classy – but if it hasn’t been done to your personal taste, even a very expensively created cabin can look horrendous. Again, it’s not necessarily a reason to reject a vehicle – but while it might cost a pretty penny to sort out, you needn’t expect the seller to knock anything off because you happen not to share his taste… nor

indeed to be very impressed when you suggest that he should.

Doing the Deal If you’ve taken a punt on an eBay auction and somehow not been outbid at the last minute by a time waster with zero feedback, congratulations.

You’ve just won a mystery prize which may well destroy the next portion of your life. Hopefully you’ve skipped right to the end of this article, because there’s nothing in rest of it that will be able to save you. Good luck, though.

If you’re buying from a dealer, be sure you’re getting a level o support that ustifies the price you’re paying. You want a fresh MOT with no advisories, a blemish-free service record and a warranty that means what it says. As we mentioned above, read the small print.

In private sales, obviously the MOT and service record remain very desirable. You’ll already have checked the vehicle’s MOT history on the DVLA website – it’s okay for a seller to obscure the number plate in his pictures for security, but if he’s wary about disclosing it in a private message you need to assume he’s trying to stop you seeing something.

The same goes for a matching set of numbers on the chassis, engine and so on. Stealing Defenders and stripping them for parts is a major criminal industry, and one that’s the scourge of all honest Landy owners; if you come across one whose ID has been hidden, or whose numbers don’t match up, you must assume you’re looking at stolen goods. Quite apart from the moral case against this, just because you paid money for one in good faith doesn’t mean

It may sound suspicious to the point of paranoia, but Defenders frequently tend to be loaded with bolt-on kit and accessories. If you go to view one, do the deal and arrange to go back later to pick it up, what guarantee do you have that all that kit won’t have been bolted back off again in the meantime? Of course, now you don’t want the vehicle any more, because you know the seller’s a crook, but he’s got your money and what a surprise, when you turn up and discover this he just happens to have half a dozen big psycho-looking mates round at the time and they’re all tooled up. We don’t want you thinking that all Land Rover sellers are crooks, but they certainly do exist. Get a receipt that fully details everything on the vehicle – including the wheels and tyres, and even the engine and gearbox, because there are people out there who’d think nothing of swapping any of these things for cheaper and/or duff ones while your back is turned. If at all possible, taking the truck home with you there and then is the best way of ensuring this doesn’t happen

38 | APRIL 2023

18pp Buyers Guide.indd 38

4x4 14/03/2023 16:23

you can’t have it taken off you when the law catches up with it. Buyer beware.

Ringing round a few insurance companies is likely to score you some wildly varying quotes, especially on a modified vehicle Some insurers will refuse to touch a Defender without it having a trac ing device fitted, hile others simply don t understand what Land Rovers are all about. If you’re talking to someone who thinks it’s a performance car because it has a 2286cc engine, for example, it’s time to talk to someone else…

Obviously, negotiating a price is all about what you’ve found wrong with the vehicle. We’ve not included a price guide in this article, simply because for so many Defenders it’s simply a case o putting your finger in the air and also because once you get back to before about 2005, so few of them are standard that you’re almost

18pp Buyers Guide.indd 39

never comparing like for like. Original examples always attract a premium, however, especially if they’re rarities such as the special editions mentioned elsewhere in this article, and if it’s a bona fide classic you can ust about name your price Much as traditional Defender fans like to deride them, ‘bling’ vehicles also attract a lot of attention when they come up for sale. While a modified o -roader is li ely to etch less than a standard one, a street machine with a quality paint ob and a classy interior can do very ell indeed though by the same to en, and over buyers are a knowledgeable lot and a crummy effort at hopeful money will get short shrift.

Whatever you buy, if it’s loaded with accessories you need to be sure that they’ll still be there when you go back to collect it. Ideally, you want to take the vehicle away then and there, but if not you should get a ‘sold as seen’ receipt which lists everything relevant. This sounds incredibly cynical and suspicious, but we’ve heard all sorts of stories you don t ant to find that the nice ne set of wheels and tyres you thought you were getting has turned into a manky old set of steels with a bunch of mismatched remoulds on them.

We’d even counsel you to check that the engine number and so on hasn’t changed when you go back to collect your new truck.

With that, you’re ready to drive home. Did we mention the unbelievable level of road tax on some Defenders? There’s no a lot you can do about that one, but it’s worth swallowing if it happens to apply to your ideal truck. This is, after all, a purchase which, if you look after it, will last you the rest of your life without ever depreciating.

Which is one of the main reasons why, however much o a minefield it may seem, buying a and Rover Defender is the best thing you’ll ever do.

Buy Like a Pro As well as grilling our panel of experts on what to look at when buying a Defender, we asked them about the kind of vehicles they like to deal with – and the kind they try to avoid. Each has his own preferences, but in general terms the same answers kept cropping up time after time…

Likes • Pampered, privately owned vehicles • Ex-utility Defenders that have been looked after and haven’t been hammered • Late models in good condition • Tdis that haven’t been neglected • Honest Td5s that haven’t been excessively messed about with Straight umas ith ull service history in factory-standard condition • Anything with good history and not too many previous owners

Dislikes • Ex-site vehicles • Anything showing signs of having had a very hard life • Pre-Tdi diesels ery highly modified o -roaders • Vehicles whose engines have been tuned to a ridiculous degree • Interiors that look like a dog’s dinner, or a tart’s handbag • Any Defender that’s going to have had dozens of different drivers

14/03/2023 16:23

We currently stock O.E. propshafts for many 4x4 models, but we are proud to have also spent time developing our own “Extreme” range. For the majority of 4x4 vehicles we can offer an upgraded propshaft option, whether you need greater angle, longer splines or larger torque capacity (which may give increased potential life-expectancy).

Why choose “Extreme?”

Wide Angle Operation - Double Cardan Joints - Heavy Duty Universal Joints Upgraded sliding assembly - Higher Torque Capacity - Heavy Duty Tubing www.baileymorris.co.uk • T:+44(0)1480 216250 • E:sales@baileymorris.co.uk

Bailey Morris_HP.indd 1

14/03/2023 12:18

WWW. TIMFRYLANDROVERS .CO.UK parts@timfrylandrovers.co.uk | service@timfrylandrovers.co.uk | sales@timfrylandrovers.co.uk | salvage@timfrylandrovers.co.uk

TIM FRY LANDROVERS KING ALFRED WAY | BATTLEDOWN CHELTENHAM | GL52 6QP

4x4 Magazine_2023_Feb_Tim Fry Land Rover_HP.indd 1

40 | APRIL 2023

4x4_Composite_Apr23.indd 40

12/01/2023 16:13

4x4 14/03/2023 12:30

WHITECLIFF 4X4 A5 2019b:ad

7/5/19

11:00

Page 1

Whitecliff Off-Road Centre www.whitecliff4x4.co.uk

RIES

CCESSO

RTS & A

JEEP PA

- Suspension Lift Kits - Wheels & Tyres - Recovery Bumpers - Skid Plates - Replacement Parts - Winches

4x4 4x4 Off-Road Off-Road Driving Driving & & Training Training Introductory Introductory & & Advanced Advanced Courses Courses BORDA BORDA Qualified Qualified Instructors Instructors

- Soft Tops - Axle Regearing - Diff Locks - LED Lighting - Roof Racks - Camping USE CODE "4X4

OFFERING A FITMENT SERVICE IN OUR SPECIALIST WORKSHOP FACILITY

1:1 1:1 Owner Owner Driver Driver Training Training Junior Junior Off-Road Off-Road Experiences Experiences Gift Gift Vouchers Vouchers A NEW

Bespoke Bespoke 1:1 1:1 or or 2:1 2:1 Courses Courses Groups/Corporate/Stag Groups/Corporate/Stag & & Hen Hen Events Events

P T IN CONCE

CUSTO

MAG" FOR A DISCOUNT ON YOUR NEXT ORDER

M JE E P

B U IL D S

Professional Professional 4x4 4x4 Off Off Road Road Training Training (PUWER) (PUWER)

THE BEST 4X4 OFF-ROAD EXPERIENCE

BY FAR

4X4

WHITECLIFF We have a selection of Storm Jeeps, pre-built available to drive away today or ready to build blank canvas opportunity. Please contact our friendly team with any enquiries and questions – we will be only too happy to help.

E: info@whitecliff4x4.co.uk

Office: 01594 834666 Mobile: 07720 734192

GET IN TOUCH:

01482 666491

SALES@JEEPEY.COM

Magazine_2023_Feb_Jeepey 11/01/2023 4x4 Magazine_2023_Mar_Jeepey 11:00 Ltd_QP.indd 1

4x4 Magazine_2023_Feb_Whitecliff Off Road_QP.indd 1

T 01765 609798

E sales@ycsc.co.uk

11/01/2023 16:32 10:51 13/02/2023

W ycsc.co.uk

SALES AND MARKETING OF ONLY THE FINEST MOTORCARS

1970 RANGE ROVER SUFFUX A

2005 LAND ROVER DEFENDER 90 CSW TD5

FULLY RESTORED / CHASSIS 48 / IMPECCABLE HISTORY

IMMACULATE, 73K MILES

2001 TVR TUSCAN MK1S RED ROSE

I

1988 SAAB 900 TURBO T16S I 1951 FIAT AR51 CAMPAGNOLA

1963 ASTIN MINI MK1 850 SUPER-DE-LUXE I 1937 OPEL KADETT DROPHEAD

4x4 Magazine_2023_Apr_Yorkshire Classic & Sportscars_HP.indd 1

4x4

4x4_Composite_Apr23.indd 41

14/03/2023 10:01

APRIL 2023 | 41

14/03/2023 12:31

A LONG TIME COMING

David Longmore had been building cars for a couple of decades before he decided to embark on a 100” hybrid. Even with such a wealth of experience behind him, though, it still took a lot longer than he expected before he was finally able to get behind the heel Words and Pictures: Mike Trott

48 | FEBRUARY 2023

4pp Longmore hybrid.indd 42

4x4 14/03/2023 16:34

W

e’ve featured hundreds of Land Rovers over the years, showcasing some of the tidiest and most extreme builds from around the country and in some cases beyond. There’s been a few hybrids among that lot, all of them by definition uni ue ut hen it comes to one-o s, it may be that we’ve just found the full ‘Monty’ of the green oval world.

Why the capital letter? Monty is this Land Rover’s name. And why not?

Hybrids are rare enough, especially today, so the fact that this 100” thing of beauty has just recently been finished mar s it out as being extra special. The man behind it is David Longmore, and he’s no stranger to Land Rovers – or indeed just about anything with an internal combustion engine. avid started ith the spanners bac in the 1980s, when his toys included a Ford 100E Anglia with a 5.7-litre V8 from a Mustang. ‘All good stuff,’ he smiles.

Next came the boats – still a passion today, and one for which Monty comes in very useful when David wants to tow the family speedboat anywhere. And then there was the inevitable twowheeled affair… got into motorbi es, o ning a Su u i andit and also building a couple along the ay with help from my uncle,’ David remenisces. built a onda and a S hunderbolt in the old cafe racer style – this was some seven years ago now. ut a devastating thing happened ne Sunday morning, my uncle erry as illed on his R1. And from that moment on, I’ve never ridden a bi e

It was a while after this tragic watershed in David’s life that one of his friends oated the idea o Land Rovers into his head. He’d been loo ing or something else to get into, and so the love of Landies began.

Travelling up to olton, David invested in a Series which, as it turned out, was as rotten as a pear ot or much longer came the panels, which were shot-blasted then reassembled on a galvanised frame from ichards hassis nd ne t thing he ne , he had a leafer that was too nice to off-road. o do you remedy that uild another truc , obviously had my eye on a Series that had been in the village for around three years, never moving o the drive, says avid So noc ed on the guy s door and o ered to buy it. We towed it home and another build began – though not so intense this time, as my intention was to go mudding.’ he Series did indeed go mudding lot ut unsurprisingly, avid soon needed a di erent vehicle in order to eep up ith him, and ith all the green laning and playdays he was getting along to ith Sta s hich is hy ro ect Monty commenced.

‘I came up with the idea of building a 100-inch off-roader,’ says David. ‘It seems to be the one that everyone wants, but it’s just out of reach.’

There’s a reason for that, he found out: ‘It’s right what most people say, if you estimate a time for a build you should treble it and add some!’

Now, part of the reason why this hybrid is so uni ue is that it uses so many di erent parts from different vehicles. It’s not just a Defender on a ange over chassis, say here is no ruleboo but i there as, this truc ould have le t it in the dirt long ago.

‘I set out a basic shopping list, which would consist of the chassis, axles, engine and gearbox.

The following month, I purchased a chassis, axles and V5 from a fellow club member, Andy Guest.

It’s not until you have three big rusty objects on your drive that you start to thin as this a good idea or not?”’

elow left, centre p front, springs and shocks from erra rma provide plenty of flex without taking things into the realms of the extreme and therefore compromising reliability he front radius arms are polybushed to help it all move as freely as possible elow right, bottom t the back, the vehicle is held up nicely by a set of iscovery springs – no need for anything more exotic than that ocating the axle is a standard -frame, though on either side of it the hard work is done by a pair of double-cranked trailing links from drenalin x

4x4 4pp Longmore hybrid.indd 43

MARCH 2023 | 49

14/03/2023 16:34

Think of this vehicle as a greatest hits album, but one on which each song is actually great: one of the very best tracks on the list is the trusty di engine o need for modi cations, here – it’s as it was in the isco it was taken from, and all the more reliable for it he radiator is standard too, and lives in the traditional position up front. Air comes in to the engine through not one but two home-made snorkels, and exits via a similarly avid-built exhaust using bore pipe and a sports silencer

uring the golden age of hybrid building, it was mainly ange overs that laid down their lives to donate their chassis to the cause hese days, it could be almost anything – avid used a iscovery, whose wheelbase meant there was no need to cut it down he k isco normally stays very sound in the chassis department – it’s the body that falls to pieces in a brisk wind – so this was a good choice in every way t was shot-blasted and primed before the build began – as well as being dressed with new bulkhead outriggers and a efender-style rear crossmember

avid made his own tubular wings to leave plenty of space for tyres – he’d be able to t a bigger si e than these nsas if he wanted to arly isco alloys in a white nish add to the sense of individuality

‘It’s not until you have three big rusty objects on your drive that you start to think “was this a good idea or not?”’

