Later this year I will be doing some major surgery on my 110 (rust) and so am thinking about what else to change at the same time.

If you have any links to interesting, cool, weird or well thought out Defenders then please post them here, its always interesting to compare ideas.

Also if you have any cool or really valuable equipment or modifications it would be nice to hear about them.

A fairly open question!

Recaro seats have made me really happy. No matter how much driving I do in a day, I am always comfortable and my back never has any issues as I usually do after more than a couple of hours behind the wheel.

I think I might copy my build thread from another forum onto here, might give you a few ideas.. http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/hub...871#post411718

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(Moved my thoughts to your thread about your landy ajc to separate the two threads)

Lots of good points you've made, it is a work in progress for sure..

I find normal landy seats quite good, and like the pop out seat bases for quick stops and the easy access behind them (I have an internal bulkhead with a lot of my aux wiring behind the passenger seat and things like compressor gun and warning triangles behind the drivers seat). Do the Recaros fold easy forward and have pull out bases - assume the bases pop out else you can't access the battery box?

Yeah, the base pops out to access the battery box

In the spirit of information sharing, and not mean't in any way as criticism, just my observations, I thought of these when browsing your pictures - maybe one or two would be useful? They are of course entirely from my point of view for how I like to travel. No need to justify anything, just thought these suggestions might help:

- Your sand ladders are mounted above your mattress. I would spray paint them black and mount them on your roof or bonnet (easier to get on and off quickly when you use them in anger). As they are, when you use them they will drop sand/clay/mud onto your mattress after use.

The orange ones are already on the roof, and I have some promotional black and red ones in the mail from maxtrax already to replace them

- Sleeping inside is nice, and I have mine setup to do so as well. If the plan is for a big African trip for example (?) then I'd strongly recommend a rooftent - then you have the best of both worlds ;-) Dust getting inside can be a real problem, as are the numerous spiders, mosquitoes, snakes and bugs that would like to snuggle up with you inside (when camping and the doors are open its surprising what sneaks in). Having air con will help reduce the dust intake.

Yeah, I'm still pretty set on sleeping inside, but we'll see how that goes in the long run. Also I really, really don't want to put anything sizable on the roof

- Might be really useful to have a small door in the caging - for example in Africa in games parks you might want access to the fridge to get your lunch or a cold drink. Or if you want to drive away at night from bad people! Also if you crash your not restricted to just getting out of the two front doors. With your setup maybe cut out a door in the middle, weld up the edges with steel lengths, hinges at the top with clips holding it onto the drivers cabin roof when you push it forward? Matt Savage custom made me a really good one which locks in place with padlocks - the whole door can be removed quickly as well.

Yeah, this is on my "probably will do in the future list"

- a small fold down table is really useful on the back door - hinges on the bottom and strapping/string to hold it in place when folded down.

will have a think about that

- I blocked out the long thin windows on the side as campsite/street lights often kept me awake.

Yeah, I need to sort out shades/curtains for all of the windows, just haven't had a chance.

- I can't see that well, but maybe the back step might cause problems when stuck offloading - simple hinged step might be better?

I haven't had a problem with it yet

- Why the fridge in vinyl? 70's retro feel?? ;-p

haha, it's carbon fiber vinyl, I don't even think that CF was invented until after the millennium
Thanks again, much appreciated and interesting!!

PS: Check regulations for tinted windows before you go - I think a few countries don't allow them/don't allow front tinted windows - pretty sure one or two in Central Asia don't? Just a thought.

I'm more the "I'm sorry officer, I didn't know I couldn't do that" type. If they're a problem, I'll deal with it then. Over the next few days I have my vintage black/silver number plates to put on as well actually

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In the UK it currently gets flagged up as an advisory on MOTs - like many European countries you aren't allowed to tint the drivers windows by more than 5%.

I'm not sure exactly what they can do if/when you get stopped but know of at least one person who was asked to remove it by the police, although I think they had it pretty black.

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Julian Voelcker
Overland Cruisers - Specialising in Land Cruiser preparation and servicing.

