The Landy April 2014 by Assignment Media Ltd

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‘I know he wIll be beautIfully cared for now’ The circus lion rescued from a life of cruelty and returned home to Africa – on the back of a Discovery

LANDY

APRIL 2014

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ISSUE 2

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HAPPY FAMILIES HAVE A LANDY IN THEM!

Toby Barnes-Taylor is living proof that having a cool truck can go hand in hand with family life.

Allen Sharp won the 2014 Welsh Xtrem in his 100” Land Rover special – beating all the big-buck super-trucks in the process. His secret? Planning your vehicle build in advance matters more than having a fat chequebook. Full story: Page 31

He bought his 130 so he could give his children adventures rather than mundane holidays. And it’s more than just great fun. It makes financial sense, too.

Full story: Page 14

wipers working overTime workshop horrors An easy fix for a peculiar problem

Two of Britain’s favourite lanes have gone forever, after TROs were approved on The Roych and Chapel Gate. And there’s more to come, as local authorities set their sights on more of the high-profile lanes throughout the Peak District. Full story: Page 2

pro spanner men reveal the jobs they fear most

TogeTher Through AfricA An expedition with a very happy ending indeed

NEWS • PRODUCTS • MODS • CLASSICS • ADVENTURE • WORKSHOP • CLUBS

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DISMAY AS PEAK DISTRICT CLOSES CHAPEL GATE AND ROYCH FOREVER Classic lanes lost despite majority public opposition – and more set to follow as anti-vehicle lobby aim to go for the throat Olly Sack The closure of Chapel Gate and the Roych, two of the Peak District’s best-loved rights of way, has finally been confirmed. Following a series of wranglings including an experimental 18-month closure that was quashed in the High Court, the axe fell on 24 January when Peak District National Park Authority (PDNPA) confirmed permanent TROs on both lanes. The TROs were made ‘to safeguard the natural beauty and special characteristics of these landscapes and the amenity for other users.’

The PDNPA’s Christopher Pennell, chairman of the Audit, Resources and Performance Committee, said in a public statement on 24 January that the organisation consulted both sides of the argument while drawing up the closure orders. ‘On balance, we have decided that the conservation of the natural beauty of these landscapes outweighs unrestricted recreational motorised use on the Roych and Chapel Gate.’ Mr Pennell is a member of Friends of the Peak District, an organisation which campaigns against 4x4 use in the National Park. Two weeks before

the PDNPA’s announcement of the closures on Chapel Gate and The The PDNPA’s Audit, Resources and Performance Committee is responsible for making TROs in the National Park. It’s chaired by Christopher Pennell, whose membership of the anti-4x4 Friends of the Peak District has caused some controversy. We asked the Authority about this. They told us he had never had to use his casting vote as chairman, and that ‘committee members are individuals who make up their own minds.’

Roych, FoPD changed its policy on 4x4 use to: ‘to campaign for a change in the law to make all off-roading by motorised vehicle users in the National Park illegal.’ Defending his membership of the organisation, Mr Pennell said in a statement to our sister publication Total Off Road: ‘When I joined the Authority I ceased to play any active role in FoPD: I have no impact on the policies FoPD choose to adopt and they have no influence on the decisions I reach within the Authority.’ The TROs on The Roych and Chapel Gate came after a public consultation

resulted in a 1391 to 994 verdict against the closures. This put anti4x4 responses in the minority by just under 40%. The legal challenge to PDNPA’s original experimental TRO was brought by the Green Lane Association (GLASS), which has expressed concern at a hardening of

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We’re on Facebook: www.facebook.com/thelandyuk most precious sections of the entire green lane network. ‘We understand the strong feelings on both sides of this argument,’ explained Christopher Pennell. ‘But as a national park authority it is our primary statutory duty to conserve and enhance the natural beauty, wildlife and cultural heritage of the area, and that outweighs other considerations where there is a substantial conflict. ‘There are some 300 green lanes usable by motorised vehicles in the national park but we are concentrating the powers given to us to consider TROs on just a very few where the impact is causing special concern.

‘Both these routes cross areas of outstanding natural beauty and wildlife habitats which are enjoyed by many: Chapel Gate passes through wildlife areas with the highest protection

58%

Majority of people responsing to Peak District Authority’s consulation who opposed TROs on Chapel Gate and The Roych

designation in Europe, and has historic interest as a pack horse route.’ The PDNPA’s management of green lanes in the National Park has led to a number of peaceful protests by 4x4 drivers and motorcyclists. Commenting on the Authority’s stance towards motor vehicle users, the PDVUG said: ‘We’ve even offered to maintain the routes with free labour and organise voluntary agreements or part time closures, but the PDNPA says that we’re harming the “natural beauty,” amenity and peace of their countryside and they won’t budge. How they define a man-made holloway and paved stone track as natural, we fail to understand.’

Brushfield next in the firing line for closure

attitudes towards 4x4 users in the National Park. So too has the Peak and Derbyshire Vehicle Users Group (PDVUG), saying: ‘The Authority knows they are pushing their luck here. But they have stopped talking to us about compromise.’ The Peak District Authority continues to pursue action plans

relating to a list of 36 ‘priority routes’. These are defined as trails ‘where activities cause most concern’ – currently, TROs are only proposed on a few, though in addition to Chapel Gate and The Roych these include the hugely popular Brushfield and Long Causeway, where the rock crawl at Stanage Edge is among the rarest and

Among the best-loved green lanes on the Peak District NPA’s list of 36 ‘priority routes,’ the unsurfaced road through Brushfield appears set to be the next right of way closed to motor vehicles. In September, Derbyshire County Council requested evidence on use of the lane from before 2006. However it received only THREE responses. Whether this was down to poor communication or apathy, or a mixture of the two, the result is that the Council concluded that the track has no history of motor vehicle use. Thus it has declined to consider giving it byway status. This means it will be classified as a bridleway and footpath – closing it forever to 4x4s. The Green Lane Association mounted a desperate rearguard action to try and rally objections that would trigger a public enquiry into the council’s action. It remains unclear if this will have been enough, or another case of too little, too late from the green lane community.

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Issue 2: April 2014

OFF-ROAD TRAGEDY CLAIMS LIFE OF LAND ROVER MAN

Tributes paid after Gareth Roberts dies following late-night rollover at Moel Famau Off-roaders in North Wales have paid tribute to Gareth ‘Cruglas’ Roberts, who was killed in an accident on the night of Saturday 1 March. Gareth, 30, was off-roading in his trayback Land Rover near Moel Famau, on the border of Flintshire and Denbighshire, when it rolled on treacherous ground; despite a major rescue operation by the emergency services, which included the fire service being brought in to light the remote location, he was pronounced dead at the scene. North Wales Police told us that the Land Rover was not on a right of way when the accident happened. No further details have been made available about the accident itself, however it has been reported that it rolled several times before coming to a rest. An inquest at North East Wales Coroner’s Court has been opened and adjourned, and is expected to report later this year. News of the 30-year-old’s death was greeted by shock throughout the

off-road community, with many taking to Facebook to pay tribute to ‘a really good lad.’ Speaking to the local Daily Post, Ruthin County Councillor Huw Hilditch-Roberts said he would be ‘a massive loss to the rural community and an even bigger loss to his family.’ Our picture shows Gareth trialling at Llansilin with the Muddy Millers, aboard the same Land Rover in which he lost his life. Speaking on behalf of the Millers, Chair Leanne Davies said: ‘It’s such a shame that someone so nice and genuine can be taken away so soon in life. Everyone from the Muddy Millers would like to express their sadness to hear such terrible news. Our thoughts go out to Gareth’s family and friends, who have been struck by such sadness and loss from a sport that he enjoyed so much.’ In a tribute released by North Wales police, Gareth’s partner of nine years Louise Collister said: ‘He had the rare ability to bring a smile to everyone’s face as soon as he entered the room.

He was my best friend, soul mate and love of my life. Hard working, loving, caring, loyal, happy, trustworthy and would never let you down. Always in my heart and by my side forever.’ Gareth’s parents Dei and Edna Roberts paid the following heartfelt tribute: ‘Gareth was a wonderful son, brother and friend. We will miss his ray of sunshine and cheeky smile forever. He brought joy to all he met. It has been an honour to be his parents.’ The entire 4x4 community is united is sympathy for Gareth’s bereaved family and friends, as it mourns the tragic loss of one of its own.