44 | APRIL 2023

4pp Longmore hybrid.indd 44

4x4 14/03/2023 16:34

In the cabin, a home-made 2mm ally dash and tranny tunnel contrast nicely with the three-spoke steering wheel, Discovery gear levers and Ford Focus seats After Monty’s particulars came back from the shot-blasters, the newly painted axles went on with new bushes and some temporary wheels before David found his early Discovery alloys – which he bought off Andy too.

The next task was to mount the front bulkhead.

Having already cut off the redundant outriggers, David proceeded to make his own out of 3x3” box section, which he cut and tapered at one end with tube eyes for welding in the mounting bolts.

‘Mounting the front doors, that bit was easy – just 16 bolts. But the rear tub followed, and that took a lot of setting out – rear crossmember, front crossmember, then bolting it all up.’ o fit the ne rear crossmember, avid had to take the rear end off the chassis so that the Defender tub would match up properly. Even after all that, he’s keen to point out that Monty still remains a 100-inch Landy from wheel to wheel.

You can start to appreciate why these hybrids take so long to build, and why many people start their dream project but never see it through to the finish his asn t going to be avid

4pp Longmore hybrid.indd 45

‘Next was the tube front end. I bought 50mm x 2mm seamless tubing with the bends in as close to the correct position as possible, then had a bracket made out of 8mm plated steel which as laser cut to the profile o the original ing and bulkhead mounting pattern. This enabled me to weld the top tube in place so as to match the lines of the truck.’ ne o the final stages involved fitting the roo a di cult tas hich is li e trying to fit the last piece of a jigsaw made from bits that all came out of different boxes. David had to juggle the Defender tub and sides, along with his Series III windscreen – the solution in the end was to buy a roof from a 109 and cut it down to fit drilled the rear stop panel and cat ap mount panel rom the bac o the roof and chopped about three feet off the back, then re-drilled it and popped the rivet back in place.’

Beneath the roof, Monty was given a dropdo n rear door ith a cat ap style top hal his would have been a bit pricey to buy in, he found,

so it became another item he made himself by bonding together a top bracket made from 50mm mm at steel and some smo ed erspe that he cut to shape.

The wiring loom was a collection of old bits, made from 7-core trailer wire and the remainder of what was left from the bulkhead and previous projects. Then David nipped on his own exhaust and, after 18 long months of blood, sweat and ying tools, he as ready to turn the ey and give onty its first taste o li e ‘All the engine, gearbox, propshafts, radiators and hoses are as standard as on a Disco 1,’ he e plains, ma ing it easier to find parts i needs be.’ Very wise.

It’s a gruelling business, hybrid building – you can certainly see why it all but died out when 90s started getting cheap enough that normal people could afford them. If you want a 100” Land Rover, though, this is still the only way to go – but however much work it is, David and Monty demonstrate that by keeping things relatively simple you can get there in the end.

14/03/2023 16:34

48 | FEBRUARY 2023

4pp Burston.indd 46

4x4 14/03/2023 16:42

KEEP ON ROLLIN' When Mark Burston told us his 200Tdi Discovery had been round the clock six times, we had no reason not to believe him – though it was still going very strong indeed Words and Pictures: Mike Trott

A

s we all know, a Land Rover is only as good as the person who works on it.

The horror stories you hear of vehicles breaking down and falling apart can mostly be traced back to similarly fearsome examples of neglect and clueless maintenance – while on the other hand, behind every trouble-free high-miler is an owner who knows about giving their vehicle the respect it deserves.

Owners like Mark Burston, for example. When we met him, he told us that his 200Tdi Discovery was closing in on 700,000 miles. That’s like going round the world 27 times, having driven round the whole coast of Britain twice and popped over to Istanbul and back as a warm-up.

He also told us that he works on nuclear submarines for a living. To do this, one would assume, you need to be used to working to very, very high standards indeed. And you also need to be used to covering astronomical miles on the road, because ritain s eet has several hidey-holes around the coastline and it’s easier to get the engineer to the sub than the other way round.

That’s where all those miles come from. Well, most of them. Most people would choose a dull repmobile for a life of hacking up and down the , but ar is definitely not most people hich is why, when wasn’t spannering on Vanguards, he was frequently to be found out on the lanes or ragging it around playdays.

Actually, though, he stumbled upon the Disco while looking for a van. It wasn’t quite the Transit he’d been after, but it was mint and only had 48,000 miles on the clock, so he couldn’t think of a reason not to buy it.

‘She stayed fairly standard for a while,’ Mark recalled, ‘with the exception of chrome bull bars and some newish lights.’ But then the modifying started – as it often does, with bigger tyres. ‘I quickly caught the disease and found I had to beat my mates. I soon found I needed to cut out the arches and then I lifted the body shortly after.’

And it went on from there. Despite being well used to putting on a thousand-odd miles in the

4x4 4pp Burston.indd 47

APRIL 2023 | 47

14/03/2023 16:42

course of a week, the Disco soon became able to go in as hard at playdays as on the motorway.

‘It has been ideal for me because it’s easy to work on,’ said Mark. ‘I can service it within an hour. And it does everything I want – with the comfort of a Range Rover. It has been a very reliable truck – and an awesome off-roader!’

He can compare it to a Range Rover because years before buying it, he’d had one of those too.

He’s not a full-on Land Rover man, nor indeed a ull-on o -roader, but he s definitely one o those people who like their cars to be interesting.

‘I had a Shelby GT500 at one point,’ he told us casually. ‘That had 900 horsepower. It had to go, though; it’s the only car that has ever actually scared me! That was a very bad car…’

That’s ‘very bad’ in the ‘very good’ sense, obviously.

Racking up motorway miles by the hundred thousands ould definitely be a challenge in a car like that, but owning the Discovery had another advantage besides. Mark told us that with all his endless travels around the country, he had got to the point where he reckoned he had been on most of Britain’s green lanes.

Still, though, he wanted more: ‘Taking the Disco to Iceland at some point, I’d love that. Maybe for

Above left: Mark used to use Pro-Comp shocks, but found he was breaking them a lot. That puts him in a minority of one among the people we’ve spoken to down the years, but since moving over to erra rma he’s says he’s never had another one let go he shocks themselves are in terms of travel, and they combine with ing springs to provide the lift and the flex an off-roader needs Above right: Things you can’t see very easily when you poke around the vehicle include an uprated steering pump, and Mark also replaced the box last year hings you can see, so here they are, include heavy-duty steering arms and a erra rma damper Below left: When the vehicle’s body rusted to death, Mark dropped on a new one from a 300Tdi import. It came without a bonnet, so he had one custom-made in GRP Below centre: ‘I haven’t done loads with the interior,’ Mark told us. ‘I have my various gauges to keep an eye on the levels, and a split charge system that will help in the winter ’ve also ust tted a amp alternator to help charge everything up’ Below right: erra rma winch bumper goes very nicely with a set of facelift headlamps to give the iscovery an extremely distinctive look t’s plenty strong, too – and it’s home to a , lb arn winch which saw a good bit of action during our photoshoot he steel cable is living on borrowed time, as Mark has put some Plasma on his shopping list

48 | APRIL 2023

4pp Burston.indd 48

4x4 14/03/2023 16:42

Above left: Like an old war veteran, this 200Tdi engine is quite remarkable. It’s been to many places and experienced extreme hardship, yet it’s still going strong today. Mark told us he got the vehicle with a reasonable 48,000 miles under it and that what you see here is how the engine looks some 636,800 miles later: ‘and it still runs as good as the day I bought her.’ A Range Rover rad helps with cooling, assisted by three Kenlowe fans. Kenlowe fans, that is, as used in submarines… bove right

ir comes in through a afari norkel, complete with an addition of the kind you de nitely don’t see every day

a three-week holiday.’ That might sound like a tall order in a truck with so many miles under it, but Mark does have the tools and the skills to keep it going no matter what.

As you see it here, the Disco was about as ready as it would ever be for an adventure like that. Mark said he was pretty much done with the mods; he did think about a roll cage but decided against it because of the extra weight – and because being a boy with a toy, he says it would encourage him to try things he shouldn’t. ‘I don’t always know my limits!’ he admitted to us…

Something he certainly does know, however, is how to get the best out of an old Disco. And here’s a pearl of wisdom you won’t hear from anyone who enjoys leaving their loadsamoney Range Rover Sport in disabled parking spaces: ‘If you mix a little bit of two-stroke oil in with the

4pp Burston.indd 49

diesel, it lubricates the engine that little bit more.

It reduces smoke because it burns that much quicker, there’s less friction in the parts and I’ve been getting up to 40mpg and 600 miles per tank.’

That one’s been batting around the forums for years, but ar as the first o -roader e came across with experience of using the technique. He as also the first iscovery o ner e d ever met to have tried something altogether less common – dealing with the inevitable rust you get on old Discoverys by fetching off the 200Tdi body and craning on a 300 shell to replace it.

Bought from a local scrapyard, the new body came from what was originally a Japanese import. It was, says Mark, immaculate – though of course it didn t fit, being rom the rong car Not a problem, when you deal with a problem the Burston way. Which is to drive home from

work on Friday afternoon (bear in mind that this can be anything up to about 300 miles), lift the old body off by bedtime, work like mental all weekend long and finish the ob in time or tea and medals on Sunday night.

Things the new body didn’t have included the bonnet you see in our pictures. Not a common sight, this. ‘I’ve recently had the new custom bonnet added to finish her o , ar told us ve had loads of positive comments on how it looks.’

As this illustrates, the image matters to Mark.

His vehicles are street machines to him, and that applies just as much to the Disco as to his old GT500. And just as that particular eyeball-peeler of a car was about go as well as show, this off-road warrior is the real thing. On (and off) the road to a million miles? Remember, a Land Rover is only as good as the person who works on it…

14/03/2023 16:42

c

The definitive publication The The definitive publication publication The definitive publication for all enthusiasts of classic for for all all enthusiasts of classic classic for all enthusiasts of classic Land Rovers Land Rovers Land Rovers

R E V O R D N R LLLLA E V O R D N A R E V O AND R S SSS IISCCI C A L C H S I T I R B T A E R G E TTHT S A A L L C C H H S S I I T T I I R R T TBB RB I T I S H C L A S S I C EAA ETA RER EG EGRG EH HHsore TSpon d by

1 0 1 100

Pages of spares and Paac gePa ge s of sori of are are sfor ce ands and sssp essp Paac ge s of spss are ac ses ce anfor ssce d ori ori every es for cla ss ic ac ss ori evce ev es ery ery for cla cla ss ss Landy ic ic every cla Land La ndicy yss Landy

£9.99

Look after a Land Rover, and it will last forever. This longevity, which is almost unique in the car industry, means a vast numnum ber of classic Land Rovers are still on the road today – and not just as classics, but as historhistor ical vehicles still working for their living to this day.

Land Rover: The Great British Classic celebrates this magnificent heritage by focusing on the best of Land Rover from its early days. A high-quality publication from the makers of 4x4 magazine and The Landy newspaper, it covers a broad spectrum of historical vehicles: not just Series I, II and III Land Rovers from the postar years, but also the first generations of Range Rovers, Discoverys and Freelanders, hing e’s not dy. But there’ wroom-specc Lan We all love aasho hing hing as well as the 90s and 110s not s e’ s not ther ther But But dy. dy.

Lan Lan c spe spe omomwro wro sho sho a love love all all e WeWe like hing that were later to become the notprid with theree’s heritag its But rs dy. c Lan spewea I that iesomwro a Ser e a sho all love e e We quit prid prid with with e e itag itag her her its its rs rs wea wea that that I I ies ies Ser Ser a a like like e e legendary Defender. quitquit rs its heritage with pride

a in at P f o e is ra P In a a in in at at P P f f o o e e is is ra ra P P In In a in at P f o e is ra P In

quite like a Series I that wea

overy Defender 90/110 • Early Range Rover and Disc • PreIII and II/IIA I, es Seri ified mod ed Restored reser Classic Land Rovers still doing what they do best ifiedified ed mod r edr mod reserese oredored RestRest ified Restored reser ed mod

ver Ro d Ro Lan c Lan ssi cla ry eve for y pa to at Wh ver ver US Ro PL d d Lan c c ssi ssi cla cla ry ry eve eve for for y y pa pa to to at at Wh Wh ver US US Ro PL PL d Lan c ssi cla ry eve for y PLUS What to pa

Covering the vehicles’ history, spotlighting case studies of restored and otherwise much-loved examples and searching out stories of adventure behind the wheel, Land Rover: The Great British Classicc is a publication for everyone who admires Land Rovers from the early days.

Published on 29 April, priced £9.99 • Available from WHSmiths and other large newsagents Or buy direct from www.4x4magazineshop.co.uk – with no P&P!

