Defender Diffs

[LEW153]

Hi all

Can anyone tell me how much a front and rear Diff from an early Defender 1987 (2.5 N/A) would cost. Are they easy to find? If I'm not mistaken they came with coil springs, right?

Thanks once again.

[landymaniac]

Tutorial 1:D

1987 = land rover 90 with 2.5/2/5Td
defender = 90 with Tdi
I think you would find defende diffs for lm300 or 350
lro 90 you should find for lm250 300

depends on your luck and state of diffs. try to find good ones because the parts are very expensive

and for your landy you need 110 diff. hey have different brakes and different springs.

[theBaptist]

he's still wanting a 110 not a Series .... :rolleyes:

[LEW153]

LOL.... actually the two things that are bothering me are the turning circle of it, though I'm still getting used to it and the speed/power or the standard 2.3D engine. Considering a 2.5NA costs around Lm200, I think it's a feasible upgrade though it means I will have to move up to an LT77 (right?) and 110 diffs. Anyone knows the bhp/torque figures of the Rover 2.3D and Rover 2.5D NA?

My intention is to keep the Series for a year or two then move up to a TDI300 or TD5 :). For the time being the series suits my needs.

[landymaniac]

2.5NA is basically like a 2.3. All you will notice is a slight differnce in engine sound but poweer is same:rolleyes:

[cil111]

man first of all no need to change a gearbox... the series will fit with no modification up to a turbo diesel...

imma one thing ta more as an eye opener rather than anything else

u said that a series fits your needs... to me it does not look so

u want a series with coils, 90 engine etc etc... get one mil ewwel

listen with 3500 u get an early 90... better upgrade that to a 300tdi

do not spend money on a series if you are going to change it soon... u will never get your money back... bil malti titlef sormok man :rolleyes:

leave it as is, keep the money you are going to spend in a 300/Td5 fund and then get the vehicle you want to get...

P.S. maniac... 2.5 is a bit more powerful than a 2.3 man... tghidx cucati hehe

[LEW153]

Pic uploaded finally....

Just a curiosity how did you manage to upload a big image as an avatar. It wouldn't let me upload a pic which is bigger than 100 x 100 pixels.

[olo]

because we uploaded before the admins changed the regs hehe.

cliff if u want it just for a yr or 2 dont bother upgrading it etc. just get it a set of decent tyres and take care of it then just sell it and with the money u get off it + the money u wont spend now on it u can get yourself a 110 :)

the series u will find sale for it, however as cili said, even though u add certain mods to it, it wont really bump up the price. tispicca titlef xorta min fuqa. so just save the money, take care of the series for a yr or 2 umbad kemm titfa post when u think its time to change.

[landymaniac]

ho ho ho i remember that 109". it was blue before:D ....never offroaded....it used to belong to a techer at naxxaar:D ;)

if i were you i would:
1: remove the wheel arches
2: make new sides for hard top
3: spray in an original green colour not hempel
4: throw away those tyres
5: qammar il mollol

and you would have a nice lovely series 3;)

landymaniac = bbc news

[landymaniac]

maybe you will have an idea of what i tried to say;)


in my opinion if you make coils etc etc titlef sormok. i did that on mine and ended up changing copletely everything in the landrover spending a lovely lm5000 and a year and a half of hard work. with lm5000 i would have bought a tdi.
But still i like my truck:D because it is problem free;)

[LEW153]

Heh.... spot on mate, that's the one!

Personally I prefer the original RAF blue rather than the current color. As regards to the comments posted by other mates, my point is not to change the LR to a TDI version by replacing all different bits and pieces. I agree with you all that it's best to get a TDI 300 in the first place.

The only thing that makes me ask as regards to prices and availability, is that I'm that type of person that if I hear say a whine from a diff or gearbox, my mind immediately triggers and I start wondering how much time/cost it would take me to overhaul that part and get it back to its original perfect state.

I had bought a second hand bike some 4 years ago to use for everyday. I only used for 2 weeks as I decided to fully dismantle it and rebuild it form scratch. Now, it lies in the garage in tiptop condition. (by the way it's for sale ;) )

Thanks for all your advices and help.

[theBaptist]

i like - both landy and bike :)

landy looks great imma baxx - ghamel kif qallek steve and re-arch leafs.

bike looks good - thats probably mid 70's hux ? ghandu xi 30 yrs nahseb - kemm qed titlob tieghu ?

