Haha, I set out to spend the 5K mark on a Defender too around this time last year.... ended up spending double that after about 3 months of looking at loads for sale and it'll probably be close to three times it by the time I consider it "finished"

Will have it for a very long time though and at least a Defender doesn't really age like landcruisers, pajeros etc which would have probably been the most likely alternative at the time and I love it so that's the main thing

GINGE said:

Thats why you have no lock issues. The rest of us mostly run around on standard ET, -6 is it? i can never remember.

I have seen your motor, and very nice it is, but its not for everyone as some like the OP want a workhorse and a tow car.

If you widen the track with either wider rims or spacers then you will wear and stress CV's, bearings etc quicker. Fact, thats physics.

If the OP wants to use it for towing then 12.5 tyres are not going to be great for fuelling or road noise. The Gearing will be effected also, you will be dropping down gears on hills etc as there won't be the torque available.

You don't need massive tyres or extreme tread tyres(ins a turbos, simex etc) for laning. In fact I'm a fan of not using them as in the wrong hands they can unnescessarily cause damage to lanes.

It sounds like the OP needs some AT's more or less a standard size or maybe some 265/75/16 to give it a little wider look.

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Fully agree and understand some people will much prefer the standard look.
It was more so the fact that more normal sized tyres and wheel offset would make that particular 90 look a little silly without removing the extended arches and the hassle that might go with repairing the bodywork with that. I was just disagreeing with Turboman and discomania about those wheels and tyres on it will limit the turning circle.

My 110 is used as an everyday workhorse/tow vehicle too and I admit, a good few things on it aren't needed at all but I just can't leave things alone


I'd agree that, on a laner. I'd probably wouldn't bother with aggressive tyres either as it can take the fun out of it too and obviously if you do get stuck and spin the wheels like a madman until they do get grip, you might have an afternoon stuck in the mud playing with shafts and CVs
Mine with the 33x12.5 mud tyres, lift kit and stuff can be very overkill at times and feel like some of the fun is lost compared to others with standard landrovers. Luckily haven't any issues with shafts, CVs and short bearing life yet though and fuel economy isn't too bad really. Still get around the 30mpg so can't complain about that.
If I reverted alot of the stuff to standard to just essential bits, I'd have better fuel ecomony again and lesser wear and tear but wouldn't look right with the rest of it and reckon if worried about a few mpg, a landrover isn't really for you anyway lol



Still, if the op can afford it... there's no reason not to keep the Insa turbos for a while at least when he gets All terrain tyres and try both when laning and can decide if he really has the need for them.


Conclusion anyway I think is, buy it and worry about changing stuff later

For soundproofing i would go for the Wright Offroad moulded matting. 1. It looks very very good and 2 it really helps. I can now have a conversation doing 60miles an hour

It will cost you a bit more, but definitely worth it.

LT77 Mat

Dave no way am I spending THAT much :lol: I can see 2 grand going bye bye pretty quickly tho, but after that it should do me ... he says... ound:

Koen said:

For soundproofing i would go for the Wright Offroad moulded matting. 1. It looks very very good and 2 it really helps. I can now have a conversation doing 60miles an hour

It will cost you a bit more, but definitely worth it.

LT77 Mat

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now that looks nice stuff! Any idea how much? there's no price on the site.

That would take care of the front, I've got a different idea for the back, thinking of making the bottom of the tub into a tool/storage area with a lift up lid in sections so it will concertina to allow more access, the back floor of an Audi A8 estate I had once had a similar thing, use 3/4 ply with neoprene backing for the bottom side where it will touch/rest on the inner wheel arch and form the lid, cover the top sides in heavy duty material same as they use on stage type speaker boxes, neoprene the van sides with thinner ply backing and cover the finished side in the same speaker material, neoprene the roof and find a liner, sounds like a plan

Haha, Trouble was I was fussy and wanted a TD5 crew-cab which cost considerably more


Your plans for the rear sound perfect! I'm doing a similar thing to the rear tub of mine but in aluminium as its a pickup.

Making up one or two slide drawers for the bottom of the tub with these that will go in so far.

Then at the the front of the tub just behind the bulkhead, another compartment with a lift up lid. Lockable Paddle latches on the drawers and lid then.
Idea is to have tools and things in the drawers and then bulkier recovery gear and the drop-plate etc in the front compartment.


Depending on what sort of stuff you'll be carrying around and what work you do, slide out drawers can be very handy as everything can have it's place and you don't have to be clambering in and out of the back to get stuff.

Have a look at the 110 rebuild Hamsterberg has done. .....really gorgeous beast...the 110 not Hamster

I have just bought one of those hideous roll bar light bars & an almost identical bumper

Seriously I would leave them on but if you take it off you could probably sell it to someone who has a decent roof and basically swap your roof for theirs as it would make it easier to fit. I'm sure someone on here would do that so Your roof & light bar for their roof & cash. Filling the holes in the wings would be simple enough.... Thin ali plate with counter sunk rivet and skimmed.

I have an almost identical landy.... same engine, colour, light bar, bumper..... You'll enjoy it.