Mag books 2023.indd 1

14/03/2023 15:11

4x4 Magazine_2023_Mar_APB Trading_FP.indd 1

06/02/2023 12:24

t s e b e h t f o 4 x 4 el from the 4x4 world. representing a particular make and mod A quartet of great modified off-roaders the world of leaf-sprung Land Rovers This month: classic meets modified in

high and mighty

T

he Series Land Rover is a legend, and the Lightweight is a legend among legends. The old ex-military half-tonne is a rare sight these days, because they used to be worth next to nothing and that made them perfect for cutting up and turning into off-roaders – which is exactly what thousands of people used to do.

One of them was Willie Davenhill. Actually, ‘one of them’ hardly seems like a fair description, because he was far more than that he as the guy hose ight eight as, or a spell, almost unbeatable on the winch circuit.

That’s because he was one of the first people in Britain to recognise the potential of portal axles for this kind of build. The ones

Words: Gary Noskill Pics: Steve Taylor

he used were from a Volvo C303 Laplander, a vehicle which is almost exactly the same width as the Lightweight – making the conversion surprisingly straightforward. The diffs are on the same side, too, and are a similar size while, by coincidence, the propshaft marries up exactly – even to the extent that the bolt holes which secure it align with those on the Land Rover.

Before fitting the Volvo units, Willie was running with Ashcroft 4.1:1 differentials in 24-spline-converted hardened Series axles that featured a Detroit locker in the rear and an ARB air-locker in the front. This was a perfectly acceptable arrangement – indeed, it would make many off-road enthusiasts drool with excitement – but Willie was dissatisfied with the ground clearance it offered.

52 | APRIL 2023

11pp 4x4 of the Best Apr 23.indd 52

14/03/2023 16:40

t onsole leaf springs are already more flexible than the original and over units, but if you mount any leaf spring on standard shackles its movement will always be limited by the amount it can twist ence the pivoting mounts on the front springs and eraflex revolver shackles on the rears, which freed them up to the extent that they can use all inches of travel in the ro- omp shocks he result below was a spectacular level of articulation – far more than a standard , and enough to put most modi ed coilers to shame ‘Because the vehicle is fitted with leaf springs,’ he told us, ‘the diffs snagged on ground that other vehicles were covering with ease. I was eager to get around this.’

The C303 axles provide the Lightweight with an extra five inches of ground clearance, giving it a total of seventeen inches below the differentials. It would take an ambitiously modified 90 or 110 to beat that, and it meant Willie could romp over terrain that would once have involved a lot of heavy winching.

That is by no means the whole story, though, because the axle conversion also brought a raft of further advantages. The C303’s diff ratios are a staggering 7.1:1, which made the truck ideal for slow off-road work (albeit a pig to drive on the asphalt), and each of them had a mechanical diff-lock as standard. These originally engaged via a vacuum but Willie modified them with some Shimano brake cable from a mountain bike, meaning he just had to pull on the cable to lock them then flick a spring-loaded switch to make them disengage.

Being mechanical, a great advantage of this kind of diff-lock is that there is far less to go wrong with them – meaning they can be relied upon 100% of the time. The reliability issue rings true with the entire axle configuration, in fact, and is another reason why Willie chose it.

‘They are practically impossible to destroy,’ he explained. ‘You just can’t break a halfshaft no matter what you do.’ Not something you’ll be used to hearing from Land Rover owners.

You might, on the other hand, have heard them moaning about their drum brakes, and in this Willie could sympathise as that’s what the Laplander came with – a bit of a step down from the disc conversion on his previous axles.

So, drum brakes and leaf springs, huh? Pretty basic. Or not. If you still associate the old tech with stunted axle travel, you’ve not been paying

4x4 11pp 4x4 of the Best Apr 23.indd 53

attention – and Willie’s Lightweight was one of the first to achieve extreme articulation while using simple cart springs.

He did this using parabolic springs, which were mounted on pivoting shackles to prevent

binding and free up the sort of flex it takes to make a set of Pro-Comp ES9000 shocks work for their living. How much is that? Well the ones at the front measured out at 32 inches, which is saying something.

‘The axles are practically impossible to destroy. You just can’t break a halfshaft no matter what you do’

APRIL 2023 | 53

14/03/2023 16:40

he engine was a lot better at shifting the ightweight about than the old it replaced, and with an ingenious modi cation involving a line feeding compressed air to the distributor cap, it didn’t mind water they way they normally do. It was mated to a three-speed auto box from a ag, whose cooler lived behind the cab on the roll cage the combination of a petrol lump and auto box doesn’t tend to do anything for a truck’s engine braking, there’s nothing like a set of 7.1:1 diffs to turn that one on its head With all that ground clearance, slinging a set of 35-inch Simexes under the Lightweight wasn’t a problem. They did take a bit of a nibble out of its turning circle, but that was a small price to pay for the traction Willie now had at his disposal – in particular when run at 6psi up front and 8psi at the rear. ‘They are almost flat,’ he said, ‘but they make an enormous difference to the vehicle’s ability on very soggy ground and are a real help during hill climbs.’

Something else that helps during hill climbs is a bit of power. Lightweights came out of the factory with a choice of 2.25 petrol or diesel

54 | APRIL 2023

11pp 4x4 of the Best Apr 23.indd 54

engines, neither of which is ever going to set your socks on fire, but well before the portals arrived Willie enlisted the services of Rainforest Challenge veteran Bob Webster to help drop in a carburetted Rover V8.

This was good for all the power a man could want (well, a man with a portal-axled Lightweight) but they’re not exactly known for liking water. A problem, because when you live in Scotland and you do winch challenges you’re going to come across plenty of the stuff.

So now here comes an ingenious modification. Since he already had an onboard

air compressor, dating from the days when there was an ARB in the front axle, Willie already had a line taken off it for reinflating his tyres. So what’s one more, this one going into the distributor cap? On the way into water, all he needed to do was flick a switch and the dizzy would be instantly pressurised, thus preventing water from entering.

What he didn’t bother with, on the other hand, was a snorkel. His rationale was that given the truck’s height, the engine would have snuffed it by the time he got deep enough for a snorkel to come into play. He did raise the axle and transmission breathers, however – and he admitted to us that actually, a snorkel would give him a useful place to mount them!

Behind the engine, the V8 used to turn the original Series gearbox but by the time we showed up this had been replaced by a BorgWarner 66 three-speed auto from a Jaguar allied to a high-ratio Series transfer case. Willie made the change after driving an automatic Range Rover off-road for the first time; benefits he noted included being able to concentrate better on the ground ahead thanks to not having to worry about gear selection, and the transmission placing a natural limit wheelspin simply by changing up a gear in response.

Engine braking, on the other hand, was something he missed until the portal a les went on, bringing their 7.1:1 diffs with them. ‘It’ll more or less stand on its nose nowadays,’ he chuckled. ‘It’s probably still not quite as good as a diesel going downhill, but it’s not far off.’

Going back in time for a moment, when Wille had had the Lightweight for about five years he needed to replace its chassis, which had rotted itself to death. The order he put in to local fabricator Bob Wood was for a custom unit made from higher gauge steel, to cope with

4x4 14/03/2023 16:40

A Warn 8274 at the sharp end (everything’s relative) and a Husky in the rear bed took care of all Willie’s recovery needs. Which, we’d think, largely involved recovering other people the rigours of life on an extreme off-roader – for provision to be made to install power steering.

This enabled him to fit a six-bolt steering box through a 110 column which, when mated up to a Rover SD1 pump, made everything much lighter and more responsive.

Cooling, meanwhile, was taken care of by a four-core radiator from a tropical-spec Series III. Willie also fitted coolers for the engine oil and auto box under the bonnet – though the latter was later relocated to the roll cage as it was causing the engine bay to get a bit warm.

Talking of the roll cage, seen here is the second Willie had. No, not because the first

4x4 11pp 4x4 of the Best Apr 23.indd 55

one had to lay down its life to save his, we’re pleased to say. It’s less dramatic than that.

What actually happened is that the truck started out as a hard-top with an internal cage.

But then he converted it into a soft-top – and soon found himself damaging hood sticks. Not good, and definitely not cheap. Hence the cage you see here, which is a full exo job.

Later on, Willie put the truck on a bit of a diet and converted it into a truck-cab, with the back body removed. He also went down from three to two Optima Yellow Tops, and took out the heater, fitting a heated windscreen from John Craddock instead. The result was an all-up

weight of about 1800kg, which isn’t bad when you consider that heavy-gauge chassis – not to mention the Warn 8274 and Superwinch Husky mounted at the front and rear respectively.

These both ran uprated motors from Goodwinch and Plasma rope for ease of handling.

So you might not have wanted to sling it under a chopper any more, but this Lightweight was still far from being a heavyweight. Only in the most literal of terms, though – because on the challenge scene of its time, and as a shining example of what you can do with a vehicle, it was an absolute titan. A legend, in fact… and, like every Lightweight, a legend among legends.

APRIL 2023 | 55

14/03/2023 16:40

4x4 of the best

twists and turns

L

and Rovers were built to take the rough with the smooth. Which is good, because owning one is normally a very bumpy business indeed.

But that’s all part of the enjoyment, right? When the unexpected happens, you embrace the challenge and it makes you, and your truck, that much better.

It’s fair to assume that when Tom Wilkins bought Dudley, a 1965 Series IIA Pick-Up, he didn’t appreciate what was coming. But it’s probably equally fair to assume that having rolled with

the twists and turns of what became a major restoration job, he’s pretty happy with the way things have turned out.

For starters, he wouldn’t have expected that about three years later, he would now be its coowner. But that’s how it turned out, and in a very positive way.

‘Tom bought Dudley from a chap whose father had bought it from new,’ explains Jasper Mowatt, who’s become the other half of the co-ownership team. ‘He began restoring it and I started giving him a hand.

Words: Dan Fenn Pics: Jasper Mowatt and Tom Wilkins ‘The workload became quite a lot when we saw how much was required. So at that point, I bought into it.’

Now, Jasper is not a bad bloke to have on your side in a situation like this. ‘The restoration has been completed as a hobby,’ he says, ‘so is not professional. But I have previously restored Land Rovers, Volkswagens, Morris Minors and Austins, so it has been done to a good standard.’

The engine didn’t need major work, but a whole new wiring loom was installed to bring the IIA up to date and allow it to run more modern electrical items

56 | APRIL 2023

11pp 4x4 of the Best Apr 23.indd 56

4x4 14/03/2023 16:40

There was plenty of rotten metal to be dealt with in the chassis and bulkhead alike. This was what prompted Tom to bring Jasper in as co-owner of the vehicle and a partner in the project; he’s restored several classics before, so welding is not an unfamiliar business to him. Over time, the rot was cut out and replaced with new steel, then the whole lot was rust treated, prepped and painted in readiness for a long and healthy life to come

Of course, there’s the kind of restored classic that loo s li e it did hen it first le t the actory gate nd it s easy to see, or at least assume, that those have been done ell ut all the or om and asper have done on their is cunningly disguised beneath a near-perfect skin of patina, the li es o hich can only come rom decades of real life.

It could have been so different, though. ‘We spent the rest o the summer o doing the chassis and bulkhead,’ recalls Jasper. ‘But then winter hit. e both ne that e anted to have him drivable or the ollo ing summer So e decided to s ip the paint ob and ust get him road orthy Over that winter, we redid the wiring, steering, bra es and in the end e had him on the road by anuary Great going. But how did the lack of a paint ob go do n veryone loved him ith the patina e ect, says asper So e decided to eep it o many old and overs do n the years have had their character iped out by over-restoration, you can t help but onder learly, any ay, this is not one o them Yet just as a slick new coat of paint can hide a shed lurking below, the patina of scars, dents and faded panels can disguise the truth of a vehicle that’s been brought back to better than new. And the more you loo at udley, the more you see that this is what’s going on here.

Wherever the chassis and bulkhead had rusted, the rotten stuff was cut out and replaced with ne metal ter that, the hole lot as properly treated, protected and painted to keep it set for a long future. ut in actual act, rust apart the guys ere starting rom a pretty sound baseline he engine as in great condition, says asper So e did not do a strip down, rather just general routine maintenance e does run a bit rich, and he leaves a few oil drops when he’s been parked up or a hile, but no more so than is normal or a classic and over he petrol unit also no runs a ne ebber carb, and to add some stop to the go the bra ing system as overhauled and given a ull new set of lines.

he iring loom as also ully replaced, hich as no small ob his allo ed asper to add a modern use bo , better lights, a cut-out s itch or security and, most importantly, a luetooth stereo ust hat you need hen the cab s o e have done our best to eep udley as original as possible, e plains asper ut e made upgrades here e elt it ould add com ort ne interior eaturing leather seats rom moor rim definitely counts as one o these, and om and asper also invested in a ne set o mud-terrain tyres on blac steel modulars, than ully, hich do no harm to the shabby-chic image ust imagine the havoc they could have rea ed ith a set o blingy alloys s it is, udley loo s good hether he s tooling around the lanes, toting a bike or shifting urniture he tub fits everything, says asper e even had a - oot boo case in there once hey used it as a edding car last summer, too, and there s not much that can fit the modern-day

image o a classic and over better than that t s not uite the same as the Series that starred in Four Weddings and a Funeral (that was a ard- op ith ing-mounted headlamps, a inch and original heels , but is it any less cool nbolt the cab and, e d say, uite the opposite is the case e ve mainly used it or beach runs around the south coast, says asper nd you re picturing yoursel doing ust that no , aren t you ould the image be the same i om and asper had given udley a per ect paint ob hey ould still have ended up ith a very special truc – but one with a different character. you drive up your local high street in a pristine classic, or a brand ne e ender, people may appreciate it, admire it a e may hate it, in the latter case, or be other ise ealous, but mainly they ll be uietly impressed o it in a lived-in old rat li e this, though, and you ll get all to all love here s something about an honest, timeorn classic that ma es people smile

4x4 11pp 4x4 of the Best Apr 23.indd 57

14/03/2023 16:40

4x4 of the best

aged to perfection

I

n the world of Land Rovers, restoring Series Is has become something of a national obsession. For a dedicated band of professionals, there’s a good living in it; for a small army of equally dedicated enthusiasts, it’s a labour of love; and for Land Rover itself, over the last few years it’s become a way of selling old vehicles for even more than it costs to buy a new one.

