Pappasmurf
Well-Known Member
Sorry, wrong poster.
300bhp/ton
Well-Known Member
flounderbout
Member
Seems to me there are two different questions here.
One is "can you get a beaten up bag of rust for £6k and then make it better with nice seats etc?". Nope. Nope. Nope.
Two is "if you get a decent Defender which is in good mechanical nick with a solid unrusted chassis (probably north of £10k), can you turn it into a more comfortable/convenient drive, rather than buying a blingy one?". As to that, I would say yes, though it isn't cheap and there is only a point in doing it if you are doing it for the long term and not especially bothered about resale value. Plus many of the blingy ones for sale have had a bunch of bling added to cover up the fact that they are rotten mechanically or structurally (or at least that was my experience when looking).
Mine was a solid unmodified 110 (bit later - 2006). I stripped it out, soundproofed every inch of it, and then added 1) synchshift ; 2) a new sports steering wheel; 3) side steps; 4) new seats and cubby box in the front; 5) a serious audio system. None of those things are remotely necessary, but without losing any of the underlying practicality of the Defender they make it much much quieter (unless the stereo is turned up in which case it is much noisier!), much more comfortable, and a better drive.
The soundproofing probably cost £300-400 in materials (Silent Coat bitumen sheet and foam insulator) and lots of hours. Quite a fun job though and makes a simply massive difference to the noise levels.
The synchshift was £75 and a quick job. Personally I love the much tighter gear change - makes a big difference to the driving experience
New second hand MOMO steering wheel was a steal on eBay - can be had for ~£50 (NB a sports wheel gives much more space around the wheel and a more responsive drive - it is not really a looks thing for me, although it does smarten the interior).
Side steps £100odd.
Audio system was cubby mounted subwoofer, Alpine B/T head unit, amp, Focal component speakers in front, 6" alpine speakers (and MUD speaker mounts) in rear. Obviously a lot of room to spend more or less on this stuff. Even a decent head unit and a solid pair of front speakers is transformative, but NB without sound proofing there is little point on spending a lot on audio.
Upgraded headlights - some better bulbs help. I didn't go the full LED route since the decent ones seem to be >£500, and mine are OK with the upgraded bulbs.
Front seats were the big expense. They were about £1400 (Exmoor Elites). Having said that, they transform the comfort levels, and they also make the interior pretty smart looking.
I want a functional vehicle capable of various farm jobs and able to go off-road (but not wading through tank traps) which is also comfortable and quiet to be a daily driver and manage occasional long trips. For that purpose I consider all of those upgrades to have been worth it. A green-laner would spend their money on completely different stuff though, and lots wouldn't spend any money at all on the basis that what they started with was fine. Horses for courses.
One is "can you get a beaten up bag of rust for £6k and then make it better with nice seats etc?". Nope. Nope. Nope.
Two is "if you get a decent Defender which is in good mechanical nick with a solid unrusted chassis (probably north of £10k), can you turn it into a more comfortable/convenient drive, rather than buying a blingy one?". As to that, I would say yes, though it isn't cheap and there is only a point in doing it if you are doing it for the long term and not especially bothered about resale value. Plus many of the blingy ones for sale have had a bunch of bling added to cover up the fact that they are rotten mechanically or structurally (or at least that was my experience when looking).
Mine was a solid unmodified 110 (bit later - 2006). I stripped it out, soundproofed every inch of it, and then added 1) synchshift ; 2) a new sports steering wheel; 3) side steps; 4) new seats and cubby box in the front; 5) a serious audio system. None of those things are remotely necessary, but without losing any of the underlying practicality of the Defender they make it much much quieter (unless the stereo is turned up in which case it is much noisier!), much more comfortable, and a better drive.
The soundproofing probably cost £300-400 in materials (Silent Coat bitumen sheet and foam insulator) and lots of hours. Quite a fun job though and makes a simply massive difference to the noise levels.
The synchshift was £75 and a quick job. Personally I love the much tighter gear change - makes a big difference to the driving experience
New second hand MOMO steering wheel was a steal on eBay - can be had for ~£50 (NB a sports wheel gives much more space around the wheel and a more responsive drive - it is not really a looks thing for me, although it does smarten the interior).
Side steps £100odd.
Audio system was cubby mounted subwoofer, Alpine B/T head unit, amp, Focal component speakers in front, 6" alpine speakers (and MUD speaker mounts) in rear. Obviously a lot of room to spend more or less on this stuff. Even a decent head unit and a solid pair of front speakers is transformative, but NB without sound proofing there is little point on spending a lot on audio.
Upgraded headlights - some better bulbs help. I didn't go the full LED route since the decent ones seem to be >£500, and mine are OK with the upgraded bulbs.
Front seats were the big expense. They were about £1400 (Exmoor Elites). Having said that, they transform the comfort levels, and they also make the interior pretty smart looking.
I want a functional vehicle capable of various farm jobs and able to go off-road (but not wading through tank traps) which is also comfortable and quiet to be a daily driver and manage occasional long trips. For that purpose I consider all of those upgrades to have been worth it. A green-laner would spend their money on completely different stuff though, and lots wouldn't spend any money at all on the basis that what they started with was fine. Horses for courses.
Ironstrike
Well-Known Member
I drive mine every day, yes I am a die hard but it is not to say I drive one, it is because I like to know how everything works, and I don't want to have to rely on software to make it run. I prefer driving a vehicle as opposed to sitting in a vehicle that pretty much drives itself. I also prefer classic motorbikes to modern ones. I like being able to do roadside repairs. I am not too hung up on travelling in comfort, if I really wanted to travel in comfort I would take the train.
