I really wanted a defender but the price just keeps going up in the UK so I bought a 95 discovery 300tdi that was a few hundred pounds and completely rotten and crap. the guy I bought it off knew what it was and sold it to me saying how bad it was, except the engine and transmission which are good. I bought it to learn things and experience a project like this at least once in my life and to restore it as it is the ES model with air con and that. Everybody I show thinks I have wasted my money and if I needed a vehicle right away, yes I did, but I have learnt so much by taking stuff apart putting new on and fixing existing stuff. Learning as much as I can from doing this disco is the reason why I bought something so crap and for a cheap price. I was lucky enough to buy it off of a nice enough person who explained how bad it was and didn't lie just to make some money.
I remember when I used to get some work done on my MG Midget (1275cc) in Toronto at a taxi garage owned by a friend of a friend. One of the "service" jobs was to take off the valve covers from the Chrysler slant six motors and - using a putty knife - scrape out all the sludge that collected. Those cars went a million miles. Basic but indestructible - a bit like a Landy
There's a fine line when it comes to defenders on scrap it or refurbish it... If you have a good body and good mechanicals you're onto a winner.. I don't really mind how bad a chassis gets because you can just simply get a new one cheap enough (well here in Ireland and UK anyway!!!) same with an engine block.. Sourcing defender parts and bits sometimes can be a right challenge, not many of them get broken for bits, for good reason!!!!
Problem is here in Canada is everything has to be imported - so as a rough guide , what you see in the UK, you can double or sometimes triple the price of large spares (Chassis, engines, bulkheads etc) by the time they are in my yard - not just shipping but customs fees, broker fees, dock fees, warehouse fees, transport from the dock in Montreal to here (160km) and folk think I am raking it in!
@@BritannicaRestorations yep you're charging for the whole process but none of that is money in your back pocket!!!! The logistics of north America and land rovers scare me... I'd just have a dodge ram and be done with it!
Hi Mike, As soon as the bonnet is opened you can see that it is not an original engine as the turbo is not on high-up. It looks like some of the other stuff that is bolted on to it, OFF a discovery. Now might be a good time to try that old trick that I told you about leaking tyres. Put a bottle of milk in it and run it for a few miles. The milk go,s cheesey, and then hard, after soaking into the fabric of the tyre or were it is leaking creates a seal that last for years depending how bad it is. I recon that motor should have been painted yellow, as in a lemon. Keep up the good work Mike. Best wishes from Yorkshire Rob.
ooOOH!!! I must have been thinking of the two hundred TDI. Silly old bugger me. Keep on having fun Mike, I am always looking forward to your videos. Best wishes from Yorkshire Rob.
YES!!!! you are right Steve, I,m having one of my senior moments. I like the 200 better than the 300 in a defender, it just seems to work better for me. You might say that it is a simpler motor for a simpler man, LOL.
@@MrRobmellor I've had and used both. The 200 belt setup is simpler and easier to get spares for. For some reason, the 200tdi turbo tends to put more heat into the passenger compartment. That could be a good thing in the UK or Canada but not so appreciated in Africa :-)
@@BritannicaRestorations I'll be brave enough one day to do a video on my 300tdi with all the things done and to be done, then everyone can have a good laugh at what I shouldn't have bought with any common sense 😁
Shims are fine if you have heaps of them to choose from and a micrometer. Once they are done there's no need to touch them again unless you have the head off or do something to the cams.
@@greebo7857 They do tend to stay in check longer but I prefer tappets just cos I don't have a big box of shims! Also on the newer Japanese's bikes they put the shim under the bucket so it's cams out to change them!
Part it out. There are a lot of places that are honest with their sales and imports to NA. Just part this one out to get a bit of cash for the right one that won't be so frustrating.
When I saw that stuck oil in the head I thought back to one of our problems, common to TD5's, Diesel in Oil.. We had a longer trip and the Oil was rising and we changed the Oil to be on the save side ... back home finally just changing the injectors fixed the problem... BUT that engine was clean then... Diesel in the Oil can do much to get that shit out, of course that needs to be done carefully - maybe the gooey oil in the African Queen could be the reason for the smoke and could be cleaned just with some Diesel in the Oil ? (Maybe not a scientific method and not going to the rules but...) Cheers Axel
I thought about this Axel, but there is so much gunk in that motor it will block filters and I do not think the bearings will be any good after I think they have filled it with regular motor oil Anyway on a very tight budget with this and it has now been decided to make it into a display vehicle and trailer it to events Mike
Mike the people that require a landy should just purchase a perentie from australia from greys online auction and just ship it. It would be just cheaper. Maybe a white paint job. Hey presto. These landies have hardly any klm on them. 4 litre isuzu motors...etc
This poor old Land Rover, years of African abuse but it is still going, just. It will be interesting to see how long the new Defender last in Africa. I think we can count in months rather than years.