The result is that most Series Is still in existence now look startlingly similar to the way they did when they were brand new. They’ve been to hell and back in between times, and as often as not almost nothing on them is original, but they look a million dollars and are capable of changing hands for approximately that much too.

This story is about a Series I, but it’s not one of those back-to-showroom classics. It is, simply, an old truck. Actually, ‘old’ is too harsh a word. Better to describe it as being aged to perfection.

People talk a lot about patina. In the world of classic motors, it’s a word that gets trotted out way too often by chancer-dealers to describe

58 | APRIL 2023

11pp 4x4 of the Best Apr 23.indd 58

Words: Tom Alderney Pics: Alan Kidd

dog-eared old sheds. Scuffed alloys, saggy head lining, sunburnt paint, torn seats and missing bits of trim have all been described as patina. You can probably think of another word to describe people who abuse the term in this way while trying to pass a tatty old stinker off as a modern classic…

Anyway, patina. You know how copper turns green over time when it’s exposed to the elements? That’s patina. The word can also be used for other forms of tarnishing that occur to metal through oxidation, giving them a thin top surface which develops with age.

The outer sheen gained by wooden furniture during its life is also referred to as patina. In this case, it’s often compounded by the marks left in its surface by the wear and tear of everyday use.

It’s the same deal when you’re talking about the way leather changes with age, too – which may well be how the word underwent a mild semantic change and started being used to describe the wear marks on classic vehicles.

Which brings us back to this Series I. Something was bound to eventually. Park it in a line-up

4x4 14/03/2023 16:41

dd

of restored Land Rovers and at a hundred yards you’d think yep, it’s another restored Land Rover.

But get up close and you see that actually, it’s not.

It has (deep breath) patina.

That’s because this Land Rover has never been restored. It’s been maintained, of course, sometimes in quite a big way, but no-one has ever painted, sanded, ground, shot-blasted or otherwise destroyed the scars, marks and blemishes that tell the story of a life well lived.

Well, a life to date. Having only covered 85,210 miles to date (about 1311 a year), it’s running along ust fine, than you nd o course, it has well and truly made it through the stage in life when Land Rovers tend either to get stripped for parts or (back in the day, obviously) cut up and used for trialling. In other words, it’s here forever. n ith the -litre spread-bore petrol engine (an early example of the later version of this engine, if that makes sense), Land Rover chassis number as first registered on St eorge s ay, pril t as supplied new to the Heidelberg Printing Machine Company in Kington St Michael, near Chippenham.

This was an era when Heidelberg’s iconic ‘Windmill’ platen press was in its heyday, being imported to the UK in huge quantities; quite why the company needed a Land Rover is unclear and probably shrouded in the mists of time, but there are some lovely green lanes down in its neck of the woods and who could ever want a better excuse than that?

Not that there’s much sign of the Series I having been given the sort of trashing that can happen on the lanes. Quite the opposite, actually.

It certainly has been used, but just as certainly it hasn’t been abused.

Nor has it been neglected. In fact, it has been looked after with remarkable care. This issue of The Landy will be published just a couple of days a ter its th birthday and even a ter all that time, its original buff logbook is still intact. So too, therefore, is its history, dating all the way back to day one.

‘The great appeal about this Land Rover is that it has never become derelict and abandoned, but has been ept on the road and used or over years, says its current o ner, allum odger love the wear on the paintwork and the minor dents and bruises it has picked up over the years.’ allum no s his Series s, because he runs ll errain ngineering a company hich, among other things, fettles old Land Rovers and sells them on. This is one such Land Rover, which means you’re now wondering how much they want for it (read on, as they say); it came to them in October last year and what work it needed was completed earlier this year.

It didn’t need much. In the main, Callum removed the hard-top body it was wearing and converted it into a soft-top, using a new canvas hood and sticks. He also went through it mechanically but hile doing so ound that in the main, it as just an incredibly well sorted vehicle.

‘The chassis has had repairs over the years,’ he reports. ‘But it’s very sound and these repairs have been done well. The bulkhead has been repaired at some point and then galvanised to make it future proof. Over the last few years, the carb, distributor, dynamo and starter motor have all been refurbished. It’s had new plugs and leads, a new fuel pump and tank, a new braking system, new suspension and new steering. long ith regular servicing, it all means the car is in great mechanical condition.’

The results are there to be seen, too. We’ve driven several Series Is just recently, and as always each has its own quirks and its own character. But this one was far and away the nicest, with a perky engine, smooth clutch action and light, natural steering. The box goes into gear and stays there. It’s just all-round right. There’s even an overdrive fitted, so you could do a distance in its without being driven out of your mind.

They all shake, and none are quiet except when they’re switched off, but in addition to the above this is as refined as they come t s not li e driving the sort of modern car you could get for the same money, but then on the plus side it’s not like driving the sort of modern car you could get for the same money. t s enchanting, in a ord as delight ul to drive as it is to regard nd it s really delight ul to regard. Back to that patina. The word is sometimes used as a euphemism for ‘beaten to death,’ but this is a truck whose panels are straight.

There’s plenty of patina on the inside of the vehicle, too, with a nicely worn cabin that’s all in good order but clearly hasn’t been messed about with down the years. It’s been renewed where you’d want it to be – the windscreen wipers both work, for example, and the upholstery on the seats clearly doesn’t date from when the Prime Minister was Anthony Eden. Covering it all up is a set of brand new hood sticks, which support an also new canvas top from Undercover Covers

4x4 11pp 4x4 of the Best Apr 23.indd 59

APRIL 2023 | 59

14/03/2023 16:41

Being from 1956, the 86” was among the rst and overs tted with the revised version of the spread-bore -litre petrol engine nd what you’re looking at here is that very same engine riginal to the vehicle, it’s been looked after properly and still runs like a dream

Worn down to the metal in places, scuffed and pin-pricked in others and wonderfully rivet-up repaired in one place on the nearside front wing, but they’ve never been ripped to bits. Dented, yes, scratched and even scarred, but it’s just amazing how straight the vehicle actually is. And the patina looks uniform across the whole of its body, too – which suggests that none of its panels have been replaced, at least certainly not any time recently. pplied patina is definitely a thing the sculptor

60 | APRIL 2023

11pp 4x4 of the Best Apr 23.indd 60

Rodin, he of The Thinker, used to pour urine on his work to encourage it to age), but it would take an unbelievable amount of work and skill to mimic the beautifully natural wear that’s apparent everywhere around this vehicle – even that bulkhead had the odd mark on it, though it’s visibly more modern than the bodywork surrounding it.

It’s so original,’ comments Callum. ‘Astonishingly it still has the original engine in place. It has not been messed ith at all or e ample it has the correct pork pie lights on the back and original Lucas wipers.’ That’s wipers plural, take note – you’re looking at a high-spec Landy here…

Most of all, though, you’re looking at a Land Rover whose charm levels are off the scale. It doesn’t have the freshly restored appearance of a recreated original, because there’s nothing recreated about it. This is the real thing, a Series I that is where it is in life because of life. It’s more than

just a historic vehicle – it’s a vehicle that’s a piece of real history. Every scratch, dent and pin-prick, all that worn-off paintwork, it all tells a story – the story of a vehicle that’s been serving its owners aith ully or si and a hal decades and has a century firmly in its sights here s nothing preserved about it, nothing hidden, nothing covered up. We’ve written about a lot of Land Rovers down the years, and this might be the most achingly real one we’ve ever seen.

4x4 14/03/2023 16:41

18V ½" IMPACT WRENCHES

BRUSHLESS

3 forward and reverse gears

65SUPERSTORES NATIONWIDE

X

.98 109EXC.VAT

£131.98 inc.VAT

Model Desc Batteries CCIW160 Cordless 2X 2AH LI-ION CIR18LIC Cordless, 2X 2AH Brushless LI-ION

Nm 160

exc.VAT 450NM inc.VAT £109.98 £131.98

160

£122.99 £147.59

Quality machines from Britain’s leading supplier See online for included accessories

Machinery Specialist!

HEADER FROM ONLY

.00

135TE

POWER CUTS! BE PREPARED?

GENERATORS

PRICE CUT NOW FROM

.00 225exc.VAT

£270.00 inc.VAT

WAS £286.80 inc.VAT

ALSO

SELLER

HEADER IG950D

ONLY

DOUBLE 23 EXC.VAT FOOTER £28.79 inc.VAT

5000KG CAPACITY

DRILL PRESSES

Range of precision bench & floor presses for enthusiast, engineering & industrial applications B = Bench FROM ONLY mounted CDP102B £ DOUBLE .95 F = Floor DOUBLE 99 EXC.VAT FOOTER £119.94 inc.VAT standing

2610 psi

JET8500

Max. exc.

WAS inc.

Model Motor Pressure VAT inc.VAT VAT JS1850 1400W 1523psi £64.99 £83.98 £77.99 JS1950 1600W 2030psi £99.98 £131.98 £119.98 Jet7500 1600W 2030psi £159.98 £203.98 £191.98 Jet8500 2100W 2610psi £199.98 £251.98 £239.98 – £287.98 Jet9500B 2400W 2900psi £239.98

Motor (W) WAS NOW model Speeds exc.VAT inc.VAT inc.VAT CDP5EB 350 / 5 £99.95 – £119.94 CDP102B 350 / 5 £115.95 – £139.14 CDP152B 450 / 12 £209.98 – £251.98 CDP202B 450 / 16 £269.00 – £322.80 CDP352F 550 / 16 £339.00 £418.80 £406.80 CDP452B 550 / 16 £339.00 £418.80 £406.80 CDP502F 1100 / 12 £779.00 £946.80 £934.80

INC. CONTAINER FOR DETERGENT

AMAZING LOW PRICE!

BODY REPAIR KITS FAST ACTION PUMP EXTRA LONG 1m LEADS Starting Peak Model Boost Amps exc.VAT £96.99 910 400 900 JS1100C 500 1100 £96.99 4000 1100 2200 £164.99 JS12/24 1000 2000 £179.98

169

£ FROM ONLY .98

DOUBLEEXC.VAT DOUBLE £203.98 FOOTER inc.VAT

10

*CTJ3000QLB has a 3 tonne capacity, ideal for quick lifting CTJ3000QLB of vehicles.

WAS £155.98 inc.VAT

94

£49

HEATERS

DEVIL 6003 PRICE CUT

64exc.VAT

£ DOUBLE .99

£77.99 inc.VAT

PARTS WASHERS PRICE CUT NOW FROM

£

.98

FROM ONLY

DOUBLE.00 229 EXC.VAT DOUBLE £274.80 FOOTER inc.VAT

model XR60 XR80 XR110 XR160 XR210

MAX output 14.7kW 20.5kW 29.3kW 46.9kW 61.5kW

PRICE CUT NOW FROM

CFC100 WAS exc.VAT inc. VAT £229.00 – £279.00 – £329.00 – £399.00 £502.80 £459.00 £574.80

NOW inc.VAT £274.80 £334.80 £394.80 £478.80 £550.80

CWGC100

GARAGES/WORKSHOPS IDEAL FOR RAIN & SUN PROTECTION

259exc.VAT

£

.00

PRICE CUT NOW FROM

.00 569exc.VAT £682.80 inc.VAT

£

WAS £718.80 inc.VAT

£310.80 inc.VAT

WAS £346.80 inc.VAT

PRICE CUT NOW FROM

Fast snap connector attachments for quick & easy assembly Hydraulic pump, ram & hose with various tubes, pieces & connectors Includes metal case

PRO SANDER/ POLISHERS

DOUBLE 79 EXC.VAT DOUBLE

£FROM ONLY .98

119

£ FROM ONLY .98

DOUBLEEXC.VAT DOUBLE £143.98 FOOTER inc.VAT

* WAS £195.59 inc.VAT Saddle exc. inc.

