What Do I Have On My List Of Things To Do Today On My Defender.....

[fatnold]

So I have a pile of bits to be fitted. Thinking I'd like to have a crack at doing them all myself. Is there any advice regarding procedure/ issues when fitting any of these:
- Ashcroft axles and Drive Flanges. (front/ rear)
- Ashcroft CV's
- Ashcroft centre ATB
- Ashcroft Front and Rear ATB's
- Ashcroft output shaft mod.
- L.O.F. HD clutch.
- VB Air suspension.

No access to a hoist so all on my back. Is the work load so heinous that you would never do it and recommend I pay for an expert with all the required tools at hand to take over for me? or is it a list of fun stuff to do that won't burn every weekend I have between now and xmas?

MY2015 110.

[W&KO]

Be interested on the info for the VB air suspension....they don’t give much away on their website.

[fatnold]

... and if i did decide to outsource all the dirty work, who would be a good guy to use in Sydney??

[87County]

... and if i did decide to outsource all the dirty work, who would be a good guy to use in Sydney??

Brad at KLR, Argyle St, Windsor

[Phil B]

So I have a pile of bits to be fitted. Thinking I'd like to have a crack at doing them all myself. Is there any advice regarding procedure/ issues when fitting any of these:
- Ashcroft axles and Drive Flanges. (front/ rear)
- Ashcroft CV's
- Ashcroft centre ATB
- Ashcroft Front and Rear ATB's
- Ashcroft output shaft mod.
- L.O.F. HD clutch.
- VB Air suspension.

No access to a hoist so all on my back. Is the work load so heinous that you would never do it and recommend I pay for an expert with all the required tools at hand to take over for me? or is it a list of fun stuff to do that won't burn every weekend I have between now and xmas?

MY2015 110.

Very nice selection of mods.
If it was me I would split the work into 4 parts
Front diff, cv’s and drive shafts- 1 weekend
Rear diff and drive shafts - 1 day
Air suspension- fit bags and lines 1 weekend , fit compressor, controller - 1 day
IMO these could all be done easily ( with lots of prior research) by yourself with basic tools at home without a hoist
The last part means taking the gearbox out to do the centre diff, output shaft and clutch.
You will need a hoist to do this.
It is really a two person job and would take 1 day in a workshop or a big weekend by yourself assuming you could borrow a hoist
I would let the experts do the gearbox work, it’s just too hard by yourself.
This is my opinion only and I’m sure others will disagree.
Good luck with it. Your Defender will be awesome once it’s done.

[roverrescue]

I agree-ish with Phil
Pick the low hanging fruit
I’ve had to do axles/diffs etc in the dirt on the roadside before so anything up from that is a luxury?

Dropping the gearbag and tcase is easier with a hoist BUT plenty have been done on a concrete floor with a good trolley jack?

The big big big question is how long can you have your rig OFF the road for?

To do the HD clutch, output shaft and ATB centre diff (logical to drop both cases together and then work them) would be an epic weekend effort but with motivation and a second pair of hands at appropriate junctions doable .... my problem is I would struggle to keep the beer in the cans long enough and enthusiasm into the night would wain!!!! That’s the sort of adventure you don’t want to crack your first till well after 2pm I’d be guessing!!!!

Anyways - none of what you list is rocket science or brain surgery
Read the WSM thoroughly many times before you start - you want to know which way a flange goes for example and just confirm with the manual rather than working the steps one by one.

PS on my old 130, my dad and I did clutch, master and slave, changed out R380, Lat230 Centre diff ATB, all new bearings and seals and sleeved intermediate shaft. On a shed floor in two looooong days and a morning, left that afternoon on a few thousand km shake down trip which could have ended badly but didn’t....

My new 130 has literally just yesterday started leaking from the intermediate and I have an ATB ready to install for just this occasion BUT I should have a hoist installed in the new shed within 6 months soooooooo I’ll just keep adding oil for a bit?

