Sump Guard Protection plus more for FL1

[Dart]

Hi, have just bought a 2005 TD4 SE Freelander, which was checked and passed the pre-purchase test by Brendan at British 4x4 in Adelaide. It has the standard skid plates attached however i am wanting to upgrade to something tougher and more reliable. Any suggestions of places that can do this? ARB? Has anyone ever imported directly from Bearmach? Their products look good but i imagine they are expensive!
I am also trying to source lamp guards for the front and rear, a cargo barrier, and a roof rack: anyone know where to source these from? Any feedback will be hugely appreciated, thanks :) Dart

[Dart]

I have since been quoted on some items from www.rovacraft.com in Vic, who will order in the parts from the UK. Although the guy (Steve Cochrane) said they are presently out of the sump guard and nudge bar unit. I have spoken to ARB and they dont do anything either. Will it be a matter of doing it myself? anyone? any idea?

[Scouse]

As you've discovered, there's not much (if anything) made locally for direct sale.
You might have some luck getting something made at one of the more specialised shops but accessories from the UK might be an easier option.

[101RRS]

As you have found there is virtually nothing available in Aust. Nudge bars come up on ebay from time to time but they are only good for holding your driving lights.

About the closest thing to a cargo barrier is the dog guard which only rarely come up on ebay.

The rest you need to get from overseas or make yourself. DAP do some stuff D.A.P. Enterprises LLC - Everything for your Land Rover (http://www.dap-inc.com/index.shtml)

Garry

[Dart]

thanks guys! Yeah, i figured as much in regards to having to source parts from overseas! I checked out the DAP website, and they have a good parts list, although they dont do nudge bars or sump guards, just rock sliders, silencer guard etc. I might email them and see what they can quote me though, on the chance that they could find one. At this stage i just want underbody protection peace of mind for when i go 4wdriving. I'm planning seperate trips to Fowlers Bay and the Flinders, which is mostly sand driving for Fowlers Bay and loose rocky tracks for the Flinders. I will take things slow and easy, but i still want the protection. Now i have to decide on which tyres as i the standard Michellins have about 1-2 months of tread left. The Yokohama Geolander A/T are very good (had them on my X-Trail) and fit the standard 215/65 R16 wheels, but has anyone fitted BFGs on 16" wheels without having to do a lift?

[Dart]

do the BFGoodrich A/T KO tyres in 225/70R16 fit on the standard 16" rims without needing a lift kit? If so i think i'll get them as BFG have a good reputation as an off-road tyre.

[101RRS]

I have the BFGs 225/70/16 KO (LT) on my FL1 and they are great. I have covered 60,000km on them and they are only half worn - they give you about 12mm lift.

http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e334/gazzz21/My%20Cars/various056.jpg

[Dart]

They look AWESOME!!! Think i'll call around today and get some quotes!!! What rubber you have makes the biggest difference!

Also have you upgraded your suspension to Koni or the likes? Does it need it?

[101RRS]

A lift would be nice but can be problematic getting it to fit - I think there is a thread at the top of the Freelander section.

My suspension is bog standard and is 270,000km old and still works fine - nice and soft for normal driving which firms up on the rough stuff. I have used mine quite a bit off road and find it is great except in slow steep stuff where my manual gearing is a bit high - yours being an auto will have much better low speed ability. I am mindful of the low clearance and the vulnerability of the sump and drive accordingly.

Some pics testing the traction control
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/
http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e334/gazzz21/034.jpg
http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e334/gazzz21/037.jpg
http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e334/gazzz21/042.jpg
http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e334/gazzz21/165.jpg

Garry

[Dart]

Garry your photos are awesome!!! where were they taken? Makes me want to leave my desk job right now and hit the dirt in my Freebie and never come back! Talked to Bob Jane dealer in Adelaide and got quoted $299/tyre for the BFG 225/70R16 and $55 for an alignment etc. I will search around as the guy said he will price match, so i'm sure i'll be able to get that down a bit!
Thanks for the feedback re the suspension! It's good to hear the standard setup works well. I'm excited to see how the auto diesel will handle as i previsouly had a manual X-Trail and that's definitely not the ideal setup for 4wdriving. Auto & diesel all the way!!!
I'll put photos up of mine when i get it back from the mechanic!