Model Type Tonne Height VAT VAT CTJ2L Long 2 378mm £44.99 £53.99 Dual action combines CTJ3000QLB Quick Lift 3 465mm £119.98 £143.98 CTJ3000C Pro Garage 3 465mm £152.99 £183.59 rotary & orbital motions to produce an excellent CTJ2QLP* Low Quick 2 510mm £159.98 £191.98 polished finish Lift

SAVE UP TO

BRIGHT WHITE INTERIOR

£360 inc.VAT

Ideal for use as a garage/ workshop Extra tough triple layer cover Heavy duty powder coated steel tubing Ratchet tight tensioning

FOOTER inc.VAT CP185 £95.98 ZIP CLOSE DOOR Inc. hook & loop size (LxWxH) WAS NOW backing pad and Model m exc.VAT inc.VAT inc.VAT wool polishing bonnet CIG81212 3.6 x 3.6 x 2.5 £259.00 £346.80 £310.80 CIG81015 4.5 x 3 x 2.4 £279.00 £370.80 £334.80 CIG81216 4.9 x 3.7 x 2.5 £329.00 £430.80 £394.80 CIG81020 6.1 x 3 x 2.4 £349.00 £466.80 £418.80 CP150 CIG81220 6.1 x 3.7 x 2.5 £399.00 £514.80 £478.80 £FROM ONLY .98 CIG81224 7.3 x 3.7 x 2.5 £499.00 £646.80 £598.80 DOUBLE 69 EXC.VAT DOUBLE £1318.80 – FOOTER £83.98 inc.VAT CIG1432 9.7x4.3x3.65 £1099.00 CIG1640 12x4.9x4.3 £2899.00 £3838.80 £3478.80

V

MON-FRI 8.30-6.00, VISIT YOUR LOCAL SUPERSTORE OPEN SAT 8.30-5.30, SUN 10.00-4.00

BARNSLEY Pontefract Rd, Barnsley, S71 1EZ 01226 732297 B’HAM GREAT BARR 4 Birmingham Rd. 0121 358 7977 B’HAM HAY MILLS 1152 Coventry Rd, Hay Mills 0121 7713433 BOLTON 1 Thynne St. BL3 6BD 01204 365799 BRADFORD 105-107 Manningham Lane. BD1 3BN 01274 390962 BRIGHTON 123 Lewes Rd, BN2 3QB 01273 915999 BRISTOL 1-3 Church Rd, Lawrence Hill. BS5 9JJ 0117 935 1060 BURTON UPON TRENT 12a Lichfield St. DE14 3QZ 01283 564 708 CAMBRIDGE 181-183 Histon Road, Cambridge. CB4 3HL 01223 322675 CARDIFF 44-46 City Rd. CF24 3DN 029 2046 5424 CARLISLE 85 London Rd. CA1 2LG 01228 591666 CHELTENHAM 84 Fairview Road. GL52 2EH 01242 514 402 CHESTER 43-45 St. James Street. CH1 3EY 01244 311258 COLCHESTER 4 North Station Rd. CO1 1RE 01206 762831 COVENTRY Bishop St. CV1 1HT 024 7622 4227 CROYDON 423-427 Brighton Rd, Sth Croydon 020 8763 0640 DARLINGTON 214 Northgate. DL1 1RB 01325 380 841 DEAL (KENT) 182-186 High St. CT14 6BQ 01304 373 434 DERBY Derwent St. DE1 2ED 01332 290 931 DONCASTER Wheatley Hall Road 01302 245 999 DUNDEE 24-26 Trades Lane. DD1 3ET 01382 225 140 EDINBURGH 163-171 Piersfield Terrace 0131 659 5919

SAVE UP TO

PROPANE GAS FIRED

inc.VAT Max. Output kW exc.VAT inc.VAT TIGER £94.99 £113.99 16/550 10.3 £119.98 £143.98 * WAS £251.98 inc.VAT 15 £159.98 £191.98 # WAS £334.80 inc.VAT ‡ WAS £419.98 inc.VAT 24.9 £189.98 £227.98 Model 36.6 Motor CFM Tank exc.VAT inc.VAT £269.00 £322.80 49.8 2HP 7 24ltr £119.98 £143.98 £479.00 £574.80 Tiger 8/260 131 Tiger 11/550* 2.5HP 9.3 50ltr £179.98 £215.98 Tiger 16/550# 3HP 14.5 50ltr £249.00 £298.80 ELECTRIC Tiger 16/1050‡ 3HP 14.5 100ltr £309.00 £370.80

DEVIL 7003

CS10BRK

TONNES

inc.VAT £116.39 £116.39 £197.99 £215.98

2 & 3 TONNE TROLLEY JACKS

PRICE CUT NOW FROM

.98 119 exc.VAT £143.98 inc.VAT

FROM ONLY £ DOUBLE .99 DOUBLE EXC.VAT FOOTER £113.99 inc.VAT

BEST

£

Model BAR Press. VOLT exc.VAT inc.VAT Harry 2 145 2103psi 230 £579.00 £694.80 KING 200 150 2175psi 230 £1198.00 £1437.60

JACKS ALSO IN STOCK UP TO 5 TONNE

Model Little Devil II Devil 700 Devil 900 Devil 1600 Devil 2100 Devil 4000

Superb range ideal for hobby & semi-professional use

Heat WAS £83.98 inc.VAT 59exc.VAT Output WAS NOW £71.98 inc.VAT Model Voltage kW exc.VAT inc.VAT inc.VAT WAS £75.59 inc.VAT UP TO Devil 6003 230V 1.5-3 £64.99 £83.98 £77.99 CW2D 7938KG £69.98 £92.39 £83.98 3 Model Capacity exc.VAT inc.VAT CAPACITY Devil 7003 230V £97.99 £118.79 £117.59 5 20SPS12 907kg £89.98 £107.98 IN STOCK Devil 7005 400V £149.99 £143.98 £119.98 Devil 6009 400V 4.5-9 25SPS12 1134kg £124.99 £149.99 Devil 7009 400V 9 £149.98 £183.59 £179.98 Devil 6015 400V 5-10-15 £179.98 £227.98 £215.98 CW1D Devil 7015 400V 15 £219.98 £275.98 £263.98 145 Bar 2103 psi Model Tank Cap. Type exc.VAT inc. inc.VAT HOT WASHERS DIESEL/PARAFFIN CW2D 10Ltrs Bench £59.98 WAS £75.59 £71.98 Ideal for effective cleaning HEATERS CW1D 45Ltrs Floor £149.98 £191.98 £179.98 with a hot jet of up to 80°C Ideal for fast efficient heating CWM20 22.5Ltrs Floor £189.00 £251.98 £226.80 HARRY 2 Extra-long run fuel tanks – up to 53 CW40 75Ltrs Floor £229.98 £287.98 £275.98 £ FROM ONLY .00 litres Variable heat 579 DOUBLEEXC.VAT output with 1 TONNE DOUBLE £694.80 FOOTER inc.VAT thermostat control CRANES DOUBLE 89 EXC.VAT FOOTER £107.98 inc.VAT

inc.VAT £262.80 £310.80 £334.80 £478.80 £514.80

CAR TRANSPORTER LASHING

110

SELLER FROM ONLY

DOUBLE DOUBLE 96 EXC.VAT FOOTER £116.39 inc.VAT

exc.VAT £219.00 £259.00 £279.00 £399.00 £429.00

230&

VOLT IN STOCK FROM £224.40

TURBO AIR COMPRESSORS

£

£ DOUBLE .98

Provides essential home, garage and roadside assistance Integral work light 910 /JS1100C include air compressor FROM ONLY Long life battery £ .99

.00 219EXC.VAT £262.80 inc.VAT

£ DOUBLE .99

WAS £83.98 inc.VAT

DUAL VOLTAGE

20SPS12

JUMP STARTS

INVERTER GENERATORS

Max Weight Output KG 800W 9.3 1700W 22 1100W 12.4 1800W 19.4 2200W 26.6

£77.99 inc.VAT

CAN DRAW OWN WATER

.00

*no * WAS £478.80 inc.VAT gas only # WAS £502.80 inc.VAT ‡ WAS £634.80 inc.VAT NOW ◆ WAS £838.80 inc.VAT inc.VAT ▼ WAS £958.80 inc.VAT £161.98 Pressure Engine £214.80 Model BAR/Psi HP exc.VAT inc.VAT £286.80 Tiger1800B 110/1595 3 £279.00 £334.80 £334.80 Tiger2600B* 180/2610 4 £379.00 £454.80 £586.80 Tiger3000B# 200/2900 6.5 £399.00 £478.80 PLS195B‡ 180/2640 5.5 £499.00 £598.80 £679.00 £814.80 PLS220◆ 230/3335 9 PLS265B ▼ 225/3263 13 £769.00 £922.80 PLS360 248/3600 13 £998.00 £1197.60

Makes easy work for washing vehicles, patios, stonework, etc. JET7500, JET8500 & JET9500B include hose reel 180 Bar PRICE CUT

64exc.VAT

PG3800A WAS NOW Model KVA HP exc.VAT inc.VAT inc.VAT PG2500A 2.2 5.6 £225.00 £286.80 £270.00 PG3800A 3 5.6 £289.00 £358.80 £346.80 PG3800ADV 3 5.6 £309.00 £394.80 £370.80 PG6500ADVES 5.5 9.7 £549.00 £694.80 £658.80 IG1200D

model IG950D IG1700F IG1200D IG2000D IG2200A

279EXC.VAT

ELECTRIC PRESSURE WASHERS

£ DOUBLE .99

INVERTER GENERATORS FROM £238.80

HEADER FROM ONLY

£334.80 inc.VAT

BEST

WAS £173.99 inc.VAT

HEAVY DUTY TURBO FAN GAS PETROL HEATERS POWER Offering low cost, WASHERS efficient heating

Honda & Diesel engine models in stock PLS265B £

Min/Max WAS Model Amps exc.VAT inc.VAT MIG102NG* 35/90 £134.98 £173.99 – MIG106 40/100 £179.00 Min-Max Amps exc.VAT inc.VAT MIG145 – 35/135 £239.00 £249.00 £298.80 MIG196 24-90 – 40/180 £279.00 £296.99 £356.39 MIG240 30-130 50/240 £489.00 £598.80 £345.00 £414.00 30-150

model PRO90 135TE Turbo 151TE Turbo

£

NOW FROM

.98 134 exc.VAT £161.98 inc.VAT

£

249EXC.VAT £298.80 inc.VAT

£

NO GAS/GAS MIG WELDERS

Professional type torch with on/off control Thermal overload protection Turbo fan cooled Easy conversion to gas with optional accessories PRICE CUT MIG102NG

GAS, TIPS, SHROUDS & WIRE IN STOCK

IN-STORE PHONE 0844 880 1265 ONLINE www.machinemart.co.uk

Britain's Tools &

MIG WELDERS

£

CATALOGUE GET YOUR FREE COPY!

CIR18LIC

2 2AH

HEADER FROM ONLY

£

NEW 492 PAGE

EXETER 16 Trusham Rd. EX2 8QG 01392 256 744 GATESHEAD 50 Lobley Hill Rd. NE8 4YJ 0191 493 2520 GLASGOW 280 Gt Western Rd. G4 9EJ 0141 332 9231 GLOUCESTER 221A Barton St. GL1 4HY 01452 417 948 GRIMSBY ELLIS WAY, DN32 9BD 01472 354435 HULL 8-10 Holderness Rd. HU9 1EG 01482 223161 ILFORD 746-748 Eastern Ave. IG2 7HU 0208 518 4286 IPSWICH Unit 1 Ipswich Trade Centre, Commercial Road 01473 221253 LEEDS 227-229 Kirkstall Rd. LS4 2AS 0113 231 0400 LEICESTER 69 Melton Rd. LE4 6PN 0116 261 0688 LINCOLN Unit 5. The Pelham Centre. LN5 8HG 01522 543 036 LIVERPOOL 80-88 London Rd. L3 5NF 0151 709 4484 LONDON CATFORD 289/291 Southend Lane SE6 3RS 0208 695 5684 LONDON 6 Kendal Parade, Edmonton N18 020 8803 0861 LONDON 503-507 Lea Bridge Rd. Leyton, E10 020 8558 8284 LUTON Unit 1, 326 Dunstable Rd, Luton LU4 8JS 01582 728 063 MAIDSTONE 57 Upper Stone St. ME15 6HE 01622 769 572 MANCHESTER ALTRINCHAM 71 Manchester Rd. Altrincham 0161 9412 666 MANCHESTER CENTRAL 209 Bury New Road M8 8DU 0161 241 1851 MANCHESTER OPENSHAW Unit 5, Tower Mill, Ashton Old Rd 0161 223 8376 MANSFIELD 169 Chesterfield Rd. South 01623 622160 MIDDLESBROUGH Mandale Triangle, Thornaby 01642 677881

NORWICH 282a Heigham St. NR2 4LZ 01603 766402 NORTHAMPTON Beckett Retail Park, St James’ Mill Rd 01604 267840 NOTTINGHAM 211 Lower Parliament St. 0115 956 1811 PETERBOROUGH 417 Lincoln Rd. Millfield 01733 311770 PLYMOUTH 58-64 Embankment Rd. PL4 9HY 01752 254050 POOLE 137-139 Bournemouth Rd. Parkstone 01202 717913 PORTSMOUTH 277-283 Copnor Rd. Copnor 023 9265 4777 PRESTON 53 Blackpool Rd. PR2 6BU 01772 703263 SHEFFIELD 453 London Rd. Heeley. S2 4HJ 0114 258 0831 SIDCUP 13 Blackfen Parade, Blackfen Rd 0208 3042069 SOUTHAMPTON 516-518 Portswood Rd. 023 8055 7788 SOUTHEND 1139-1141 London Rd. Leigh on Sea 01702 483 742 STOKE-ON-TRENT 382-396 Waterloo Rd. Hanley 01782 287321 SUNDERLAND 13-15 Ryhope Rd. Grangetown 0191 510 8773 SWANSEA 7 Samlet Rd. Llansamlet. SA7 9AG 01792 792969 SWINDON 21 Victoria Rd. SN1 3AW 01793 491717 TWICKENHAM 83-85 Heath Rd.TW1 4AW 020 8892 9117 WARRINGTON Unit 3, Hawley’s Trade Pk. 01925 630 937 WIGAN 2 Harrison Street, WN5 9AU 01942 323 785 WOLVERHAMPTON Parkfield Rd. Bilston 01902 494186 WORCESTER 48a Upper Tything. WR1 1JZ 01905 723451

£ .98 Portable & adjustable 219exc.VAT Maximum lift of 1000kg £263.98 inc.VAT Solid steel Folding and fixed WAS £287.98 inc.VAT frames available Robust, rugged construction Overload safety valve

PAY Monthly Spread the cost over 12, 24, 36, 48 or 60 months Any mix of products over £300 5 MIN APPLICATION! 17.9% APR

5 EASY WAYS TO BUY...

SUPERSTORES NATIONWIDE

ONLINE www.machinemart.co.uk TELESALES 0115 956 5555

CLICK & COLLECT

OVER 10,500 LOCATIONS

CALL & COLLECT

SAME DAY

Calls to the catalogue request number above (0844 880 1265) cost 7p per minute plus your telephone company’s network access charge. For security reasons, calls may be monitored. All prices correct 33366 at time of going to press. We reserve the right to change products and prices at any time. Check online for latest prices. All offers subject to availability, E&OE. Terms & conditions apply see machinemart.co.uk/finance for more details

*

33366 (70) 4x4 (full).indd 1 4x4 Magazine_2023_Apr_Machine Mart_FP.indd 1

03/03/2023 16:58 08/03/2023 14:31

4x4 of the best

behind the mask

W

hen you see a Defender in your rear-view mirror, 99 times out of 100 it’s… a Defender. But looks can be deceiving and they can be no more than skin deep, too.