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Comment

When tragedies happen, our natural instinct is to put ourselves in the place of the victim. ‘There but for the grace of God go I,’ as the saying goes. I doubt there are many people who’ve ever driven a Land Rover off-road who didn’t feel like that when they heard of the awful event that claimed the life of Gareth Roberts. Because we all know it could just as easily have been us. We’ve all had those moments. The ones you look back on, knowing what might have happened. You play it over and over in your head, but it still makes your blood run cold every time you think about it. I still remember, as vividly as if it were yesterday, sliding sideways on a sheet of ice towards a never-ending drop-off on a winter’s morning back home in Scotland, knowing full well that I had neither a seat belt around me nor any control over what was about to happen. I remember the moment my 90 stood on its nose at the bottom of a short, sharp hill on the Belgium National back in the 1990s. I can still hear the noise of my jack and ground anchor crashing forward on to the bulkhead behind me as the Landy decided whether to fall back on to its wheels or keep going over. In each case, I was asking for it. And it didn’t happen. Gareth wasn’t hot-dogging in some ill-prepared shed when fate overtook him; he was an experienced driver, well known on the competition circuit, in a sorted 90 with a full cage and all. I know how easily it could have been my mum and dad who got the call every parent dreads. I’m a dad too these days, and the stuff I survived when I was younger makes me look to the future and shudder. Gareth’s mum and dad did get that call, and it shows how damn unfair life can be. ‘One life, live it’ goes the slogan, and he surely did. My sincerest and most heartfelt sympathy to all who knew him. Alan Kidd, Editor

Issue 2: April 2014

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Off-road for a cause

Donations to help keep poachers away from Africa’s wildlife could win you a holiday… A team of British Land Rover fans is heading to Kenya this summer to take part in the legendary Rhino Charge. And if you support their charity fundraising efforts, they’ll enter you into a draw to win a two-week Spanish holiday in a private apartment! First held in 1989, the Rhino Charge is a unique off-road event which in some ways was the forerunner of the winch challenge. From the word go, it has been run as a fundraiser for the Rhino Ark – a charitable trust which has played a pivotal role in protecting endangered African wildlife from the ravages of poaching. The Brits going to Kenya include John Bowden, owner of Gumtree 4x4, and Kit Kaberry – now in his fifth year of taking part. The team use a hybrid Land Rover which was prepped by Gumtree many years ago and shipped

to Kenya for the purpose – and, in keeping with the spirit of the event, they pay for all their own travel and so on when taking part. Kit’s tireless fundraising has made him one of the Rhino Ark’s most valuable UK allies, and once again this year he’s hoping Britain’s Land Rover fans, businesses and anyone else who appreciates the value of the natural world will spare something to donate. To help persuade you, he’s offering two very unusual and extremely generous incentives: • Everyone donating £50 or more will be entered into a draw to win a two-week stay at his family’s apartment in Moraira, Spain. The draw will be made on 1 May. • The first 11 donors pledging £500 or more will receive a full set of GB Olympic Gold Medal Winners stamps

w w w.ju stg iv ing.com/ carno9rhinocharge2014

on first day covers. Very collectable, and offered on a first-come, firstserved basis. It’s too good an opportunity to miss, really – and even if donating that much money is a bit rich for your pocket, every little really does help. To do your bit for what really is an outstanding conservation cause, the place to head for is www.justgiving. com/carno9 rhinocharge2014. And who knows, next thing that happens is you might be heading for Spain! Kit’s efforts don’t stop at offering up a free holiday. He’s also selling a collection of Universal Hobbies 1:18th scale Land Rovers to boost the team’s contribution to the cause. The full list of models is: • Defender 90 SW Driving Experience • Defender 90 Royal Mail • Defender 90 Dark Metallic Grey • Defender 90 Pickup Chewton White • Defender 90 Norfolk Police • Defender 110 G4 Challenge • Defender 110 SW Alveston Red Some of these models are collector’s items – the G4 110, for example, has previously fetched £200 at auction, with the Norfolk Police 90 making £100. So you’re looking at models for grown-ups here. With those prices in mind, Kit is looking for £500 plus P&P for the lot. Get in touch with him by email at rangerover43@yahoo.co.uk and geat ready to save the life of an endangered animal or two.

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Land Rover helps Simba find Freedom Not long ago, Simba the lion was cooped up in a circus wagon. Now he’s home in Africa, free to live the rest of his life in natural surroundings – thanks to Land Rover. The big cat known embarked on a 4900-mile journey to his new home at the Lilongwe Wildlife Centre in Malawi, an establishment supported by the Born Free Foundation – of which

Land Rover is a long-term partner. After being tucked into a wildlife crate, Simba was taken from a rescue centre in Belgium and driven to Schiphol airport. A six-strong entourage of Discoverys was supplied by Land Rover to provide the support and towing capability needed for such a mission, along with an expert group from Land Rover Experience.

After flying first-class on a Kenya Airways 676 to Nairobi, Simba was introduced to Virginia McKenna OBE, one of the founders of the Born Free Foundation, who then accompanied him on their way to Malawi. The Born Free Foundation has been Land Rover’s main partner in global conservation since 2002. The association between the two goes back much further, though, to 1966 – when the Foundation’s founders, Virginia McKenna and Bill Travers, starred alongside a number of Landies in the original Born Free film. Land Rover’s Mark Cameron said: ‘During the past decade, Land Rover has enjoyed a successful and rewarding partnership with the Born Free Foundation. I am delighted that our Land Rover Experience team has been able to help with the safe relocation of Simba from Belgium to Malawi.’

Simba’s old life started when he was bought by an animal trainer at eight months old. He was kept in a ‘beast wagon’ – essentially just a lorry trailer – until the French organisation Fondation 30 Millions d’Amis stepped in. ‘It is about one animal, one individual,’ said Virginia McKenna at the outset. ‘But all of them matter and Simba, having initially been taken in

by a Belgian Rescue centre from an animal trainer in France, is now to begin his final journey to Africa, his rightful homeland. ‘I am very grateful to Land Rover for its support and fortunate to be accompanying Simba to his new home in Malawi – where I know he will be beautifully cared for, living the rest of his life in a natural bush enclosure.’

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Special edition launched as Land Rover celebrates 25 years of Discovery It’s a quarter of a century now since Land Rover introduced the Discovery. Feeling old yet? Solihull is celebrating the milestone with the XXV Special Edition, its tribute to a model which has sold over one million units worldwide since its launch back in 1989. And what a difference 25 years can make. Some things barely change in a quarter of a century (Land Rover is still at the forefront of off-roading, for example), yet even Solihull couldn’t have envisioned where the Discovery would take the company in the intervening years. Without the Disco, would there have been a Freelander? Would there have been a Range Rover Sport? Would there even still be Land Rover at all? Quite. And it all started thus: ‘We needed something to do with the Defender. We called it the Discovery.’ Those were the words of a Land Rover PR man about 20 years ago, in the days when that’s what the Disco pretty much was. Back then, the Discovery was regularly showing its off-road mettle in the Camel Trophy, and since then it’s been proving itself non-stop in the hands of owners around the world. Yet

it’s a firm family favourite, too – over and above everything else, this is one of the world’s only true all-rounders. Hence the XXV Special Edition, which is based on the current rangetopping HSE Luxury model but will come with a few noticeable cosmetic tweaks both inside and out. Vast swathes of Windsor leather and twistpile carpet mats posh it up all around you, as do a leather-wrapped wooden steering wheel and a unique Cirrus colour scheme. On the outside, onlookers will observe the Narvik Black grille surrounds and mirror caps and the

Dark Atlas wing vents and grille. Well, they might. Finished in a discreet Causeway Grey, the XXV is equipped with full-length silver roof rails, bodycoloured handles and a stainless steel rear bumper. Just in case you forget what it is you’re driving, there are ‘XXV’ badges around the cabin to remind you. There’s more on the outside, too, which will be helpful in car parks full of grey Discos, though few of them will likely be shod with forged 20-inch polished silver five-spoke alloy wheels. ’Since its inception,’ said Land Rover’s Phil Popham, ‘the Land

Rover Discovery has been pivotal to the success of the brand and has now become an iconic design in its own right. Discovery has led the way in terms of innovation, featuring technologies such as Terrain Response, which made off-roading much more accessible. The Discovery XXV Special Edition is the ultimate in sophisticated versatility and a fitting tribute to the legendary status of this iconic Land Rover.’ Price? Well, the HSE Luxury model it’s based on lists at an eye-popping £59,450. Roll up, roll up, for the most expensive Disco yet…

Specialist insurance broker Carole Nash has launched a new multi-car policy for classic vehicles. The company says the new policy will typically save customers 28% over the cost of covering each vehicle separately – and it’ll be less grief, too, with one phone call doing the job however many Land Rovers you own. ‘We’re launching our Classic MultiCar policy in direct response to feedback from enthusiasts at shows and events,’ says Carole Nash’s Peter McIlvenny. ‘We’ve also polled owners’ clubs, who told us that some 21% of their members own more than one vehicle. ‘They want the convenience of a single policy and, naturally, to pay less. Our figures indicate that on average, they can cut over £90 from their annual insurance bill by switching to our multi-car cover.’ The new policy is available to enthusiasts who own from just two vehicles, up to a maximum of seven. Benefits include spouse cover, salvage retention rights, free agreed value, the ability for the policyholder to choose their own repairer and extensive UK and European breakdown and accident recovery assistance On top of all that, the company offers discounts of up to 10% for recognised owners’ club members. You can find out more by calling 0800 083 1825 or visiting cherished.carolenash.com.

