Innehållsförteckning för July 2024 från Land Rover Monthly

GREAT British Car Journey, the interactive classic car museum located at Derwent Works, Ambergate, Derbyshire, has acquired the AROnline website from its founder Keith Adams. AROnline was established in 2001 and has grown to become regarded as the ultimate resource for fans of British motoring history, boasting nearly 6000 published articles – including a reasonable amount of Land Rover content, too. Richard Usher, owner of the museum based in Ambergate, Derbyshire, commented: “AROnline is a ready-made archive of the history behind the majority of our exhibits, and it is a site I have been visiting for more years than I care to admit. It made absolute sense to acquire the site and give our visitors and club members access to even more of the UK’s very rich automotive history. “There…

JLR has issued its final sales results for the 2023-24 financial year and the headlines make very good reading. The company is seemingly recovering well from the collapse in sales during the Covid years and the semiconductor shortage that followed, when the only positive news was an ever-growing backlog of orders that couldn’t be fulfilled. JLR won’t be releasing full information on its overall 2023-24 performance until May, when it will hold its annual call for investors and analysts, and that’s when geeks like me will throw themselves into the Powerpoint weeds to see what the company is trying to avoid telling us. But for now, what we have is a set of mostly stellar sales figures, particularly in respect of Range Rover, Range Rover Sport, Defender and Evoque. JLR’s…

Airborne. That was my task on Car magazine’s first group test of the Discovery. Send the Land Rover skywards with clear air beneath the tyres – no Photoshop to create the effect back then. Our photographer knew just the right location to get the job done: an army exercise area in Wales. He had permission, right? His mumbled response was carried away by the wind. Still, the tough-looking Gurkhas on the road in didn’t bar our path and we found what we wanted – a long, straight stretch of tarmac on top of a ridge with a biggish bump at one end to launch the car off. The first run was at 50mph; the Disco barely shrugged as it went over the bump. Same for 55mph. At 60mph the body jerked…

IT was apparently one of the Colonel’s ideas, but it would not go into production. In 1956, Rover had split its engineering department in two, with one team focused on the car side of the business, and the other dedicated to Land Rover. Each had its own Assistant Chief Engineer who reported to Robert Boyle, Rover’s Chief Engineer. Tom Barton was in charge on the Land Rover side, and he had been responsible for the design of the first Land Rover, while Arthur Goddard was Development Engineer responsible for the build, and for the first public airing of the new vehicle in Amsterdam. When Arthur Goddard moved to Girling Ltd, Tom quietly slid into Arthur’s chair. In 1958, the company hired a senior ex-REME officer, Lieutenant-Colonel Jack Pogmore, and appointed…

REGULAR readers may remember my recent Tech guide on replacing rear hub bearings on Freelander 2 using the widely-available Gen II bearing tool. Well, that only showed part of the story, because while the Freelander was up on the ramp I also did the fronts, a very similar procedure to the rear ones. As well as swapping all four hub bearings as preventative maintenance (they do last very well, but not forever), I was hoping to cure an increasingly loud whirr that was especially noticeable between 30mph and 50mph, but didn’t seem to vary much with accelerator input or when turning left or right, my usual preliminary diagnosis methods. I was slightly disappointed – but not all that shocked – when I drove the Freelander for the first time after…

landroverlifemag The NEWEST Land Rover magazine everyone is talking about! Written by Land Rover enthusiasts who live the Land Rover Life Every issue is packed with: great Land Rover builds, adventure stories, greenlaning, new vehicle reviews, new products, market news, and more! Subcribe now for just £19.99 A YEAR visit: bit.ly/lrlflrmjuly24 Call 01778 392081 quoting LRLF/LRM/JULY24 Offer is open to UK residents and closes on 30th June 2024. SAVING 28% SCAN ME!…

NEED TO KNOW TIME: One day COST: £559.99 DIFFICULTY: MODELS: Range Rover Evoque 2011-2018. TOOLS NEEDED: Socket and spanner sets, screwdrivers, torque wrench, prybar, trim tool, T30 Torx bit, 11mm pipe spanner, wire brush, mole grips, penetrating oil, anti-seize compound, trolley jack, minimum 3-tonne axle stands or ramp, brake bleeding kit. PARTS AND COSTS: • Evoque 40/50mm lift kit with brake lines and drop-links, £330• 30/25mm hubcentric wheel spacers, £229, Muddymods.com.• Falken Wildpeak AT3WA 255/55R20 £189.95 each, Protyre.co.uk. WORK SAFELY: Raise and support the vehicle securely on rated equipment. Wear the correct PPE at all times. Always disconnect the battery before commencing work. FOR almost as long as Land Rovers have been around, people have come up with ways of lifting them, increasing ground clearance under the chassis and body…