Witness James Watt’s Series IIA. It looks like a 90 at first glance, which suggests that it’s either a 90 or has been modified to a pretty extensive degree. But actually, it’s neither.

As any enthusiast will tell you, resisting the temptation to completely transform your Land Rover is one of the hardest things to do. But as James’ 88 illustrates, it’s possible to retain as many of your vehicle’s original components as possible – while making changes to the things that really matter.

With standard leaf springs all round, you’d never guess from lying beneath this vehicle that it’s frequently mistaken for a Defender. But that’s the truth of the matter, which just goes to show how appearances can be deceptive. Lode

62 | APRIL 2023

11pp 4x4 of the Best Apr 23.indd 62

Words: Gary Noskill Pics: Steve Taylor

Lane purists might prefer to see the cutesy front lights of the original Series IIA, but James rather likes the more contemporary look and it’s his truck so that’s fine.

As is usually the case when a Series truck has a later front end, it’s because someone was making space for a bigger engine. A V8, in this case (the vehicle started life as a 2.25 diesel), but James was after more in the way of reliability and low-end torque so he swapped that out for non-turbo 2.5 from an early 90. ‘This engine was also used in early Sherpas,’ James remarks, ‘so it is inevitably fairly bullet-proof.’

James reckons the diesel engine suits the vehicle much better than the V8, as well as sounding right in a leafer on its original chassis. And even on the road, he finds its 68bhp acceptable. The engine is mated to the standard Series IIA gearbox, a job James did himself without hitting any snags. ‘It’s never going to be the fastest or smoothest vehicle,’ he says, ‘but it feels pretty strong.’

Talking of strong things, he’s upgraded to 109 drum brakes all round. Used with the single-line system that featured on all 88-inchers, their extra diameter provides a bit more bite to its outsize 31x10.50R15 tyres.

Bigger tyres normally means bigger suspension, but instead James accommodated them by making some judicious mods to the Land Rover’s bodywork. A 31x10.50 is the same height as a 7.50x16, after all, but it’s a lot wider, so the rear wheelarches were cut away in order to prevent fouling and spats went on to keep the MOT man happy.

We always ask people which mods they’re happiest with, and they tend to answer with the biggest ones. So if James had converted his IIA to coil springs, you can be fairly sure he’d have said that. Or maybe we should be asking which mods people are happiest they didn’t make…

Anyway, James’ top mod is the 12,000lb Champion winch that sits atop a Guardian winch bumper at the front of the vehicle. This

4x4 14/03/2023 16:41

Above left: The IIA came to James with a V8 in here, as is so often the case when the front panel has been replaced by a Defender one. He wanted the torque of a diesel, however, so he swapped it out for the 2.5 airhead you see here – note the huge gap in front of it Above right: A Guardian tubular bumper is home to a 12,000lb Champion winch Below left: Bolt-on diff guards are among the most common mods around. So too are coil-spring conversions, but in this respect James took a notable road less travelled Below centre: The roll cage provides welcome security in what is an off-road toy, but its rear stays also provide a rather awkward barrier when you’re loading stuff in the back of the truck Below right: 31x10.50R15s are about the same height as a 7.50, but they’re a lot wider, so James did some trimming around the arches and nished them off with spats to keep the man at bay

allows him to be far more adventurous than he otherwise would, so in turn he’s bolted on a steering guard and front and rear diff guards.

He’s fitted light guards at both ends, too, because you never know when a loose branch or flying stone is going to bite you.

There’s a similar note of good sense to the roll cage he installed though ith hindsight, he says he’d have given a bit more thought to the way it’s mounted inside the rear load area.

Mainly, though, he’s just pleased to have the security that comes from being protected by a rigid structure above your head in the event of things going properly wrong.

On top of this, the cage also provides a useful mounting point for four auxiliary lights. Along with a Safari snorkel, these give the Series IIA a workmanlike image. Well, workmanlike or playful, you decide.

Inside, things are pretty much as you’d expect for what is an off-road toy rather than a daily driver. A 40-channel CB radio is mounted on the dashboard and a first aid kit and fire

4x4 11pp 4x4 of the Best Apr 23.indd 63

extinguisher also have homes within reach of the driver’s seat. The high-lift jack is stored internally, as are tree strops and recovery ropes.

There’s also an isolator switch on the dash, enabling James to knock out the Kenlowe fan before venturing into water.

So this is a Land Rover that’s had a lot done to it – yet what defines it is largely what’s been left alone.

Engine apart, in mechanical terms it’s still surprisingly close to how it was when it left the factory more than half a century ago. It’s the result of a four-year rolling project yet it’s far more simple than it first appears.

And it’s far more of a Series IIA than it first appears, too. In fact, how do you fancy a game of Spot the Defender Part?

You’ll get the grille panel and headlights, and apparently so too is the fusebox… and that’s it. Everything else is the work of either James himself, or Solihull. So next time a 90 appears in your rear view mirror, who knows what you’re actually seeing?

APRIL 2023 | 63

14/03/2023 16:41

THE LAST LEG Stories about overland expeditions tend to focus on the sights you see, the people you of rea hin your ultimate oal or the first eo le e er to dri e an L Ran e Ro er Words and Pictures: Raymond and Nereide Greaves

64 | APRIL 2023

9pp Lilongwe Down South Africa.indd 64

4x4 14/03/2023 16:36

meet and the sheer joy of being on the road. But what about the bittersweet pleasure the len th of fri a rea hin a e own mean the end of a life- han in e erien e

B

ack in 2010, we spent half a year living out of our Range Rover as we travelled from London to Cape Town. It was a wonderful, li e-a rming, eye-opening episode in our lives, as e became the first people ever to drive the length of Africa aboard what was at the time the current model, the third-generation L322.

Before we set off, people told us we were mad to make the journey in such a complex vehicle. But as we’ve told the story of our expedition in this magazine, through various occasional instalments over the last couple of years or so, a recurring theme has been how well it looked after us. Now, we’re into the final chapter o a story e named ilong e o n and hile there were still many miles to be covered as we crossed the border from Namibia, a large part of it is going to be given over to a eulogy about our vehicle.

The Range Rover had done supremely well over the course of 13,200 miles as we travelled through Europe and the Middle East before entering Africa and setting out to travel south through (deep breath) Egypt, Sudan, Ethiopia, Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Malawi, Zambia, Botswana and Namibia. But it still had some 4500 miles ahead of it, as we planned to take a lap of South rica be ore finally reaching the end of the road near Cape Town.

At this point, we’ll admit that our expedition started to feel more like

4x4 9pp Lilongwe Down South Africa.indd 65

APRIL 2023 | 65

14/03/2023 16:36

Left: Near Johannesburg, Lion Park is not exactly the full wildlife experience – but if you tried to get friendly like this with the big cats in the Kruger, you’d come away looking distinctly second-hand Above: Chaitows restaurant is one of the many time-warp establishments in Pilgrims Rest, a gold rush town which rose overnight and, rather than becoming a ghost town when the good stuff ran out, reinvented itself as a tourist trap. Nowadays, it looks like something out of Victorian England with a touch of mid-century ‘modernity’ sprinkled on top a glorified holiday s e set out rom amibia and crossed the border into South rica, e ne that rom here on the travelling conditions ould be much more straight or ard o more borders to cross, plenti ul uel stations, e cellent places to eat,

9pp Lilongwe Down South Africa.indd 66

first- orld healthcare they even have brea do n recovery So this on t be so much o an e pedition travelogue as the tale o a road trip around South rica all o it by ay o rounding o the story o our ange over s stellar achievement rriving in South rica, e had an almost overhelming desire to head straight south and go directly to ape o n e had spent our months ith that as our ob ective,

and no it as so close e could almost touch it ut e anted to leave it to last, so e resisted temptation and spent the ollo ing five ee s e ploring the country e ere, a ter all, still on e pedition hat e didn t do as visit the country s ma or game par s e elt that e couldn t improve on hat e had seen in enya, an ania and ots ana even i this as a holiday and e ere being tourists rather

than travellers, e ould still ta e the tourist route less travelled ating li e a local is a crucial part o proper travel, and on our very first night in South rica e sampled a typical ape alay dish called bobotie hile staying in pington, the only to n o any si e in the remote

14/03/2023 16:37

4x4 Magazine_2023_Mar_4x4 Adventures_HP.indd 1

VEHICLE AIR CONDITIONING SPECIALISTS

02/02/2023 11:28

01452 309983 07816 889905 • Parts • Repairs • Service • 134a and 1234 yf gas

UNIT 2, LLANTHONY BUSINESS PARK, GLOUCESTER, GL2 5QT www.ac-automotive.co.uk 4x4 Magazine_2023_Feb_AC Automotive_HP.indd 1

4x4

4x4_Composite_Apr23.indd 67

11/01/2023 17:19

APRIL 2023 | 67

14/03/2023 12:32

Grahamstown, where many of South Africa’s original English settlers made their home in the 1880s, still looks like a bastion of colonial Victoriana to this day. Some of the continent’s residents have been there even longer than us, however – and the landforms have been there longest of all north-west of the country. Mighty fine it as, too he only y in the ointment here as the rubbish and litter all over the streets othing says elcome to our country li e the bin men going on strike… e spent several days staying ith riends in ohannesburg, visiting the historic and lub hich as ounded by ecil hodes in as South rica s grandest gentleman s club he grandeur is rather aded these days but it s still unctioning, right in the heart o the city n added bonus as that despite oburg s earsome reputation, e didn t get mugged, stabbed or shot at even once eyond here, the region o pumalanga is re uently overloo ed by uropean tourists ore ool them

t has an e tremely hilly landscape o s eeping mountain passes, unusual roc ormations, orests, ater alls and to ns here time appears to have stood still these, ilgrim s est deserves a special mention small to n that as built during an s gold rush, it has fiercely resisted modernisation ever since lthough the gold ran out at the turn o the th entury, the to n no ma es a living out o selling cra ts and curios to a steady stream o visitors he oyal otel is the only one in to n and to this day it still serves up a thoroughly ictorian- ngland lodging e perience, complete ith ree-standing cast iron baths and a restaurant that serves fish and chips in ne spaper he uel station still has pumps that loo distinctly

pre- ar but luc ily their diesel as o vintage s ith the rest o South rica, the roads in pumalanga are generally e cellent e did, ho ever, narro ly avoid one or t o vast holes in the road hich could have come straight rom enya ne or t o crac s are sho ing in the country s road net or , none more evidently than here eading south, e elected not to drive through S a iland no no n as s atini into a ulu atal lthough it ould have been the straightest route, e ere not interested in country bagging and ran ly couldn t ace an unnecessary border nstead, e drove around S a iland in another part o the country that s very in re uently travelled by tourists

his undulating region eels remote, ith e settlements, but has vast orests that are harvested by the South rican paper giants ondi and Sappi Several times e sa signs saying angerous road do not stop uite hat the danger as, e never ound out, but e didn t need telling t ice ollo ing this route, e ere eventually reac uainted ith an old riend the ndian cean e had le t the east coast almost e actly one month earlier at ar es Salaam and no here e ere again this time in the orld eritage area o St ucia, a etlands national par o some beauty emperatures ere nice and arm again in this sub-tropical region and at ape idal e ound hat as uite possibly the most beauti ul and

‘Several times we saw signs saying “Dangerous road: do not stop.” Quite what the danger was, we never found out, but we didn’t need telling twice’

68 | APRIL 2023

9pp Lilongwe Down South Africa.indd 68

4x4 14/03/2023 16:37

secluded beach either of us had even seen.

Continuing down the coast, we passed Durban and spent a few days being tossed around by the considerable surf at Amanzimtoti before heading inland towards the Drakensberg mountain range. This is the largest in Southern Africa, with peaks approaching 3500 metres and dramatic landscapes which were made all the more magnificent ith the autumn colours.

High up in the mountains is the kingdom of Lesotho, which can be approached via the legendary Sani Pass. Having now ascended the Pass we can report that, at least in the dry, it does not present any decent 4x4 with a particularly onerous

challenge though the sharp stones and rocks will try to cut your tyres to smithereens.