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NEXT MONTH STUNNING: This

gorgeous daily-driven Tornado has the comforts of a Discovery interior but the character of a classic – thanks to unique hand-made panels

TDI UPGRADE: WOULD YOU SWAP A 200 FOR A 300? A tidy Series III? Yes, for sure – but this recently restored 88” hard-top is a whole lot more besides…

BARGE POLE: WAS THE FREELANDER 1 THAT BAD? Towing with a modern Land Rover: do all the high-tech helpers make a difference when it’s already a master tow car?

DON’T FORGET – THE LANDY IS FREE EVERY MONTH! Pick up your copy of our May 2014 issue from 25 April – available

from Britpart dealers and free to read online at www.thelandy.co.uk 01283 553243 • enquiries@assignment-media.co.uk • www.thelandy.co.uk • www.facebook.com/thelandyuk Editor Alan Kidd Assistant Editor Mike Trott Art Editor Samantha D’Souza Contributors Rich Stokes, Dan Fenn, Robbie Ronson, Olly Sack, Malcolm Styles, Paul Looe, Marc Draper Photographers Steve Taylor, Harry Hamm, Vic Peel, Rob and Ally Ford

Advertising Sales Manager Ian Argent Tel: 01283 553242 Advertising Production Tel: 01283 553242 Publisher Sarah Kidd Email: sarah.kidd@ assignment-media.co.uk Every effort is made to ensure that the contents of The Landy are accurate, however Assignment Media Ltd accepts no responsibility for errors or omissions nor

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When it comes to heavy-duty axles, KAM’s new 5t units are going to take some beating. And of course, as well as being made for load-carrying they’re ideally suited to serious off-road use. The axle casings are every bit as fearsomely robust as they look. Inside, you can either buy naked cases and build them up yourself with the diffs, halfshafts, stub axles, swivels and brakes from your existing Land Rover axles, or you can cherry-pick from KAM’s own range of top-notch internals. The axles are available for the Land Rover 90, 110 and 130, Discovery 1 and Range Rover Classic. A front unit will cost you from £1299 and a rear one £1250, plus VAT in each case, with the final price depending on your choice from the various internal and build-up options. www.kamdiffs.com

Momo has just released a new Boss Kit made specifically to fit the Defender’s unique steering column. This enables you to remove the original wheel and replace it with one of Momo’s own designs – without losing everyday functions like indicator cancelling as you return to centre. The kit is

priced at an RRP of £56.66 plus VAT, and is available in the UK from Brown and Geeson. www.b-gdirect.com

Design Engineering’s new stainless steel cable ties are heat-resistant to an extraordinary 1370°C. They have a breaking strength of 90kg or 158kg, depending on whether you’re using them in a width of 7mm or 12mm – and being stainless, they won’t rust. Both widths are available in various lengths and can be purchased in bulk or a range of retail packs. www.designengineering.com ARB has expanded its range of iron diff guard covers. Fitted in just one hour, these provide protection against ‘almost any impact’ as well as adding to the rigidity of the whole axle case, increasing load strength and, says ARB, countering vibrations which can shorten the diff ’s lifespan. The covers come powder and clear coated for a tough finish, and can be optioned in either red or black. All are supplied complete with fixings, including tensile cap screws, and fitments include an increasing number of Land Rover axles. • The latest ARB Air-Lockers are to come with a lengthy fiveyear warranty, applying to all units with the new two-piece design which are installed after 1 July. These new units have forged gears for increased load carrying capacity and strength, with the new twopiece design

removing the need for the smaller cylinder cap, and the air entry point is switched into the crownwheel side of the differential. This means the side gear can be locked directly into the flange cap and the locking ring can reside closer to the splined side gear, reducing the unit’s activation and disengagement time. The range also now includes a fitment for the rear axle of the Discovery 3. Recommended prices start from £853 including VAT, which is your cue to shop around. www.arbil.co.uk/4x4

Britpart has a new 200Tdi Alternator Upgrade Kit available – two, actually, to suit the two kinds of Defender with the 200 engine installed. By that, of course, we mean vehicles which came out of Solihull with the engine installed as original equipment, and those that have had one retro-fitted from a Discovery. The engine differed slightly from one vehicle to the other, so it’s necessary to get the right version. In each case, you get a 120A alternator to replace the 45A original, which is much more like it whether you’re running lots of extra lights, a chunky great winch or the sort of in-car electrics an old Defender simply wasn’t designed to support. Either way, the kit comes with the cable and drive belt you’ll need and the RRP is £139. www.britpart.co.uk Sealey Tools has a new angle grinder – with a difference. The CP5418V Cordless Grinder uses lithium-ion batteries, which the company says will last longer than conventional batteries. The grinder has a 115mm disc and is powered by an 18V battery, which is chargeable in one hour. Its 800W motor spins up to 7000rpm, and a second battery is included to keep you grinding for longer. The unit weighs in at 3.5kg, and a spindle lock allows for simplified disc changing and easier adjustments of the guard. Its normal RRP is £199.95

plus VAT, but until 31 May it’s on promotion with £50 off. www.sealey.co.uk

Aussie company Rhino-Rack’s latest product is an LED set that’ll help you see your way in almost any situation. Available in the UK through TBR Accessories, the kit includes four 50cm LED strip lights, each with its own on-off dimmer switch, as well as all the connectors, leads, adaptors and so on you need to run them from your vehicle’s battery or 12v supply. The lights are dustproof, waterproof and impact-resistant, and their housings are magnetic on the back to mount on metal surfaces. No, not including aluminium body panels, we know. On full power, the kit puts out a mighty 2880 lumens of 5500k pure white light. That’ll illuminate a large area around your truck, but if you want them situated some way away from it in the first place you also get a 10-metre power connector. The whole kit is priced at £209 including VAT. www.tbruk.com

To advertise in The Landy, call Ian Argent on 01283 553242 w w w. t h e l a n d y. c o . u k We’re on Facebook: www.facebook.com/thelandyuk As more and more people turn to the P38 Range Rover, more and more find out to their horror what living with an aged air-suspension system can mean. – and quickly resolve to convert the vehicle to coil springs. Converting the P38 to coils is very popular these days, but the array of buzzers and warning lights you’ll be assaulted by once the job’s done is anything but. The vehicle’s on-board sensors don’t know those nice steel coils are there to prevent you becoming skint and insane in equal measure – instead, it just thinks something awful has happened to its air bags. Hence Britpart’s new EAS Override Module. This plugs in to the system to suppress all the typical warning errors you get following a coil-sprung conversion, allowing you to enjoy driving your vehicle rather than being driven slowly mad. Typical prices are in the £50-60 region, and that’s a lot less than psychiatric treatment.

A whole generation of workshop apprentices has grown up thinking ‘K-Series head gasket’ is all one word. Of all the many fine things about the Mark 1 Freelander, its petrol engines were, well, not. Britpart is now carrying full head sets for both the 1.8 and 2.5 V6 models, offering everything you need to overhaul the top end of either unit at a strong-value all-in price. That price will start at around the forty quid mark.

Britpart’s DB95001 and DB12000i winches are now available in an all-inone kit complete with bumper. These come with extended cabling, as well as a kill switch. Options include 12 or 24volt, standard or galvanised finishes and steel cable or Dyneema rope. Your Britpart dealer can tell you more.