Oh and for sound proofing. Mine was very loud as there was no sound proofing in. I bought some 1cm thick closed cell foam mat for £12 a roll (3'x6'). 4 rolls will do the foot wells, seat box, over the bulk head, floor sides and over the arches in the back up to the mid line. So less than £50 and it is now MUCH MUCH quieter. I still have the top sections of the back and entire roof to do so it should be even better by then.

Pumpy said:

Dave no way am I spending THAT much :lol: I can see 2 grand going bye bye pretty quickly tho, but after that it should do me ... he says... ound:



now that looks nice stuff! Any idea how much? there's no price on the site.

That would take care of the front, I've got a different idea for the back, thinking of making the bottom of the tub into a tool/storage area with a lift up lid in sections so it will concertina to allow more access, the back floor of an Audi A8 estate I had once had a similar thing, use 3/4 ply with neoprene backing for the bottom side where it will touch/rest on the inner wheel arch and form the lid, cover the top sides in heavy duty material same as they use on stage type speaker boxes, neoprene the van sides with thinner ply backing and cover the finished side in the same speaker material, neoprene the roof and find a liner, sounds like a plan

Click to expand...

I payed nearly 400 euro for it, but that's here in Holland. 2-300 pounds me thinks. For the back i was thinking about buying a piece of stable rubber matting. cost me 55 euro orso and almost fits.

I have a conveyor belt on the floor of the rear tub of mine.

In the footwells for the time being until I decide on proper sound-proofing for the whole interior, I have truck mud-flaps, then a set of LR carpet floor-mats and a set of LR rubber floor-mats (these are handy as you can have rubber mats or nice carpet mats quickly depending on the occasion ). Have a mudstuff tunnel console too with foam packed into the underside of it. It's a county model too so obviously is helped by having extra carpets out of the box

If you take out all the mats or even just remove the mudstuff console at times when the nanocom is plugged in, there's a very noticeable difference.

It only really starts getting obtrusively noisey over 75mph really but alot of that is due to the Discovery transfer box. At 40-50, you can barely hear the engine at all unless under load

Dave: draws I'm not keen on, I want the option to take it all out if I need to use the full height of the loadspace I thought about using ally checker to make a lid and a bunch of bespoke toolboxes but that would mean rigging my Mig for Tig and you have to rent the gas bottles on contract, plus the thought of it all rattling about put me off. If I can't find toolboxes to fit snug I might make some out of ply, I like the idea of a tool box next to me while working rather than going back to draws too be good if they pop off the rails tho
I'm seeing a couple of long thin boxes wide as the tub, the same size as one section of concertina lid, say about 8" wide, two of those and a big empty storage space behind for all my other crap, can easy whip out a tool box either by lifting the flap or slide it out the back if the lid is loaded up with other crap :lol:

....something about over 75 mph, not with these tires on

I had a gander at yer truck, I've not even picked mine up yet and I have truck envy already :lol: nice!

110woman: I looked but I couldn't find it, I searched and eveything

cowasaki: It's growing on me, I can see an extension on the back making it look like a full cage, but being a roofrack instead Be easier than patching it up after removing it, and a roofrack wouldn't go a miss either.

Koen: cheers for that, sounds doable, save a ton of messing about in the front.

For a hard-top, I'd use ply too. It's just with mine, I'm going with metal as it won't be soaked if I have the hood off and stronger if I'm lifting very heavy stuff into the tub. Regularly have engines and gearboxes in there and even the odd track-machine bucket in the back

Ply will be a good bit quieter too obviously considering there wont be a bulkhead between you and the rear tub.

Yea, the Hankooks I have would be alot better than the insa turbos on the road. All terrains will be better again though and of course wear better. Looks like I'm on course for getting about 35-40K from mine (20 done since I got it less than a year ago! ). Decent all terrains can manage upto 50 or 60K depending on use.


Couldn't find Hamsterberg's rebuild either

Pumpy: Reading through your first post I agreed with almost everything you said.

The wide wheel arches and big offset wheels do nothing for me, and that "rollbar" is just extra weight (but as other have said it would be a fuss to fill all the holes).

You will definitely want to get some decent soundproofing, and be aware that carpeting and soundproofing can involve a lot of measurement and patience and be a long job.

Good luck with your new truck - once you remove some of the slightly over-the-top mods it will look very smart and should last you forever!

Cheers Landyjd, I think I'll live with it for a bit and let it grow on me :lol: If the wings and tub were cut to fit the wide arches I'll have to live with the wide look so I'm leaning towards some 265/75/16 ATs straight off the bat, alarm, towbar, spare wheel carrier, and sound proofing, probably a steering damper too, depends how it behaves with the new boots on.

Anyone know the options for dash mounted sat-nav type thing with a green lane database in it? I've seen a couple of jerry rigged laptops but I was thinking more of a permanent dash screen type thing, thinking I could get something installed along with the alarm.

Picked her up on a transporter trailer yesterday :5bhurray:

14 hour round trip :crazy_driver: rained all day....

Just about to unload her, I could be gone some time

Congrats!
Best of luck with it now and keep us updated on any changes

More pics needed too now that you have it of course