[LEW153]

Where can I re-arch the leaves and how much would it cost? Is it something I can fit myself? I noticed a Series 3 which had its leaves attached on top of the Diffs rather than beneath the diffs.

Bike is a Honda CB125, 122cc 4-stroke engine which gives very good MPG. I found a couple of sites saying it can give up to 90mpg. It's year of manufacture is 1980. Email me directly so I can send you some more pics. My email is clewis@nextgen.net.mt

Thanks.

[cil111]

Re prices not so sure so will not really comment, but there are some users who have done this so will help you out better than i can



re the leaf over axle setup do not even bother man... crappy idea in the first place... done on the Pick Ups to make them seem like monster trucks..

the land rover becomes highly unstable, wallows highly on the corners, first time greenlaning or offroad will scare the crap out of you and rightly so because the change of ending up on the side is very much increased... with the diff underneath the springs instead of above, the stability is very much reduced.

You want a bit of a lift use longer shackles... military ones or have some made... they are just two pieces of flat bar at the end of the day... but do not go to high because then u will have to change shocks apart from all the other transmission related problems... grem will surely give you better tips here

[landymaniac]

even steering problems

[theBaptist]

mela - i had my leaves re-arched a few months ago :

there are 4 places you can go :

1. Kenworth Garage Mosta - price Lm50 rearched and oiled - any bush needed included in price - takes max 1 day - i did them there and pleased with result.

2. Ritchie tal-Belt (hdejn il Gun Post snack bar) - Lm45 not incl. bushes - takes 1 day, but he only wanted to do 3 as he said 1 was ok .... :rolleyes: - he was my 2nd choice, nice enough chap.

3. Maskar in Zebbug next to Protectol - Lm100 + bushes at Lm2.50 each !! dan too bloody expensive.

4. Leli Molol in Mriehel ...... ahhhhhh what can i say ... this guy is such an ******* that i wouldnt trust my landy there if HE paid ME !! anyway qalli Lm75 and he doesnt know when it would be ready - uzgur mela tghamel xi gimgha hemm mhux hekk nibqghu ....


choice is yours m8.

i have military shackles at the back so its quite high ....... in the front wara li qammarthom giet olja naqa and my shocks ma bdewx ilahhqu - bdew ikunu fully extended - so got new longer shocks from Ciapella for Lm30 and what can i say .... the ride is really good for a Series - better than my car ! :D

[dborg01]

Landymaniac....just for you to know......the 2.5 NA has 5 BHP more than the 2.3 and idles smoother and picks up acceleration better...The latter advantages being due to 5 main bearing rather than 3 main bearings like the 2.3!


I can't add anything especially after Cili's extensive post.....only one thing I find as blasphemy in that post.......putting a 300TDi and TD5 on the same level.......come on Cil you know a 300 is a much better engine:D


Daniel

[cil111]

Danny Boy

mela 2.3 hargu 5 main bearing ukoll ta... :)

the power thing is simply because of the extra cubic capacity i guess plus like u said the 2.5 works a bit smoother than the 2.3...

re the Td5 jien i mentioned them because the guy said he might want one... though re that issue of 300 u Td5 i was of the opinion that 300 is better and i like that engine ta, dont get me wrong imma whilst i was vey sceptical and did not like the Td5 that much, recently i had a bit of a "ripensamento" as the Italians would say...

with a Td5 the only drawback is that u need a diagnostic PC to work on it... in my case i have good contacts who have and while it would be for a fee, i think it would be nowhere as the rates charged by a main dealer so yes if i had the chance and cash i would get a Td5 with no probs at all... since they have been around for some time, there is decent expertise in malta.

[dborg01]

Well, thanks Cil for the info....I would just bet that TD5/300 issue is mainly down to what would the user wish rather than what's best......TD5 is overall quicker to diagnose, smoother, and has more acceleration.......while the 300 has mor low-down torque, more basic and more practical to fix....nearly anywhere in the world!

Anyway, I don't wanna hijack this thread anymore.......

Just a quick note to LEW153.......go get a Defender.......any coiler which is not Series is a Defender even if the label says Land Rover........
Just for you to know at that time the factory was called Rover and the vehicle was called Land Rover........then the factory became Land Rover and therefore the vehicle had to have a different name and this became Defender.......BUT the Chassis number refers to the model as Defender on all original coilers except the Range Rover and the Discovery no matter how old it is!!