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DOES 4 MEAN MORE? 4xForce created a stir on the show scene last year with its new bolt-on 4-link suspension system for the Discovery 1 and Defender. But how does the set-up work when you get down to the real-world business of taking on the most extreme terrain?

lot of the suspension systems on the Land Rover market are variations on the same theme. Taller springs, longer dampers and some combination of castor correction, shock towers and cranked and/or strengthened links – there are some excellent options around, but it’s not every day that someone comes along with a truly radical alternative. But that’s what 4xForce has done. Set up by Gordon Jackson (an engineer from a family business with decades of experience in bespoke builds for the industrial and agricultural sectors), the company has developed a bolt-on four-link system for the Defender and Discovery. This can be used with the customer’s choice of springs and shocks, to achieve as much articulation as you want without compromising the suspension’s natural movement. The system traces its roots back to April 2011, when Gordon had a mighty roll in an old Disco. Nothing unusual there, but his engineer’s mind took over and he started thinking about how to fix the way his truck had responded to the terrain. His first attempt used a 3-link rear with an A-frame, similar to the factory set-up. But he wanted to address body sway off-road, and he had seen 4-link systems being used on American rock By comparison to the four-link rear, the front remains standard in terms of the way it locates the axle. There’s still a great deal of innovation going on here, though – instead of the original radius arms, these twin-boom units were designed to maintain castor angle in relation to any lift and any degree of body roll and steering input

crawlers. Hence the MkII prototype, which has been refined into the system 4xForce now produces. Rather than adding complexity for the sake of it, the system uses the standard A-frame brackets to mount a pair of clevis joints. These work with a set of fabricated radius arms to control the axle in its three axes of movement. Naturally, the axle can move up and down as required, whether by the road/ground or the load in the back of the vehicle. That’s the first axis of movement. The second is around a centre point when viewed from either end of the car – what we know as articulation. The third, which is what this system seeks to control properly, is the axle’s movement forward on its radius arms as one side drops out, which gets more pronounced the further it’s capable of drooping. Up front, the traditional radius arms are replaced by twin-boom units whose purpose is to maintain the correct castor angle at all times – not just to make up for a suspension lift, but throughout the axle’s arc. Gordon’s argument for this is that it the tyre contact patch is never diminished and the steering is never loaded up by the weight of the vehicle shifting around, meaning that however much body roll you might get on the road, its handling will remain vice-free.

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Instead of the original A-frame, twin upper links mount to a bracket which bolts to the axle where the one for the old frame used to be. This picture was taken with the suspension twisted up: note the different angles of the joints, illustrating the extra freedom they allow it to flex without upsetting the back body

The links are all made from 38mm bright bar, with what Gordon describes as ‘over-specced’ ball joints and standard Land Rover bushes. ‘I prefer metallastic to poly,’ he says. ‘People like poly bushes because they’re soft and look like they’re making up for the tight spots in the suspension. We think that as our suspension is moving without tight spots, we don’t need that.’ Grand claims, but what’s the system like in practice? From the first impression we’ve had, driving a V8 Disco fitted with the full kit on the roughest terrain at Kirton Off-Road Centre, we’re hugely impressed. You feel the axle moving more than standard on faster, bumpier tracks, but when you hit the extreme stuff the vehicle’s body stays very level indeed as the suspension gets down to work. We’ll admit to having quickly been seduced into feeling pretty much invulnerable behind the wheel, attacking crazy terrain with complete confidence that whatever we tried, we’d stay stable. Wrong, of course, but it really does feel that natural. On the road, while body roll certainly is evident there’s none of the lurching movement that can blight lifted Discos. It doesn’t take much extra height to make a vehicle feel unsteady, especially at speed, but we didn’t see any of that here, not even in a demo truck with no anti-roll bars. The science does stack up, and the driving experience supports Gordon’s claims entirely. Best of all, this is an entirely bolt-on kit. Gordon says it would be possible to get more extreme results by taking a totally bespoke approach, but with an eye to the market he’s used nothing but

the original chassis and axle brackets, with the two sides of the A-frame housing locating the central members in the four-link rear. Another advantage of the kit being bolt-on is that you can move it from

vehicle to vehicle as your projects progress. This helps extract the best possible value from what would certainly be a not insignificant initial investment for a product whose price reflects the two years of development

work that went into the prototype seen in these pictures. We’ve driven a lot of modded Land Rovers in our time, and this Discovery stands out as one whose suspension can really be felt at work. The gains in

stability as it flexes are startling, and its front-to-rear balance genuinely excels. The company is in the early stages of breaking into a tough and increasingly crowded market, but this demo truck should give you real food for thought.

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‘I had one chance to buy thIs and set the famIly on Its way’ Retiring from the Army was the end of a chapter for Toby Barnes-Taylor – and the beginning of a new way of life for all his family

LIFE’S

Words Paul Looe Pictures Harry Hamm

GREAT ADVENTURE T hree years ago, Toby BarnesTaylor was getting ready for early retirement after serving nineteen years in the armed forces. A few months before returning to civvy street he bumped into his old friend Woody. ‘He had a Defender 130 which he used to take his family on camping holidays in North Africa,’ Toby explains. ‘In the Easter of 2011, he invited me to go on holiday with him.’ And that was when it happened. ‘I went with my son Joe and it

absolutely fundamentally struck me that this was what I wanted to do with my children. The adventures, the stories, the sleeping under a million stars in the desert, the freedom… I came back utterly changed.’

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Countries in the world to explore in your Land Rover

Arriving home from a fortnight’s holiday and announcing that you plan to spend a small fortune on a car might be considered a delicate subject. ‘My wife thought I was utterly crazy, but immediately understood what I was trying to do. So I was very pleasantly surprised that she agreed with the idea of having adventures, and that the memories our children would take from them would be just as important as the education they receive in school. ‘Hotels are so sanitised and so safe. You could be in Spain or France or

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We’re on Facebook: www.facebook.com/thelandyuk Below: As demonstrated by Toby’s son Joe, a National Luna fridge rides out from the side of the truck on a Boab drop-slide drawer. Joe’s already learned to drive the 130, on a dried lake bed in Africa

Right: The camping back is based on a Quadtec unit fitted by Roger Young Land Rover in Plymouth

Portugal or Turkey… Wherever you go, the food’s almost the same, the pool’s the same…’

1000 Adventures

By contrast, here’s what the family did in August 2012: ‘We took the children into the desert and the Atlas Mountains. I taught my son how to drive on a dried lake bed. And we just had a thousand adventures. Camping out, playing cards in the evening, sleeping out under the stars and filling their brains with all the things we did for fun. We’re planning to take them to see the Northern Lights next.’ Toby specifically chose to buy his 130 new from Roger Young Land Rover in Plymouth. As well as being a franchised dealer, this particular outfit has a fabrication shop on-site which could build him a bespoke overlanding version of the Quad Tech backs it puts on Defenders for utility companies and emergency services. With the shell of the truck now ready to fill with goodies, the story

of the build turns into a who’s who of the off-road aftermarket. Devon 4x4, Extreme 4x4, First Four, Craddock, Paddock, Trek Overland, Protection and Performance, Nene Overland, OEC… each of these and more played their part as the build was planned over the course of several months. Toby decided that the two areas in which he could least afford to cut corners were roll protection and

management system keeps it charged, while also maintaining an Odyssey PC1500 which runs all the vehicle’s auxiliary draws. Anderson connectors front and rear can be coupled to jump leads, an air compressor or a demountable Champion 9500 winch. And as well as not one but two fridges, further goodies in the cab include a 7” display running a pair of rear-view cameras

Land Rover circles, possibly, but width matters more in the desert than on the average British lane. Holding it all up is a set of Old Man Emu springs – but not just any set. Those at the rear are heavy-duty units, and for obvious reasons they’re backed up by helpers. Similarly, the shocks are doubled up on the rear axle, and damping of another kind comes from a Terrafirma Return-to-Centre unit

‘We’re planning to take the children to see the Northern Lights next’ suspension, wheels and tyres. So the cage was supplied by Protection and Performance, whose full external unit was fitted by OEC International. The same company also did all the electrical work – and as work goes, that’s a whole lot of it. Starting the engine continues to be the job of the original primary battery, but that’s all it’s there for. An intelligent

and a 10” screen for a roof-mounted DVD player. Putting some juice back in is a 4.5W solar panel, and a 240v external hookup is installed to remotely power the vehicle through a separate fuse box. Down below, those wheels and tyres are 285/75R16 Cooper Discoverer ST Maxx fitted on Pro-Comp Extreme alloys. A bit of an unusual choice in

on the steering – no small matter with tyres this wide. It all adds up to a stupendously cool boy’s toy, and as well as carrying Toby around in magnificent style the 130 has already started to repay his investment by delivering the first of those thousand adventures. He was a man with a great vision, and now he’s a man with a great truck.

Even in pure financial terms, what Toby has done with this vehicle makes complete sense. He expects to keep the Land Rover for at least ten years: assuming that without it, he’d be buying five new family cars in that time and trading each of them in on its second birthday, the 130 is his protection against around £50,000’s worth of depreciation. After ten years of seeing the world in a truck like this, the memories you’ve got are way better – and there’s a vehicle on your drive that’s still worth a handy sum. But this Land Rover isn’t about dull care and commonsense. It’s about doing something a little bit crazy. ‘I had that one chance of the retirement money from the army to buy this and set the family on its way,’ admits Toby, and it’s a chance he took hold of with both hands. He’s a man who’s made the most of his good fortune, for himself and his family alike. And you can’t imagine that they’ll ever stop being greatful to him for it.

