Conversion of ex-Military Defender for Overland Expeditions - pt. 2

This is a further video looking at what is required to convert an older vehicle for overland expeditions.
This time we look in the engine compartment, in particular at
- engine cooling
- oil coolers
- charging
and other topics
This is a re-make of an earlier video

[@glentomkins8044]

Interesting to hear about the upgrades you've made to keep the old girl on the road. I really like hearing about older vehicles that are still being used by their owners for remote area work. Keep the videos coming.

[@alfredbennettwallis4677]

Top work! Great information, currently building my 90 for a trip to Morocco.

[@defendermodsandtravels]

And you will undoubtedly have a great time (I have been there a couple of times). I hope they reopen the borders soon though.

[@mattluszczak8095]

Also redline water wetter, the version you can use with your coolant

[@enduranceadventure8057]

Great Vid Bill and funnily enough I’m off to Portugal too!

[@defendermodsandtravels]

Be sure to get away before the lockdown. Which way do you travel? I will be towing a large trailer full of equipment so it will be a slow and tedious journey.

[@enduranceadventure8057]

@@defendermodsandtravels Hopefully to Bilbao if the Ferry still runs! I’m heading from Ireland and we are already in Lockdown so some safe and sensible thinking to travel without compromising public safety!

[@defendermodsandtravels]

@@enduranceadventure8057 The general rule seems to be that if you are on a long trip you can travel through locked down areas provided you don't stop. Which region of Portugal do you go to? I am based in the Alentejo region there.

[@davidforbes6250]

SLIGHTLY AMUSING.

[@rogerwileman9965]

While watching your other videos I noticed that you used to have a normal awning why did you change . I have just found your site and enjoyed them thanks.

[@defendermodsandtravels]

Someone's looking very closely, I'll need to watch out ;-) The old standard awning covered a very limited area. My travel partner particularly appreciates having coverage over the rear of the vehicle which is where the cooking is done. Also the Foxwing awning has side panels. Although I don't use them often they are good when there's driving rain or low, slanting sun.

[@andrewjjhalliday]

Another great video, why did you swap out the original engine for the Dihatsu one?

[@defendermodsandtravels]

If you look at the Part 1 video all will be revealed! It's quite a heavy vehicle and was very underpowered with the normally aspirated 2.5 diesel engine. When I bought this vehicle one couldn't find 200/300 TDI engines and there was quite an industry fitting Japanese turbo-diesels into early Defenders. The Daihatsu conversion was quite popular because of the legendary reliability of that engine. If I was fitting a new engine today I'd clearly go for a TDI.

[@adelarsen9776]

If Lucas made guns wars wouldn't start.

[@Raymasseyus]

🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@JamesNewhouse]

Hello! I'm curious (and apologies if I've missed it somewhere) but which gearbox is your vehicle fitted with? And the transfer box ratio, given it is ex-MOD? Loving the videos, it's refreshing to hear someone talk about "the interest" (for lack of a better descriptor) in such a measured, considered and critical way. Thanks!

[@defendermodsandtravels]

Hi James, originally it was an LT77 gearbox but I found that was working very hard in hot climates and it really needed an oil cooler. It is practically impossible to find the housing with oil take-offs for an LT77 - as I recall it these were only ever fitted to a short production run of early Range Rovers. Accordingly I switched to a "stubby" R380 from Ashcrofts and I have a 13 row Mocal gearbox oil cooler. The transmission now runs cooler in the tropics and less heat comes into the cab. I found the vehicle undergeared with the standard gearing so I went to a high ratio (1.22:1) version, as used in the Discovery. Again this came from Ashcrofts. The engine now revs less on the open road and is rather quieter.

[@JamesNewhouse]

@@defendermodsandtravels that's great, thank you. I've got an 1989 ninety with an lt77 on a 1.4 'box and I'm thinking of switching to an r380 too when the time comes!

[@defendermodsandtravels]

@@JamesNewhouse The LT77 isn't a bad gearbox and they got progressively better with each iteration. Mine was a suffix G which I think was second to last in the line. However for heavy work in hot climates you need the oil cooler. Happy travels.

[@jameswortley7921]

bit of a random question. so we are building a 90 to take on a trip to Africa are aim is to get from the UK to Kenya. so like you do we were looking on different forums about paint colour, we wanted to go with NATO green mostly because we have a large amount of it surplus however people had advised against it. this was due to quote "could cause trouble or draw unwanted attention". so i was wondering if on any of your travels this had caused you any problems.

[@defendermodsandtravels]

I have had no problems anywhere howver it might be an issue in conflct zones.

[@nomadexperts432]

I drive old mercedes w461 gwagen from 1993 with OM 660 2.9 turbo diesel engine, and where i live it gets pretty hot in summer time and we have high mountain passes 4000meters so driving there in 30-35 degrees to that high usually couses problem with the cooling system. So im using the stock cooling nothing changed actually and the fan is mechamical not electrycal, some of people here changed to the electrical fan so and had big issues, the fan was not doing ok in the end some can drain the battery. But all of this is not defender probably defenders are different

[@defendermodsandtravels]

I fully agree that a simple mechanical fan is best if you can use it. In my case I can't - the engine is a transplant and the fan won't fit. See my other videos about the vehicle conversion.

[@philhealey449]

Yes my late lamented 2000 290GD also seemed to run hot at motorway speeds in Hong Kong at low 30s ambient, but didn't suffer any meltdowns.

[@andrewjjhalliday]

In one of your videos you tow a Disco on a trailer, is it another one of yours and if so how do you rate it against the Defender?

[@defendermodsandtravels]

That's my day car. I think the Disco is absolutely excellent. It's obviously quicker and more comfortable than the Defender and has equal off road capabilities if you fit the correct tyres. However it's easier to find accessories for a Defender than for a Disco. My Defender does the hard grunt work so the Disco has a really easy life, maybe 1000 - 2000 miles per year. Several mechanics have told me it's the best preserved example they have seen.

[@andrewjjhalliday]

@@defendermodsandtravels any plans for a Disco video?

[@andrewjjhalliday]

Do you have much corrosion on the vehicle and how are the door/window seals holding up?

[@defendermodsandtravels]

Virtually no corrosion anywhere. There's a small patch on the rear cross member which is due to my trusting the work to a high priced rustproofing company which didn't inject the closed members as they were contracted to do. I now do my own corrosion protection like before. The rubber seals to the doors and windows are piss poor ;-(

[@royblackburn1163]

@@defendermodsandtravels consider putting a sacrificial zinc anode on it like a boat to stop galvanic corrosion between the alloy and steel.

[@defendermodsandtravels]

@@royblackburn1163 Interesting thought Roy. My main areas of concern are the bulkhead and rear cross member although everything is sound for now.

[@johnventers5128]

@@royblackburn1163 this will not work. The reason that works for boats is because the sea effectively complets the circuit.

[@royblackburn1163]

@@johnventers5128 in the UK we have salt on the roads during winter most electrical circuits are earthed through the alloy and steel, Land rovers are nut and bolt construction, earthing problems are not uncommon so all boxes are ticked.

[@dominicreid4gg.90]

Any body know roughly how much the 90 defender costs from the MOD?

[@defendermodsandtravels]

The company with the disposal contract for the MOD is Witham Specialist Vehicles. I have just looked at their website and they don't have much in at present. A smaller dealer is PA Blanchard who have a few Defenders and Wolfs on offer. Quite expensive though.

[@mattluszczak8095]

Hey bud get yourself an engine watchdog tm2