Hi All,

First time poster so be gentle with me

I have the opportunity to pick up a 1986 Land Rover 90 for £1750. I have been to look at it today and checked all the usual rust spots etc and it seems to be very solid except for a small patch on the drivers side bulkhead. It has had the rear crossmember replaced and the engine has been changed to a Isuzu Trooper 2.8 TDI. The gearbox seems ok (by this i mean it goes into gear and selects Hi, Lo and Diff Lock easily enough. The guy selling it has been using it as an offroader weekendy type thing

So can anyone answer the following to help me:

1. Is it possible to fit a towbar and if so where should i look?

2. Should the engine change worry me more than it is?

3. If i cut out the rusted bit of the bulkhead and weld in something new will that slow down any other rot that there maybe?

4. A really stupid question im sure, is this actually a defender or a series III?

Thanks in advance this site is great and im hoping someone can give me some tips!

Good luck, I am amazed the sharks have not got stuck in yet!!! Lack of intro and all that!!!!!!
with regard to your questions.
1, Dixon bate adjustable tow bar plate fitted to the rear cross member is the usual, you can get a fancy step type but don't know much about them.
2, Have no idea about the engine but if it works!!
3, Bulkhead repairs are pretty common when your done, spray loads of old oil in to the bulkhead to slow any further rust down or you could replace the bulkhead for a galvanised one.
4, Defender, 90 if it has a split screen series three, normal screen defender i think for a while they were called just 90's but then took the name Defender but i am no expert there is a good bit on Wiki..
Good Luck....

If it looks like this its a 90

Have you tried to insure it yet ??
If you we're to. Tell an insurer of the mods etc you may be shocked at what you are having to pay !!
Just a thought !!!!

Thanks for your replies!

I didn't know about introduction but will do it when am home!

I think I will go for it, nothing like jumping in at deep end

I haven't looked at insurance will cross the bridge tomorrow :S

:welcome2:sounds like a good one dont forget to post pic's if you get it:nopics:

Welcome to the forum.

1. Is it possible to fit a towbar and if so where should i look?

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If you look at the centre of the rear cross member you will notice an array of predrilled holes. As previously suggested, a Dixon Bate adjustable towing setup bolts to the crossmember, with two struts that then travel back underneath the vehicle towards the opposite side of spring mounts where they bolt to the chassis legs.

2. Should the engine change worry me more than it is?

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No reason for it to be of any real concern as long as it has been done properly and not botched. It will offer a nice alternative over the 2.5 Normally Aspirated diesel (12J) or 2.5 Turbo Diesel (19J) which would have been fitted to that vehicle as standard, neither of which were particularly powerful or fuel efficient engines. The latter is in fact notorious for going bang around the 100,000 mile mark after the bores have worn out, the piston crowns have cracked and the engine inevitably ingests its own oil. Some diehard enthusiasts will speak out against me to back the older engines up but when the 200tdi came along it was like a revelation and the Trooper engine will produce performance similar to that of a 200tdi.

3. If i cut out the rusted bit of the bulkhead and weld in something new will that slow down any other rot that there maybe?

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If you are going to let new steel in, ensure that you cut the rotten metal back as far as you can until you have extremely good solid steel that looks like new. Inspect the rest of the bulkhead, particularly around the top corners and the bottom of the door pillars on both sides. If you find good solid steel, it will be alright and regular maintenance / waxoyl should prevent it rotting any quicker than it will do naturally.

4. A really stupid question im sure, is this actually a defender or a series III?

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Technically it is neither. A 1986 90 is called, purely and simply, a 'Land Rover 90'. If you are going to liken it to either, then it is more or less a Defender. They just decided to rebrand the model as the 'Defender' in 1990 with the introduction of the tdi engine.

Pictures will help answer your questions in more depth, particularly around the bulkhead, chassis, engine bay etc.

-Tom

IOMlandy said:

I haven't looked at insurance will cross the bridge tomorrow :S

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Try Footman James, you'll get their classic car policy for a 1986. no more than a couple of hundred fully comp a year.