If you’ve not trusted the Defender ever since Land Rover gave it a dashboard, this might make you think again. The Puma model’s interior lends itself very well to being kitted out: among other things here, you can see an Engel fridge between the seats, two chequer-plated door cards and a reversing camera screen where the rear-view mirror would be. The bank of four 12v sockets in the passenger’s-side facia run off an Odyssey PC1500 leisure battery, which is run by an intelligent management system to ensure the original vehicle battery is always fresh for starting

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Restored with love: off-roaded with passion

Words Mike Trott Pictures Steve Taylor

Last time we saw a back-to-original 1970 Range Rover, it was on sale for almost fifty grand. If anything, this one is even more desirable – not least because its owner would never let it go

his 1970 Range Rover has just come back into the world from a threeyear restoration in the workshops of Churchill 4x4. From the outside, it looks back to its prime – but as well as turning back the years, the Churchill craftsmen have added some unique touches to give it a slightly more classy personality. The owner of this now extremely handsome classic wanted to see the Range Rover retain all its off-road capability, yet maintain an element of prestige for when he takes it shooting. Check out the bespoke cabin. While the majority of the car stands true to its original specification (albeit a freshened-up version), the interior has been specially designed to mimic its intended purpose.

Since the original interior was beyond salvaging, the owner selected a luxurious blend of leather and tweed – with the latter, apparently, chosen to match one of his shooting outfits. Nothing like being properly kitted out, is there? The seats are lined in half leather and half tweed, while the headlining and door trims receive the full leather treatment. Also inside you’ll find new carpets and seatbelts, while even seat frames have been powder-coated. As a result, the months of fettling have resulted in this being one Range Rover you would definitely be happy to use everyday – and that’s a good job, as Churchill 4x4’s Jonathan Churchill explains. ‘The aim of the restoration was to make it rock solid, as it will be used regularly on the road, and yet capable

off-road so the owner can use it for shooting.’ Hence the new off-road tyres, which sit on original rims. Original, but now powder-coated. ‘It hadn’t been modified previously,’ says Jonathan, ‘and the owner wanted to keep it relatively original, though the interior gives it that subtle twist.’ From our point of view, the team at Churchill have succeeded admirably. But there was still plenty of work done under the skin. ‘The vehicle was stripped, all the way down to nut and bolt components.’ That sounds like a recipe for a new chassis, but they’ve gone one better. Don’t forget, this is a classic Rangey from the first year of production, so originality matters. And yes, it’s on the same steel frame that rolled off the Solihull line back when the Beatles

were still together – this was shotblasted then welded where necessary, before being hot-dip galvanised and powder coated. Now it’s ready for another half-century. But it wasn’t all able to be saved. ‘The bodyshell was in a sorry state,’ says Jonathan. ‘It needed new sills,

355 Range Rovers sold in the UK in 1970

floor, wheelarches and front panel as well as localised repairs. The new panels we fitted were all galvanised prior to being fitted, though, so the shell should last many years now. ‘Mechanically, the engine and gearbox were okay and were simply serviced with various oil seals being changed. We gave it a new clutch and complete suspension, keeping at the standard height, and fitted new brakes.’ Further changes included a new fuel tank and radiator, plus all the associated pipes and hoses, and the wiring loom was repaired and rewired as necessary. The axles were reconditioned and their casings powder coated, while the body was resprayed in the original Tuscan Blue. We don’t think this was chosen because the owner has a Tuscan Blue shirt, but it’s nice to think it might be.

To advertise in The Landy, call Ian Argent on 01283 553242 w w w. t h e l a n d y. c o . u k We’re on Facebook: www.facebook.com/thelandyuk ORIGINAL: The incised scuttle panel badge, wrap-round indicator lenses and raised bonnet lettering all point to this being a Range Rover from the first phase of production. The bonnet badging was repeated on the tailgate, which made things awkward as the original had to be replaced – and finding a sound one from the same era is as good as impossible

BETTER THAN NEW: The original interior was beyond salvation, so Churchill 4x4 set about restoring it from the ground up. It wasn’t just a case of going back to standard, though – the seats are now trimmed in a mixture of leather and tweed, the latter chosen to match one of their client’s shooting outfits! One of the only snags Jonathan mentions was with the ‘Range Rover’ raised lettering. The original lower tailgate was beyond saving, as they so often are, and the replacement came from a late 1970s’ model. The badging had been revised by then, but with this here tweedy truck dating from the first year of production its owner was understandably keen to keep it looking as original as possible. You wouldn’t think a set of letters would be a pain to source and fit, but as always it’s the easiest-looking parts of the job that turn out to be the most annoying. Was it worth the grief? Well, just look at it. After three long years of perfecting, this is an early Rangey whose owner can relish the prospect of having such a fine example to enjoy every day. And Jonathan Churchill can give himself and his team a pat on the back for breathing new life into what’s now one of the best 1970 Range Rovers you’ll find anywhere. Churchill 4x4 specialises in Land Rover restorations alongside its vehicle sales business. You can contact the company on 01527 821440.

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WORKSHOP HORRORS JOBS THAT FILL THE PROS WITH DREAD… We’ve all got jobs we hate doing. They might be dull, awkward, dirty, baffling… they’ve still got to be done. But which are the jobs the professionals fear most? Words: Mike Trott Pictures: Steve Taylor

t’s fair to say that some jobs are easier than others. But every so often you may encounter a really stubborn one – the kind that causes an evil blue cloud to waft from the workshop. And not broken machinery, either… If you play with Land Rovers for fun, chance are you enjoy working on them as much as driving them. Even

Waxoyl is like manna from heaven for your chassis. For the person applying it, on the other hand, it’s more like the work of Satan

then, though, some jobs are worse than others. But what about the pros? The guys who work on broken Land Rovers because their owners can’t, or don’t want to – which are the jobs they dread the most? Needless to say, there are some common culprits among the offenders. Others are a little less obvious – but each job has its own degree of rageprovoking difficulty. ‘Anything between the L and the R,’ says Steve Parker jokingly, as we ask what he finds annoying on Land Rovers. ‘Changing the injector pumps on a Disco 3 TDV6 is just hideous – the newer vehicles are horrible and definitely harder to work on because they are so electronically complex.’ Steve Parker Land Rovers is based in Whitworth, just north of Rochdale. The town is home to one of Britain’s best off-road sites in Cowm Quarry, but that doesn’t reflect itself in the company’s customer profile. ‘In the area that we’re based,’ says Steve, ‘we tend to get more Freelanders and Discoverys. Not a lot of Defenders to be honest.’

So what is it that’s so horrific about working on newer trucks like the Disco 3? ‘You have the common tricky ones like the handbrake units, the air compressors and the drive belts. In general, the newer stuff is a lot more of a nightmare.’ Chris Howard of Liveridge 4x4 agrees that electronics have added another level of complexity to the task of maintaining newer Land Rovers. ‘Removing the body on a Range Rover Sport can be particularly tricky,’ he explains. ‘You have to be careful not to scratch the panels. ‘But the job some of my guys hate the most would be Waxoyling. It’s a horrible thing to do. I sometimes keep it as my punishment job!’ If you ever get on the wrong side of Chris, at least you can prepare yourself by packing a set of latex gloves. What about the sort of Land Rovers Liveridge is famous for restoring, from back in the marque’s glorious past? ‘Mostly,’ Chris says, ‘the older stuff is the more difficult to work on for me because everything has seized up, with years of rubbish building up in the components.

‘The heater matrix on the Disco 1 and 2 can be a nuisance, too. And the Discovery 2 steering box and ball joints can be a pain to work on as well.’ Maybe that’s the older generation getting cranky with time. Though as we’ve established by now, Britain’s workshops are well accustomed to toddler tantrums too. John Bowden of Gumtree 4x4 reveals it’s not always the vehicle that’s being stubborn either. ‘One of the things I dread most is a vehicle that’s already been to three other garages and the owner’s read every forum,’ says John. ‘We’ve got a Freelander Td4 at the moment that came in as a non-runner, having already been to another garage. The bloke must have sent us ten emails about it. ‘Everything pointed to it being the fuel pump that was causing all the problems. But that was going to be expensive, so he wanted us to change everything else first. We did all that and it didn’t make any difference, so in the end we’ve changed the fuel pump anyway and that’s cured it. But now we’ve got to bill him for everything else too.’

