Land Rover Defender Sales Brochure PDF

Tech Talk
Preserving the For shocks and suspensions, a good rule of thumb for Defenders is 8
Defender 90
years/80,000 miles; if your Defender’s shocks are older or higher mileage than
this, you’ll notice a big improvement with new ones. Some people prefer
stock parts while others prefer aftermarket pieces. Shocks from Bilstein are
By John Robison my choice.
M
y favorite Land Rover is the Defender 90. Ninety refers to wheelbase— Around 100,000 miles we see sagging springs and sloppy bushings on
the ninety inches between the front and rear wheels. Land Rover makes Defenders. A Rover with worn springs will squat down or sit crooked. If you
Defenders in 90-, 110-, and 130-inch wheelbases, but most of them are see this on a Defender you’re thinking of buying, be sure you don’t confuse
not sold in North America. In 1993, 500 110’s were sold here. In 1994, 1995, and 1997, sagging springs with frame damage that resulted from an accident. A symptom
a somewhat larger number of 90’s were sold here. None before, none after. of worn bushings is a tendency of the vehicle to veer one way when you step
Yet the Defender remains the most recognized and desired Land Rover on the gas and another way when you let off. Just 1/16 of an inch of wear will
model. It’s the vehicle people picture when they think of “Tomb Raider” make your Defender almost impossible to control at 70 MPH.
adventures, scientists doing research in the jungle, Army troops in the desert. For off-road driving, the name of the game is keeping the wheels in contact
The Defender figures in more imaginations than any with the ground on rough terrain. To do that, some
other Land Rover, past or present. people modify their suspensions to give even more
The Defender’s predecessors, the Series vehicles, travel than stock. Some kits will double the travel
made the Land Rover name known all over world. Kids over a stock D90. But this travel comes at a price:
like me grew up reading about safaris in the Kalahari significantly less stability at highway speeds.
and convoys to Ulan Bator at the school library. It’s no Most Defenders have soft tops or removable hard
wonder we grew up and wanted one for our very own. tops. Other companies offer a wide range of choices
That’s why clean Defenders sell for more today than if you’d like to customize your D90. You can get full
they did when new and why it’s important to preserve tops, half tops, and tounneau covers like an old British
these unique rigs. sports car.
The Defender’s weakest point has to do with corrosion. Some people have converted gas Defenders to
Even with aluminum bodywork, deterioration of the diesel power, but more often I see gas V8 upgrades.
frame and body are a big problem. In salty places People install 4.6 blocks for a 20-30% power increase.
this problem is particularly acute. For some reason, I’ve also seen people install performance chips, hotter
Defenders seem more prone to corrosion than other cams, and other upgrades to their existing engines.
Land Rover models. Remember that engines modified like this may not
At JE Robison Service Company, we’ve had good luck treating Defenders pass emission tests if your state has them.
with a Swiss product called WaxOyl. It’s a combination of paraffin wax and oils The 1997 Defenders came to America with automatic transmissions. In
that sticks to metal surfaces and halts rust the same way that spraying oil on a my opinion, those are the easiest ones to drive, but there are plenty of folks
rusty tool prevents it from rusting further. The wax keeps the oil from washing who prefer the stick shift. Older Defenders have standard shift gearboxes. The
off in the rain. This process is not common in America, but it’s worth seeking transmission used in the early cars was less robust than the 1995 transmission,
out if you have a classic car you’d like to preserve. so that’s something to pay attention to if you’ve got a 1993 or 1994 vehicle. If
Defender hardware also rusts and falls apart. For example, the screws that you have an LT77 transmission in an early Defender, you can convert to the
hold the door hinges in place may rust and stain the sides of the vehicle. more robust R380.
Stainless hardware kits are available to address this problem. If you install a kit Steering systems in Defenders are strong, but the wheel bearings get fouled
yourself, I suggest patience, penetrating oil, and a hand-impact screwdriver. with water and dirt when running off-road. Any Defender that is used off-road
Exhaust systems sometimes rust out, but stainless alternatives are available. should have the wheel bearings taken apart and serviced annually. Another
They sound better and last longer, but they can be a bit more difficult to install weak point is the steering linkage.
because the stainless pipe is harder to bend and clamp. Look for rust around Tie rods bend under the stress of rocks and logs. Tie rod ends wear, and
the tailpipe, where the front pipe joins the catalyst, and on the cases of the if they get loose enough they can pop off, leaving you with a disconnected
mufflers. Here’s an easy way to test pipe to see if it is rusted out: grab it with a steering wheel in your hands while your truck takes off for parts unknown.
big pair of slip joint pliers and squeeze hard. If it crushes in, it’s weakened and Check all these parts carefully every time you go off-road.
no good. If you can’t budge it, the pipe is still good.
January/February 2006 59

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