ED EVANS REPLIES: I agree SAE 20 oil has been recommended for carburettor dashpots, and Land Rover did specifically stipulate SAE 20 monograde for the Zenith-Stromberg 175 CD-SE carburettor on the 2.6-litre straight-six engine fitted to Series vehicles. However, for later engines in the UK, including the 3.5-litre V8 petrol engine which the reader was asking about, Land Rover recommended 20W/50 oil, 15W/50, 10W/40 and 15W/40 (depending on the oil brand) for the carburettor dashpots and the engine sump. Land Rover’s (and other manufacturers’) recommendation of multigrade engine oil in the dashpots is confirmed by a Zenith Carburettor Co Ltd Service Bulletin on the Stromberg CD which states: ‘For all normal requirements engine oil SAE 20 is suitable unless the car manufacturer recommended some variation from this’. It continues: ‘As…

A welcome sight Amid the identity crisis of the major motor manufacturer, which I believe currently to be called JLR, a number of your contributors have expressed concerns about the emerging House of Brands and the disappearance of the very name Land Rover. Currently, on entering my vehicle, it welcomes me with the familiar green oval on the media screen and driver’s display. I find myself wondering if we are heading for a time when this will say Discovery, Defender or Range Rover and we witness JLR taking another step away from their classic heritage? Stuart Anderson MARTIN REPLIES: You may well be on to something there, Stuart. Perhaps it’ll be an over-the-air update? Keep an eye on that screen. I feel dissy I must strongly disagree with Richard Hall’s…

THE Green Lane Association (GLA) has won a legal battle which will compel Gwynedd Council to repair a byway in a scenic west Wales valley so that it can once again be enjoyed by walkers, cyclists, horse riders and drivers. There have been problems with the route, also known as Happy Valley, for the last seven years. After suffering damage during Storm Doris in 2018, the GLA successfully worked with Snowdonia National Park Authority to carry out repairs, which brought it into good repair. Unfortunately, a later section of the byway then deteriorated to the point where it was impassable to all users and anyone trying to use it had to go onto a protected landscape in order to pass through. The GLA again sought to work with SNPA but…

CURRENTLY owning four vehicles between two people, myself and the Fella are probably a climate change fanatic’s nightmare. However, with Scotland just abandoning its climate change target, after its 2030 reduction ambition was damned in a report as, ‘beyond what is credible’, that whole bandwagon is looking a little unstable. Pollution aside, having multiple vehicles on the road is its own nightmare, especially keeping all their necessary paperwork in order and ensuring they are all roadworthy. The Fella’s Discovery 3 has been the most neglected, with the historic bonnet catch situation unsolved for months. I bought some replacement catches from Brookwells and tracked down a London scrapyard holding a secondhand bonnet, as the old one was too bent in too many places to repair, after the catches failed and the…

WE were stepping out of a Maverick’s gas station during the Easter Jeep Safari (boo, hiss, etc) in the US when we spotted this matt green Defender parked across the way. I’ll be the first to admit that anything sporting olive drab paint gets five ‘cool’ stars, but this Landy looked so tough and purposeful that it might as well have had icebergs clinging to the wings. An Australian Shepherd dog sat in the driver’s seat, seemingly awaiting its owner’s return. Walking around to the passenger side we noticed a young woman waiting as well. We then realised there was a steering wheel in front of her, the 110 was wearing British plates, and we were looking at a right-hand drive import. She stealthily locked the door as we (two…

YORKSHIRE’S Whitby is one of England’s most popular coastal holiday destinations. Think towering sea cliffs, the Gothic Whitby Abbey ruins, beautiful beaches, and fish and chips. This is why the former Yorkshire Dales couple and entrepreneurs Marie France and Lucy Catherwood have decided to make it their home. Former LRM Editor Patrick Cruywagen met them to discuss their shared passions for adventure and a Land Rover called Pickle. Tell us about yourselves: We’re Lucy and Marie; we’ve been a couple since high school. We grew up in the Yorkshire Dales but now find ourselves on the wild Yorkshire coast in Whitby. We produce all the photography and graphic design for our lifestyle brand, ‘Art Disco’ (see @artdisco). During lockdown, we purchased our dream vehicle, ‘Pickle,’ a Defender 90 with a…