It’s so much easier when you can just plug in a laptop and read a fault code, isn’t it? Oh no it isn’t. ‘The same Freelander also had the SRS warning light on,’ continues John. ‘That’s an MOT fail now. The diagnostics say it’s the ECU, which is located under the heater. So we’ve got to take all that apart just to get at it and replace it, then put it all back together again. And that’s just to see if changing one little ECU works. ‘We’re not too proud to listen, but there are times when we phone up Autologic, who have this vast database of knowledge about what every symptom and diagnostic code can point to, and they say “ooh, we’ve not come across that one before.” If nobody knows the answer, who’s going to spend time working it out?’ You can tell that John’s warming to his subject now, can’t you? ‘I heard a good acronym the other day. “WNC” – it stands for Willy-Nilly Component Change. You find yourself changing sensors, air-flow meters and God knows what else, in the hope that you’ll stumble upon what’s wrong. It’s not just the independent garages who’re doing that, either. Main dealers do it too – it’s just that they’ve got big screens so the customer can’t see them! ‘A big problem is with vehicles that have been going to main dealers all their life, then they come to us with 75-90,000 miles on the clock. The dealer’s either ignored things like bushes that are getting towards the end of their life, or they’ve put it on the service report but the owner’s ignored it. Either way, it’s not dangerous and doesn’t fail the MOT, but then it comes here and we tell them what’s wrong from a maintenance point of view. And they think we’re ripping them off, because suddenly there’s this long list of woes they didn’t know they already had. ‘A common one we get is Disco 3 owners calling to ask for the price of a 105,000-mile, 7-year service. That’s the one where you have to change the timing belts – we tell them the price and there’s a long silence on the phone! People who know about this tend to part-ex their Discos when they’re coming up to 100,000 miles.’

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We’re on Facebook: www.facebook.com/thelandyuk Left: The K-Series engine in the Mk1 Freelander is famed for its ability to reduce grown men to tears. When you take the cover off and this is what greets you, there’s nothing for it but to breathe a deep sigh and write off whatever hope you had of the job being a quick one

Right: Simple workshop wisdom from Jonathan Churchill of Churchill 4x4, a company that’s restored more Land Rovers from the leaf-sprung era than most of us have had hot dinners. Use good-quality parts – then, however much you hate the particular job you’re doing, at least you can be fairly sure than you won’t be doing it again in a few weeks’ time It certainly can seem that going for an older model can reap certain benefits (and it’s the same for Land Rovers…) So does more mature mean minimal maintenance? Jonathan Churchill, of Churchill 4x4, deals with a lot of older models and restoration work. ‘One bugbear is always getting a good balance of braking and pedal feel on Series Land Rovers. They have the original drum brake set-up, which is always a pain to bleed the air out of and balance evenly. One tip is to always get the best quality brake components, as we find the cheap ones don’t fit properly.’ One thing you don’t want in any line of work is repetition, and the feeling of falling into a monotonous cycle of a routine. ‘My guys hate repetition,’ says Dave Oakley of DLS in Derbyshire. ‘Doing the same jobs over and over, like the standard services and so on. You end up doing the same type of things and fixing the same problems.’ But if you subscribe to conventional wisdom, what he has to say next might come as a surprise. ‘In terms of engines, they’re all as bad as each other a lot of the time. The Td5 can be a pain when it goes wrong, and the 1.8-litre petrol in the early Freelander is a waste of space. They all have their own

There’s a Discovery 2 steering box up there somewhere. And it’s leaking. Actually changing the PAS box is easy enough, but the stuff you’ve got to take off to get at it makes this a job to fear

difficulties though, and you keep getting the same problems on the same engines. ‘A lot of the old problematic systems have worked their way into the DIY market. We get a lot of stuff from the late 1990s and early 2000s, as well as Disco 3s. We get a lot of Defenders, being in the more rural area, and even the newer

Puma engines. The electrics are a problem on newer vehicles, Discos being a nightmare at times. But we have the technology to deal with that, with a separate area set up to work on that side of things.’ So there you have it. There are many ways in which a Land Rover, any Land Rover, can cause

you to bang your head in despair on the nearest work bench. Yet despite being as stubborn as dried-out droppings from a vengeful pigeon, we all know that with a little patience and time, the trucks we love are worth all those hours in the garage. Well okay, make that a lot of patience and time. All of it paid back handsomely.

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Issue 2: April 2014

WORKSHOP: 30-MINUTE FIX DEFENDER WIPERS THAT WON’T SWITCH OFF Normally, when you hit problems with your windscreen wipers it’s because they won’t come on. If yours is a Defender, however, you might also find that they won’t go off… Words and pictures: Marc Draper

lder Defenders often suffer with less than perfect windscreen wipers. The causes of this are wide and ranging – stretched cables, worn out wheel boxes, sloppy wiper arms, lazy motors, faulty switch gear… the list goes on and on. Recently, one of my customers dropped his 110 off for an MOT. He had just overhauled the wiper system himself – but since then, the wipers failed to turn off. Could I take a look at it while it was in? I’m not sure why he was worried. So far this year, there hasn’t actually been a point where you get to turn your wipers off anyway.

Unscrew the screw in the top of the lower dash trim strip and remove the grab handle – this might take a bit of a wiggle

The wiper system on the Defender hasn’t changed much at all throughout its history. The dash design has, though, so the steps in this guide only address pre-2007 vehicles, however the principle of what you’re trying to achieve remains the same for all. It was pretty clear that the problem lay with the self-parking switch, which is mounted directly to the motor. It is a very simple system. All the time the ignition is on, the wipers should be running – unless they’re told not to by the switch. When you use the column switch to turn them on, it over-rides the self-parking switch; when you move it back to the off position, the switch starts doing its job again.

On investigation, I found that the owner had fitted a brand new motor. But the self-parking switch was loose on its mount. Consequently, when the cam on the drive gear came round to operate the switch it just moved the whole switch and plug unit, rather than the switch contact alone. Tightening the simple clip that holds the switch in place was enough to make things right. Not difficult to do, but one of those fixes you don’t even realise is there until you know how it works. Which you now do! So here’s a quick guide to accessing the wiper motor and switch on a pre-2007 Defender. Once you’re there, fixing it is the easy part.

Unscrew the next screw in the top of the lower dash trim strip

Prise out the logo on the dashboard grab handle and undo the screw behind it

If fitted, remove the loudspeaker. You can clearly see the wiper motor through the hole

Remove the three screws that hold the lower dash end box in place. Now remove the box by pulling to the left, as it has dowels connecting it to the rest of the dash

ONCE YOU REACH THE SWITCH ITSELF…

The new wiper motor can be seen here. The white plastic part is both the main plug and the self-parking switch; in this case, it could be seen moving as the wipers were on

Because it was loose, the switch was easily pulled clear of its slotted mount. The metal retaining clip can be seen with the fragile looking parking switch to the left

A squeeze of the clip is all that was required to ensure the switch was held tightly to its mount. After this, carefully slide the switch into its slotted mount and test before refitting everything

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Issue 2: April 2014

UNDER

AFRICAN SKIES

25 countries, 9 months and 27,000 miles. That was what lay ahead for Rob and Ally Ford when they set off for Cape Town aboard their late Tdi 110

few years ago, Rob and Ally Ford reckoned they had been bitten by the off-road bug. Having spent a couple of weeks in Namibia larking about in a hired Toyota Hi-Lux, they decided to embark on a 27,000-mile adventure from Gloucestershire all the way down to Cape Town. Must have been bitten more than once, then. Travelling through 25 countries and some of the harshest environments on earth, their 1997 Defender 110 300Tdi hard-top, ‘Dino the Donkey’, carried them through it all. Originally from South Africa, Ally had always wanted to see the rest of the continent. Rob, meanwhile, liked

big trucks. No wonder they wanted to go for so long. After kitting Dino out for continent-crossing, they set off for the journey of a lifetime. ‘Neither of us had any real off-road experience, apart from a one-day driving course,’ Rob explains, ‘Ally had always wanted to travel around Africa and I was keen soon after we met, so the idea was born.’

ROUGH ROADS

‘We encountered some rough roads on the trip,’ Ally continues, ‘But we were surprised how easy and passable most of it was. Perhaps we just timed it well, avoiding the rainy seasons in the worst parts. I think if we did it

again, Rob would specifically choose the worst time of the year to go so he could put his new off-roading skills to the test!’ It’s fairly inevitable that if you travel from the lanes of Great Britain to the sands of the Sahara, you’re likely to encounter a few different surfaces along the way. Though it wasn’t like Rob and Ally had done this on a spontaneous whim – nor were they letting Dino go out there with his trousers around his ankles. ‘Dino came from the Environment Agency,’ Rob recalls, ‘It had been the “spare” car so it had low mileage, but had still been serviced and maintained very well. The engine and transmission

were completely standard other than a foam air filter, snorkel and wading kit. ‘The suspension was running standard-height HD springs with helpers in the rear, and Old Man Emu

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hours Time to drive to Cape Town (on Google)

shock absorbers. The wheels were Wolf spec with BFGoodrich All-Terrains, and these had no punctures in the whole trip. We had protection from a steering guard, front and rear diff guards, tank guard, side steps and a bull bar. We also had a twin battery system with Optima batteries and National Luna split charge.’ As we said, they didn’t just do the trip on a whim. Well over a year went into the planning – not surprising given that they were travelling for nine months. So they certainly savoured the experience once underway. ‘We both loved the deserts, both the Sahara and the Kalahari,’ Ally says. ‘The vast open space of nothingness