Isn't it funny Harvey, after all the hullabaloo last September how we have heard nothing about the new Defender? If it was my baby, I would be promoting like a bugger taking it through the toughest conditions all over the world But then again it is a 'lifestyle' vehicle NOT a Land Rover!!
@@BritannicaRestorations Such a shame I think it will fail in the very markets it should be competing in. I think the new Grenadier will be a more worthy successor.
hey Mate u make some great videos. Is it worth to buy an old Army 110 from the British Army? I would like to buy a 110 with the hardtop and make an overlander. I know its not much comfort but they are good offroad.
@@BritannicaRestorations Thanks Mate. Since i watch you on youtube i need to get a defender. But in Switzeland they are realy expensive. In germany theire are few 110 with hardtop for sale. I might look a on a few 110 ht.
@@redbeardjohn8010 check here on Ministry of defence website maybe you find something interesting, they do sell from time to time good military defenders. Some with 300tdi engines and some 2.5na. Check auctions or just look at direct sale.(while uk is still in eu) www.mod-sales.com/
That oil looks like recycled tarmac,it's so thick it's probably working like a valve gasket lol,definitely sounds less sewing machiney after clearancing
You could cobble together a hho cell ,as burning hydroxy removes carbon deposits ,like terraclean or misted water vapour in the air intake does the same thing there are tons of references on u tube!
@@BritannicaRestorations engine dialysis machine circulating some kind of solvent with ported /tapped crankcase is the most daft solution I can think of to avoid stripping and rebuilding lol
One issue to consider with gummed up motors is if you start using flushing oil for example, the dirt an debris inside the oil-ways can get pushed into the bearings - but then again these will be heavily scored anyway - just need to look after the crank as it can only be ground once
I think the best use for this vehicle now would be as an ornament. No, I'm not exaggerating! Theme parks like Disney and Alton Towers use them in fake bazaars or jungles to decorate their themed areas. To get this POS roadworthy will need a full rebuild with new chassis, bulkhead, doors, a replacement rear axle and rebuilds of all the mechanical assemblies like engine, transmission, axles, steering and so on. OK, at US values, it could be worthwhile on a DIY basis if you can get the parts at UK prices, but otherwise strip out the engine and transmission and sell it as a decorative prop. People should use this as a lesson - do not buy stuff from Africa! That's where things go to die...
I wish more would swing by this channel to see the junk that is on the market, and the money pit they are about to dig This needs a lot of money and time spending on it - OK if you are in the UK where there are a lot of decent used parts, but here everything has to be imported I don't really feel sorry for the charity, but more so for the folk who donated money to be spent on African kids - but don't get me started on charities...
I understand where you're coming from, Mike, but my sympathy and patience with arrogant stupidity ran out a long time ago. There are so many people around the world who know nothing about a subject but feel equipped to throw themselves into important (sometimes expensive) decisions without the faintest piece of research, advice or common sense that it makes me doubt the human race. Scottish Outdoors is spot on in his earlier response on the video. I feel sorry for the charity's supporters, who have had their money wasted by this charity, but if this is how that charity behaves, they deserve to be wound up and closed. You are doing a public service by showing stuff like this, Mike. Hopefully, a few would be purchasers will be a bit more wary. You do face challenges over there that we don't have in the UK (says the expat in the UAE), but plenty get ripped off by chancers in the UK too, and there are plenty of rogues selling scrap or stolen goods to the wide eyed and unwary.
