Touring Vehicle from a Defender 110- Suggestions? Shops?

[neophyteguy]

Well, here's the story.........I've had a tragic loss in my family and it's now just me and me mate (hungarian Vizsla-Jed). We want to set up a 110 so we can **** off and do some travelling when the urge strikes us. I don't want to carry a trailer, so I'd like to consider a roof top tent which I can take on/off as required.

Not looking to build a competition 4x4, but certainly something that can handle Australia's tracks when the weather is right. Key considerations I figure are:

Suspension Upgrades -worth noting I do have a boat which will be towed which weighs approximately 2.2T with boat, motor and trailer. It won't be towed on longer trips into the centre, but may get a tow to Queensland if the urge strikes. I will also definitely want a 2" lift

Long Range Fuel Tanks -

Wheels/Tires - Love the Kahns, etc. but need to work out offsets and wheel sizes. Yes, I've read through the posts on here but it's easy to get bogged down in the technical stuff. Hoping those who have set up vehicles can give me first hand knowledge.

Driveline - Axles/Diffs/etc. upgrades to be considered.

Electrical - Lights/Batteries/Alternator/Radio/etc.

Storage - Saw the Black Widow set up and they look very nice. Looking for any input and other options. Also considering a slide out Engel type fridge as part of this set up.

Protection - Front and Rear Bars and undercarriage recommendations. Love the Rijidij wheel carriers, so guessing that will be where the spare goes.

Open to any other suggestions. I'm sure this has been done before, so apologies for any redundancies. Was just hoping to have a thread where I can discuss my requirements and get input from those in the know.

Finally, I would like to find someone to handle much of the build for me. I'm in Northern NSW, but would be happy to work with anyone from Mid Coast NSW to just North of Brisbane (roughly). Any input would be greatly appreciated.

[DiscoMick]

Hi there, sounds like you're planning something similar to us. Your shopping list is similar.
The three Land Rover specialists I have dealt with in the Brisbane area are MR Automotive at Reddcliffe, British Off-Road at Forest Glen on the Sunshine Coast and Mike Hall's Rover Care at Slacks Creek on the southside (exit 20), but I'm sure there are others.
The Moss Street area at Slacks Creek also has TJM, Ironman, Opposite Lock and 4WD Super Centre stores and other vehicle businesses, so I'm sure you could find a lot of stuff there.
Incidentally, you may find the standard Defender suspension is good for most needs, with rear airbags for towing, if you don't need extra height and want to save some money. Just a thought...
Enjoy yourself!

[Doc130]

Setup options are endless, plenty of great gear available, personally I believe customising your setup to suit exactly what you want is the best option but it also can be the most expensive. It's best to know what sort of travelling and adventuring you want to do, and to what level, as to come up with your ultimate setup. If your towing off road, the trailer needs to be setup correctly. I design and build custom offroad/camp setups more than happy to help out if needed. I'm on the Gold Coast, and I own a defender!

[spudboy]

Couple of things:

Have you had a Defender before?

Why are you thinking of a 2" lift? They are high enough in standard form for just about anything you'd want to tackle touring around. Better shocks, and HD rear springs for towing maybe...

Standard tyres (235's) are fine for touring.

All the other stuff you are thinking of sounds good.

Cheers
David

Oh - also, try Mulgo/Daniel for getting the build done. He is in Mortdale NSW: http://www.mulgo.com.au/

[weeds]

which year defender you considering




Suspension - I will also definitely want a 2" lift i'm heading towards 130 front springs (I have heavy duty kings which are ok ish) and source rears that keep the car level when loaded

Long Range Fuel Tanks - i have a 125 long ranger, they are quite expensive and handy. anther option is to fill two jerry cans as required

Wheels/Tires - Love the Kahns, etc. but need to work out offsets and wheel sizes. Yes, I've read through the posts on here but it's easy to get bogged down in the technical stuff. Hoping those who have set up vehicles can give me first hand knowledge. i have 235/85/16 BFG KM2's fitted, i quite like them and have never had an issue with the two sets i have had.......so many options and personal preferences

Driveline - Axles/Diffs/etc. upgrades to be considered. its nealy a given to install after market axles, i use HYTUFF and cannot fault them, 200 000km and zero sign of wear

