the similarities between Series3/90/Defender, Custom build?

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BioEng

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Hmm. I've got a pretty nice Series 3 SWB diesel (van, if you can call a landie that) with a dead engine, and a heavily worn interior, but really, really solid and sweet otherwise. It's a really early (1972) example.

Was just watching Mark Evans' "A 4x4 Is Born" DVD (for the xtieth time - never gets old :D ) And it got me thinking about mine, why i like landies, what could be done etc.

Now i've done a strip and rebuild on my S3 and an early 90, standard rebuilds, with little customising stuff like decent dampers, polybushes, and so on. I also own a kit car (lotus 7 type) which i built, with a ford zetec tuned to around 170bhp on lpg (more on that later), and i've been modding/tweaking/fixing cars for years so i'm no n00b to mechanicals, just customising of landies. Original, authentic 1970s landies are not all that nice to drive, hence a needed customisation - absolutely bone standard is not my thing - i love to mod.

Now, I bought my landie for many reasons. It's tax exempt so cheap to own/insure, like the kit car(mk1 escort donor car). I've always liked land rovers, i just do they are great. Also they're the most customisable vehicle i've ever come across, joint top with kit cars, which are customised as standard. I'd like to make my land rover... well more like a range rover really.. lose a bit of the utility look. I've already fitted a county aesthetic pack, and am considering a respray in midnight blue, got new wheels. Looks well but the interior is horrible and it's the lowest spec car i've ever had. Wanted to run a few ideas past you all to see if i'm dreaming or if i can make it nice..

I've heard that defender axle ends can be fitted to give disc brakes, and teflon coated swivels. Is this easy to do/possible?

I've also heard that with a bit of fettling, defender doors with wind down windows can be fitted - Is this true? how hard would it be? And could they be sealed better than the storm drains currently on it?

The S3 roof is butt ugly with those reinforcing bars on it. Could a smoother defender 90 roof be trimmed down to fit? Also, with this mod, could i mod to fit a single windscreen?

This is one i dreamed up in the dentists surgery earlier reading auto express defender 110csw v nissan patrol trek test.

At first i didn't like the new dash in the 2007 Defender, but it's growing on me. As i plan to fit a heater that works, and possibly air con to my landie, it'd be convenient. I don't expect this has been done yet, but is it possible that an 07 defender dash could be made to fit in an S3? - I've got peugeot partner seats in mine, so there's decent room, but i'm 6'1" and 15 stone so it's not exactly cavernous.. i'm thinking width/depth of dash? - or a dash from an older defender? my one is, well, knackered like the rest of the interior was/is...

I'm willing to strip it down again to do a whole load of mods, i'm going to be changing the gearbox and engine anyway, so i may as well while it's off the road...

Guess the only way i'm going to find out for sure is try it, but any input would be much appreciated :D
 
BioEng said:
I'd like to make my land rover... well more like a range rover really.. lose a bit of the utility look.
I've heard that defender axle ends can be fitted to give disc brakes, and teflon coated swivels. Is this easy to do/possible?

I've also heard that with a bit of fettling, defender doors with wind down windows can be fitted -
The S3 roof is butt ugly with those reinforcing bars on it. Could a smoother defender 90 roof be trimmed down to fit? Also, with this mod, could i mod to fit a single windscreen?At first i didn't like the new dash in the 2007 Defender, but it's growing on me. As i plan to fit a heater that works, and possibly air con to my landie, it'd be convenient. I don't expect this has been done yet, but is it possible that an 07 defender dash could be made to fit in an S3? -
I'm willing to strip it down again to do a whole load of mods, i'm going to be changing the gearbox and engine anyway, so i may as well while it's off the road...

but any input would be much appreciated :D
Click to expand...

