Thanks for posting the after pics. Nice result! I've had a Muddy Mods 50mm kit on the shelf for a year now but was put off by all the talk of how terrible they are. Your how-to is making me rethink the project and I may just have a go at it.

Back in the day turning the drums was a standard practice. As long as you don't exceed the max dimension they will work just fine. Suppliers have conditioned us to replace rather than refinish. It's better for their bottom line. (Granted it is a bit of a nuisance to take them to be turned but it...

Happy New Year to all! Thanks for the good advice and good conversation. Keep up the good work in 2018 :)

It is a square hole in the plug. Use a 3/8" ratchet to remove it then stick your finger in to find the level.. Top it up till oil starts running out of the hole.

I enjoyed the comments! Last year I got my first garage after years-decades! of working outside and it sure is a treat. I even sprung for an epoxy floor so I can slide under the cars and not come out looking like a chimney sweep. The next time I change the diff oil it won`t be nearly as bad...

The Hippo has had an annoying brake squeal lately so today it was time to do a service. Things went very well, the front pads were near new but the rotors had a bit of a rust lip so I chamfered the edges of the pads and reassembled using some copaslip on the metal to metal areas.. The sliding...

I am just (well, 1500 miles!) north of you in Canada and know how hard it can be to find Freelander parts over here. I get some small parts from Atlantic British but they don't seem to be into parts for major engine work, just fast moving parts. I have had good luck with parts from Rimmer...

The Cruze wasn't a bad little appliance. Comfortable, reliable but with terrible turbo lag and no character.

My wife had a bit of a fall on the ice the other day. (Bruised tailbone and pride) so today we took the Hippo and dropped her off at the local pool for some physio and a hot tub, and the dog and I went for a walk at a nearby park. The snow is mostly gone but the park access roads had a good...

I bought a pair of Planet Audio speakers off Amazon Very reasonable price and the quality seems good with a durable looking speaker cone (not paper). They work well with my Kenwood head unit, a lot better than the dead and dying pair of original speakers they replaced!

Oh! MollyNomad.....A hamster getting stuck in terms of XHamster means something totally different. As a matter of fact I think we can be reasonably sure that even XHamster doesn't allow that sort of activity! Lord, I certainly hope not. Forget I even mentioned it......Please! :eek: And on a...

MollyNomad, You will have to try Xhamster then! Not that I would know. :oops: I have just completed the last Christmas shopping expedition f the year and plan to break out the Crimbo Margaritas myself. Christmas wishes to all my imaginary Hippo friends!

The cast iron in the new cylinders should be OK but I doubt the seals will last as long as the originals. I'm sure you will avoid cylinders from the far east! It will give you a good excuse to renew the brake fluid. Moisture in the fluid is often what kills wheel cylinders.

Cheers, thanks for the info. :)

Nodge, I have a dead speaker in my Hippo too. I see the ones you linked to above are 16cm. Are those meant to fit a facelift? Not sure if all FL1s use the same diameter.

My sunroof sounds like it has a stripped gear. I know everyone says to just leave it broken but it's the only non-working thing on my Hippo (Knocks on Wood) What is the opinion of those relatively inexpensive Turkish made repair kits on Amazon and E-Bay. Worth a try?

I have one. The hinge for the lid is flimsy so make sure you check it out. A previous owner broke mine and it is held on with Velcro. One thing to keep in mind, the lid wont open if you have the back seats folded. (Then the Velcro works better!)

When I installed my driving lights I ran the wire through a grommet behind the fuse box. It is probably the same (but opposite) as the grommet behind the expansion tank. I pushed a fish tape through and used it to pull the wire. It was easier than expected and was done without damaging the...

Here is a pic of my dashcam. It's a Blackvue 650 by Pittasoft. Compact enough to mount behind the mirror. They have a quick release from the mount, and I have extra mounts and wiring in my other cars. I have 2 cameras and move them from car to car. The software is easy to use. The cam has...

It generally doesn't end well for either party.