Hope to see you soon.....

Daniel

[theBaptist]

any coiler which is not Series is a Defender even if the label says Land Rover



sorry but i beg to differ.

Land Rover launched the 110 in 1983 and the 90 in 1984 to eventually replace the Series 3 and Stage1, BOTH of which continued to be produced till 1985. (in 1985 they also launched the 130).

these early 110's and 90's were not Defenders at all and were offered with the 2.5NA and later with the 2.5TD.

the name Defender was first officially appied to the 90/110 range when the 200TDi became available and was offered as an option - and this was in 1990.

i KNOW that 1989 and 1990 ones are the same but 1989 90's & 110's are NOT officially Defenders :D

incidentally the decision to start using the name Defender has a military connection as in 1990 the UK MoD issued tenders for new vehicles and Land Rover's marketing guys coined up the name to help lure in the Army's interest.

[cil111]

Totally Concur Baptist...



One thing i might want to add to be a bit more precise... i remember a person i knew had a turbo diesel ta xi 1990.. in the change over period from the TD to the 200tdi... mela it was turbo diesel engine imma still badged a defender...

likewise i know a person who has a 200tdi with discs front and rear, whereas it is known that discs front and rear only came out on the 300tdi series... the changeover transitionary period of land rover models left a few unique vehicles hehe...

like early 110's with the 2.3 5 main bearing diesel engines and early 90's and 110's with 2.3 petrol ... apparently at that time they use to lump in engines according to availability:) :).. li jkollhom lest biex niftehmu...

[landymaniac]

awx alihhh il baptist. perfect explanation;)

regarding 2.3 there are 5 main bearings. You will recognise these from the red oxide colour of the engine block/injectors and some other features. And i am sure that a good 2.3 can make up with a 2.5. 100% sure .

[cil111]

the place where u put the oil thing that sort of elongated tube is different on 3 and 5 main bearings...


and no man.. a 2.5 is more powerful than a 2.3.. so aqta jiesek maniac heheh :D :D :D not much but a 2.5 in the same mechanical condition as a 2.3 is faster, more torque etc

[dborg01]

Hi guys, sorry to play the a**hole but I think that I can get hold on official info at Land Rover more than all of you who posted in this thread put together :D

Don't ask for any of it or otherwise I'd be accused of security breach:rolleyes:

Anyway, I have to repeat that every coiler which is not a Range Rover, Discovery, or Stage I is a DEFENDER..........
That's the official name, you either believe it or you believe the label and the hype on the mags - sorry!!:p

To help you believe in this go check the chassis number and it should start with SALLD. The 'LD' refers to Landrover Defender. This is what you'll find on all coilers as described above.

[theBaptist]

Daniel anyone can believe what they want to believe - thing is what you quoted is the first time i ever heard any landy enthusiast, or read anywhere about it, that the coiled successors of the Series vehicles were called Defenders outright (that is in 1983) - i say they were not.

(bhal tal indicators din Daniel li l-indicators tas Series III suppost fuq u side lights taht !! :D )

i have searched at least 6 sites with detailed LR history and all say the Defender name was applied to the current 90 & 110 range at a LATER stage. dates vary between 1988 (earliest) and 1990 (latest).

i will refrain from quoting from sites not officially approved by LR themselves so i will only quote and link to the official LR website. i must here mention that this website lists EVERY LR made from the first one in 1948 to the last Defender produced titled as 'Defenders' but i guess that this is to summarize the long history of the Series vehicles. in fact at one point the official LR website states :


With the launch of the Discovery in 1988, this already legendary vehicle became known as the Land Rover Defender.



you can see the whole article here :

http://www.landrover.com/gb/en/Company/Heritage/Defender_heritage.htm




now re VIN (or chassis number as you call it) :

up to 1979 LR had an all digit numbering system, in 1980 (BEFORE the first 110 (coiler) even appeared) the system was changed to letters and numbers and were given thus :