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Two sides of driving in Africa. One moment, it’s all gravel tracks through lush jungle… the next, you’re recovering your vehicle from a puddle that turns out to be a bottomless mud pit. And this was during the dry season… and the silence was just beautiful. Mali and Ghana were also amazing, probably more so because they were so bright and colourful.’

doing the odd local trial, with the idea of using it for some overland trips in the future. I am now an active member of the Suffolk Land Rover Owners

burnIng emotIons

Camping on an ants’ nest while a drunk local ran amok in the nearby cornfields, Rob decided to pop the question…

The couple’s most memorable moment came during dinner one night, after a long and arduous day crossing the border from Angola into Namibia. The scene was set with the pair camping on an ants’ nest and indulging in some classy M&S tinned chilli con carne from their emergency food rations, while some drunken ranting local ran amok in the nearby cornfields. At that moment, Rob realised it wasn’t just the chilli that was burning inside of him. And, right there, he decided to pop the question. In such evocative surroundings, how could Ally not have said yes? So, what happened to the pair? And, just as importantly, what about Dino, who must have become a very close friend by the end of their journey? ‘Since being back in the UK, I am on my second 300Tdi Defender,’ says Rob. ‘The first was a red 90 that needed lots spent on the chassis and body, but was too small for day to day life. Now we have a 110 County SW that I am slowly prepping up to be a multi-use car for going camping, off-roading and The end of one adventure, and the start of another. Having set off as a couple and got engaged after crossing the border into Namibia, Rob and Ally were married after arriving in Cape Town

Club and participate in driving days, green laning and trials whenever I have the chance.’ As for Dino, the couple sold him back in March 2008 to an English chap called Dave Hankin. He lived in Sardinia and was planning great things of his own, with trips around Tunisia and Algeria on the horizon and more to follow. So The Donkey got to carry on doing the things he did best. Adjusting back to normal life can’t have been easy, which is why Rob and his wife-to-be took their time about it. ‘Luckily,’ he says, ‘we eased ourselves back into it by spending a few weeks

with Ally’s family in Cape Town to get married and slowly get ready for real life. The best time for a girl to get married, really – Ally was the thinnest

she’d ever been and had a nice tan… although I am sure most of that was ingrained dust and dirt! We appreciated the simple things in life then and had the most amazing low-key wedding with a few special friends and family.’ ‘Coming back to the UK was a huge adjustment,’ adds Ally, ‘Rob got a job almost immediately – in fact, he had the interview the same day we picked Dino up from the shipping company in Felixstowe – and we had to find somewhere to live. ‘But now, we’ve settled. We have a house, a lot of stuff, two dogs and a little boy. And, yes… a Land Rover.’

Issue 2: April 2014

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Issue 2: April 2014

“WE CAN REBUILD HER…” What’s beneath the camo panels of Jason MacDonald’s recently revitalised 90? Mike Trott Jason MacDonald is a member of the Dorset Land Rover Club and, like many Land Rover enthusiasts, he has himself a Defender 90. This is his everyday family vehicle, and he also uses it for trialling – though to look at the colour scheme on its bodywork, it looks more suited to the disembarking of a Royal Marines landing craft than to the early-morning school run. But we’re not shallow and we don’t take looks into consideration. Much. The truck is an original 1990 Defender 90 SW with the 2.5 TD engine… or at least it was, but Jason has been making some significant adjustments over the last few months. Being from 1990, the Defender dates from a time when the Tdi engine had already been introduced. A big improvement on the TD, most people would say, and that was the headline change in the mods Jason planned to make. It wasn’t the contemporary 200Tdi that he chose, however, but the later 300Tdi – which was introduced to the Defender range in 1994. With the aid of a fellow mechanic, Jason spent most of the winter weekends and evenings tucked away in his garage. An engine conversion is a big enough project, but there was more to do besides as he worked on the transformation of his truck – which is now finally finished, at least for the time being. The 300Tdi engine that Jason fitted was a Discovery unit, and he bolted it to an LT77 gearbox. Older and more agricultural than the R380 that was used as standard with the later Tdi, but

If a thing’s worth doing, it’s worth doing right. Having installed the 300Tdi engine, Jason finished it off with a full-width intercooler and plumbed it up with silicon hoses

A later back axle, bringing with it disc brakes, was fettled up before being fitted with +2” springs. It was finally mounted to the 90 using cranked trailing arms famed for its rugged reliability. At the other end, the engine was treated to a full-width intercooler. But that’s just the tip of the iceberg. Looking at the vehicle, you can begin to understand why it took three months, not three days, to do all the work. Jason also fitted a new alternator, starter motor, vacuum pump and battery, as well as routing the air intake through a snorkel and replacing the rubber hoses with silicon. And that’s just the enginerelated bits. Having also fitted a modest 2” lift,

Jason installed heavy-duty steering arms and then went about giving the vehicle a complete rewiring. Read that again: a complete rewiring. There are people who’ll build an entire vehicle from scratch, doing every single bit of the job themselves, but still find someone else to take on the sparky jobs, so you can be sure this is a man who’s willing to take on anything. Like replacing the entire exhaust system from front to back, for example. And, no surprise on a 1990 vehicle, fitting a new back axle – one from a later Defender, and therefore

possessed of disc brakes. While Jason was under the truck, he noticed a patch of rust on its fuel tank. Things you don’t try welding up, part 1. So there’s a replacement in there now, and just above it the tailgate also made way for one that was newer and, presumably, less battered. Much of this comes under the heading of refurbishment rather than modification, but Jason wasn’t shy of getting stuck in on that front either. ‘I have fitted 3” radius arms and cranked trailing arms,’ he told us, ‘all of which have been Polybushed. I’ve managed

ALL CHANGE: Various scenes from the engine conversion, which saw the 90’s original 2.5 TD replaced by a 300Tdi originally taken out of a Discovery. This was mated to an LT77 gearbox rather than the R380 it would have started life with

to fit an interior roll cage and wideangle props, as well as a Thunderpole CB radio and splitter.’ Other additions on Jason’s family vehicle include tree sliders and a heavy-duty front bumper. The latter is home to a new winch, which all family cars should have for those moments when the Sainsbury’s car park gets clogged up with inferior motors. ‘I’ve added a hard-top and replaced the interior headlining,’ adds Jason, ‘finishing it off with 16” Wolf rims and tyres.’ How, exactly, do you replace the headlining in a 1990 Defender? Did it actually have one in the first place? We’ve picked up a lot from what Jason has fitted, but he also reveals that his truck has a specific gender. ‘She has a distinctive tree camouflage body and chequered plating on the bonnet.’ Nothing like a woman in uniform, is there? The latest upgrade to be installed is some LED Wipac lights, fitted front and rear, so she’s going to be more dazzling than ever now. Like all the best women in uniform, then, Jason’s 90 is a heroine and tiger alike – it all depends on whether she’s on family duty or taking on a trial. The good news is that he’s built her to drive as well as she looks – and with that new engine in place, she’s all set to live a double life in every other sense of

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Fixture list announced for 2014 LRS Challenge

The Viking 4x4 Club has announced its dates for this year’s LRS Challenge. Billed as the best-value motorsport available anywhere, this one-day winching series has been graced by several top-level competitors over the years (it was won for four years in a row by Allen Sharp) and 2014 is unlikely to be any different. One development from last year is the introduction of a four-class system to replace the previous three. Class 0, for entry-level road-legal vehicles, specifies a maximum 33” tyre size and +3” spring lift and prohibits aftermarket diff-locks, while 1, 2 and 3 limit tyre size to 37” and allow various levels of modification. Even in Class 3 (Unlimited), hydro-steer is allowed but portal axles, four-wheel steering and dually axles remain banned. The club tends to treat each class as a separate championship, with no overall winners being announced, so there are three reigning champions: Roger Smith, Tom Marrion (pictured) and Duncan Smith in old Classes 1, 2 and 3 respectively. The LRS Championship has a great reputation, and having spawned some of the country’s top winching teams it remains a blue riband series in the UK calendar. Being based in the Midlands makes it accessible from all around the country, too – and with its new class structure, not to mention its highvalue pricing, it’s absolutely perfect if you fancy having a go in a mainly standard vehicle. To find out more, visit www.viking4x4club.com.