...it's a shame that it's just a polished turd after those guys spent so much acquiring it....but such is life.....mind you I've just spent £3000 on my 96 300tdi 90...and that's just for the bits it needs (new chassis etc)....mind you I've owned it for nearly 20 yrs and I'll be rebuilding it in my plentiful spare time :)
Exactly Robert - when I look round it there is not much of value for spares even - everything people want here, is filled or rusted out, and the engine needs a full overhaul, wrong axles, and needs a lot of time spending on it - OK if you are doing it yourself, but not to pay shop time
Yeap, so now I have been requested to tidy it up cosmetically, make sure the doors open and close then it will still be used as a promo truck - but trailered to events I have given them a set of barely legal Avon's in place of the Chinese tyres so at lest they will keep air in
@@BritannicaRestorations Even at that I think you are being generous Mike. It's a shame they were ripped off, but I've seen it before with charities. Staffed by well meaning people who know SFA about SFA apart from meaning well and having free money to spend. Rarely ends well, that's before you ad African morality into the mix.
I get my hourly rate and got shot of some tyres I'm not bothered, as it is slow at the moment, but people get so caught up in the Land Rover myth that they last forever with very little maintenance
With cloth over head...... " I can't see anything ! " I like your humour 😄
😁
I really wanted a defender but the price just keeps going up in the UK so I bought a 95 discovery 300tdi that was a few hundred pounds and completely rotten and crap. the guy I bought it off knew what it was and sold it to me saying how bad it was, except the engine and transmission which are good. I bought it to learn things and experience a project like this at least once in my life and to restore it as it is the ES model with air con and that. Everybody I show thinks I have wasted my money and if I needed a vehicle right away, yes I did, but I have learnt so much by taking stuff apart putting new on and fixing existing stuff. Learning as much as I can from doing this disco is the reason why I bought something so crap and for a cheap price. I was lucky enough to buy it off of a nice enough person who explained how bad it was and didn't lie just to make some money.
I remember when I used to get some work done on my MG Midget (1275cc) in Toronto at a taxi garage owned by a friend of a friend. One of the "service" jobs was to take off the valve covers from the Chrysler slant six motors and - using a putty knife - scrape out all the sludge that collected. Those cars went a million miles. Basic but indestructible - a bit like a Landy
This looks like it has never had proper diesel oil in it for a long time - no detergent in the oil
There's a fine line when it comes to defenders on scrap it or refurbish it... If you have a good body and good mechanicals you're onto a winner.. I don't really mind how bad a chassis gets because you can just simply get a new one cheap enough (well here in Ireland and UK anyway!!!) same with an engine block.. Sourcing defender parts and bits sometimes can be a right challenge, not many of them get broken for bits, for good reason!!!!
Problem is here in Canada is everything has to be imported - so as a rough guide , what you see in the UK, you can double or sometimes triple the price of large spares (Chassis, engines, bulkheads etc) by the time they are in my yard - not just shipping but customs fees, broker fees, dock fees, warehouse fees, transport from the dock in Montreal to here (160km) and folk think I am raking it in!
@@BritannicaRestorations yep you're charging for the whole process but none of that is money in your back pocket!!!! The logistics of north America and land rovers scare me... I'd just have a dodge ram and be done with it!
Very helpful. Thank you Mike.
What NOT to buy!
Hi Mike, As soon as the bonnet is opened you can see that it is not an original engine as the turbo is not on high-up. It looks like some of the other stuff that is bolted on to it, OFF a discovery. Now might be a good time to try that old trick that I told you about leaking tyres. Put a bottle of milk in it and run it for a few miles. The milk go,s cheesey, and then hard, after soaking into the fabric of the tyre or were it is leaking creates a seal that last for years depending how bad it is. I recon that motor should have been painted yellow, as in a lemon. Keep up the good work Mike. Best wishes from Yorkshire Rob.
Isn't it the 200tdi that has the higher turbo position (and regular V-belts)?
All 300 Tdi's had the turbo in the same place
ooOOH!!! I must have been thinking of the two hundred TDI. Silly old bugger me. Keep on having fun Mike, I am always looking forward to your videos. Best wishes from Yorkshire Rob.
YES!!!! you are right Steve, I,m having one of my senior moments. I like the 200 better than the 300 in a defender, it just seems to work better for me. You might say that it is a simpler motor for a simpler man, LOL.
@@MrRobmellor I've had and used both. The 200 belt setup is simpler and easier to get spares for. For some reason, the 200tdi turbo tends to put more heat into the passenger compartment. That could be a good thing in the UK or Canada but not so appreciated in Africa :-)
I always thought the workshop broom was to support the bonnet Mike... I know that’s the only use mine gets!
