Been fitting a new winch over the past couple of days. I've actually had this winch for four years. I aquired it in a liquidation auction for less than half the retail price at the time. Of course none of the bolt holes or the fairlead cut-out lined up from previous winch installations on this...

That's better. I'm not going to bother replacing the snapped cable.

A few small updates. People who read the Freelander section will have seen my post about the snapped bonnet cable. Long story short: I couldn't get the bonnet open so resorted to butchery and now I have a grey bonnet that's secured with rubber straps. I did fit a temporary bracket that bolted...

I like the new look. But I'm an old git with bad eyesight so I preferred the comments background in white as it was easier to read.

Yes. The manifold has been blowing for ages and I've been putting it off. Easier to do with that big bracket out of the way and it's MOT time soon so thought I'd better get it sorted. More details on that in my project thread.

Oh yeah, new water pump:

Finally got around to fitting the new pump today. I've been on night shifts and also waiting for some parts for the exhaust manifold, which I wanted to sort out while the water pump was out. Anyway, the new pump has cured the overheating problem, as expected.

Latest: Exhaust manifold has been removed and dewebbed. Dewebbing relaxed the warpiness a bit but it's still not flat. Unfortunately there's nowhere up here where I can get it skimmed for a fair price or in a reasonable time frame so it's been refitted as it is with a new gasket and Wurth...

Probably get more replies if you ask in the Freelander section.

Another bonnet. I have another unroadworthy Freelander on the drive. I've used a lot of parts from it.

Forgot the last picture in the previous post.

Cheers Pete. I took the nuclear option though. Time and frustration pushed me into it. I'm on night shifts right now and needed to get under the bonnet to find out why the car had completely lost power. I cut a hole in the bonnet so I could see the top latch and cut the bolts off that. I could...

Unfortunately not. I think I'll have to put one on my shopping list though. Anyway, I've had another go at the bonnet today. Still not getting anywhere. The plastic shroud under the mechanism is still in place which is why I can't see it. With a bit of butchery to the grille I've made enough...

Ah, mine must still have the plastic shroud on the underside of the mechanism. That'll be why I can't see the spring/lever. Plus I can't focus on anything I have to get my eyes that close to, even with my glasses. I'll have another go tomorrow after work.

Hmm. Don't know if it's my eyesight but I can't see the spring that's shown in the video. Maybe my problems are a bit worse than just a snapped cable?

I'll just answer my own question.

Is there a way to get the bonnet open without destroying it? The cable has snapped at the latch end so I can't use a pair of pliers to pull it as has happened to me in the past with previous FLs.

I didn't want to miss the first Shetland Land Rover & 4x4 Club RTV trial of this year so the Freelander was used in anger off road today as Project Disco is off the road with a knackered water pump right now. Very happy with how it performed, although I'll now have to fix the trailer socket and...

As I suspected, these water pumps are not designed to pump solids. The impeller was loose on the shaft.

About the antifreeze. When I'd finshed building it I just filled the engine with water to make sure there were no leaks. It was my intention to drive it like that for a week or two to make sure no leaks appeared then drain it and refill with water/antifreeze. It just got forgotten about. The car...