Recent content by Brown

Well, it was weeks ago, but I thought this was an appropriate follow up.

We've talked about shoplifting here a good deal. I see the latest advice from the policing minister is not to put high value items near the front of the shop https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2025/08/13/dont-put-expensive-items-front-of-shops-labour-shopkeepers/ because 'obviously people will...

Yes I think it's just heating and cooling and vibration over 13 years that's done it. Yes indeed, there's certainly been a lot of discussion on Landyzone about how stainless is not recommended for loadbearing bolts.

It's got those on the underside of the pipe at each silencer. I assumed they were there to stop the edges of the silencers catching on high ground. However, I've not scraped the exhaust on the ground in 13 years of ownership, so those Lode Lane engineers got something right in the first place...

I suppose in theory yes. The question in my mind is whether it would be worth it, seeing as the part in question is on sale everywhere and reasonably priced. If it were off something like an Armstrong Siddeley or Alvis Grey Lady I'd do so, of course!

I have a crack in my exhaust pipe. It's a stainless system I fitted at the end of 2012 so it's coming up to 13 years old. It's in the tail section, which is, fortunately, the bit of the old exhaust which is still intact. I jacked it up by the chassis to let the axle droop and cut the bolts...

It's worth checking the Caledonian MacBrayne website updates for service disruptions. This seems to be the company that covers most of the major routes. There's usually something wrong with them. They may be doing better now, but a few years ago they had a habit of running their ships aground...

I find the wiring diagrams on the LR Workshop site quite handy. For example this one may be applicable: https://www.lrworkshop.com/wiring-diagram/defender-2002-td5-300tdi-rhd/anti-theft-alarm-central-door-locking I've got the official electrical manual too, but it's only black and white. So...

And I've just done the same on the other side. So that's all the suspension bushes done, new springs and shocks, added to what I did about thrree weeks ago. I've not put pictures up because they would look just like yesterday's, only the other way round. If they last as long as the previous set...

I've made a start on the front suspension today. Things have come apart fairly easily: I'm painting Dinitrol on all the mating faces that you can't normally get at too, just to hold back the rust. And here it is going back together: The most difficult bit was getting the new shock absorber in...

I don't have a problem going from first to second on either of my R380 gearboxes. It's just less to do if I pull away in second. Plus, as I'm usually at a junction it allows me to focus on steering with both hands and looking for traffic, whichis a better use of my time. First is a bit notchy to...

I've got this model. I had the original factory R380 and then a few years ago it got very noisy so I fitted a reconditioned box, so I've had both. It's perfectly happy pulling away in second unless you're going up a steep slope. I just use first as a crawler gear for very low speed precision...

'Twas a breezy day here in Wales, with rain until about lunchtime. Nothing out of the ordinary.

I'm sitting here waiting for storm Floris. So far there's a breeze and a bit of drizzle. It's very silly to give every westerly low pressure system a name.

I got one of their 'roadspec' ones. I've got a TD5, so the friction plate doesn't have any springs in it - all the springs are in the dual mass flywheel. But I liked their one piece design, with no separate boss in the middle to come loose. I was also pleasantly surprised by their release...