The Anatomy of an overland Land Rover

[RMP&O]

What is done here is to put the security grills on the rear side sliding windows, the rear door and rear quarter glass, and then install a full length steel dog guard separating the middle row from the rear compartment. This creates a security area in the rear cargo area for all the valuables and provisions for a trip. going through the windshield or door glass would still require getting through the dog guard to access the goodies. A steel Tuffy console upfront and you have yourself a pretty secure vehicle that will not be the lowest hanging fruit for thieves.

With that configuration it makes pretty good sense.

 

[I Leak Oil]

My expedition rover has:
-tank of fuel
-couple quarts of motor and gear oil
-camping stuff
-me
-meeting spot with friends
-somewhere to go or something to do

 

[zeroland]

Packing light is important however the above vehicles were all used for extended trips around 12months hence the mods.

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk 2

 

[Abu Buckwheat]

What is done here is to put the security grills on the rear side sliding windows, the rear door and rear quarter glass, and then install a full length steel dog guard separating the middle row from the rear compartment. This creates a security area in the rear cargo area for all the valuables and provisions for a trip. going through the windshield or door glass would still require getting through the dog guard to access the goodies. A steel Tuffy console upfront and you have yourself a pretty secure vehicle that will not be the lowest hanging fruit for thieves.

That's What I've done to mine. :iagree:

That said door hasps are necessary in allot of places when you have to walk away just to keep kids out... Jeez just in Spain someone broke into my car (first the lock and then the window) to examine the contents of an empty McDonalds bag.

 

[Snagger]

My 109's kit is much like those. I normally have the pioneer tools secured on the bonnet, but they need repainting at the moment. The high lift is inside to prevent it rusting up and because it's just too ugly!

 

[LR Max]

What you putting in it now?

I've actually just reached the point of motivation to tear down the engine. I'm hoping its just a head gasket...maybe cylinders as well. Maybe replace the head if its cracked. If the bottom end is toast then all bets are off. If the bottom end is toast then that means that this truck sits for a couple months while I get funds. Originally I was slightly negative against a TDI300, but I'm slowly coming around. My biggest issue with going to a TDI is I guess I should go ahead and replace the entire power train, which is more $$$. Might entertain another series engine but not really.

Sorry for the thread hijack.

 

[Snagger]

300Tdi is a great engine. You will need to modify the chassis mounts as the 300's are in a different place and the brackets on the chassis need to have flat tops for the mounting rubbers, not form a "vee". You will have to check the compatibility between the 300 flywheel housing and 109 bell housing as the stud patterns might be different, but I have heard that the flywheel housing form a 12/19J (2.5 nad and TD) wil fit the 300, and they fit the 109 bell housing perfectly once you move one stud to an existing blind hole (needs tapping out first). The good news is that the spiggot bush is the same and the depth of the input pinion fits the Tdis, so you don't need custom flywheels or mods to the input pinion. Just use the Tdi flywheel and pressure plate with a SIII friction plate.

 

[LR Max]

300Tdi is a great engine. You will need to modify the chassis mounts as the 300's are in a different place and the brackets on the chassis need to have flat tops for the mounting rubbers, not form a "vee". You will have to check the compatibility between the 300 flywheel housing and 109 bell housing as the stud patterns might be different, but I have heard that the flywheel housing form a 12/19J (2.5 nad and TD) wil fit the 300, and they fit the 109 bell housing perfectly once you move one stud to an existing blind hole (needs tapping out first). The good news is that the spiggot bush is the same and the depth of the input pinion fits the Tdis, so you don't need custom flywheels or mods to the input pinion. Just use the Tdi flywheel and pressure plate with a SIII friction plate.

Thanks for the info. I just question if the series 3 transmission can take it?

Either way, I checked a couple of days ago. The radiator still had plenty of fluid in it and dipstick had plenty of oil in it (roughly the same amount of oil that was in it when I checked it before I took off). Since it still has fluid in it, I'm feeling a little bit better that the bottom end is probably still in good shape. This weekend I'm getting a compression tester and checking the cylinder compression. I'm already sure I'm tearing the head off but any indication on what else to look for would be nice (testing the rings to see if they are shot, etc).

 

[Snagger]

The standard SIII transmission will handle a Tdi without too much problem if it's in reasonable condition, is routinely treated to oil changes (I do it every 10,000 miles) and is frequently checked for correct levels (migration into the transfer box is common as gear many boxes were assembled without any seating compound between the rear bearing carrier and casing). You would need to drive with mechanical sympathy, but that just means using progressive pedal control rather than "binary", heavy footed driving. Feed the power in smoothly and it'll be perfectly happy with full throttle - I have done nearly 30,000 miles with a standard SIII transmission behind a 200Tdi on a heavy vehicle, including driving it around the Alps (including directly up and down ski runs) fully laden.

If you're pulling the head of the existing engine for inspection, then drain and drop the sump too - it'll give you a chance to clean out the gunge, clean the oil pump's strainer of debris, check for bits of valve caps, rocker pads and cam followers (the latter are brass coloured and very fragile), and it'd be worth removing the bearing caps to check the bearings and crank journals (just be very careful to put them back in the same places and orientations they came from). If the journals look good but the bearings are worn, you can cheaply eek out more longevity by replacing just the bearings without removing the crank for regrind - I plan t do just this on my RRC's 300Tdi on its next oil change.