Finally got Defender 90 - What now?

New to this forum and also the the world of Land Rovers.

Finally got myself a 2003 90 hard top with a TD5.


Basic checkover seems all okay and everything seems in good working order.

Wont be used as an everyday car - more a bit of fun at the weekend. Nothing too extreme as I've seen others.

So want to know whats worth doing and whats a waste of time.

Looking to increase performance
Keep suspension smooth
general reliability tweaks and sensible updates.

Im a decent home mechanic so happy to tackle most things.

Line them up...........

Mike

First thing you should do with any new (to you) vehicle is give it a full service and thorough going over, then you can be certain that everything is working as it should.

Live with it for a while then see if you still feel the need for modifications as what one person recomends might not be suitable for you at all.

and you should get yourself over to the welcome forum and say hello

cavity wax the chassis right now so it doesnt rust away in the winter salt

sub24 said:

New to this forum and also the the world of Land Rovers.

Finally got myself a 2003 90 hard top with a TD5.


Basic checkover seems all okay and everything seems in good working order.

Wont be used as an everyday car - more a bit of fun at the weekend. Nothing too extreme as I've seen others.

So want to know whats worth doing and whats a waste of time.

Looking to increase performance
Keep suspension smooth
general reliability tweaks and sensible updates.

Im a decent home mechanic so happy to tackle most things.

Line them up...........

Mike

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Kinda need to be more specific in what you want really. Do you want it a a light green-laner and be nice to drive on the road or something that'll pull through deep muddy ruts and rooty forests.

Keeping suspension smooth and a Landrover for weekend fun doesn't really tell us what your looking for from it.


Suppose if it was me, I'd stick a set of HD springs under it and decent shocks (wouldn't even bother lifting a 90 unless making a proper offroader) a set of 33x12.5 muds, Heavy duty rear trailing arms, a winch and winch bumper is very useful, tree-sliders, a De-cat, center box replacement pipe, larger intercooler and a re-map.

flat said:

cavity wax the chassis right now so it doesnt rust away in the winter salt

Click to expand...

It's 10 year old so that's just a waste of time.

Glb8686 said:

It's 10 year old so that's just a waste of time.

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Why? If the previous owner has looked after it there is no need to assume that the chassis is past preserving.
As far as I am concerned rust-proofing (using Waxoyl or any other favourate brand) comes under the heading of maintenance and should be carried out as a matter of course.

My 90 was manufactured in 1986 and came to me (direct from the MOD) in 1999. I Waxoyled it thoroughly, have always made sure the chassis is cleaned (especially through ther winter), the Waxoyl is re-applied at intervals and here we are in 2013 still with no rot or need for welding.

Ive had it for a few months now and my observations are as follows.

Runs ok - not too powerful but seems to get a bit better once it heats up.
All the power seems to come in at the last bit of pedal movement.
Pulls smoothly but the real power seems at the last 1/2 inch of pedal. Not sure if there and adjustment somewhere?

Ive been under neath and it must have been waxoyled at some stage although plan is to clean it all and do it all again.

Its currently got off pretty chunky tyres so don't expect much smoothness with these.
Cooper on the back and BFG Mud Terrain on the front.

What i want is a weekend green lamer - 50/50 split between on and off road.

Performance have been looking at
Intercooler
RE map
EGR blank
Cat and middle box by pass.

Hoping to add a little oomph without changing reliability.

Litch said:

Why? If the previous owner has looked after it there is no need to assume that the chassis is past preserving.
As far as I am concerned rust-proofing (using Waxoyl or any other favourate brand) comes under the heading of maintenance and should be carried out as a matter of course.

My 90 was manufactured in 1986 and came to me (direct from the MOD) in 1999. I Waxoyled it thoroughly, have always made sure the chassis is cleaned (especially through ther winter), the Waxoyl is re-applied at intervals and here we are in 2013 still with no rot or need for welding.

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this is what i think to and pretty much what i have done with mine. Mine is a play vehicle so i just jetwash the chassis on the way home from anywhere muddy. I consider it to be a servicing thing.

But if rust has already set it. Which it will have then your just covering it up.

Litch said:

Why? If the previous owner has looked after it there is no need to assume that the chassis is past preserving.
As far as I am concerned rust-proofing (using Waxoyl or any other favourate brand) comes under the heading of maintenance and should be carried out as a matter of course.

My 90 was manufactured in 1986 and came to me (direct from the MOD) in 1999. I Waxoyled it thoroughly, have always made sure the chassis is cleaned (especially through ther winter), the Waxoyl is re-applied at intervals and here we are in 2013 still with no rot or need for welding.

Click to expand...

+1 here... my 1987 chassis is mint (inside as well.... checked when I cut and moved up the rear x-member), never welded (structurally) and ive recently stripped to a bare chassis for a rebuild and undercoated... hammerited n then waxoyld...... protection isn't a dirty word blackadder lol

cheers steve

Glb8686 said:

But if rust has already set it. Which it will have then your just covering it up.

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maybe so... but a galv chassis is £1000+ fitting, if you can extend the life of the chassis by 5 years by spending £100 its good value

this is a well looked after 26 year old chassis before I went to the extent of kurusting, temaprime, hammerite then waxoyl... bet it'll still be here in another 25 years......

not too bad for an old girl....



26 years old n still going strong


very light internal surface rust....


waxoyl plugged so I wont be doing it again in a rush...



chassis protection is worthwhile if you get a good one that's been looked after....

cheers steve

excellent, how did you get the internal shots?

ebbadger said:

+1 here... my 1987 chassis is mint (inside as well.... checked when I cut and moved up the rear x-member), never welded (structurally) and ive recently stripped to a bare chassis for a rebuild and undercoated... hammerited n then waxoyld...... protection isn't a dirty word blackadder lol

cheers steve

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I've got a 1986 Ninety as well, and I am really pleased with the chassis. It seems to be completely solid. I have only had one small bit of rust repaired on the rear cross-member, the rest seems rust-free. I recoated it with GM underseal a while back to make sure it stays that way, and I always thoroughly clean it underneath after going off-road.

Another option is to get your chassis steam-cleaned every now and then, that way you can easily spot any areas that need paint or where rust has set it.

But we have to remember, Land Rover chassis have gotten less rust-proof with time; old ones like ours are better quality, and I believe that Series Land Rovers are better again. It's the same story with the galvanised body cappings turning into painted cappings, then badly painted etc.

In terms of sensible upgrades to your new Defender, how tall are you? You may want to get some of those extended seat rails if you are a larger fellow.

flat said:

excellent, how did you get the internal shots?

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Chopped off the rear end after the spring seats as I was welding it on 3" higher otherwise it would have been a little extreme just to check inside lol

Cheers Steve

ebbadger said:

Chopped off the rear end after the spring seats as I was welding it on 3" higher otherwise it would have been a little extreme just to check inside lol

Cheers Steve

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haha lol i thought you had an amzing HD mini camera lol

Sounds like every defender ever built is on its way out.
Such Doom and Gloom.

I thought mine was okay as well.

Okay i'll be tackling the jobs stated earlier starting next month.
I'll post individually if i have any issues.

No cosmetics required as it looks perfect as it is with a few scuds and that lived in look.

A fairly easy upgrade is to change the seats. I just replaced mine with Trakkers, but many people are fans of Volvo/Saab seat replacements.
Depends what state yours are in at the mo.
I believe the Saab seats are almost a straight swap. I'm sure someone here has done it.