Electrical - Lights/Batteries/Alternator/Radio/etc.
Head Lights - headlights- recommend installing relays for your lights....this will protect your cabin switch and improve the output of the lights. I have a traxide kit, come with everthing you need.
Driving lights - i run a LED light bar 10 x 10W, i fit FYRLYT driving lights to my work car, would fit these to my rig if i had spare dollars.
Batteries - most guys shoe horn a second battery under the seat, i put mine in the rear cargo area. you will need a dual battery isolator.......just a basic one from either traxide or redarc
Alternator if you have a 300tdi than check what size alternator you have, most of us upgrade to the disco 100amp unit..you just need to decide which belt to run
Storage - Saw the Black Widow set up and they look very nice. Looking for any input and other options. Also considering a slide out Engel type fridge as part of this set up. i made my own, if it includes a fridge than i recommend enclosing the fridge so that you can pull it out when **** is stacked on top

Protection - Front and Rear Bars and undercarriage recommendations. Love the Rijidij wheel carriers, so guessing that will be where the spare goes. i run a rijidij front bar, my spare is on the bonnet, haven't seen the need for under carriage

Open to any other suggestions. I'm sure this has been done before, so apologies for any redundancies. Was just hoping to have a thread where I can discuss my requirements and get input from those in the know.

Finally, I would like to find someone to handle much of the build for me. I'm in Northern NSW, but would be happy to work with anyone from Mid Coast NSW to just North of Brisbane (roughly). Any input would be greatly appreciated.

[AndyG]

Having spent too much on the wrong accessories, i would do a few long weekends first and work out what you need:
For example for two people,

Fridge behind front passenger seat
A good set of drawers, possibly into the rear seat area, (a set is on sale on the forum at the moment)
An awning

( I ordered Department of Interior for this)

Mechanically, it is sweet as is, as long as in good nick.

[cinders]

Having spent too much on the wrong accessories, i would do a few long weekends first and work out what you need:
For example for two people,

Fridge behind front passenger seat
A good set of drawers, possibly into the rear seat area, (a set is on sale on the forum at the moment)
An awning

( I ordered Department of Interior for this)

Mechanically, it is sweet as is, as long as in good nick.

Spot on. Sometimes the flashy things don't quite work out the way you thought they would.
Dunno if there is a defender gathering happening up that way soonish but if there was that would be a good place to start.
Cheers

[The Cone of Silence]

Very sorry to hear of your loss, Neophyteguy,

I did the same with my Defender over a 3-year period and several iterations.

Rooftop tent. These are awesome, I had the Hannibal for ages but sold it to upgrade to the Pop-Top....which is the best mod I've done by a long way.

Driveline - I haven't changed a single thing on my 2008 110 wagon and it's taken me up the Oodnadatta track, parts of the Strzelecki and Birdsville tracks, across the Simpson Desert and on 20-30 off-road trips around the central coast of NSW without a single complaint.

If you want a few ideas you can chekc out my thread in the Member's Rides section (Bobby's 110 Defender 'Monty'). There are always plenty of ideas and solutions for the problem that you want to solve so my choices were often derived by asking a lot of opinions on this site...and those of Daniel at Mulgo too, who has the best interests of the driver at heart.

I've also got a roof console from Dept of the Interior and a drawer system which I made myself for sale. All photos are on the Member's Rides thread....and check out the Marketplace for bargains from loads of other sellers too!


All the best with your journey....and the trips too.

Bobby

[AndyG]

Another good expedition thread is Nugget's 110 build and trip.

[neophyteguy]

Yes, I currently have a Perentie. Prior to that I had a Series 2A for about 7-8 years (ex mil with 2 hangar lift), so I felt the lift would give me a bit more clearance. Plus, I'm going to need to beef up the back end any ways as I've got a reasonable sized boat to tow.......


Couple of things:

Have you had a Defender before?

Why are you thinking of a 2" lift? They are high enough in standard form for just about anything you'd want to tackle touring around. Better shocks, and HD rear springs for towing maybe...

Standard tyres (235's) are fine for touring.

All the other stuff you are thinking of sounds good.

Cheers
David

Oh - also, try Mulgo/Daniel for getting the build done. He is in Mortdale NSW: Mulgo Expedition Vehicles | (http://www.mulgo.com.au/)

[neophyteguy]

Hi,
Can someone please confirm I can run these tyres on a MY15 Puma with +33 offset rims--without any problems?

Thanks guys!
Neo

[Loubrey]

Hi Neo,

From memory the OEM alloys on Defenders are +33 offset and the 265/75/16's fit without any issues (they are still considered a Land Rover standard size).

If you're looking at a 130 you might need some extra input as the steel wheels are different to the alloys.