I have a real wide broom so it gets in the way!
Mike I have the exact problem... Look for a pressure leak at injector pump or fuel lines... And the compression valve on the injector
At what cost indeed, a fair bit on parts and then a heck of a lot of personal time!
And still they keep coming!
@@BritannicaRestorations I'll be brave enough one day to do a video on my 300tdi with all the things done and to be done, then everyone can have a good laugh at what I shouldn't have bought with any common sense 😁
I prefer your way to the rule of 9. It's how I was taught more than 40 years ago, and it requires less turning of the engine.
Yes - I wonder why they do not teach that? So much simpler
Tappets are a fiddle but much easier than messing with shims .
Shims are fine if you have heaps of them to choose from and a micrometer. Once they are done there's no need to touch them again unless you have the head off or do something to the cams.
@@greebo7857 They do tend to stay in check longer but I prefer tappets just cos I don't have a big box of shims! Also on the newer Japanese's bikes they put the shim under the bucket so it's cams out to change them!
I don't want to count my hours. I've been on leave this week and spent the entire week in the garage. STILL no further forward!
I know - they suck hours like no tomorrow, and as you know - you can spend hours fannying about just getting a door to close right (today's job)
Well bearing in mind the temperature it didn't look like you let the glow plugs have a chance !!!
They were not connectd
Gosh, I can see it from here! What's going on with the negative rear wheel camber on this heap? That can never be right.
Part it out. There are a lot of places that are honest with their sales and imports to NA. Just part this one out to get a bit of cash for the right one that won't be so frustrating.
When I saw that stuck oil in the head I thought back to one of our problems, common to TD5's, Diesel in Oil.. We had a longer trip and the Oil was rising and we changed the Oil to be on the save side ... back home finally just changing the injectors fixed the problem... BUT that engine was clean then... Diesel in the Oil can do much to get that shit out, of course that needs to be done carefully - maybe the gooey oil in the African Queen could be the reason for the smoke and could be cleaned just with some Diesel in the Oil ? (Maybe not a scientific method and not going to the rules but...) Cheers Axel
I thought about this Axel, but there is so much gunk in that motor it will block filters and I do not think the bearings will be any good after
I think they have filled it with regular motor oil
Anyway on a very tight budget with this and it has now been decided to make it into a display vehicle and trailer it to events
Mike
Mike the people that require a landy should just purchase a perentie from australia from greys online auction and just ship it. It would be just cheaper. Maybe a white paint job. Hey presto. These landies have hardly any klm on them. 4 litre isuzu motors...etc
God no. They're in great Nick, don't need Quebec ruining them all. Wrong hand drive anyway. Apparently Oman might have a few the correct side...
This poor old Land Rover, years of African abuse but it is still going, just.
It will be interesting to see how long the new Defender last in Africa. I think we can count in months rather than years.
Isn't it funny Harvey, after all the hullabaloo last September how we have heard nothing about the new Defender?
If it was my baby, I would be promoting like a bugger taking it through the toughest conditions all over the world
But then again it is a 'lifestyle' vehicle NOT a Land Rover!!
@@BritannicaRestorations Such a shame I think it will fail in the very markets it should be competing in. I think the new Grenadier will be a more worthy successor.
I have a 110 300tdi. Smoking white smoke when it’s cool. And black smoke when its hot. Specially when acculturation. What could be??
Sounds like the injectors need servicing
Britannica Restorations Ltd I did change the nozzle with new ones and also restored the VE bump
Did you fit those cheap Chinese nozzles?
Britannica Restorations Ltd no it was Bosch. But the turbocharger is leaking oil
There you go - that will be the trouble - oil is getting into the engine
Replace the turbo and thoroughly wash out the intercooler
Just as you go inside with bonnet up the screen looks smashed behind that bonnet
It's fine
I’m sure it is. Just really looks and drew my eye. Must be the shadow
hey Mate u make some great videos. Is it worth to buy an old Army 110 from the British Army?
I would like to buy a 110 with the hardtop and make an overlander. I know its not much comfort but they are good offroad.
The 2.5 Diesel was a good motor but a bit underpowered for today
As long as you get a rust free one then you will have a good base
@@BritannicaRestorations
Thanks Mate.
Since i watch you on youtube i need to get a defender.