Steve

[fatnold]

Be interested on the info for the VB air suspension....they don’t give much away on their website.
Definitely a professional kit!
152248152249152250

[W&KO]

Definitely a professional kit!
152248152249152250

Awesome......

I have airbag man fitted to the rear with manual adjustment.

Contemplating what I do going forward....

I have relocated my front shock so that it outside the spring.....with standard rim offset I’m thinking the tyre might rub on shock which would mean adjusting the steering stops which would reduce turning circle.

[big harold]

I did the clutch, transfer and adapter on the shed floor without a hoist.
I used an engine crane to remove gearbox and transfer together.
I also removed seals and drilled stubs for oil fed bearings.
Also added transfer case sump.

[fatnold]

Also added transfer case sump.
??? What's this one about?

[big harold]

??? What's this one about?

LT230 Transfer Finned Sump | MODIFICATION | Davis Performance (https://davisperformance.com.au/lt230-transfer-finned-sump.html)

[mateusz]

You dont need hoist to remove a gearbox or.transfer box lol. Just get yourself a gearbox plate that attaches to a floor jack. These are universal and on ebay Use extended 10mm bolts to guide transfer back. If your defender is too low you can use a highlift jack on one side of the vehicle and slide it out. The transfer is heavy and you would need to strap it to the plate before pushing it under the vehicle. Lol you cannot lift it onto jack once under the vehicle. Whates great is if you used the extended m10bolts and combination engine hoist to lift transfercase up and the jack cradle to push it home onto m10 bolts. Sharpen the bolts too abit to aid in alighnment. I wouldnt use a vehicle hoist as you would need an expensive jack to push it up to head height.

[Max Headroom 2.3m]

Just get yourself a gearbox plate that attaches to a floor jack. These are universal and on ebay Use extended 10mm bolts to guide transfer back.
I am soon to tackle the T/case and gearbox myself to o/haul the T/case with HD cross pin and 1.301:1 gearing as well as a HD LOF clutch (couldn't stretch the budget to an ATB ). I plan to do it on the concrete with the back wheels on car ramps so that the drive train is pretty much parallel to the ground (Defender 90) and should allow me to pull the T/case and R380, separately, straight back on a trolley jack. I have modified a universal transmission adapter to keep the T/case as low as possible so I can drag out on the LHS. Be aware that the transmission adapters sit quite high and you would need to lift the side or the rear diff to get the boxes out if not modified. I have prep'ed 3 x 180mm class 12.9 10mm bolts to guide the T/case on and off (cut off bolt heads, cut slots on the ends -easy removal- and ground tapers on the ends). 'Course if the dineros ($$) are not a rate determiner, then go for the pro's for the heavy work.
Either way good luck with it. Should be an awesome drive train when done.

[fatnold]

I'm starting to sway to the 'oursource it to the pro's' line of thinking. Who should I look at for the work in Sydney????
- KLR (mention above)
- Grahame Cooper Automotive. (I have used over the years for my discos)
- Davis Performance. (I have had a little bit done by Bruce over the years)

Any others I should talk to? Who would be the go-to for Transmission/ Drive Train stuff?

[travelrover]

I'm starting to sway to the 'oursource it to the pro's' line of thinking. Who should I look at for the work in Sydney????
- KLR (mention above)
- Grahame Cooper Automotive. (I have used over the years for my discos)
- Davis Performance. (I have had a little bit done by Bruce over the years)

Any others I should talk to? Who would be the go-to for Transmission/ Drive Train stuff?

I have had regular work done on my 300Tdi by KLR, and like you have been dealing with Graeme Cooper since they started business in the late 80’s. Have occasionally bought stuff of Davis performance (who are now almost next door to KLR).
Never had an issue with the former two, (not enough experience to comment on Davis Performance) I guess a lot depends on where you are located! Brad at KLR or Ward at Coopers both know their stuff.