Ex-MoD Land Rover 90
Discussion
So, after selling my show queen New Beetle that barely turned a wheel from one MoT to the next, and me being too paranoid to actually use it and get it dirty, I went to the other extreme.
This is the Beetle awaiting collection by its new owner.
To replace it, I bought a 1987 ex-MoD Defender 90 with loads of work done to it. The original engine had been replaced with a rebuilt 300tdi from a Discovery, including a rebuilt R380 gearbox, overhauled axles, diffs, swivels, kingpins and brake master cylinder. It had new wheel bearings, brake discs and pads, braided brake lines, steering box and joints, new shock absorbers and was poly bushed everywhere. New soft top and respray with replacement bulkhead, rear tub and wings had also been done, as well as a rear disc conversion. Also, it has been properly prepared for off roading with side bars, diff guards, steering guard, vented axles, snorkel and chequer plate bits everywhere. The chassis is in good nick, having been cleaned, rustproofed and painted recently. The rear cross member was also good, although it has a couple of dents, as does the body, but I wanted a bit of patina after the stress of running a concours car for 13 years ! The Facebook advert pics weren't very flattering, so I wasn't too sure at first though.
The previous owner bought it from the MoD and did it all up for his girlfriend, with the plan being they were going to emigrate to Greece and set up an off road business over there together (he already had one here). However, they split up and the 90 got put into dry storage for a few years until he decided to sell it. So, after searching all over the country for a decent 90, this one was actually 10 minutes away !
Since buying it in September I have spend an awful lot of time cleaning it up, with the inside in particular being absolutely filthy. It is distinctly basic inside, with the emphasis on off roading. It is basically just chequer plate or painted metal with a couple of switches.
I have added an interior light, as it looked like it had never had one, usb charger, snow cowl (just in case the Beast from the East returns !) rubber mats front and back for a bit of luxury (!), removed the spare wheel mount from the bonnet and fitted the spare on a home made bracket on the bulkhead behind the seats. It has also had a few maintenance items (it is a Land Rover !), starter motor, earth leads, battery clamp, tailgate stays, temp gauge sender, thermostat, hazard light switch, various missing clips, covers and screws. It has never had a civilian radio or aerial fitted and being a soft top, I wasn't too keen on fitting one, so I have a blue tooth speaker playing from my phone instead. It still has a few MoD bits, like the mushroom lights and the rear bumpers, but I quite like keeping a bit of its history. I even managed to track down its military past and found it was registered with the MoD as 51 KG 14 on 21/05/1987, based at an Ordnance Depot in Antwerp and was originally an FFR hardtop, finally released on 21/01/1999.
I should really have taken more pics as I went,but most jobs have been done whenever I have had a spare 30 mins or so. To my great shame, I also haven't actually been off road in it yet, but I have a 4x4 experience day in January and then will hopefully try a bit of green laning in the new year. I still have a long list of jobs to do, the wipers only park correctly when they want to, the rear light wiring looks like a couple of snakes nests in the rear corners, the head lights are pretty poor but are the flat faced Lucas H4's I lusted after in my youth so I am reluctant to replace them and the seats need either replacing or recovering at some point. Also, I may upsize the tyres, but as it only just fits in the garage with a few mm to spare, I'm reluctant to make it any taller, especially with Land Rovers, especially soft tops, being a magnet for thieves. I'm in no rush to get it all done though, as it was bought very much as a project car that I'm not scared to use and abuse. I particularly like taking it to supermarkets and not worrying about door dings ! Anyhow, sorry for the long ramble, but I am quite chuffed that after 40 years of wanting a Land Rover, I have finally got one !
So that's what the chequer plate is for !
Fred likes it anyway !
Outside a friendly local garage awaiting removal of a very seized / rounded off bolt on the thermostat housing. I suspect we will be back here a lot
Getting there ...
This is the Beetle awaiting collection by its new owner.
To replace it, I bought a 1987 ex-MoD Defender 90 with loads of work done to it. The original engine had been replaced with a rebuilt 300tdi from a Discovery, including a rebuilt R380 gearbox, overhauled axles, diffs, swivels, kingpins and brake master cylinder. It had new wheel bearings, brake discs and pads, braided brake lines, steering box and joints, new shock absorbers and was poly bushed everywhere. New soft top and respray with replacement bulkhead, rear tub and wings had also been done, as well as a rear disc conversion. Also, it has been properly prepared for off roading with side bars, diff guards, steering guard, vented axles, snorkel and chequer plate bits everywhere. The chassis is in good nick, having been cleaned, rustproofed and painted recently. The rear cross member was also good, although it has a couple of dents, as does the body, but I wanted a bit of patina after the stress of running a concours car for 13 years ! The Facebook advert pics weren't very flattering, so I wasn't too sure at first though.
The previous owner bought it from the MoD and did it all up for his girlfriend, with the plan being they were going to emigrate to Greece and set up an off road business over there together (he already had one here). However, they split up and the 90 got put into dry storage for a few years until he decided to sell it. So, after searching all over the country for a decent 90, this one was actually 10 minutes away !