But in Switzeland they are realy expensive. In germany theire are few 110 with hardtop for sale. I might look a on a few 110 ht.
@@redbeardjohn8010 check here on Ministry of defence website maybe you find something interesting, they do sell from time to time good military defenders. Some with 300tdi engines and some 2.5na. Check auctions or just look at direct sale.(while uk is still in eu) www.mod-sales.com/
Timing sounds way off, bet it’s sluggish and slow to make boost.
That oil looks like recycled tarmac,it's so thick it's probably working like a valve gasket lol,definitely sounds less sewing machiney after clearancing
You could cobble together a hho cell ,as burning hydroxy removes carbon deposits ,like terraclean or misted water vapour in the air intake does the same thing there are tons of references on u tube!
But that will not remove the gunge from the crank cases
@@BritannicaRestorations engine dialysis machine circulating some kind of solvent with ported /tapped crankcase is the most daft solution I can think of to avoid stripping and rebuilding lol
One issue to consider with gummed up motors is if you start using flushing oil for example, the dirt an debris inside the oil-ways can get pushed into the bearings - but then again these will be heavily scored anyway - just need to look after the crank as it can only be ground once
I think the best use for this vehicle now would be as an ornament. No, I'm not exaggerating! Theme parks like Disney and Alton Towers use them in fake bazaars or jungles to decorate their themed areas. To get this POS roadworthy will need a full rebuild with new chassis, bulkhead, doors, a replacement rear axle and rebuilds of all the mechanical assemblies like engine, transmission, axles, steering and so on. OK, at US values, it could be worthwhile on a DIY basis if you can get the parts at UK prices, but otherwise strip out the engine and transmission and sell it as a decorative prop.
People should use this as a lesson - do not buy stuff from Africa! That's where things go to die...
I wish more would swing by this channel to see the junk that is on the market, and the money pit they are about to dig
This needs a lot of money and time spending on it - OK if you are in the UK where there are a lot of decent used parts, but here everything has to be imported
I don't really feel sorry for the charity, but more so for the folk who donated money to be spent on African kids - but don't get me started on charities...
I understand where you're coming from, Mike, but my sympathy and patience with arrogant stupidity ran out a long time ago. There are so many people around the world who know nothing about a subject but feel equipped to throw themselves into important (sometimes expensive) decisions without the faintest piece of research, advice or common sense that it makes me doubt the human race. Scottish Outdoors is spot on in his earlier response on the video. I feel sorry for the charity's supporters, who have had their money wasted by this charity, but if this is how that charity behaves, they deserve to be wound up and closed.
You are doing a public service by showing stuff like this, Mike. Hopefully, a few would be purchasers will be a bit more wary. You do face challenges over there that we don't have in the UK (says the expat in the UAE), but plenty get ripped off by chancers in the UK too, and there are plenty of rogues selling scrap or stolen goods to the wide eyed and unwary.
...it's a shame that it's just a polished turd after those guys spent so much acquiring it....but such is life.....mind you I've just spent £3000 on my 96 300tdi 90...and that's just for the bits it needs (new chassis etc)....mind you I've owned it for nearly 20 yrs and I'll be rebuilding it in my plentiful spare time :)
Well Eric, you can't polish a turd, but you can put glitter on it!
It’s costs against value after repairs.
Exactly Robert - when I look round it there is not much of value for spares even - everything people want here, is filled or rusted out, and the engine needs a full overhaul, wrong axles, and needs a lot of time spending on it - OK if you are doing it yourself, but not to pay shop time
It just gets worse and worse bud 🙁
Yeap, so now I have been requested to tidy it up cosmetically, make sure the doors open and close then it will still be used as a promo truck - but trailered to events
I have given them a set of barely legal Avon's in place of the Chinese tyres so at lest they will keep air in
@@BritannicaRestorations Even at that I think you are being generous Mike. It's a shame they were ripped off, but I've seen it before with charities. Staffed by well meaning people who know SFA about SFA apart from meaning well and having free money to spend. Rarely ends well, that's before you ad African morality into the mix.
@@bigbill74scots Sounds like you have spent time in Africa!
@@BritannicaRestorations I think that is the best outcome.
I get my hourly rate and got shot of some tyres
I'm not bothered, as it is slow at the moment, but people get so caught up in the Land Rover myth that they last forever with very little maintenance