Anaconda said:

Nice one, you got that done quick. Nice bonding session and memory for you and your family. Just have to get out and enjoy it now.

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Thanks - we're loving it already.

Lots of fiddly things still to do:
- wipers stopped working since respray (swapped broken lever and blown fuse today but still not)
- blower never worked, but did occasionally run without being able to stop it, and rattled at crazy dB
- headlights dangerously poor (easy LED swap?)


Big Question >> Who makes the softest springs and shocks for an old 90?

The main thing to sort (so the home-boss lets me keep it) is the ride, which is a bit ridiculous atm.
Stiff/bouncy as a go-kart - I think the last owner jacked it up with stiff springs and made wider with spacers, as the 263 tyres stick out beyond the arches more than I've seen elsewhere. I'm also a few cm above the most common 2m height-restriction, so bringing it down an inch on some super-soft comfort springs and shocks might solve all the problems.
But...
I could wait until the spare-carrier and rear-step arrives - fit those and the spare wheel to see what difference the extra weight makes to height and stiffness - but it was awful even before we took the hard top and spare off, so I want to crack on.

- I don't mind if they're an inch taller than stock (i.e. due to extra travel of progressive springs), just not super-jacked-up.
- The truck isn't going to tow, and is running very light now the hard top is gone, so I think we can go as soft/smooth as possible.
- I need to do some filming for our ski business in the alps this winter too, so it will help to make the ride smooth-as-poss' for filming, even if that makes the handling less positive.

Smoothness/comfort is the goal - any favourites?

Very nice! An excellent result!

Make sure you also invest in lots of security measures too. Unfortunately , landies are very popular with thieves, especially nice examples like yours.

SNOman said:

Big Question >> Who makes the softest springs and shocks for an old 90?

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I assume you have a copy of the spring rate charts:




This give you the part numbers for the stock spring setup used by Land Rover. I would recommend the oem setup. So choose the 2400kg 90 springs and standard hydraulic shocks. (I can fully recommend the cheap britpart shocks for this. I have had two sets fitted, doing 30k miles a year and happily did two trips around the Moroccan dessert)
I do not know what the stock height is but I would not be expecting to get under a 2m barrier without actively lowering it but I am used to a 110 which do ride slightly higher a the back end than a 90.
It is very possible to have a nice ride in a defender, but don’t expect new car levels of smoothness. Lots of people fit HD springs which just make them uncomfortable unless you have half a ton in the back and a fully loaded trailer. Suspension is one of those things everyone has an opinion on and companies like to upsell with their specialised packages. Contrary to popular belief Land Rover did know what they were doing when they designed it originally and oem suspension is the best of both worlds that might “excel” at anything but does everything very well.