Freestyle Wheels On A Defender With Drums...again

Yes, squillions of posts regarding this - I've spent hours searching and all I've found is yes you can, no you can't, fit spacers, don't fit spacers and of course - don't do it they look etc etc etc. If you have a spare fortnight, have a go at getting a definitive yourself haha.

General consensus appears to be you can fit them with 30mm spacers, and without grinding or burrowing out stuff. So of I went looking for spacers, only to find there are as many of these as there are posts on the subject. So, my question is "to anyone that has done this using spacers", can you recommend a part number for them please? I have an 85 Ninety 90.

I used to have these on mine
Look at this on eBay http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/121019207269

But to be honest I ended up swapping both axles for ones from a discovery which were 24 spline not 10 but also didn't need spacers and gave me disk brakes all round. Just another option to consider...

Thanks that link didn't work on my puter but searched the item number on Ebay as 121019207269. Great, thanks

lhandrover said:

Thanks that link didn't work on my puter but searched the item number on Ebay as 121019207269. Great, thanks

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Glad that the number worked, I don't know what happened with the link...
Basically hubcentric ones are the type you want

Don't think there are Defenders with drums at the back are there

Anyhow steel rims look way better on a Ninety

I put Boosts on my 110 with drums and used the Flatdog spacers as they have the spigot (is that the right word) on them. Clean the hub surfaces so they're smooth and smear with grease, and put a dab of thread-lock on the spacer nuts to ensure they don't come loose behind the wheel where you can't see them.

Why do people worry so about the spacer nuts? Surely they are just like a wheel nut. And if done up correctly should stand no more chance than a wheel nut of coming loose. Do you put locktight on your wheel nuts too normally?

Very true, but some people claim that they've had them come loose so I thought no harm in going for a belt and braces approach given that they're hidden and not so easy to check occasionally.

Yes you need spacers if you have rear drums...
No you don't need a grinder...
Make sure you buy hubcentric spacers as they are much better for your appplication
I'd also go for something branded like Bulldog...
No you don't need loctite, just torque them up properly in a star patten and more importantly make sure all mating surfaces are perfectly clean first..
And in case this thread gets searched in the future, don't fit Freestyles to a 110 as they are not load rated for it (appreciate yours is a 90 so that's fine)
Job done. I had the same issues on my 110 fitting Boosts!

300bhp/ton said:

Don't think there are Defenders with drums at the back are there

Anyhow steel rims look way better on a Ninety

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I told ya - theres always one, every forum eh......

Marmaduke said:

Glad that the number worked, I don't know what happened with the link...
Basically hubcentric ones are the type you want

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1St class - thanks

300bhp/ton said:

Why do people worry so about the spacer nuts? Surely they are just like a wheel nut. And if done up correctly should stand no more chance than a wheel nut of coming loose. Do you put locktight on your wheel nuts too normally?

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? - Yup, "well known member"

I will also say that I'm actually in the camp that prefers them without spacers, even though mine has them. It's on 265/75/16 off road tyres, and it does perhaps look a bit wide in the track when viewed from in front, and also gets mud up the side at the slightest provocation...

Hard-Drive said:

Yes you need spacers if you have rear drums...
No you don't need a grinder...
Make sure you buy hubcentric spacers as they are much better for your appplication
I'd also go for something branded like Bulldog...
No you don't need loctite, just torque them up properly in a star patten and more importantly make sure all mating surfaces are perfectly clean first..
And in case this thread gets searched in the future, don't fit Freestyles to a 110 as they are not load rated for it (appreciate yours is a 90 so that's fine)
Job done. I had the same issues on my 110 fitting Boosts!

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I didn't fancy the idea of using grinders etc, spacers don't seem so bad. Although I have read some mention of extra bearing wear.
Great input - Many thanks

I'm casting my mind back here, but it's not actually the drums that cause the issue (if I remember rightly), the wheels will go straight on the rear drums. I think that if your 90/110 has drums on the back, it has the older style axles, and it's actually the flange nuts on the older style front hubs that cause the problems. If it has discs on the back, then both axles are a later design and the wheels go straight on.

I've heard about hub wear too. Not sure I totally subscribe to that. OK so in lab conditions it's probably true, but driving at angles of lean, or articulating the axles a bit, or driving through mud or grit, driving with mud on the tyres putting the wheels out of balance, or even really loading it up in the corners, are surely going to be far more "real world" causes of wear than an increased track!

Remember if you do fit spacers you can in theory wind the lock stops in a bit for more lock (I'm still yet to do this though!)

300bhp/ton said:

Don't think there are Defenders with drums at the back are there

Anyhow steel rims look way better on a Ninety

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The first Defenders did have drums on rear believe they changed to discs from '94 onwards