Thread: "Snowy" January 1993 Defender 110 Tray Back Ute

Hello All,

Snowy is back tootling around the paddock today after I sorted out some issues with the hydraulic circuit of the clutch.

To celebrate Snowy being able to move around under its own power again, I decided to do something that has not been done for a long long time. Snowy had a tub. I took everything out from inside Snowy's cabin and scrubbed and washed away years of farm detritus. I also gave Snowy an external wash too.

I suppose keeping the interior of a ute that was just used on the farm where I bought Snowy from was not on their list of priorities. I found some spent bullet cartridges under the driver's seat. One or two small creatures that may have gone into Snowy for sanctuary years ago must have never been able to find their way out again.

I am very happy I gave Snowy a thorough clean today because another thing I found was that both the brake and the clutch must have been leaking fluid into the cabin over lots of years. This had started corrosion of the floor and firewall seam and the rust had been active for a while. Luckily all I need to do is to hit the areas with a wire wheel to clean it back to sound metal and remove the flaking paint. It is more blistered paint that has been lifted up by the some rust starting rather than pockmarks of rust that have eaten into the metal. After the wire wheeling I will give it a couple of coats of red oxide paint. This will be followed with some semi-gloss Alpine White paint which has rust inhibitor. The rusted area was covered by the interior mats, so I did not know it was there. I did find some rust starting in the passenger footwell too. However, it was not as much as the amount of rust on the driver's side though. So, I rate that as a good catch.

The best thing about Snowy being mobile again is that I can drive him into the shed and have concrete to place some jack stands on while I bleed the brakes. I can also use the mechanic's slide while I am moving around doing the work. A safe and stable surface to work on and ease of movement. Just living the dream.

Sorry, I could not take any photographs and post them up here because Snowy is so clean it dazzles the camera.

Kind regards
Lionel

Hello All,

Can someone please let me know what the battery tray and what technique and components should be used to secure the battery in the passenger-side battery compartment located under the seat of Snowy my 110 Defender?

As per the photograph below - apart from the battery just sitting in the recess this is all that was in Snowy's battery compartment when I bought it.

I have gone online and to places like Find Land Rover parts at LR Workshop and there seems to be at least three different styles of battery tray and different ways to secure the battery to the tray.

I could just make my own battery tray out of angle iron and some sheet metal for the base. Grab a generic J-bolt type of top of the battery bracket arrangement off the shelf at at Autopro or elsewhere and fix the J-bolts to the vertical sides of the angle iron. I checked online at Repco and their range of 'universal' battery tray components depending on the different styles range from $12 to $414 ... Cripes !!! Please see ... Repco Australia | Auto Parts Store - Aftermarket Car Parts


The trouble with each of the options on Find Land Rover parts at LR Workshop and other online sources is that they do not show the battery trays fixed into the car. The parts diagrams just have the battery trays floating in space, with no reference point linking it inside of the car. The workshop manuals I have are not any help either.

It would be good to have something original to Snowy though. I would greatly appreciate if someone could enlighten me more about how the original battery storage was set-up. For example, is the original battery tray welded to the bottom of the recess? If it is not welded in place then I might even be able to explore the second-hand parts option too.

The things you never think of checking when someone has a roadworthy vehicle like the one you are restoring so that you know how things should look. To check to see how the battery is held down and what components are used - never crossed my mind. How about ... 'never sparked my interest'

... Battery ... spark ... you know!

Okay it is a bit late here now...

Kind regards
Lionel

some pics of my 200tdi battery tray.

There are slots on each side of the battery floor, the right side you can see them, the other side are prolly blocked with mud/rust/combo of both.
Underside of the slots are the little boxes so the battery holding rods don't drop out when fitting them (is my guess)

And when i save your pic and enlarge it I reckon I can see the slots on the right side, the left side BTW only has one slot

Originally Posted by DazzaTD5

some pics of my 200tdi battery tray.

There are slots on each side of the battery floor, the right side you can see them, the other side are prolly blocked with mud/rust/combo of both.
Underside of the slots are the little boxes so the battery holding rods don't drop out when fitting them (is my guess)

Hello Dazza,

You are correct - there is a lot of crud built up in the bottom of the battery box. I did notice a bit of a hole that did not look manufactured - more of some type of corrosion creating a weak spot.

My next activity was going to run a wire brush on an angle grinder over the area.

So it is only the slots - two J bolts + and an angle iron bracket that is used to secure the battery. I was thinking of a proper tray like the Series vehicles had including a plastic insert that had a drain hole. I suppose with sealed batteries there is no longer a need for a drain hole in the battery compartment.

Thank you for posting the photographs Dazza. I can now go through the Repco parts site pick up some suitable J bolts. I have some angle iron here already. Off I go to rediscover some slots in the floor.

I probably thought too much about it... :0)

Kind regards
Lionel

G'day Dazza & other interested parties,

Gee it is amazing what you can find. Especially when you know what you are looking for! Thank you Dazza for taking the time to snap the photos and post them up.

It turns out that each of those rectangular pockets underneath the floor were chock-a-block full of bulldust. It was so full it had actually formed a seam over the slots.

After using an engineer's scribe, an air compressor gun, a vacuum and a die grinder I was able to uncover that what was lost. I would not have found them with out your clues about what to look out for. I did see the closest to the rear slot. However, I thought it was where something like a bracket had rusted and someone had removed it with a hammer. Subsequently, leaving a rusty-weld like slot or crack behind.

The area looks a bit better in the last photograph - with a nice coat of zinc oxide primer.

Thank you again, Dazza!

Kind regards

Hello All,

As you might be able to make out in the photographs. A before and after shot of the passenger side footwell. I had scrubbed the area with a wire brush fitted to an angle grinder. I had gone over hard to reach places with a hand operated wire brush. Then a die grinder to get into the narrow edges. I had blasted the area off with an air compressor gun and then vacuumed it. To finish the preparation stage off I had sponged the area down and left it to dry.

Within seconds of applying the zinc oxide spray paint three hoards of ants descended from the seam. Somehow the little sods have changed colour and now have very sticky feet.

Not Happy ... Jan

The last photograph is of the driver's side footwell as it was revealed yesterday. I reckon I just caught the surface rust in time.

Looks like I will also be getting some ant bait for Snowy too. Little sods!

Kind regards
Lionel

Hello All,

Are the power steering hoses an item that needs to be routinely replaced? Or do they just hang around for decades until one day they just give up the ghost? I bought a replacement power steering pump for Snowy. Prior to my buying Snowy the original power steering pump was leaking oil all over the alternator. Currently, the power steering hoses seem to be in good condition. They were probably preserved by all the power steering fluid and bulldust. I saw the replacement part cost for generic brand replacement hoses and they were simply extortionately expensive.

I am wondering whether I should risk seeing how long the currently fitted hose will last. Am I tempting fate too much? How many times in your ownership of a 110 have you need to replace the power steering hoses?

Kind regards
Lionel