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I've still got a plan knocking around in the back of my head to put a stretched 110 body on a D3 chassis..........
Has the D3 not got an integral body/chassis? Seem to remember that was one of the reasons it was so horrifyingly heavy.
I thought D2 had the last 'proper' ladder frame chassis (or did before they all rusted away!)
The first Pumas (follow on from the TD5) had the 2.4 engine. This became the 2.2 about 2-3 years ago. Both engines are Ford units as used in the transit. Very strong and go well. Easily pull 3.5 tonne all day long. If you are planning to do a lot of towing though I would definitely go for the 110 over a 90.
However, a D3 is also a fantastic tow vehicle and unless your heart really wants a defender then it may well suit you better. They will both cost you a lot of money. The defender may end up costing far less in the long term if you want one and are rpepared to live with its' shortcomings.
D3/D4 are separate lower chassis, with a monocoque unitary body on top! The issue with putting a 110 body on one is that the D3/D4 is about 150mm wider track, and the D3 chassis probably isn't quite strong enough on it's own (110 body has NO rigidity in itself), so you'd have to cage it to put the strength back in)
Our ex-RAF 90 was "birthed" in 1986 according the MOD service record a friend pulled off the computer. Around ten years later it was demobbed an bought by somebody who turned it into a 90 hard top. We bought it and spent quite a lot of cash adding all kinds of Defender bits like an assisted clutch, PAS, wash/wipe and intermittent, a Q transfer box and loads of other small mods like a radio and Trakkers seats. It was the family car we had when our son was born.
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The RAF service record was an amazing document; 27 pages of detailed records of all the work it had done at the taxpayer's expense; two crash rebuilds and countless other repairs, role changes and refurbs, the odo reading went as far as 125,000 miles then started again and it had around 96,000 on when we bought it so potentially it was a 225,000 mile vehicle yet it drove as good and tight as new. We got it with front steering and suspension components that were so new they still had the LR barcode labels on them.
When Mrs Gti bought a Citroen C1 that did 65 mpg the poor old 90 became redundant and eventually we took the hard decision to sell it. The boke who bougt it had zero mechanical sympathy and told us he just wanted something "to run into the ground".
[i]*sniff*[/i]
Here are some pictures: http://s36.photobucket.com/user/C957/slideshow/90%20For%20Sale
tbh I am starting to think Range Rover over D3 as a lot of them are one owner, no expense spared, had an easy life compared to a lot of D3s that have high miles and have been well used as company cars.
Won't be doing a huge amount of towing, just sheep moves, the odd car move, construction materials etc.
Currently have a small 8x5 2 ton trailer that is the Feelanders max. Id does it well and the bonus is as the OHs daily driver it will get 400 miles out of a 60 litre tank (450 if I drive it) but I need a new car and want to get a bigger trailer.
I saw a very good condition grey 2004 high spec manual D2 with 119k on the clock for £4k but hesitated and it got snapped up.
Not all td5 are Lez compliant think 2002 onward withe the newer dash are
If I had my choices again I'd have a 300tdi over a td5 or skip to a puma but don't like huge mileage 150-170 is about it from friends who run vans. But engine change in fender is easy
LEZ compliance depends on seating and classification for the TD5 IIRC.
i can see older diesels being targeted more and more by cities wanting to reduce pollution.
Mine a 110 ht (van) so that might be part of it. I got a nice notice with my tax renewal the other year saying it was not Lez
Also it's an early year 2000 one. Later ones have better emmsissons rating
Some early puma ones attract a huge rfl charge but I forget the years affected
probably 2006 onwards.
2005 and early 2006 D3 are £280, later 2006 on are £500 😯
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big licks on mine over the weekend.
engine bays done. bonnets on and radiator mounts dropped so the bonnet shuts and latches.
doors both shut - still need to play about with alignment to be perfect but well within tollerance for now and both keep most of the water out 😀 that intake needs cut down something chronic - its fully sealed up back to the turbo but if anything gets that high for the intake im going to need an air intake to breath ! could do with being back at screen level.
new (heated) screen in - fitted it with rustymacs help - breaking out in sweats at the thought of doing it but its a piece of piss when you know how. practiced on the old screen you see and learned how not to do it.
the dark stain onthe ground was where the steering pipes running along the front of the chassis burst during filling up and bleeding- sprayed everywhere.
Needs new shoes - the plan was for limestone steels - i picked up 4 from here but it turns out i can only run 7.50 x 16s as they are only 5.5" wide which are eye wateringly expensive. 235x85x16 BFG muds looking more likely on a set of limestone disco steelies.
Working on interior now and hoping to present for an MOT shortly - for the first time in 4 years.
If someone is planning on towing a 3.5 tonne trailer think carefully if it is for work. My brother was doing just that but to be legal the actually weight he could carry was not worth the trailer. It was metal work mind. No idea of the technicalities of it though.
Thanks stoner!!
Matt you mean because he didny fit a tacho.
This is our Discovery which we rescued in Lyme Regis from a trip to the breakers last year.
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She needed a new mot and a small amount of welding work, new discs & pads, and some tlc to the bodywork. We also fitted a second hand bumper as this had rusted after an earlier bump.
Amazingly easy to service & work on. After a 2500 mile round trip to Denmark she sprung a small leak in the radiator matrix. Probably due to living at the seaside for many years. A second hand unit from a local car was bought and fitted in one day, including removing the intercooler and cleaning it out with paraffin.
She has all the original parts, the interiors like new although the next job for the summer might be the sagging headlining.
She also became the bridesmaid's transport to the church for our wedding last year, so is now part of the family.
The above photo was taken at Lokken in Denmark where you can drive up the coast for miles past german WW2 derelict bunkers that have fallen down off the beach head.
AndyL - I have a 130 as a work vehicle, it is a touch bigger than a parking space but it is mostly tow bar and the year tubs don't look right straight anyway. Run TD5, 2.4 and 2.2, was dubious of the 2.2 initially, but been pulling full loads of timber, diggers and tractors fine. 2.2 is closer geared so tows smoother than the 2.4 in my opinion, but not so gutsy with it.
In a previous job I had a D3 for shifting marquee kit, very good tow vehicle, loads of power, composed, comfy. But an entirely different engine and we ran an auto for manoeuvrability. Could definitely pull more than 3.5t, 18' trailer loaded as high as the D3 plus king poles.
AndyL - or the same length as a hilux, got those in the yard too.