[101RRS]

The pics were taken just north of Canberra on a club training day. My 101 was off the road with a faulty clutch so I took the Freelander. Has been the only softroader to do our training. The wheel lifting pics were taken in the wombat hole section designed to test articulation and getting all crossed up. The TC worked well with a few revs and your TC will work far better being a much later system than mine. With a few revs and some speed on some sections the FL went everywhere the others did - D2,D3s, Defenders and a Troopy.

I paid about $270 a tyre fitted bit that was a few years back.

The trick with the Fl is to understand what its strengths and weaknesses are and not to put yourself in harms way. One of the main issues are on tracks with high centre crowns that have dips in them = as the wheels go into the dip ground clearance reduces as the IFS compresses and you end up whacking the sump on the crown in the centre of the track - you might take a slightly different route but you will get there (if you are careful).

The problem with the front is that there is no where to put recovery points so I insist on no snatch recoveries but tow recoveries which work OK as generally recovery vehicles are much bigger (the issue is getting the other driver to just tow not snatch). On the rear I have a 2 tonne tow bar so use a receiver hitch recovery point. I am contemplating making a bash plate for the front. I was also thinking about a lift but I think it may not be worth it given the type of vehicle it is (moderately difficult work only) and issues with the lift itself (steering issues).

Garry

Garry

[Ausfree]

Awesome pics, Garry, I have learnt a lot (being a FL1 Newbie) from reading your posts.!!!:):)

[Dart]

I'll 2nd you there 'Ausfree' - thanks Garry, your posts make life a lot easier for us newbies!

Yeah i try to avoid driving in the deeper tracks left by the bigger 4x4s. If i think i will end up making contact then i take things really slowly, while maintaining constant revs, so as to maintain traction. I'n very excited about the traction increase i'll get after fitting the BFGs!

I have the same feelings about the lift kit. I dont want to bend or cut materials on my car, as i dont want to decrease it's value by doing so. I plan to keep it for a long time, however, i'm very apprehensive of cutting bits off. I may get a spring lift, but then there's the issue of how it affects wheels sitting on the ground in different situations, which then affects traction. I'm hoping the slight BFG tyre lift and good underbody protection will be enough for my Freelander to keep up with the bigger cars, albeit taking slighty different tracks.

Just about the front recovery point: is the loop at the front on the left-hand-side not rated high enough? I don't have a tow bar, but may look at getting one if it's a better recovery option.

[101RRS]

Just about the front recovery point: is the loop at the front on the left-hand-side not rated high enough? I don't have a tow bar, but may look at getting one if it's a better recovery option.

The hook at the front is a tow point - not a snatch recovery point. Something could probably be rigged up but it would be time consuming, and require some engineering expertise.

[Dart]

yeah just got a quote from John at Allin Towbars Pty Ltd here in Adelaide, who quoted me $700 for a fully fitted towbar assembly. He said that people have taken the tongue out of the tow bar and connected the snatch strap via the pin and has heard that it's safe and works well.

[101RRS]

yeah just got a quote from John at Allin Towbars Pty Ltd here in Adelaide, who quoted me $700 for a fully fitted towbar assembly. He said that people have taken the tongue out of the tow bar and connected the snatch strap via the pin and has heard that it's safe and works well.

I got mine off ebay for about $150 but then fitted myself (was a trailblazer or trailboss something like that) - make sure the one you get is rated to 2 tonne.

[Dart]

yeah I'll keep my eye out for tow bars on ebay and will be making sure it's rated at 2 tonne!

[ahebron]

My Dad had a 6mm aluminium sump guard for his FL1 TD4 built by a local 4x4 guru here in NZ by the name of Brian Howat.
We also fitted a set of Cobra 1" lift springs all round, I gather these are a copy of Dobbinson springs.
So far so good.