Re tinted front windows , they can require it removed at time , or make you get it towed , as you will not be allowed to drive it , if you are really lucky you might be allowed to drive on with windows fully down , fine option as well !. Same reg all thru EU , and in W.Australia , IIRC NZ as well , cant speak for other countries.

Second the roof tent comment , as it can get pretty warm sleeping inside a landy , esp as security becomes a problem if everything open JMHO

ps. the vintage plates will cause you grief as well , as it certainly doesnt look a vintage age vehicle , but its your choice , my preference is low profile less agro .

I had my windows tinted in Dubai for heat mitigation rather than security. From memory I think 50% on rears and 15% on fronts and wscreen. Made a really big difference to solar gain in the car.

When I re registered in Spain I had to take the tint off the front completely.

This may happen anywhere in EU if tint exceeds LOCAL Regs. I say LOCAL because my local MOT centre's rules were harsher than the EU rules and they would not bend!

May be worth checking with your local MOT centre before getting the work/spec agreed!

Hi R Yak,

A few thoughs on my own additions that have been on for 2 yrs now:

On Board Compressor - wouldn't be without it

Awing on Roof Rack - ditto(only 2nd spare on rack as required only,not all the time)

Wing Water Tank 35l - great for kettle and washing.Used every day.

85l Plastic Water Tank behind front seats - removable for use as required only on longer trips. Excellent

45l Additional LR Wing fuel tank - Brilliant even in Spain/UK.So convenient.

Cargo Barrier - great for hanging stuff but eventually took it out as it severely limited space for larger items(ie big tent and poles)in the back. Void between barrier and seats became a sin bin for junk!

LED Light Bar on front fender - needed spacers to get fender forward to fit it but great for evening/night roaming in the desert spotting wildlife. Had to take it off to get through Spanish MOT but will go back on for Morocco. A fun thing only!

Door Steps - not getting any younger and these are brilliant for getting in and out. The 'Navigator" also loves them

A tip I learnt was that if you leave an excuse for "fines"/bribes then some places they will utilise it. Travelling one tends to run slightly less than legally through circumstances/mishaps such as lenses cracked etc so there's no point setting out with things that will draw the wrong sort of intention such as illegal plates.

I have a Defender 90 fuel tank under the driver's seat on my 110. Fits easily with a filler neck robbed off an old series 2 or 3 short wheelbase on a hard-top 110. More tricky with a 5 door (rear floor gets in the way so I welded on a side filler through the side of the seat box. I'll post a pic in a couple of weeks when I'm next time-rich!)
I have a strong aversion to roofracks and jerrycans! About 12 gallons capacity I think, although there is an extra deep version specifically for 110s - depends how important belly-clearance is to you!
Either use a V8 in-tank pump plumbed into the filler breather on the main tank to fill it, or a pair of three way valves to give you 2 totally separate systems (2 valves so you have flow and return to each tank)
Losing the under seat space is a small price for clean, safe external fuel storage IMO.
Simon.

I'm pretty pleased with my 80w Solar Panel mounted on hinges to make max use of the available sun. It has a dual regulator which charges both batteries.

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Hi I'm not sure if you have a stationwagen or commercial van but I tried to make the most of the space under the wheel arches of my 300tdi 110 Commercial van. I've got a 90 tank under the drivers seat, a series three tank on the left hand side wing and a mantec tank between the filler and the main tank (works out at about 210 litre capacity so I've never needed jerry cans, I've done 1200 miles on a fill) an electric pump puts the fuel back to the main tank from the series and 90 tank. Behind the 90 fuel tank I put in a home made locker (accessed from outside a bit like the wolf ones) to fit 3 10Lt water containers and in the rear wing on the left I put a small locker where all my spare oil and other messy fluids goes (accessed from the top inside). The weight is kept low and the fuel is kept outside, tidy and easy to manage. The water is easily accessed and can be filled up from standard jerrys which I kept inside low and to the front (better weight distribution but harder to get to) when needed.

Mal