Since buying it in September I have spend an awful lot of time cleaning it up, with the inside in particular being absolutely filthy. It is distinctly basic inside, with the emphasis on off roading. It is basically just chequer plate or painted metal with a couple of switches.
I have added an interior light, as it looked like it had never had one, usb charger, snow cowl (just in case the Beast from the East returns !) rubber mats front and back for a bit of luxury (!), removed the spare wheel mount from the bonnet and fitted the spare on a home made bracket on the bulkhead behind the seats. It has also had a few maintenance items (it is a Land Rover !), starter motor, earth leads, battery clamp, tailgate stays, temp gauge sender, thermostat, hazard light switch, various missing clips, covers and screws. It has never had a civilian radio or aerial fitted and being a soft top, I wasn't too keen on fitting one, so I have a blue tooth speaker playing from my phone instead. It still has a few MoD bits, like the mushroom lights and the rear bumpers, but I quite like keeping a bit of its history. I even managed to track down its military past and found it was registered with the MoD as 51 KG 14 on 21/05/1987, based at an Ordnance Depot in Antwerp and was originally an FFR hardtop, finally released on 21/01/1999.
I should really have taken more pics as I went,but most jobs have been done whenever I have had a spare 30 mins or so. To my great shame, I also haven't actually been off road in it yet, but I have a 4x4 experience day in January and then will hopefully try a bit of green laning in the new year. I still have a long list of jobs to do, the wipers only park correctly when they want to, the rear light wiring looks like a couple of snakes nests in the rear corners, the head lights are pretty poor but are the flat faced Lucas H4's I lusted after in my youth so I am reluctant to replace them and the seats need either replacing or recovering at some point. Also, I may upsize the tyres, but as it only just fits in the garage with a few mm to spare, I'm reluctant to make it any taller, especially with Land Rovers, especially soft tops, being a magnet for thieves. I'm in no rush to get it all done though, as it was bought very much as a project car that I'm not scared to use and abuse. I particularly like taking it to supermarkets and not worrying about door dings ! Anyhow, sorry for the long ramble, but I am quite chuffed that after 40 years of wanting a Land Rover, I have finally got one !
So that's what the chequer plate is for !
Fred likes it anyway !
Outside a friendly local garage awaiting removal of a very seized / rounded off bolt on the thermostat housing. I suspect we will be back here a lot
Getting there ...
Edited by anonymous-user on Thursday 12th December 22:05
Edited by anonymous-user on Friday 13th December 12:20
greeneggsandham said:
That looks lovely. I really like the red - it suits it a lot.
I don't know too much about the military Land Rovers, does this mean it is the "Wolf" defender?
I'm still learning about the MoD stuff, but I believe they are much later than mine. I like the red, but I'm still trying to find out what shade it actually is !I don't know too much about the military Land Rovers, does this mean it is the "Wolf" defender?
greeneggsandham said:
That looks lovely. I really like the red - it suits it a lot.
I don't know too much about the military Land Rovers, does this mean it is the "Wolf" defender?
nope, this would have likely been a 2.5 or maybe 2.5 TD at best.....I don't know too much about the military Land Rovers, does this mean it is the "Wolf" defender?
The 300 Disco TDI is a better engine, but has the Turbo much lower mounted than a true D90 Tdi.
rayyan171 said:
Lovely!
What were the MoD modifications/spec these Land Rovers came in? And who was using them?
A D plater (1986) Ninety is a fairly early coil sprung model (the 110 came out in 83, the 90 followed in mid 84), and this ones military origins are given away by the tail lights, the soft top, the rear bumperettes, and the towing eyes on the front bumper. It may also have had some mil spec wiring, including things like the convoy lighting mode (where all lights are off, except for a small bulb that shines underneath onto the rear diff, painted white, meaning the car can be followed at night by another without headlights! (lots of fun, cause the brake lights are disabled too....)What were the MoD modifications/spec these Land Rovers came in? And who was using them?
It will have originally had two piece doors (with angled sliding half pane), rather than the later defender single piece door with wind down window.
Original engine at launch was the then new 2.5 litre petrol 4 cyl (up from the classic 2.25 litre used in series models for 40 years) and the 2.5 litre diesel. iirc the very early ninetys didn't even get the turbo version (2.5 TD) as they couldn't make enough so they all went into the bigger heavier 110).
Chances are, this vehicle was probably a 2.5 petrol, because back then the military was still a "dual fuel" outfit, and they preffered the simplicity of the basic petrol engine.
Obviously, the checker plate, snorkel, sill bars and wheels / tyres are later "civvy" additions!
Thanks Max. Interesting stuff.
It was originally a hard top, but was converted to a soft top by the previous owner, as it was bound for sunnier climes. It also has the rear Jate rings, not seen in the pics.
The convoy lighting is long gone as are the original doors, which is a shame. I think you are right about it originally being a petrol too.
It was originally a hard top, but was converted to a soft top by the previous owner, as it was bound for sunnier climes. It also has the rear Jate rings, not seen in the pics.
The convoy lighting is long gone as are the original doors, which is a shame. I think you are right about it originally being a petrol too.
Grahamdub said:
I like the red, but I'm still trying to find out what shade it actually is !
