The progress has been slower than I expected but I have now begun to trade with some basic service items and accessories and am taking my time tracking down the best quality items that I can, so I will be looking at the top end of the market in terms of quality, OEM or better. I won't be selling...

Thank you all for some very constructive points. To give an update on progress, which has been slower than I'd hoped, we have the premises and have almost completed the fitting out, I am looking at finding the right stock control system as I hate to order to find they don't have it, I am in...

The local area is well served with good independent Land Rover workshops so for me it will have to be mail order with local pick up, good to hear you are going strong, it is encouraging.

As an update to this thread, I've decided to go ahead with the business and will be moving into the unit on the 1st of December, I have started to talk to a few suppliers but will let you all know when things get up and running probably early in the new year. I would be interested to hear about...

thanks for that Bobbler, the idea behind specialising in just defenders is to try to cover just about everything you could possibly want for a defender and to try to do that across all models would mean huge stocks of parts but I hear what you are saying.

It's a bit like lighting the blue touchpaper and running off to ask such an open and leading question but I would welcome some views. I am thinking of starting up a business to supply Defender bits... just Defenders, no gaylanders, rangies or anything else. I plan to track down the best bits I...

they will probably rub without the spacers but you can adjust the steering stops to stop that, it depends on how much offset there is on the respective sets of wheels.

if your defender is 15 years old or older you can get a classic policy including full European breakdown cover.

It will be down to the vehicle inspectors at the DVLA, you might need to have an SVA test on it and it may be treated as a kit car. You will only be able to register it as new if more than a certain percentage (I think around 80%???) of parts are new and you will need receipts for everything...

Any decent ordinary 10w40 or 15w40 or 20w50 will do, you don't need semi synthetic or fully synthetic without a turbo. Just about every oil on sale will be a higher spec than that.

You need more gas than for mild steel (that's how I got best results, I just upped the reg a touch) and yer standard argo shield is normally 50/50 argon and co2 which is way too much co2, ideally you want pure argon. I have heard that you are fine with 5% or a max of 10% co2 or it doesn't flow...

yep, the steam was just from all the water soaked into the bonnet insulation running onto the rad. It stopped not long after and when I lifted the bonnet this morning it was still soaking under there in places despite the run home. Some of the fixings from the insulation have gone so I'll have...

It was a good day out and both my young lad and I enjoyed the day and some good company too. Nothing overly demanding or damaging and apart from us taking a brief swim beyond the abilities of our basic 90, we did everything comfortably. We had a go at a deep section which had nothing but...

You're a touch late there mate, it was today! :doh:

I'm all set, got the CB wired in, filled the 90 up with diesel and packed a few bits and bobs. My lad has been looking forward to it for days! It will nice to get out to play in the mud, it's been a long time! I've found Rushall on the map and will have the sat nav on too. We'll have the cb...

/here's an assembly for sale on ebay, you can see the know on the left hand end. Land Rover Defender 200tdi Air Filter Housing Box on eBay (end time 31-Jan-10 16:18:53 GMT)

If it's the thread that pokes through the filter at the front then mine has a plastic knob on to tighten the to halfs of the filter together

That'll be good, do you have a particular cb channel that you use so that I can shout out when I get near there? Back when I was doing a lot of offroading about 10 years ago it was always channel 16 (4x4!) I'll have my youngest lad with me too so you'll know when you spot my blue 90! :cool:

Spam fritters n chips is nice no other sort would go down well so I've removed it :rolleyes:

I would be up for this trip if you guys don't mind me tagging along, it's been about 10 years since I went onto the plains and I feel like a proper newby now as all the rules on byways etc have changed since then! I'm in Chard in Somerset so if there is anyone else from round here going, it...