OFFICIAL Land Rover thread.

[LateFan]

Scott Brady of Overland Journal drives the Defender 420 miles across the Namibian desert. 10 minutes, but a well done video, and really shows how the truck behaves.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dgx_...ature=youtu.be

1700+ lbs of payload, 300+ on the roof, 8000 lb towing, 11 1/2" of clearance.

https://expeditionportal.com/2020-de...nd-test-drive/

[LateFan]

Looks like the headlights on the Jeep Latitude to me

..huh...???

[mbonder]

Looks like the headlights on the Jeep Latitude to me

[LateFan]

Somebody out on the innerwebs photoshopped an idea for cleaning up the nose and making round headlights like an old Series or Def.... I kinda like it.



Here's the built-in winch on the new Defender....

[LateFan]

[LateFan]

Here's what I want! A FOUR door, Heritage green, white-topped, manual, 4 cyl, 110 for sale. I thought the Heritage models were all D90s, I've never seen a 110. The last handful of Defenders off the production line got one of four trim packages as collectors items. The Heritage was an old school pale green with steel wheels, painted grills, and galvanized bumpers. They look a lot like old Series LR's.

https://www.my.na/product/10093/land-rover-defender-heritage-limited-edition-collectors-item/

850,000 Namibian dollars is $54,000. Too bad if you brought it here they'd seize it.

I like it. Paint the wheels LR white and get rid of the side steps.



Heritage models -

[LateFan]

Motor Trend comparo of Defender and Jeep Rubicon - just specs to specs, no actual testing yet. Interesting - digital vs analog.

https://www.motortrend.com/news/2020...ngler-rubicon/

For the James Bond stunt, it says all they did was add a roll cage inside.
https://www.motoring.com.au/new-land...rashed-122898/

What is a loaded semi doing in a dry riverbed full of sand? Or maybe that's the only flat place to drive...? Funny, these are the press cars out in Africa.
https://www.motoring.com.au/new-land...ruckie-123192/

EDIT - Video here......

https://www.facebook.com/624763317/videos/10157275698008318/

[LateFan]

The new Defenders are being tested by journalists in Namibia in Africa. They can't release any driving information until the end of March per some marketing timing agreement with LR.

I'm not fully endorsing this new one yet, and I don't like to sound like a fanboi, but there are some things I think will be impressive when actual testing gets published. I read that they are over 10 times stiffer than the old Defender, and 3 times stiffer than any body on frame vehicle they've ever produced. They took their newest aluminum chassis design, which will be shared with some new Discoveries I think, and beefed it up for stiffness, strength, and durability. The subframes are way heavier, control arms, everything. The body control and traction control for crawling around are impressive, and locking diffs. It'll cruise though 3 feet of water. It has skid plates. It can lift itself up to over 11" of clearance. I saw a video of one teeter-tottering on opposite corner tires, and the doors opened and shut like on flat ground. No twist.

They'll never cut into the market share of Toyota in out of the way places, but there apparently is a simpler, coil spring version for sale in third world markets. You can order a base model with steel wheels and Duratrac tires and fabric seats (but...for 50 grand).

There's no way to really compare the old and new, it's not apples to apples. The old ones are 50's, 60's tech - essentially a tractor like a Unimog. The new one is a mass produced, highway-comfortable, capable off-roader with quiet and safety.

So, we'll see. It'll be interesting to see real off-road tests by the magazines. Still a really expensive car though. I saw some new spy shots of the new Bronco yesterday, and it looks fairly small and no nonsense. Not sure which engines - I assume a turbo 4. The Defender has a bunch of engines around the world, but I think we'll get a 4 and a straight 6 in the US.



I think the exterior cargo box is silly. Maybe useful..?

[LateFan]

[LateFan]

[mrsleeve]

OHHH I Didnt know the control arm was "hollow" on the underside, I assumed there was a flat bit of steel boxed across the bottom, (if you mentioned that I must have missed that part) that would not have allowed semi easy access to cut that SOB out. You defiantly did the right thing, and I would have likey done it the very same way, or maybe used a wizz wheel cutter. Great job and glad to see you got it all handled this weekend and everything thing went well

[LateFan]

5 pics per post it says.......






Shiny new bolt. Nut appears to be the oval self-locking type. We cranked it on with the impact. Book says 184 ft-lbs, so we were close with our Harbor Fright. Buttered the sleeve and the bolt with anti-seize.


This...is what you need.



It was fun to put the fuses back in and fire it up. It pumps up quick! Usually more rear first, then the fronts level up. The compressor went off in a couple of minutes, and that's from completely empty. It used to run for a few blocks after you warmed it up. So that strut had to be leaking, and it's hard to find because the bellows folds down over itself, and often covers up the leak and pushes it shut. And you don't drive around in high mode with the struts extended - I think at 25 or 30 it automatically lowers back to normal height.

If it starts to droop in a week, we'll be pissed.

[LateFan]

The rear side...ZING!

The forward side...thin-sliced roast beef!


The short bit of bolt head fell out of here, but the rest is bonded for good.



Just for fun, we pounded on this bolt with a big punch and a sledge to see if we might have broken the bond - zero movement. It was never coming out.

[LateFan]

Turned out pretty easy. Generic DeWalt rental sawzall, with my Diablo carbide tipped blade.

We only had it high enough to take off the wheel, and then collapsed the suspension, so we couldn't raise it higher safely. That meant we couldn't hold the saw horizontally and get at the bushing and push down. I had to be on my back with my left forearm pushing up on the blade and my right middle finder hooked in the trigger upside down.

Zip zip, went right through.

I didn't want to bugger up the welded and machined bosses on his control arms, so I pushed the blade tight to the strut and cut all the way through the steel bushing and bolt together. Took the paint off the blade, but no discernible wear on the teeth.

Control arm looking straight up. Forward is up in the pic. CV boot not far away, so careful with heat.



Forward side of bushing much narrower.


Bolt head recessed in arm.


Nice tidy mushroom.


That's a rust drip of PB after days of soaking. No movement at all.

[mrsleeve]

good deal that makes its much easier, and less of a PIA.

post up what you did to get freed up, I am always intrested on how people solve stuff like this to file away for future use if need be