Does this help?https://www.defender-landrover.co.uk/p/paint-codes...
Grahamdub said:
Thanks Max. Interesting stuff.
It was originally a hard top, but was converted to a soft top by the previous owner, as it was bound for sunnier climes. It also has the rear Jate rings, not seen in the pics.
The convoy lighting is long gone as are the original doors, which is a shame. I think you are right about it originally being a petrol too.
Interesting to find it was a HT, which might actually make it an ex RAF vehicle rather than Army. The RAF used HT ninetys for airfield duties, whereas the Army like to be able to strip off the roof for a couple of reasons:It was originally a hard top, but was converted to a soft top by the previous owner, as it was bound for sunnier climes. It also has the rear Jate rings, not seen in the pics.
The convoy lighting is long gone as are the original doors, which is a shame. I think you are right about it originally being a petrol too.
1) Back then, the vehicle mass and size was on the "large" size for air portability. roof off and screen down the LR could be underslung under helicopters and stacked 2 in-a-line on a DROPS pallet and chucked out the back of a Herc to support forward Ops etc
3) If you take off the roof, you have an nice un-interupted arc of fire. Before the IED threat, that was an advantage, expecially to Special forces or units operating forwards of any main battle lines
In an unloaded Ninety, the 2.5 petrol wasn't actually a bad engine to drive in terms of performance for it's time. It struggled in a loaded 110, or anything with a trailer on the back, but it was actually a reasonably smooth, robust thing for it's day ;-)
Max_Torque said:
Interesting to find it was a HT, which might actually make it an ex RAF vehicle rather than Army. The RAF used HT ninetys for airfield duties, whereas the Army like to be able to strip off the roof for a couple of reasons:
1) Back then, the vehicle mass and size was on the "large" size for air portability. roof off and screen down the LR could be underslung under helicopters and stacked 2 in-a-line on a DROPS pallet and chucked out the back of a Herc to support forward Ops etc
3) If you take off the roof, you have an nice un-interupted arc of fire. Before the IED threat, that was an advantage, expecially to Special forces or units operating forwards of any main battle lines
In an unloaded Ninety, the 2.5 petrol wasn't actually a bad engine to drive in terms of performance for it's time. It struggled in a loaded 110, or anything with a trailer on the back, but it was actually a reasonably smooth, robust thing for it's day ;-)
The acual info I got from Merlin was - TRUCK UTY LIGHT FFR PLAIN HARD TOP 12/24V 4X4 LHD LAND ROVER 90 (DSL), with the Unit as - ORD DEPOT ANTWERP (EQPT A/C).1) Back then, the vehicle mass and size was on the "large" size for air portability. roof off and screen down the LR could be underslung under helicopters and stacked 2 in-a-line on a DROPS pallet and chucked out the back of a Herc to support forward Ops etc
3) If you take off the roof, you have an nice un-interupted arc of fire. Before the IED threat, that was an advantage, expecially to Special forces or units operating forwards of any main battle lines
In an unloaded Ninety, the 2.5 petrol wasn't actually a bad engine to drive in terms of performance for it's time. It struggled in a loaded 110, or anything with a trailer on the back, but it was actually a reasonably smooth, robust thing for it's day ;-)
I believe FFR is Fitted For Radio, not sure what DSL is, and I assume that the ordnance depot is where it started out at, or was based from.
Max_Torque said:
A D plater (1986) Ninety is a fairly early coil sprung model (the 110 came out in 83, the 90 followed in mid 84), and this ones military origins are given away by the tail lights, the soft top, the rear bumperettes, and the towing eyes on the front bumper. It may also have had some mil spec wiring, including things like the convoy lighting mode (where all lights are off, except for a small bulb that shines underneath onto the rear diff, painted white, meaning the car can be followed at night by another without headlights! (lots of fun, cause the brake lights are disabled too....)
It will have originally had two piece doors (with angled sliding half pane), rather than the later defender single piece door with wind down window.
Original engine at launch was the then new 2.5 litre petrol 4 cyl (up from the classic 2.25 litre used in series models for 40 years) and the 2.5 litre diesel. iirc the very early ninetys didn't even get the turbo version (2.5 TD) as they couldn't make enough so they all went into the bigger heavier 110).
Chances are, this vehicle was probably a 2.5 petrol, because back then the military was still a "dual fuel" outfit, and they preffered the simplicity of the basic petrol engine.
Obviously, the checker plate, snorkel, sill bars and wheels / tyres are later "civvy" additions!
It will have originally had two piece doors (with angled sliding half pane), rather than the later defender single piece door with wind down window.
Original engine at launch was the then new 2.5 litre petrol 4 cyl (up from the classic 2.25 litre used in series models for 40 years) and the 2.5 litre diesel. iirc the very early ninetys didn't even get the turbo version (2.5 TD) as they couldn't make enough so they all went into the bigger heavier 110).
Chances are, this vehicle was probably a 2.5 petrol, because back then the military was still a "dual fuel" outfit, and they preffered the simplicity of the basic petrol engine.
Obviously, the checker plate, snorkel, sill bars and wheels / tyres are later "civvy" additions!
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