We enjoyed a very clear day and the reward for ascending the pass is spectacular views back into KwaZulu Natal. At the top we entered Lesotho, where we were lucky enough to visit a small village, spend time with one of the residents in their rondavel-style house, eat some of their freshly-baked bread (delicious!) and try sorghum beer (er… an acquired taste). We were impressed by the hardiness of Lesotho’s people, who live a very isolated life in harsh, arid conditions. At these altitudes (near 3000m) it gets extremely cold in winter, with lows of minus 20 degrees having been recorded.

Also at the top of Sani Pass is Africa’s highest pub. Quite a boast, that. It would have been rude not to drop in for lunch before descending back into South Africa.

Dropping out of the mountains, we motored through the region that used to be called the Transkei.

During the apartheid era, this was considered a separate country (only

by South Africa) and was the home of the Xhosa people; even now, it was as close to ‘real Africa’ as we got in South Africa, with haphazard townscapes full of street vendors and no brand-name stores.

We followed the glorious coastline of the Eastern Cape as far as Port Alfred, one of many small port towns among the golden sandy

beaches. Here we turned inland towards Grahamstown, where many of the original English immigrants settled in the 1880s and which still looks like a bastion of Victoriana to this day, and on to Graaff Reinet, the fourth oldest town in South Africa, where a facsimile of Salisbury Cathedral stands in splendid isolation amid the vast desert of the Karoo.

We had read that it’s possible to drive to the top of one of the hills surrounding the town, from where there would be a spectacular view of the sunset over the Valley of Desolation. We made it just in time and it was indeed impressive, but the valley’s name ended up sounding a little too close to home when we ended up getting lost.

The Sani Pass is a bit of a legend among overlanders, and signs at each end warn you that it’s for 4x4s only – though in truth, it shouldn’t present and decent x with a serious challenge t the top, you come to the border with esotho – and also nd ani ountain odge, which at 9424 feet above sea level can boast of being Africa’s highest pub

4x4 9pp Lilongwe Down South Africa.indd 69

APRIL 2023 | 69

14/03/2023 16:37

The viewpoint was a longer walk from the car than we had anticipated, along a poorly marked path through thick bush, and in our haste we had simply left the Range Rover and dashed off. We had no water, no warm clothes, no phone and, critically, no torch.

Big mistake. After sunset, in the rapidly fading light, we kept on arriving at other viewpoints on the edge of the cliff. During winter in the Karoo, the nights are VERY dark and VERY cold – if we didn’t

9pp Lilongwe Down South Africa.indd 70

find the angey ithin the ne t five minutes, it would be pitch dark and we would be spending a miserable night on top of the hill.

The Range Rover was only a few hundred metres away and packed with everything we needed for this situation – but which, in our hurry, we had not thought to bring. But we ust couldn t find it n one final, desperate attempt, Raymond charged off into the thick bush… and after some perseverance, he found the path. The relief was immense.

Without the slightest e aggeration, three minutes later it was pitch black. We ere e tremely grateful, to

say the least, to be back in the warm and secure Rangey. he ip-side o the total dar ness and lack of light pollution in the Karoo is spectacular stargazing.

Later that evening, we ventured out again and were rewarded with an astonishing view of endless stars in the il y ay and beyond as well as some shooting stars, which looked all the more magical for being out here.

The Western Cape is traditional tourist territory, but we spiced things up on the way by taking the road less travelled from Graaff Reinet to Knysna. Whereas the main highway inds its ay round the an s o a mountain range, the untarred, deserted and spectacular Prince Alfred’s Pass goes straight over them. In places, it was only as wide as the Range Rover itsel hat a treat to be there in a vehicle that allowed us to have this e perience few other people get the chance to enjoy.

That’s just one small part of a very big journey, of course, but it could be an

epigram on our entire e pedition e finally drove into ape o n on 15 May, a total of 17,000 miles, 18 weeks and 19 countries after leaving London. We were very lucky to have a fabulously clear day and as the majestic Table Mountain hove into view, I have to admit we both got a bit choked up.

We were also immensely proud of the Range Rover, which was absolutely ama ing rom start to finish It kept us cool, calm and safe on some of the worst, most dangerous roads in the world, and it wanted for nothing more than basic servicing.

We have read no other account of a Cape-to-Cairo trip (and we’ve read a lot) where the car has given so little trouble. A faithful friend indeed.

14/03/2023 16:37

PUBLISHED 18 Nov 2022

Whatever your taste in Land Rovers, there’s one annual publication you can’t afford to miss. The Land Rover Yearbook is an eclectic blend of classics, modified motors, new Landies, product reviews, travelogues and more.

This year’s Yearbook includes a range of 90s and 110s that have been brought back to life with a twist. And a 107” Station Wagon, too, restored and modified into a Series I like no other. If you prefer your classics to be more, well, classic, you’ll find an 88” Series IIA rebuilt with a devotion to originality that borders on the fanatical. And how about one of the very earliest Freelanders? Not everyone’s idea of a classic, but everything about Land Rover’s history since then says it’s one of the most significant vehicles the company has ever made.

The Discovery, for example, was a truck in the pre-Freelander era. Now it’s a premium SUV. We’ve tested the current model in entry-level D250 form in a bid to find out whether you really need to stretch all the way to a top-spec engine.

And we’ve driven the basic Defender 90, too – steel wheels and all. Not just on any test drive, either, but a mighty green lane trip on some of the best trails in the country.

That’s one kind of travel story.

Getting up close to Africa’s wildlife is definitely another, and so too is the Dakar Classic. Loads of historhistor ic Range Rovers and Series trucks were involved in this marathon desert rally – yet not one of them had a British driver. So be warned spend a day or two poring over the 2023 Land Rover Yearbook and you might come away on a mission to put that right!

–

£8.99 in whsmith

or order online at

www.amedia-shop.co.uk 4x4 Yearbook 2023.indd 1

14/03/2023 14:42

The Range Rover: a eulogy IN ADDITION TO JUST WANTING TO EXPLORE AFRICA, another reason for our expedition was to prove whether it would be possible to drive the length of the continent in a standard L322 Range Rover. To the best of our knowledge, it had never been done before.

Why anyone would set out to prove such a thing is another subject altogether. But it involved several glasses of red wine and the phrase ‘Chelsea Tractor’…

Well, we now have the answer.

And it’s an emphatic yes.

On a journey like this, you’re incredibly reliant on your 4x4. Not just to get you from A to B but also to keep you warm, keep you safe, protect your equipment, valuables and documents, give you a place to keep and prepare food and provide you with a place to sleep.

Added to that, given the need to pass through some of the most remote, hostile and harsh terrain on earth, your vehicle needs to be supremely tough and dependable, and to have decent ground clearance. It needs to be able to cope with very rough and dusty roads and fuel of variable quality.

On top of that, it doesn’t take a genius to work out that it’s an incredibly long way from London to Cape Town by road. So there is going to be a huge amount of time at the wheel. We reckon we spent at least 500 hours driving. So comfort is of prime importance.

Judged on these criteria, it’s hard to think of a better vehicle for the task than a Range Rover. Here are the things we particularly liked about it, the bits we felt could be improved upon, our service and maintenance regime and the (very few) faults we encountered during the journey.

Things we liked • Seats: On many occasions, we would spent all day in the saddle and never did we have any aches or pains or want for more lumbar or under-thigh support. The two-stage seat heating was very welcome in wintry Europe and on the cold mornings in Namibia and South Africa, as was the heated steering wheel.

72 | APRIL 2023

9pp Lilongwe Down South Africa.indd 72

• Air con and dust control: Lots of cars have air conditioning but the system on the L322 is fantastic.

Even when it was forty degrees outside, the system easily maintained a pleasant 22 degrees inside.

Humidity control is also excellent.

The best example of how well the automatic climate control works was in Tanzania. We left Arusha in the morning at a fresh 15 degrees and drove straight to Dar es Salaam. Getting out was a shock; it was 35 degrees and over 95% humidity, and we hadn’t had any inkling of the change in conditions from inside the car!

Probably the best bit of all, however, is the system’s ability to control dust. The Rangey has a pollen filter to separate out allergens what we didn’t realise is that this also very effectively removes dust and even unpleasant smells from the incoming air – great news when you’re stuck behind an ancient bus struggling uphill belching diesel fumes!

Coupled with excellent dust sealing around the door apertures, a negligible amount o dust and filth found its way into the car on the entire trip. Looking at the interiors of other overlanders’ vehicles that didn’t enjoy this feature made us realise quite how lucky we were.

• Air suspension: The Rangey’s air suspension is far more sophisticated than just providing a pillowy ride quality. It controls body motions, especially at high speed, and contributes to surprisingly good handling for a vehicle of this mass and high centre of gravity – particularly when there’s another 200kg on the roof!

We only encountered one type of terrain that even the Rangey couldn’t smooth out and that was corrugations, a classic feature of untarred African roads that have a very good go at shaking your car to pieces.

The air suspension also allows you to raise ride height by about 4”, which is absolutely invaluable.

We would suggest that ground clearance is the most useful feature in Africa, probably even more than four-wheel drive.

• Ease of maintenance: On an ultra-complex, modern car this came as a bit of a surprise. All the key service items oil filter, air filter, uel filter and pollen filter have clearly been designed for easy access and ease of replacement. You realise the depth of thought that has gone into all of this when you remove the air filter bo and realise that all the retaining bolts and washers are

captive so they cannot fall out. You really appreciate that when doing the job in a side-street in Khartoum! ter changing the uel filter, the fuel system automatically purges itsel o air brilliant he oil filter is the simplest to change on any car I have even seen: being done from above means you don’t have to grub around on the oor he pollen filter change takes all of two minutes and is just a slot-in job. There is even a clever little oat device that aids checking the coolant level. All the electrical connections are triple sealed against dust and moisture. I could go on.

• Security: Having studied the various systems, I’m convinced the Range Rover is virtually impossible to steal without physically lifting it on to a trailer. In Africa, we were more worried about smash-andgrab and hijacking. For the former, the protection and tinting film applied to the windows has the added side benefit o ma ing smashand-grab very di cult as it ill prevent the window from shattering and needs quite a sustained attack to break through.

Hijacking was a bit more of an unknown. The guys at Land Rover Nairobi told us not to worry – they did not know of anyone being

4x4 14/03/2023 16:37

Only one puncture in 18,000 miles says something for the choice of tyres. It says a lot about the vehicle, too, when you consider that they were largely on roads like this hijacked in a Range Rover. The reason? Because of massive import duties, Range Rovers are very rare all over Africa (they cost two or three times the price in the UK) so the only people who can buy them are government o cials or very in uential business people Hijackers leave these sorts of people alone because they know that if they attacked them, they would have the secret service breathing down their necks. In other words, we looked important, so it was safer to leave us alone!

• Reliability: Amazingly, the Rangey did not miss a beat all the way down despite rough roads, unknown fuel quality, loads of dust, high heat, high humidity and high altitudes. It was our utterly dependable friend. Given that Africa generally has a good go at breaking your vehicle, this is no mean achievement. We know of no other Cairo to Cape Town expedition that has had so few issues with the car – and yes, that includes Land Cruisers!

Things we didn’t like • Gearbox: Our route through Africa was immensely hilly and we seemed to be always ascending or descending mountain passes. This, coupled with frequently running at high altitudes (hence reduced engine power) and a heavily laden vehicle, exposed the gearbox.

We found that the gap in the ratio between 2nd and 3rd gear is too big. This was particularly noticeable when climbing, especially at altitude. To maintain, say, 30mph up a steep incline, you are forced to either run at high engine speeds in 2nd or slog away in 3rd. The gearbox electronics themselves could rarely decide on the correct gear in these circumstances so it was better to take manual control.

Additionally, the box loves to get into 5th gear – presumably for economy – but is then quite reluctant to drop back down when additional torque is required.

Again, this issue is exacerbated at altitude when the engine develops less power.

Frequently, we would run the box in Sport mode simply to lock out top gear his had the added benefit of making gear selection more sensitive to throttle position (for example when trying to maintain speed going up a hill) and preventing the box from changing up when backing off on the way down a hill, when the additional engine braking was welcome.

• Viscous Fan: The cooling system never seemed to be under strain in any circumstance, however the viscous-coupled fan is intrusively noisy when it engages. This is relatively infrequent in normal circumstances, however we did notice that at approximately 1500 metres above sea level it would engage – and stay engaged until altitude was lost.

Given that the whole of Ethiopia was above 2000m, this meant the fan was locked on for about two weeks! We were beginning to think the coupling may have seized, but dropping altitude into Northern Kenya proved this not to be the case.

• Jack: Lifting up a large, heavy vehicle with extremely long suspension travel is always going to be di cult and the ac supplied with the Range Rover is only just capable of the job. We did not have enough space on board to take a trolley jack that would do the job properly, a Range Rover is not compatible with a high-lift and the air jack we did take proved incapable of lifting the car. Had we had punctures off-road or on a soft surface, we would have had a problem on our hands.

4x4 9pp Lilongwe Down South Africa.indd 73

• Sun Visor: Driving south (we did a lot of that) in the late afternoon, the sun would be on the side of the driver’s face. No problem because the sun visor swings round, but it’s not long enough to shade the entire width of the front side window. If only these visors would extend, we mused. About four months and 15,000 miles into the trip, we realised that they did… Doh!

What went wrong Some of these will seem absolutely trivial – but there is nothing else to report from the entire 18,000 mile, trans-Africa trip: • Parking sensors: Probably because of being bombarded by so much grit and dust en route, the sensors do work sometimes but mainly they don’t.

• Infotainment screen: After the battering and of the Marsabit Road in Northern Kenya, the info screen stopped working – meaning we didn’t have music, fuel consumption stats or the helpful GPS/heading screen. Solution? We simply removed the fuse, waited for a short period then reinserted it. And guess what? It worked again, without fault, for the rest of the journey!