I probably have a masochistic streak in me but as Mrs Doyle says "Maybe I LIKE the misery" ;-)
payydg
Well-Known Member
Not read all the other replies but buying a land rover is a money pit whether you modernise it or not. Tho doing the interior isn't difficult or expensive. However as soon as you pull up matts, seat box covers you'd be amazed what horror hide out of site.
flounderbout
Member
I drive mine every day too. Without soundproofing, it would have been near unbearable.
Once properly soundproofed, I love it. I never hesitate to choose it over the wife's RR Sport on the drive. And it is not for the "look" since not a single f%^& is given about what anyone else thinks of it tbh. Objectively it is "worse" than almost every other car I have ever had or driven in almost all respects for on road driving. But there is nothing objective about loving particular cars, and I love my 110.
Chalky.
Well-Known Member
Sounds similar to me! I bought mine 5 years ago for 5k, knowing I'd have to put a galvy under it. I replaced all bushes, repaired tub to chassis mounts, recon steering box, new rad, new intercooler, mapped, sound proofed rear and roof, new master and slave cylinders, rebuilt both axles, ATB diff in rear axle, new springs (oe), new shocks (+2"), I service g/box and trans box every 8k, and engine and both filters every 5k. It's not cheap on fuel and it's costly ish to keep serviced, (I'm just about to replace a leaking fpr this weekend), I know it will need a clutch in the next few years, probably put a 1.2 transfer box on it soon, and I drive it every single day, and it's not let me down once, I used to use it for work, now the commute, tow trailers, greenlane, off road, everything. Its the perfect vehicle for me because I always wanted one.
In the end, that's all that counts. It's impossible to justify buying one really, but the simple answer is don't try and justify it, just do it!
I smile virtually everytime I climb into mine, no other car makes me do that! Best of luck with the search!
. Its the perfect vehicle for me because I always wanted one.
In the end, that's all that counts. It's impossible to justify buying one really, but the simple answer is don't try and justify it, just do it!
I smile virtually everytime I climb into mine, no other car makes me do that! Best of luck with the search!
Yep
Yep
An... Yep, that's about it,
Been good reading this thread and it’s made me smile. You can see how many of you enjoy your fenders, warts n all.
I nearly bought one earlier this year but assumed I’d be doing circa 30k in a new job role. I’ve done a third of that
I ended up with a ten year old hilux and have a d1 project. I think the hilux is great. It s quite comfy, tough as nails and I like that it still feels like a truck. I have dog area in back and try and keep the cab half clean. I get a big dog, welder and all tools in it. The new ones feel far more car like which I don’t like. as someone said I can see the end of my bonnet and don’t have massive blind spots caused by plastic. It’s a really decent motor for what it is. That’s coming from a top of the range a5 albeit I’ve had a couple pickups in past so didn’t expect a car.
I test drove a tweaked td5 90 before I bought my hilux. I drive past fenders and work on a fender and still hanker for one. The test drive had me smiling but at the time and probably for the first time, I bought with my head not heart.
Would a fender be as reliable as hilux? Debatable but I’d have a 300 anyway and keep it mechanically immaculate. Would it smell of dogs due to not being split - yeah, and my fishing gear. That’s the fender aroma surely?
However, I still Feel like had I bought a nice 90 over the hilux I’d have that love for my motor that I used to have with certain past motors. Some things you just can’t put a finger on I guess.
If your hankering for one, buy one. I don’t regret any car I’ve had. Scratch the itch. It’s not like it’s a big flashy motor and you only live once. Even if you decide it’s not for you there’s not gunna be a massive loss selling it like if you bought a panzer.
I’m building a d1 up at the moment and fall in and out of love with the project as you do. It’s been a long one. I also wonder if it will even scratch the itch.
You can guess what I’m Going to get one birthday when life’s more settled and there’s more Land Rover tokens in the pot though
I nearly bought one earlier this year but assumed I’d be doing circa 30k in a new job role. I’ve done a third of that
I ended up with a ten year old hilux and have a d1 project. I think the hilux is great. It s quite comfy, tough as nails and I like that it still feels like a truck. I have dog area in back and try and keep the cab half clean. I get a big dog, welder and all tools in it. The new ones feel far more car like which I don’t like. as someone said I can see the end of my bonnet and don’t have massive blind spots caused by plastic. It’s a really decent motor for what it is. That’s coming from a top of the range a5 albeit I’ve had a couple pickups in past so didn’t expect a car.
I test drove a tweaked td5 90 before I bought my hilux. I drive past fenders and work on a fender and still hanker for one. The test drive had me smiling but at the time and probably for the first time, I bought with my head not heart.
Would a fender be as reliable as hilux? Debatable but I’d have a 300 anyway and keep it mechanically immaculate. Would it smell of dogs due to not being split - yeah, and my fishing gear. That’s the fender aroma surely?
However, I still Feel like had I bought a nice 90 over the hilux I’d have that love for my motor that I used to have with certain past motors. Some things you just can’t put a finger on I guess.
If your hankering for one, buy one. I don’t regret any car I’ve had. Scratch the itch. It’s not like it’s a big flashy motor and you only live once. Even if you decide it’s not for you there’s not gunna be a massive loss selling it like if you bought a panzer.
I’m building a d1 up at the moment and fall in and out of love with the project as you do. It’s been a long one. I also wonder if it will even scratch the itch.
You can guess what I’m Going to get one birthday when life’s more settled and there’s more Land Rover tokens in the pot though