Adrian

[Dart]

Hey Adrian - i think i would nearly give an arm & a leg to live in NZ! It's kinda my long term goal! Adelaide is a great city but it's go nothing on NZ! South Island with it's cooler climate and amazing adventure potential sounds very good to me!

I'm saving money for a Mantec sump guard, which I'll order direct from them, however if i see something cheaper on ebay or a local after-market dealer then i'll probably go for that. I'm also saving money for a 1 to 2" strut lift, and yep I've heard that Dobbinson springs are gd, so if Cobra are comparable it's good to hear they're treating your dad's Freebie well!

[101RRS]

Hey Adrian - i think i would nearly give an arm & a leg to live in NZ!

Oye - that is a bit radical - all NZ people I know couldn't wait to get away from NZ and now live here. :(

On lifts look here http://www.aulro.com/afvb/freelander/64773-freelander-1-bearmach-lift-kit.html

Different type of lift to what you are looking at but some of the issues such as steering are relevant.

Also there may be some interest here http://www.aulro.com/afvb/freelander/47960-freelander-mods.html

Garry

[Dart]

Hi Garry,

yeah i know - why is that? NZ is such a beautiful place with so much to do! I grew up in rural south east of SA, so i know our land a bit, but i dont know why people want to move away from NZ! I guess there are better job prospects here and higher paying ones at that...but still...the lifestyle of NZ seems very good! Each to their own i guess!

I'll check out those links and get back to you. At this stage i prefer the strut lift over the spacer lift, as i do not want to cut things off my vehicle. But i'll get back to you on that one...

[Dart]

Hey garry, a mate has a good 2ndhand set of BFG's that he can sell to me. They are 225/75R16's, do you think they will fit without rubbing on a stock standard freebie? I have 16" rims. cheers

[101RRS]

Hey garry, a mate has a good 2ndhand set of BFG's that he can sell to me. They are 225/75R16's, do you think they will fit without rubbing on a stock standard freebie? I have 16" rims. cheers

See my response on your other post - they might be just a tad high but I would check one first to make sure.

Garry

[Basil135]

Dart - if you still need some new rubber, depending on what side of town you are, I found that Bridgstone Select at Modbury gave me the best quote.

The might not have what you want in stock, but can get them within a couple of days. So if you need it done on a Saturday, ring them early in the week.

[Dart]

thanks Basil135, I'm hoping the 2ndhand ones fit, but if not, I'll give them a call!

[101RRS]

yeah just got a quote from John at Allin Towbars Pty Ltd here in Adelaide, who quoted me $700 for a fully fitted towbar assembly. He said that people have taken the tongue out of the tow bar and connected the snatch strap via the pin and has heard that it's safe and works well.

See here
Landrover Freelander - eBay Tow Bars, Exterior, Car, Truck Parts, Cars, Bikes, Boats. (end time 04-Oct-10 12:21:41 AEDST) (http://cgi.ebay.com.au/Landrover-Freelander-/300473388437?pt=AU_Car_Parts_Accessories&hash=item45f59c0d95)

[Dart]

thanks for the link Garry, I'll check it out! Also, i got got one of the tyres fitted this morning and so far so good!

Now to sump guards. I just got off the phone to David Brown, the managing director at browndavis.com.au, (browndavis automotive), which is a Melbourne based company specialising in underbody protection. He said he can custom make a proper sump guard using designs & photos i emailed him that I found on a UK land rover forum. The design uses the existing alloy frame. He said he would need to have my car in the workshop for 2 days and it would cost between $400 - $600 for a one-off custom guard. HOWEVER, he did say that if i could get a least 6 Freelander owners intersted in making an order then it would cut the cost down to about $400-$450. So who's keen? Check out their site at Brown Davis Automotive (http://www.browndavis.com.au) to check out the quality of their work :)

[Dart]

here are some examples i found on a UK forum

-Dart