Thread: defender Vs 110 front doors

Up till ~'89 they had lift up handles. After that they changed to the later push button type.

The Al skin on earlier doors is thicker than later doors (why you often see defenders with dinted doors). Puma doors have a steel skin.

Puma doors probably the easiest, as no need to remove the skin. Just cut, stretch and weld up without changing gas/welder.

You could modify the fronts to fit the rear... that would be your best bet unless its the fronts you want to lengthen?

Originally Posted by isuzurover

Up till ~'89 they had lift up handles. After that they changed to the later push button type.

The Al skin on earlier doors is thicker than later doors (why you often see defenders with dinted doors). Puma doors have a steel skin.

Puma doors probably the easiest, as no need to remove the skin. Just cut, stretch and weld up without changing gas/welder.

so they are the lift up handles same as series? they have wind up windows?

yes its the fronts I want to legthen

wow, didnt know the puma went to metal.....wonder what else???

cheers,
Serg

I am pretty sure they went to steel skins in 2003. Our 2006 TD5 Defender had steel door skins.


Erich

Originally Posted by uninformed

so they are the lift up handles same as series? they have wind up windows?

Don't know whether they are the same as the series. The inside (pull) door handle on my 110 (non-county) is stationed next to my knee whereas the series I had, the inside (lift) handle came directly off the mechanism adjacent to my hip. Mine is too early to have the wind-up windows. In my early 110, sliding door windows have a sloped mid-section whereas the series has the vertical section in the centre. Otherwise, same as as far as I can make out.

2005 model year onward have steel front doors

Doors remained essentially the same from Series 2 to about the first year of production of the 110 (and remain the same for current military Defenders), with removable door tops and sliding windows. The 110 changed the sliding arrangement in 1983, but they are interchangeable. Canadian Series 2a/3 I believe, had non-removable door tops. Antiburst locks became optional during S3 production, and are fitted to Australian S3s from about 1973.

The first windup windows were introduced in 1984 and retain lift up handles but different locks with remote internal handles and locking plungers. These were replaced in 1987 by thicker doors with pressed frames and push button handles. These are retained to current production except as noted above, changed to steel skins in about 2003. All doors are interchangeable with appropriate checks and lock mountings/strikers, but the thicker doors from 1987 require the seats to be moved in slightly and a smaller steering wheel. All doors with windup windows have internal trim.

There is no guarantee that what a vehicle is fitted with today is what it left the factory with!

John

Hi John,

I have never ever seen a 2003 or 2004 Defender with the steel front doors, and I have looked into this a bit. If you go through carsales or similar, and look at any interior pictures, you can see that they have the welded top corner.

2004 90:



2004 110:



If you compare it to the puma and very late TD5's you can see as in the images below the rounded top corner which is the give away.

2005 110:



Puma 110