1 Geographic Region: S = Europe
2 Country: A = United Kingdom
3 Manufacturer: L = British Leyland/Land Rover
4,5 (model)

LB = Series III, Stage I, Lightweight
LD = 90 & 110, later Defender
LH = Range Rover (mk I) (Classic)
LJ = Discovery
LN = Freelander
LP = Range Rover (mk II)
LT = Discovery, Series II



so in this case if your 90's chassis number starts with SALLD this means that it was built in Europe (S), in the UK (A), by BL or LR (L), and in your case was a 90/110 or Defender (LD).the 'D' does not stand for Defender, does 'H' stand for 'Range' ? .... or 'J' for Discovery ?? etc etc see above.

the 'LB' prefix for Series vehicles was started in 1980 and used till thier end in 1985. pre-1980 Series had numbers only chassis numbers.

its just a coincidence mate.

insumma tlaqt norqod :D

[olo]

:o

i must say i never even had a clue of all this thats bein said! nice to know some history :)

[Reiny]

Dborg, qed titkellem naqra mill-warrani sbejjah.

Until 1987, Land Rovers were badged "Ninety" and "One Ten". From December 1987 until September 1990, they were called 90 and 110. From September 1990 onwards they were called Defender 90 and Defender 110. Those are the facts u l-ebda appostlu ma jibdilhom sabih.

Olo, I saw an earlier thread of yours and I must say that you gave some very good advice to LEW153 about modifying his Series. I've gone down that road and lost thousands of pounds biex issa dak kollu li ghamilt qed igawdieh haddiehor. Leave a Series the way it is. Repair whatever goes wrong but don't upgrade at all. Save up and buy yourself a defender.

[tdi200]

the place where u put the oil thing that sort of elongated tube is different on 3 and 5 main bearings...


and no man.. a 2.5 is more powerful than a 2.3.. so aqta jiesek maniac heheh :D :D :D not much but a 2.5 in the same mechanical condition as a 2.3 is faster, more torque etc

5bhp! will not make such a difference, Cil my old 2.3 beat the 2.5's anyday, and kept up with the 2.5td's. Plus it was a 3 main bearing, 3 mains rev quicker then 5 mains, downside is they are rougher but who cares when you can outrun a 2.5! :D

Anyway, ax this went way OT, Lew my advise as i have already preached before is to leave the landy as is, maybe upgrade the engine to a 2.5td, but thats it!

I have lived with my LWB for 17 years now and i still do not have power steering as it does not need it if setup correctly, and i run wide fat tyres! Turning circle you must get used to it, but having white wheelers does improve that already, check your steering stop bolts and overall condition.

Springs, i run re-arched springs in front and paras at the rear, great ride, fantastic articulation for a leafer lwb, although it still needs some fiddling with for improvements, military shackles all round, and long shocks all round.

To conclude if you really want to improve a series, you can but it takes time and patience, without breaking the bank, issa fidejk!!!!!!!!!

Grem

[olo]

very nice series grem!!

reiny, how can u notice between the pre-87 90 and one ten's and the 1987 - 1990 90's and 110's ? (coz i never knew that there was such a difference either *blush*)

(tnx regarding comments very well appriciated :) )

[cil111]

5bhp! will not make such a difference, Cil my old 2.3 beat the 2.5's anyday, and kept up with the 2.5td's. Plus it was a 3 main bearing,


hmm knowing u man ma tantx kienet standard it 2.3 tieghek xbin :D though i recall you saying that your 2.3 was indimunjata....

jien in theory at least a 2.5 timxi iktar suppost than a 2.3... re noise i pretty much see them both as very similar in decibel rating

actually this sort of amazes me sometimes... same engines and both in good condition u wahda timxi hafna u hafna iktar...

[tdi200]

I am no expert on identifying coilers but i know the doors are a dead give away! then there are the windscreen hinges, windscreen washers, and other bits and bobs here and there, apart from the stickers and badges of course!

Grem

[landymaniac]

is my landrover a DEFENDER?:rolleyes: it has got quite some numbers......maybe it was used by the lotto department?:p

ghandek zball ta daniel. total loss sejjer:eek:. a landy like yours i a LAND ROVER 90 not defender.

[Reiny]

Not exactly Landymaniac. Daniel's is a Land Rover Ninety (90 came after December 1987)

[buzz]

Well as I see it what Mr Borg is saying is that the chassis number indicates that the 90 110 and the defender were designated the same chassis and main body parts?

[olo]

I am no expert on identifying coilers but i know the doors are a dead give away! then there are the windscreen hinges, windscreen washers, and other bits and bobs here and there, apart from the stickers and badges of course!