My 2010 90 has the factory issue 235/85/16's on the OEM alloys and my playtime wheels are +12 offset ZU alloys with 265/75/16 KM2's. The extra offset and slightly wider tyres make them fit perfectly under the edge of the standard flares/ spats.

Cheers,

Lou

[gromit]

My Defender came (secondhand) with LRA water & diesel sill tanks, polyairs in the rear springs, cruise control, cargo barrier and a few other extra's. It had been serviced in Darwin so the previous owner did a big trip.

I then fitted a home made storage system.
I sorted out what I wanted to carry and then designed a storage system around it.

Two jerrys for water, four plastic storers for food, 3 chairs, 2 burner Coleman, single burner Coleman, hand winch, hotplate, foldable table (plus a heap of other stuff like a camp oven, Bush Kettle, crockery, cutlery etc. etc.).
I ended up setting the fridge back towards the cargo barrier (otherwise there was lost space behind it). A plastic wash bowl with frypan, large cookpot (useful if you want a lot of hot water) & billy sit in front of the fridge (in cotton bags to stop 'em rattling). This can be stuck under the back of the vehicle if the fridge is being used.

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2016/09/153.jpg (http://s1245.photobucket.com/user/cradley/media/Defender%20Tanami/DSCN3271_zpsdf3f2390.jpg.html)

Fridge pulled out.

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2016/09/154.jpg (http://s1245.photobucket.com/user/cradley/media/Defender%20Tanami/DSCN3272_zps2af33df0.jpg.html)


A few years later I made a folding shelf inside the rear door, great for brief stops to make a cuppa.

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2014/10/7.jpg (http://s1245.photobucket.com/user/cradley/media/Defender%20Tanami/DSCN3273_zps1095a262.jpg.html)


It's still fitted with 7.50 x 16 tubed tyres (it's a 1995 model). A trip to the High Country a year ago had everyone in Toyotas & Nissans airing down their huge tyres and taking the **** out of my 'cheescutter' tyres but I went everywhere they did.



I'd suggest you work out, maybe even purchase all the items you want to carry and then get a storage system made to carry them.
You can spend a lot on fancy tyres, lift kits etc. etc. but for most trips the Defender is already a capable vehicle.


Best of luck,

Colin

[neophyteguy]

Hi Neo,

From memory the OEM alloys on Defenders are +33 offset and the 265/75/16's fit without any issues (they are still considered a Land Rover standard size).

If you're looking at a 130 you might need some extra input as the steel wheels are different to the alloys.

My 2010 90 has the factory issue 235/85/16's on the OEM alloys and my playtime wheels are +12 offset ZU alloys with 265/75/16 KM2's. The extra offset and slightly wider tyres make them fit perfectly under the edge of the standard flares/ spats.

Cheers,

Lou

Thanks Lou! Those are the tyres I am looking at using actually. I guess the issue is that the extra +21 (yours are +12, mine are +33) will make the wheel closer to the inner part of the wheel well and I'm just trying to make sure these won't rub.

Anyone with the +33 Boost Alloys running this tyre to confirm?

[n plus one]

Thanks Lou! Those are the tyres I am looking at using actually. I guess the issue is that the extra +21 (yours are +12, mine are +33) will make the wheel closer to the inner part of the wheel well and I'm just trying to make sure these won't rub.

Anyone with the +33 Boost Alloys running this tyre to confirm?

265/75r16 on Boost Alloys wil (lightly) rub on the front radius arms (but you can adjust the steering stops) and (lightly) on the rear spring mounts under articulation on a 110 (though possibly not on a 90 due to the smaller diameter springs).

These aren't show stoppers - I ran this size for 65,000k - and it's possible that a 265/75r16 that doesn't have agressive side biters might not rub at all. For reference, I was running Goodyear Wrangler M/TR Kevlars (great tyre by the way).

Hope this helps.

[Loubrey]

Thanks Lou! Those are the tyres I am looking at using actually. I guess the issue is that the extra +21 (yours are +12, mine are +33) will make the wheel closer to the inner part of the wheel well and I'm just trying to make sure these won't rub.

Anyone with the +33 Boost Alloys running this tyre to confirm?

Hi Neo,

I've always run 265/75/16 on all my 90's and back in Africa it was fitted as standard from the dealers on both "Freestyle" and later "Boost" alloys.

As n plus one said, the smaller diameter springs and slightly different turning circle (stops) certainly won't rub anywhere on a 90.

My General Grabbers (235/85/16 standard) are just too new to justify replacing them with different AT's otherwise I would have had the BFG AT's on in 265/75/16 on my OEM Boosts.

Cheers,

Lou