Defender 110 bush and towbar dilemmaed the

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kes86

kes86

Active Member
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775
Location
Isle of Man
My 110 is nearly finished, apologies for the lack of any useful reports or photos, but it's been a hard slog with some late evenings, and as its in my parents garage 45 mins drive away, I keep forgetting to take any pictures. Last night I replaced the drop arm ball joint, which made a massive difference to the directional stability of the defender.
However, the panhard rod bushes are totally goosed. I am in a dilemma as to what type to order. I don't know anyone with a decent sized press, so will be paying the going rate to have OEM bushes fitted. Are polybushes that bad? There are mixed reports on forums, but has anyone got a good reason not to bother and stick with OEM. (The rear trailing arm bushes on my 90 were replaced with "quality replacement" bushes about 2 years ago, and they are all shot already, so not doing that again!

Also, towbar electrics.......I chopped the cable feeding the towbar plug, as it was rotted into the old crossmember. The remains of the cable are scotch blocked onto the rear loom, so that I can identify the colours. Is there a better way than scotch blocks? They just annoy me with their blue rust wire naffness, especially exposed under a defender....
 
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yeahh yeahh you saying its never happened to you before..>! :eek:

I just used regular choc box style connectors and taped the living life out of it, enough so a monsoon wouldn't get in that bad boy......... then I tested it and spent the next hour picking it apart with a knife to find the wire I hadn't connected well enough.

Repeated the process and its great, tucked well into the cross member its out of the worst of it.

I just re-read your post, no idea how mine connected into the rear loom, I think I cut it south of that connection hence I had plenty to play with once I added a fair bit. If it works I would just take it back up. Unless you are feeling brave.

I had a quick google and this looked nicer, but your existing ones will already have cut into the loom so you want to be on the same spot or risk water ingress.
13040d1382647001-tie-into-existing-accessory-wiring-brake_wire_with_t-tap_installed_1_bg.jpg
 
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If you have a decent size vice you don't need a press.
Wiring- solder and heat shrink or one of them waterproof trailer junction box things. They are a bit pricey but make a real nice job and it's easy to fault find. Made of thick rubber with brass connections .
 
I had polybushes fitted through about six/ seven years ago. They have traversed rivers, crossed the Sahara and are still fine. They were hard at first and I wandered if I had done the right thing but they soon settled down and soften up. On the first trip down a dirt track I actually stopped as I thought I had a flat. It was just the hard ride the polybushes give until they soften up. When they eventually give up I would fit them again. Mine were the yellow ones from Paddocks.
 
Thanks guys, I have to order the parts today, as I am away to Newcastle on a course from work next week.
 
Have used Bearmach blue polly's and found them to last well. Scotch blocks are to be avoided like the plague,worst wiring invention ever.
 
I have recently fitted orange Floflex polys from paddocks. The service was ****e as the website said it was a stocked item. I received an email stating they would be back in stock the following Tuesday, order placed Thursday night so didn't think that was too bad. I then received another email stating the supplier was letting them down and they would have them Thursday/Friday. I received them the following Saturday. If you can wait a week or 2, then go with paddocks.

Removing the old original bushes was easy with a hacksaw and punch. Pressing the new ones was easy with a Gclamp. I would use them again, if I ever get round to swapping the rears over.
 
I fitted poly-bushes all round 3 years ago and I've never had any bother, can't remember what they were, but they're orange and ''Flo-flex" does ring a bell:confused::confused:. Getting the OEM ones out was simple enough, I lit the Chimnea in the garden, stuck the various bits in, by the time I'd finished my brew the old bushes had all burnt out, then hacksaw and a punch to get the outer sleeves out.;);)
 
Managed to get my spare panhard rod, with reasonable bushes back off my mate, so it's on the 110, and has made a massive difference. The old bushes are shot and the Centre steel collar was loose on each end.
Also in the spares box I got with the 110 I found a pair of new yellow poly panhard rod bushes. So the plan is to fit them and see how they go.........if they are rubbish I'll get the orange type, or the one piece Bearmach type.
 
I had an interesting chat (well I think it was) with the guy from the garage that did our rally car, they have a side company that does race car prep. Apparently superpro are the ones to go for as they are remachined after they are cast and they 100% fit properly. They tried flo flex and had a lot of grief with them apparently. I kind of have to agree, the flo-flex ones on my 90 took a lot of effort to get fitted, some I had to file down the metal centre piece.

Plus the guy who owns superpro is a really nice guy, they gave us a complete set for our VW polo for free
 
kes86 said:
My 110 is nearly finished, apologies for the lack of any useful reports or photos, but it's been a hard slog with some late evenings, and as its in my parents garage 45 mins drive away, I keep forgetting to take any pictures. Last night I replaced the drop arm ball joint, which made a massive difference to the directional stability of the defender.
However, the panhard rod bushes are totally goosed. I am in a dilemma as to what type to order. I don't know anyone with a decent sized press, so will be paying the going rate to have OEM bushes fitted. Are polybushes that bad? There are mixed reports on forums, but has anyone got a good reason not to bother and stick with OEM. (The rear trailing arm bushes on my 90 were replaced with "quality replacement" bushes about 2 years ago, and they are all shot already, so not doing that again!

Also, towbar electrics.......I chopped the cable feeding the towbar plug, as it was rotted into the old crossmember. The remains of the cable are scotch blocked onto the rear loom, so that I can identify the colours. Is there a better way than scotch blocks? They just annoy me with their blue rust wire naffness, especially exposed under a defender....
Click to expand...

Personally I would go for OEM bushes. They can be done with a vice and a hammer and a drill and and some tube and bits and pieces.

As for the electrics. One option is to solder them and heat-shrink, good option if you have done the rebuild and it should all be staying in one place for the next 10 years or more. What would be more appropriate and a more OEM standard would be nice set of plugs and sockets, I did this but it did mean totally finishing the end of the main loom in Econoseal's that went to all the lights and a selection for the tow bar loom. Having said that, I did it like this and years on thinking about it, given I will probably not need to touch it for a long time, I should have just soldered them all, quicker and cheaper and does allow for de-soldering and splitting if ever I needed to change something, whereas you would need to buy all new pins for the plugs and redo them all...

The little scotchlok connectors are good but they can be problematic, for example when they age and the metals oxidise the impedance can go up causing electric issues and localised overheating etc.
 
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