Grem
jigifieri the early ones the doors where like of the series? jew qed inhawwad? sorry for all these questions, its just that i'm curious about it

[dborg01]

Guys, I really don't wanna take this further.......I accept your opinion that I could be misinformed. Unfortunately I cannot sustain my argument as the information I've got is considered sensitive to daylight:p and I'm trusted with it as it's part of my everyday work. Saying it here could simply harm Land Rover and I'd never do that - sorry!!:o

You can keep saying that your info is correct and I won't call anyone of you stupid as after all that's what all the media said up till now. I correspond directly with the Land Rover guys nearly every day, and I'd rather believe what they say rather than what everyone else outside says, even if it's totally contradicting - sorry once again!!

Daniel

[theBaptist]

what i quoted was 'not what the media said' but the actual official Land Rover website itself, so i dont get it how the LR peeps you talk to nearly every day insist on calling an early 110 a 'Defender' :rolleyes:

but like you said lets drop it and call it a day - we are not going to convince each other anyway :D

[landymaniac]

early 110 door where like like late series 3 OlO but had different glass top..

[olo]

oh ok, didn't know that! thought the 110 was the same from begining till end.

[LEW153]

Hi mates, could you guide me as to which part of Mosta does Kenworth Garage reside, as I saw this garage somewhere but I can't recall where.

Thanks Cliff

[theBaptist]

its not really easy to explain exactly where it is m8 - int u tiela min hdejn il knisja towards Targa Gap lej Jupiter Marine, taqbez il Paramount tibqa tiela and 2nd turning to right - ibqa diehel u again 2nd turning to right then 1st left - xi haga hekk - u'll notice you in the right area when the roads dissappear and the surface area like like the moon landings in 1969..... :rolleyes:


better still here is his number, call him and let him explain ;)

Kennworth Garage.

Prop. : Joseph Galea

garage : 2141 2118

mobile : 9945 0076

[dynamited]

Thanks for all the info Baptist... im trying to convince Jeanclaude the beermonster :D to get his done.

But he`s taken the advice of some `jack of all trades` mechanic... who said its useless. Uzgur... thats cause he wouldnt be getting any money off him ux.

Insemmik meta immorru... forsi itik naqra commission ux. Thanks again!

[joe019]

How much does a coil mod cost nowadys? I think that after all it is not a bad idea to make the series a coily. I was seriously considering upgrading my 2a to coils. The series drive is not a nice one with our lovely roads, and if it is your only vehicle , your back starts to complain.





in my opinion if you make coils etc etc titlef sormok. i did that on mine and ended up changing copletely everything in the landrover spending a lovely lm5000 and a year and a half of hard work.

[theBaptist]

your leafs / shocks must be knackered.


leafs will never be as good as coils of course but leafs in good condition and good (especially the RIGHT height) shock absorbers give a very good ride. if you're not going to do the work yourself you'll be spending close to a Lm1000 me thinks.

come for a ride with me, see me drive over sleeping policemen with one side only at 60mph hardly feeling a bump let alone having back problems - ok i just re-did the leafs and bought new shocks but thats about it - around a Lm100 compared to a Lm1000.

:Idunno:

[LEW153]

Hi Baptist, could you post a pic of your Landy as seen from the side. I'm curious to see how it looks like with the leaves serviced. That's my next upgrade. Did you lift the back leaves more than the front? Did you use some extension flat bars?


Thanks mate...

[theBaptist]

dawn ghandi ix xoghol man :( id dar ghandi from side but i hardly use pc at home as its always hijacked by my son ...

[olo]

dawn ghandi ix xoghol man :( id dar ghandi from side but i hardly use pc at home as its always hijacked by my son ...
darthvader :D

[theBaptist]

thats him :D

[LEW153]

Proset nice Landy...very well maintained too.

[joe019]

your leafs / shocks must be knackered.

:Idunno:

Yes that i the prob... I changed the front shocks a couple of weeks ago and fitted brand new ones. The old ones were jammed! The ride improved slightly. I am no longer feeling the slightest gravel grain under my wheels but there is much much more room for improvement.

I was talking with dennis today about your leaves. He told me that they are very soft. I will remove the rear shocks to check their condition. Maybe they are not letting the springs move like the front ones used to do. We'll see. If it does not work I'll do the springs. Which by the way are supposed to be parabolic. I prefer to call them diabolic.... :)

Joseph