When’s the action? 6 April

Coney Green, Stourport 11 May Deep Scar, Kettering 15 June Weekley Woods, Kettering 6 July Lea Bridge, Matlock 7 September Uplands Coppice, Bridgnorth 5 October Venue TBA

Issue 2: April 2014

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Leafers on top at Roundhill

Classic Landies show the modern stuff how it’s done

Wet conditions didn’t stop the Anglian Rover Owners Club from going ahead with its February trial at Roundhill Woods, near to Tring in Hertfordshire. After assessing the ground during the previous week, the club decided that the site was still viable for the event, as the surface is known for recovering quickly and is within a privately managed wood. So on the last Saturday of the month, AROC Chairman Martin Lewis and RTV Rep Spencer Williamson prepared nine sections ready for following day’s event. The bright and early Sunday morning saw seven hardy souls line up for scrutineering for the RTV, and the same number again for the separate CCV event running alongside. ‘You never know who or how many competitors are going to turn up,’ said Spencer, ‘but what a nice combination we ended up with. One full bodied 90 and one 90 pick-up, a Suzuki Jimny, two 88s (a series IIA and a Series III) and two 90-inchers, one a Lightweight on a Range Rover chasiss and the other a Bowler-style hybrid. ‘Under the bonnet, the powerplants varied from a throaty V8 to a wheezy

turbo-diesel, but all the vehicles shared a common element in that their drivers were pretty much likeminded in both their approach and also their competence. ‘In the end, the scores they accumulated through the day meant that any one of them could have won the results table, they were that evenly matched.’ As it turned out, Russ Beck won the RTV by a single point from

Andy Milne, with a mere six points separating James Hartley, Maurice Flanders and Ed Barnes at the top of the CCV. ‘As the event came to a close,’ said Spencer, ‘it was a pleasant surprise to see the two leafers come out in first and second places. So hooray for the veteran Series vehicles that demonstrated they can still hold their own in such style!’

Issue 2: April 2014

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More Landies than ever at Dorset RTV

Record turnout as Land Rover club defies the floods

It’s been a difficult start to the season for some off-road clubs, with limited running and venues completely swallowed up by flood water. The Dorset Land Rover Club, for instance, imposed a voluntary moratorium on all green laning as part of its ‘Responsible Rural Recreation’ mantra. The club’s second RTV of the year, on the other hand, saw a record number of drivers partcipating. No less than 23 in total turned up, all itching to make good use of the Crossways site near Moreton, halfway between Poole and Dorchester. The ground conditions were still wet and very tricky, as you’d expect after such a wet winter. So the course designers laid out a nice, gentle set of sections that wouldn’t add too much to the competitors’ woes, right? Oh, no. On the contrary, there were several occasions when numerous competitors exited the course on the end of tow ropes. The site was a challenging blend of steeply undulating woodland and

sandy surfaces from an old quarry, which made it a clerkof-course’s dream. What initially looked like easy, sure-footed terrain turned out to be treacherous and deceptive, catching out driver after driver as the day went on. Normally, the Dorset LRC runs an RTV event every month comprising Long-Wheelbase, Short-Wheelbase and Leaf-Sprung classes. Between these three, the Crossways event pulled in everything from a couple of original spec Series IIs through to a ‘customised’ Range Rover. In the LWB class, Trevor Harmer claimed the honours in his Range Rover with five clears from ten sections. Martin Dover went one better with six clears in SWB, while Club Chairman Rog Pardy won LeafSprung in his standard Series II. What was especially pleasing for the club was that no fewer than five drivers

were making their competitive debut at a DLRC trial. Bodes well for the future, as does the fact that all of them came through the event unscathed! The Dorset LRC’s next event is an Open Driving Day at Matchams Leisure Park, near Ringwood, on 30 March, and its next RTV is scheduled for 27 April at Mannington. Further details and information, including how to join, can be found at www. dorsetrover.co.uk.

Issue 2: April 2014

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SHARP WINS WELSH XTREM

Budget-built 100” Landy beats the super-trucks at the top of the challenge game

Allen Sharp and Ben Turpie took the honours in the Maxxis-sponsored event aboard their 100” special (left). Last year, Ben was out on loan to James Trembath, who was back this year (above) with Ed Webber in the co-driver’s seat

Mike Trott Allen Sharp and Ben Turpie led home a star-studded field to claim victory at this year’s Welsh Xtrem. Held at Walters Arena in early March, the second running of the event attracted entries from around Britain and even mainland Europe – but none could match a team who between them have been among the strongest on the challenge circuit for many years. Last year’s first Xtrem saw Ben codriving in the Land Rover 90 of James Trembath. The duo finished third but, in Allen’s words, Ben was only on loan. ‘Ben has always been with me right from the start. Everything we’ve entered in, we have always gone really well. Occasionally it’s good to go and co-drive with other people, but

Ben is one in a million – I’d definitely struggle to find another like him.’ Now in their sixth year on the challenge circuit, Allen and Ben are reigning Valhalla Challenge and Muddy Truckers champions and past winners of other A-list events like the De-Cider Trophy and, several times, the LRS Challenge. Part of their prize for winning the Welsh was entry in the Portuguese Rainforest Challenge – and even at this elevated level, you’d expect them to be among the front-runners. Also on the winners’ prize list were an Odyssey battery and a twin-motor Gigglepin top winch housing. The team already runs Gigglepin winches – as did all the top six finishers in the event, which says something. Six was also the place Team Sharp found themselves in after the Prologue

stage, and after suffering a broken CV joint on the Saturday morning they had a bit of work to do to reel in the rest of the field. This included the dream team of Jerry Hunt and Jim Marsden: the latter is best known for bringing trophy after trophy home from Europe aboard his Land Rover, but with a major rebuild in progress at the moment he swapped the driver’s seat for a pair of winch gloves – and showed he’s no mug with a rope in his hands, either, as the team came home in second place. The event, organised by Nobby Morgan – himself a competitor of some standing – combined fast special stages with punch-hunt sections on highly technical terrain. The move to Walters Arena after just one year raised an eyebrow or two, as the site

‘On some stages I was thinking “where did you find all this terrain?” I’ve never refused a punch, but Nobby really made us stop and think twice about doing some of them.’ Allen Sharp

is now so closely associated with King of the Valleys, but Nobby promised to find the most challenging corners of it for the competitors to take on – and few would doubt that he succeeded. ‘I loved some of the short, quick sections,’ said Allen, ‘and some of the punches were spot on, just insane really. It’s called the Welsh Xtrem and it certainly lives up to its name. On some stages I was thinking “where did you find all this terrain, Nobby?” I’ve never refused a punch, but Nobby really made us stop and think twice about doing some of them.’ Better still, the event raised more than £2000 for local charities, this year’s beneficiaries being the Fields Twins Fund and Welsh Air Ambulance. ‘Nobby has really done

himself proud,’ continued Allen. ‘He and his team have done a cracking job. It’s a really good mixture of difficulties, and it caters for the next generation as well – which is important, because I’m sure I won’t be competing in 20 years’ time. Anyone who organises an event for charity deserves a pat on the back, and I know everyone has helped raise loads of money.’ At the end of the event, Nobby confirmed that it would be back at Walters Arena next year. The date is still to be confirmed, but this year’s sponsor Maxxis Tyres has agreed to come in again – securing a fixture in the calendar which many teams already see as having a big part to play in the future of Britain’s competitive off-road scene.

ON THE PODIUM: 2014 Welsh Xtrem winners Allen Sharp and Ben Turpie, flanked by second-placed Jerry Hunt and Jim Marsden (left) and third-placed Chris Lerwill and Jordan Davies (right)

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So what’s so special about the Sharp special? Olly Sack Allen Sharp’s all-conquering 100” special only looks vaguely like a Land Rover, but most of the bits that make it tick started life with a green oval stuck to them. You can say that about an awful lot of challenge buggies, but this one is a bit different in that Allen spent a year planning it before getting down to the build. That’s why the build itself only took eleven weeks. More importantly, it’s why he didn’t need to fall back on Plan B – because Plan A had been properly thought through and wasn’t littered with stumbling blocks as a result. The vehicle is underpinned by a bespoke chassis built from 100x60mm, 4mm wall steel box. Allen decided against using a Land Rover frame as he feels their size and depth would cost valuable ground clearance. The only Land Rover body panel he used was the bonnet, and under it he fitted a 200Tdi Disco engine bolted an LT77 box from a 110. No need to fix anything that ain’t broke… which explains the JCB handbrake, then. ‘The axles are where the money has been spent,’ he says. Most of it was spent with KAM, whose halfshafts, CVs and lockers all ended up in there. There’s all the usual features too, like hardcore tyres and Gigglepin winches, but this is a vehicle that keeps its super-truck credentials to itself. Suspension? Allen threw on some old springs from a Discovery and mated them to a set of +2” Pro-Comp shocks. It’s not one that’ll give much comfort to jewellery fiends, then, this vehicle. If you think the way to build an off-roader is to throw so much money up in the air that some of it’s bound to land on something worth having, Allen’s truck is proof that you’re wrong. It’s smart, it’s simple, it’s modest, it was very well planned and it didn’t cost sill money to build. And as the Welsh Xtrem proved, it’s a very effective comp car indeed.

Issue 2: April 2014