Just a thought, if you dislike everything about the Series III, why not just buy an old Defender, Rangie or Discovery for your custom build and save yourself a lot of time and energy trying to convert a Series III to something it was never supposed to be......................I actually prefer standard Series III's just the way they are.:)
 
I have the series, it was cheap, it's otherwise in fantastic condition, and it's cheaper to own/run than a 90 or defender. If we're talking huge amounts of work for any particular parts, i won't do it, i'm just after making it a bit better than it is. as i said above, i like modifying stuff. This vehicle has had a galvanised chassis & bulkhead change, also a new transfer case, all before I bought it. I got it really cheap because the engine was on its way out, and the previous owner had got sick of spending on it. I've already rebuilt most of it replacing consumable parts, refurbishing etc. I don't hate it, i like it, but i want to improve it. In the hot-rod, modding world, some people specialise in high tech - low tech mixes - making classic vehicles a bit more up to date and nicer to own. This is what i do with all my vehicles, even like my daily ragbox ford ka, which is a 1999 example i got cheap a few years ago and have abused on a daily basis, doing all my work miles since (except when i've needed a 4x4 and our old hilux is now long since dead and scrapped) - I don't chav them up with bodykits & stuff, i just remove some of the compromises in the manufacture made necessary to make the vehicle cost-effective.

In short, i get to own a land rover, which i like just as much as everyone else on these forums, which is a viable daily driven car, and because i shall run on the now legal vegetable oil, fuel costs for ~10,000 miles would be roughly £600. Add to this no road tax cost and insurance at £274 (my insurance on a Ka is £679) - So far i've spent less than £1500 on it & fixing it up - i have another grand plus a favour of a respray owed me in my budget for this vehicle. Not sure how much a S3 will cost to maintain per year on average yet, but i've never paid more than an average of £250 per year maintenance on anything.

This, for me, is what used land rovering is all about. I get a super good, british vehicle, of which i have been a fan all my life, which can go anywhere, be used for vrtually anything, and is cheap. On my projections, such a vehicle will cost 1/3 of the cost of my Ka to run per year.

Why sell a really nice S3 for a probably knackered defender or 90 which even running on vege oil will cost me more to run per year and not be any more what i want?

I have researched this fully, and the best, most viable landie is the S3 i have. Plus i dont want to sell it and buy another, probably shot to hell vehicle, i want to fix up that one.
 
BioEng said:
Plus i dont want to sell it and buy another, probably shot to hell vehicle, i want to fix up that one.
Click to expand...

Ok.....now you have clarified your position, which is a bit different from your intentions reading the first post. Will your vehicle still qualify for exempt status if you change the axles, engine, gearbox or will you have retained sufficient original or age related parts?.
 
there wont be a prob with the exemption. dont want to change the whole axle, just heard it was possible to change the ends.
 
The Mad Hat Man said:
change them fur wot?
Click to expand...


one of these................

if you do a search you'll find a **** load of freds about the mods you speak off including a recent one about 90 door swaps
 

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thankyou sahs, some useful info :)

basically my position is this, the S3 needs some parts replacing, and i'll fit an upgrade part, be it aftermarket or later model OEM sooner than bolting on a standard part - It'll probably not be too much work extra - improve it as i go on :D

EDIT: just saw your post mad hat... yeah i was thinking about changing the axle ends not only for disc brakes, but also the teflon coated swivels - longer lasting and i presume less maintenance than the old ones on my S3 which are servicable, but worn

I'm a crazy tweaker and i get... "ideas" - there are certain features on modern vehicles that i want on mine. power brakes, air conditioning, power steering etc - I'm sure a PAS conversion is a *LOT* of work, so i kinda shelved that for now, while i research it to see if there's an easier way round it - this landie is always going to be a rolling project because i'm always getting ideas.. it's more of a curse than a blessing.. lol
 
air con in a series??? hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahhahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahah
hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahhahahahahahahahahhahahahhahahahahahhahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahah


yer a funny bastard int yer?
 
why put disc brakes on a series? do they really go fast enough to want to stop quicker?
defender doors will fit but are way out of character for a series i recon, a smooth defender roof wont fit a series screen. perhaps you should think about a soft top? soft top series vehicles are the mutts nuts and if done right , nice paint job etc can look every bit as modern as a defender , only a lot cooler with bags of character.
 
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