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1990: A PLAN IS HATCHED Over 32 years ago it was decided to have a Land Rover Show at Billing Aquadrome in Northamptonshire. The venue, however, was lacking an off-road course. The Arrowsmith family, who farm across the bridge from the Aquadrome, was approached by the show organisers to build a course for them, which Richard Arrowsmith did using his earlier experience as an historic racing driver and engineer and his personal knowledge of the land to guide him. Within just a few months – and in plenty of time for the event – the legendary Riverside Off Road Course had been created and built. 1991: BILLING IS BORN The first ever Billing Land Rover Show used the newly-constructed Riverside Course, which was very successfully marshalled by East Northants Land…

NEED TO KNOW TIME: 2 hours DIFFICULTY: MODELS: All Land Rovers. TOOLS NEEDED: Blasting equipment, compressor, safety PPE. COSTS: Minimum charge of £30, then price per item: four steel wheels, £120; rocker cover, £30; radius arms, £50 per pair. Heavily corroded items would slightly increase the costs. WORK SAFELY: • Use the right tool for the right job.• Always be fire-safe in the workshop.• Ear protection is required during blasting.• Never carry out blasting outside of the cabinet and ensure the cabinet is closed and sealed before working.• Only work through the fixed protective gloves and check they are intact and fully sealed to the cabinet.• Never use sand as a blast media (see box).• Get an expert to do the job if you’re in any doubt. THANKS TO: With…

In the May instalment of Torqueback, in answer to John Cameron’s question you advised using 20W/50 oil in carburettor dashpots. SU carburettors have always recommended straight 20-grade oil for the carburettor damper oil. Also applicable for use with the Zenith CD carburettor. 20W-50 is too heavy, especially when cold. On the downward recovery, the damper valve needs to recover immediately without any interference from the oil – 20W-50 will hold the piston up, resulting in weakness on overrun, and possible stalling. I think enthusiasts need to be cautious.…

How long have you owned your 90? Since February 2024 What made you want to buy this particular Land Rover? Drink and sentimentality: a dreadful combination! The number on the plate of the car is the same as the house number my recently departed Mum lived in. I was looking for a project (V8 Series of some sort), and this appeared in a general Google search. Apparently, it had been on sale in the garage for quite some time. As soon as I saw it in the flesh, I thought, “oh no, I’m going to buy this…” If it wasn’t for the number plate, I would have passed it by as it wasn’t what I was looking for. Before I knew it, there was a flatbed parked outside the house…

COMPACT CUTLERY £17.99 Contact: jetboil.co.uk Comprising a knife, fork and spoon which click together for simple storage, you’ll never be unprepared for dining again. Like the Jetboil utensil set, the cutlery extends to make the items up to 10 inches long, making them ideal for reaching into hot cooking pots – and being made of plastic, they won’t damage the non-stick coatings. DEFENDER SEAT BOX £596 Contact: britcar.com If you’re rebuilding your R380-equipped Defender and the seatbox is a bit ropey, you’ll need this kit (DA3930). Supplied flatpacked, the aluminium frame has stainless steel M8 rivnuts for seat rails to fit to and assembly time takes five to ten minutes using the 100 type-B rivets. CUSTOM LOAD BAY DECK From £1200 Contact: greystoneheritage.co.uk Built from sustainably-sourced 18mm hardwood and treated…

“YOU restore Land Rovers then?” I hear those words almost without fail when people come to pick up parts I’ve advertised on Facebook Marketplace. My heart tends to sink a little as I know what follows – an hour or more chat about their projects plus a reluctant tour of mine. That part I just sold for $500? Well, it ends up costing me at least $200 in time. I generally love chatting Land Rovers, but it’s not great when I’m so pressed for time. Just recently, in a bid to combat the issue, I have taken to selling parts from my home address so people aren’t distracted by too many Land Rover parts (rather, obligatory garden art that consists of door tops and spare wheels). I have certainly met…