• Folding mirrors: Early one morning at Lake Awassa, Ethiopia, a very ind but also very ham-fisted gentleman washed the Range Rover for us completely unasked. We had folded the mirrors in the night before using the button in the car, but he opened them again manually and now the motors operate but the mirrors won’t stay closed.

APRIL 2023 | 73

14/03/2023 16:37

2: Nairobi, Kenya (7500 miles) ith a modern and over dealership in airobi, this was to be the point on the trip where we would take stock and do a major inspection and service he car got a thorough et ash, including the engine bay and underneath; we changed the engine oil plus oil, air, pollen and uel filters, as well as the wiper blades; and we replaced the worn out bushes and ball joints in the front suspension trailing arms he total cost o the service as around lthough labour rates are about a uarter o those in the , import duties mean that parts prices are around t ice as much o ever e did get a and over airobi stamp in the service boo , hich has got to be orth it

Servicing and Maintenance e ould chec oil, coolant and bra e uid levels, and look under the car to check for leaks or damage, literally every day ma ingly, nothing needed topping up for the entire journey and we su ered neither lea s nor damage We looked after our tyres and pressures fastidiously and perhaps this is part of the reason why we only had one puncture on the entire trip, despite a lot o bad roads ou see a huge number of shredded tyres by the roadside, especially in the hot desert areas, illustrating how hard they have to or hen the roads get hot Tyre pressure are normally set when cold but we found that by doing this, our rear tyres were exceeding their maximum permissible pressure psi i run at speed on hot tarmac onsequently, we experimented with cold pressures to prevent this happening and are sure this saved us a e blo n tyres en route Dust and grit is a major enemy on a trip such as this as it finds its ay into everything and tries to am and sei e hatever it can ter

74 | APRIL 2023

9pp Lilongwe Down South Africa.indd 74

motoring in particularly dusty environments, e ould do a dust service involving blo ing dust out of the radiators, cleaning and greasing the bonnet latches and giving the engine bay a dusting – though it has to be said, the latter resisted dust intrusion surprisingly ell Where possible, we would get the underside and suspension components et ashed he area that picked up the most dust was the tailgate, which was the only place where some dust did manage to find its ay into the car e carefully cleaned the seals, hinges, locks and latches to ensure e cient operation inally, e ould increase the re uency o air filter changes in these environments n terms o servicing, be ore e le t the e did a thorough service on the car no ing that the next time it would see dealer facilities ould probably be in airobi, miles a ay En route we did the following: 1: Khartoum, Sudan (5500 miles) ollo ing much motoring in dry, arid and dusty conditions, e made a precautionary air filter and uel filter change

3: Maun, Botswana (11,500 miles) here is a small and over service agent in this northern outpost o ots ana and they very indly let us use their acilities e changed engine oil plus oil and uel filters, using our o n parts he service manager ould not accept any payment, so instead e gave a healthy tip to the guys ho helped us 4: Johannesburg, South Africa (14,000 miles) ter the dirt roads o amibia, a serious dust service as in order s part o this e changed the air filter, hich as absolutely pac ed ith grit and sand, replacing it with one from our stoc o spares ter its , mile e pedition, the ange over arrived bac in the ith a total o , miles on its cloc e ent to the doc s at eli sto e to collect it rom its shipping container and it started first time be ore strolling through an ith no advisories ll ready to embar on the ne t , nd that as it he end o a great trip and emphatic proof that after all these years, a modern ange over is still a ormidable vehicle in virtually any environment you can imagine he most capable vehicle in the orld ets our vote

4x4 14/03/2023 16:37

n o d y Ga r e v o R d n La Show2023 ay M 8 7&

all; over it s. Disc t s to ia le s u b r enth ’ll be a d Rove Rovers, you n a L ll l. for a ange rsona ekend erys, R and pe ate we Discov ars up close , im lt -3 u 1 e s Th rie ec ers, Se of thes Defend e hundreds th se

75

Anniversary of the iconic marque

Display your vehicle

Tickets available now

britishmotormuseum.co.uk/gaydon-land-rover-show

just £9

Alternatively call us on 01926 895295

J12 M40, Gaydon, Warwickshire, CV35 0BJ

*T’s & C’s apply, see website

includes weekend pass*

4x4 Magazine_2023_Mar_British Motor Museum_HP.indd 1

08/03/2023 14:27

4x4 Magazine_2023_Feb_Graham Sykes Insurance_HP.indd 1

11/01/2023 11:02

4x4

4x4_Composite_Apr23.indd 75

APRIL 2023 | 75

14/03/2023 12:33

OUR 4X4S Vehicle: Isuzu D-Max GO2 Year: 2018 Run by: Alan Kidd Last update: Mar 2023 On the fleet since: January 2020

Coming up for air THEY SAY THAT WHEN YOU’RE PLANNING to modify a vehicle, you should start with a tyre size and choose everything else about the build to suit that. The slightly unusual circumstances in which our D-Max came to light meant it was led more by the suspension on offer; we went for the biggest tyre (a 285/75R16) we felt we’d be able to use with it then we took everything else from there.

Between the extra height of the tyres and the suspension, the vehicle probably sits about 3-4” higher than a standard D-Max. Which means that we’d have to drive through water about 3-4” deeper for it to reach danger level for the air intake. And since that danger level was already high enough that only an idiot would mess with it, this clearly means that we didn’t need a snorkel.

Or did we? Lest we forget, the point of a snorkel is not so that you can go playing in stupidly deep water. It’s there as an insurance policy against the fordably shallow water you’re crossing turning out to be stupidly deep after all. And it s one o the first things on most

off-roaders’ minds because if you do suck water in to your engine, you’ve got a dead vehicle. If this happens while you’re fording a river in the Outback or the wilds of Africa, there’s a pretty strong chance that your vehicle isn’t the only thing that’s going to be dead. he other reason or fitting a snorkel is that it means your engine’s air intake is raised above the orst o the dust you get ying around in hot, dry climates. You do o course have an air filter, but there’s only so much this can do – even when you’re cleaning it out every day, as you will be on an expedition in these kind of conditions, desert dust is very good at getting everywhere. And by that we mean everywhere.

So a raised air intake is good for your engine’s long-term and shortterm health alike. That alone is reason enough to fit one, but much more importantly it looks cool.

Which brings us to our D-Max, our wish list and our crippling sense of vanity. Sorry, that was meant to say that the D-Max was originally intended to be displayed on Isuzu’s stand at the 2020 CV

Insurance for your 4X4

60 | JUNE 2021 Call 0800 085 5000 or visit adrianflux.co.uk 2pp Our 4x4s Apr 23 D-Max.indd 76

Pictured is our project Isuzu D-Max GO2. Although we struggled to find an insurance com pany that would cover our su u especially when we were using it for green laning and off roading we finally found drian lu a specialist insurance bro er that not only covers green laning and off roading but also unusual vehicles li e modified and classic s. nd they do all this at an affordable price get a uote from them by calling

Show, so when we were speccing it we were thinking about Isuzu’s needs for it as an exhibit. Ah, such altruism.

To be fair, protecting our new truck against a calamitous intake of water was high on our list. But yeah, mainly a snorkel looks cool.

What doesn’t look cool is a large, unrequited hole in your vehicle’s wing. Which is why, when you’re fitting a snor el, you need to be absolutely certain that you’re drilling in the right place. Exactly the right place. Getting this wrong would be unthinkable so, as furniture makers say, measure twice, cut once.

We’d be all for measuring a bunch more times on top of that, but over to you on how many times you want to check. Happily, when you buy a snorkel from a reputable manufacturer (ours is a Safari Snorkel), you’ll get full instructions with it – as well as a template showing you exactly where to blow the necessary holes in your truck’s wing and A-post.

Safe to say you really, REALLY want to get this right…

Safari’s instructions for the snorkel say the job will take three hours. Mind you, they also say the unit is for the D-Max with Isuzu’s 3.0-litre diesel engine, which we’re fairly sure ours isn’t. What matters, anyway, is that the air intake ducting is the same, all the way up to the point where you remove it to the bin. After that, out come the step drill and 111mm holesaw to prep the wing. Or, if you’ve not used the template right, to turn the wing into an expensive piece of scrap.

On that subject, once the holes have been smoothed off (Safari says you should paint over the exposed metal, too) you need to dry-fit the snor el body and use it to mark the position of the bracket that’s going to hold it to the A-post. o the drill comes out again and if you mess this up, you really are going to regret it.

With the bracket screwed in to the A-post, the body of the snorkel

is mounted to the offside wing and secured. After this, the inner wing needs to be opened up to let the air hose make it through, so there’s yet more precious metal to be removed from your poor truck.

You then have the option of sealing the drain holes in the base o the air filter housing hese can allow water to come in, so for a completely sealed air intake they ought to be plugged up, however if your focus is on keeping dust from the engine you might prefer to leave them as Isuzu intended.

After that, it’s a case of assembling the hoses and clamps in the Safari Snorkel kit to create a smooth pathway for air to come through the ing and in to the filter box. Obviously, you do need to make sure every joint along the way is water tight – but with that done, you should be able to fire up the engine and, when you put your hand across the air ram at the top of the snorkel, feel it being sucked on to the mesh.

Now, we’ve had some painful experiences in the past when it comes to going gung-ho through water, safe in the knowledge that there’s a snorkel keeping our engines safe. In particular, one occasion comes to mind when the contents of a perishingly cold Kentish river came pouring in through a Land Rover’s vent panels, wiping out the editor’s very expensive stereo and routing itself directly towards his feet through the vehicle’s fuse box. So we don’t plan to do that again.

Nonetheless, as we said above you fit a snor el as an insurance policy. We do a lot of green laning in the D-Max, and that means a lot of ording nd the first rule o ording is always to remember that you can’t see the bottom.

So far, we haven’t been taken by surprise by anything four feet deep.

But when we do, we’ll have a snorkel on our side.

4x4

Authorised & regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority

14/03/2023 16:45

Drilling holes in your pride and joy is not normally recommended as being good for the blood pressure, but if you’re going to do it a handy template at least means the job doesn’t need to end in tears. And, it goes without saying, doing it properly will help too. By this, we mean marking through the template with a felt tip then using a punch to mark the position where you’ll drill a pilot hole then steadily open it up with a step drill. Afterwards, clean away the burrs you’ve left and paint over the metal you’ve exposed to keep it from rusting

Above: A 111mm holesaw opens up the main passage through the wing for the air hose. This needs to be matched in the inner wing, too, where the top of the existing hole is extended upwards elow ith the snorkel’s main body dry- tted, it’s used to mark the position on the -post where the bracket will go f you thought drilling holes in your truck’s wing was scary, ttry this…

APRIL 2023 | 77

2pp Our 4x4s Apr 23 D-Max.indd 77

14/03/2023 16:46

MAG

AZIN

4x4 Magazine_2023_Apr_Subs_DPS.indd 78

E

14/03/2023 14:36

at nues i t n o lly c atica of £4.99. m o t au e Debit cover pric t c e r . Di the r only 80% off e f f o l. er scrib you cance b u s t ss ebi ect D sues unle r i D 2 is new *UK, 9 every 1 £3

4x4 Magazine_2023_Apr_Subs_DPS.indd 2

14/03/2023 14:37

4x4

NEXT MONTH IN…

We all love a good wade… and our guide to Britain’s best fords will have you rea hin for your i ers Tested: Flat out off-road in the new Ford Raptor, and sideways on ice as Nissan talks electric traction 4x4 of the Best: A quartet of cool Land Cruisers PLUS A Jeep that’s so special we can’t yet show it to you

top secre t

ON SALE: 21 April Step 40: Tur n left off the main track, embankment dropping dow then plungi n the ng straight into a water trough (right) are sharp rock Step Caution – there you climb the

71 34

Step Step

13

13.1

iate as

steps to negot hillside

Step

47

Caution over a steps as you short set of rocky drop down the hill

12.3 ROADBOOK: This time let’s15.0hope Yorkshire isn’t under a foot of snow… a Abbey

8.75

Strata Florid

track to the left Take the rocky track the main Cat A

Step

14

Ste p Step

4328

of

More rock steps, water trough

followed by a long

There’s a coup le of huge wate troughs afte r r the junction

1312 .1 .6

10.9

Step

43

Step

15 11.7

13.4

Step

Step

16

44

11.8

Join the Cat A

Step

track

17 12.8 Step

It’s a steep, sharp climb up over a bigg er track – you and can’t see ahead over your bonnet to start with

Step

48

Look out for you cross the the waymarker as ford

15.2

ou may find yoursel drivi a river bed ng along for a while…

13.65 Step

45 Fill in your name and14 address .7 and give this form to your newsagent track Drop off the main the gate and immediately before trough water into yet another

18 Please order 4x4 Magazine and reserve/deliver me a copy every month Step

46

12.8Name Address

88 | JAN UARY 2020

these axleentum to clear t need a bit of mom the right is much bigger Step 37: You migh -off to warned, the drop twisters – but be here s look it than

4x4

14.9 4x4

Newsagent This magazine is available to your wholesaler through Comag Magazine Marketing, Tavistock Rd, West Drayton, Middlesex UB7 7QE. Tel: 01895 444055 Fax: 01895 433602

80 | APRIL 2023

Next Month Mar.indd 80

JA NUARY

202 0 | 89

4x4 14/03/2023 13:05

4x4 Magazine_2023_Apr_Rimmer Brothers_FP.indd 1

08/03/2023 14:35

Vitesse Global_FP.indd 1

14/03/2023 15:42