PICTURE the scene. It’s late autumn of 1989, and you’re in Devon. On Land Rover’s invitation, you’re here to drive its first all-new model for 20 years – the Discovery. Striding across Plymouth Hoe, you spy the immaculate V8-engined test car you’ve been assigned amongst the launch fleet, and you’re already taking in your first impressions. Stand-outs against the new Disco’s competitors include a stepped roof and daringly stylish cabin. A 4x4, not utility nor luxury, but riding a line somewhere in between. This is more than just a new car; this one really is different. It is about to create, then define, its market sector for the next quarter century. But no one knows this back in late autumn 1989. That was then, and this is now. Today, a full…

LAND Rover enthusiasts from as far afield as Australia and the USA flocked to the Dunsfold Collection’s first Open Day of the year on 20 April. Tickets for the event went on sale at the beginning of December last year but had sold out by the middle of January. If you didn’t manage to get one, you’ll be pleased to know that another Open Day is being planned for 14 September this year. A great deal has happened since the museum opened in June 2023, and are were plenty of new things to see, with some of the vehicles on show last year being rotated back into the Collection’s storage facilities and replaced by others. Some of those on display at this year’s Open Day were being given their first…

IT’S been a little while since my Penman trailer was collected from my mate Mark’s yard. Like most of the projects that I keep locked safely away in my head, I really needed to crack on with this one. No doubt by the time you’re reading this, my deadline for the overland trailer build (our very own LRM Live event) will have passed. Did I arrive there with it in tow, behind my Td5 90 or not? Only time will tell, but I am sitting here now with just four weeks to go. So, as you can probably tell from the pictures, I still have a lot of work to do, but at least I’ve made a start. My initial research into various trailer builds had seen me spending many…

MY love for cars began at an early age. My mother owned an MGB GT, and we would spend most summer weekends at car shows. I can remember them from as early as five and my dad telling me that if anyone at the gate asks how old I am, to tell them that I’m four, much to my dismay. Owning horses growing up, I had always been around Land Rovers so that love naturally developed. My first Land Rover was a Freelander, an obvious choice. Freelanders are so light that they skip along the paddocks without leaving a trace, but are tough enough to carry out all the necessary jobs while tending horses. My first Freelander (and first car, for that matter) was a 2000 three-door L-Series diesel. I…

17 PAGES OF TOP LRM EXPERT ADVICE THEY aren’t Land Rovers as we once knew them, but the Evoque and Discovery Sport (much the same machine mechanically and electronically) are definitely Land Rovers. They’re made by the company that used to be known as Land Rover, even though the Evoque is a Range Rover and Discovery appears to have become a brand on its own. The point is that these two vehicles are rightful members of our Land Rover movement. Forgetting all the current naming and branding confusion that’s going on within the company, these sweet little machines are absolutely Land Rovers – they’re built in traditional Land Rover factories and are technically designed around Land Rover philosophy. But they don’t need to stay sweet. As Martin explains in our…

NEED TO KNOW TIME: One month so far DIFFICULTY: MODELS: Discovery, Defender, classic Range Rover. TOOLS NEEDED: Sockets and spanners, welding and metal work equipment, engine hoist, transmission jack. PARTS: Rear crossmember (DDS); boot floor sides (DDS); boot floor (Machinor); flywheel machined (John Eales); water pump, engine service consumables, oils (Millers Oils). COSTS: Engine parts, £200; flywheel machining £150 WORK SAFELY: • Use the right tool, for the right job.• Use the correctly rated lifting and support equipment.• If in doubt, hire a professional to do the job. TEAM SPONSORS: Millers Oils, Terrafirma, DDS Metal Services. THANKS TO: Reece and Sean Mathieson for their help. AS an alternative from our usual ‘how to fix’ features, we’re following father and son race duo, Sean and Reece Mathieson, as they prepare a…

My 2007 Range Rover L322 3.6-litre TDV8 is sometimes draining its battery very rapidly. The battery and alternator I am told, are both fine, so I think there is an intermitted current drain. When I took it to a garage for diagnosis, it was behaving normally, so how can I track down the fault? I think it might be connected to the diesel-powered night heater, because both times I’ve used it, the battery has gone flat, but it has also gone flat when the heater is not activated. Occasionally I have heard a fan near the battery box coming on by itself and at unexpected times, but not very often, so I’m not sure if this is related. Last week I gave the car a 30-minute drive in the morning…