stevethefish Posted February 15, 2009 Report Share Posted February 15, 2009 Thinking of getting a defender 90 for shooting, off a mate, its been used as a farm vehicle for a couple of years for around the farm etc. I have been told it needs the chassis welding up pretty bad, just wondered if anyone had an idea of how much work would be involved. I would be doing the work myself, I have a pit and mig welder and plenty of time at the moment. It looks pretty good from the outside and has loads of spares, so basically would you? Its pretty cheap too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JDFrain Posted February 15, 2009 Report Share Posted February 15, 2009 pretty straight forward repairing the chassis, what most people do is just clean back the area that needs patching and weld a bit plate straight over the top then treat it to prevent rust.. john Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevethefish Posted February 15, 2009 Author Report Share Posted February 15, 2009 (edited) Thanks John, not seen it yet underneath, does the bulkhead get bad on these too? Got a Disco TD5 at moment and missus gets niffed when It looks like a mud ball, also gets stuck from time to time so the landy would get a lift job, winch and decent tyres etc Edited February 15, 2009 by stevethefish Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JDFrain Posted February 15, 2009 Report Share Posted February 15, 2009 the bulk head can get bad... would be worth having a good look round the whole motor, check areas were parts are bolted through the chassis eg rear suspension hangers, the rear crossmember is a very common part that needs to be replaced on 90's but not to bad a job. check internally under matts and inside seat box were battery is (under passenger seat) dont worry about the sills as they can easily be cut away and a set of sliders fitted which will also stiffen the motor sides up nicely. check for any oil leaks 90's do tend to leak a bit of oil but easily sorted. and another good thing parts are cheap as chips john Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevethefish Posted February 15, 2009 Author Report Share Posted February 15, 2009 Thanks, sounding good really, will prob have a bit to do but heard good things about them for off roading. Will have a look at it, he's wanting about £450 for it think that sounds fair? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
njc110381 Posted February 15, 2009 Report Share Posted February 15, 2009 Why not consider a rebuild? Get a galvanised chassis for it and spend a few weeks moving all the bits over. You'll have a really solid truck for a long time then, and it will be worth more than you paid for it if you come to sell it on Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevethefish Posted February 15, 2009 Author Report Share Posted February 15, 2009 Sorry if I seem a bit dumb but do you replace all the chassis, take the truck to bits and start from scratch? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JDFrain Posted February 15, 2009 Report Share Posted February 15, 2009 thats very cheap... it may be a bit of a project but a very enjoyable one. a new galv chassis could be worth considering depending on how much you want to spend on it. yes its a case of taking everything of it and transfering it onto the new chassis. You will probably end up replacing a good few extra bits as you may struggle to get bit off or they maybe shot. John Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevethefish Posted February 15, 2009 Author Report Share Posted February 15, 2009 Thanks for your help, I will follow up on the idea and keep posting on my progress. Steve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JDFrain Posted February 15, 2009 Report Share Posted February 15, 2009 Heres mine done a lot to it since getting it but worth every penny cant fault it for off-road work does everything i want it to. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seb Posted February 15, 2009 Report Share Posted February 15, 2009 Once drove a long way to look at one the owner described as mint. It had a hole in the bulkhead big enough to put your head in! Filler in the rear cross member even filler in the diff casing. It sounds a good price just check it over first, if its been on a farm maybe jet wash underneath first to get a better look before committing. I think some of the fertilisers can be quite corrosive. Mine is getting thin on the rear cross member the whole replacement cross member is about 100 quid its just the labour but if you are handy with a mig you should have no trouble. If it is not too bad its only 3mm plate on the chassis and mostly flat. Once you have it fixed jetwash all the mud out and fill it with waxoil Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hairyduck Posted February 15, 2009 Report Share Posted February 15, 2009 what engine does it have? if it's old Im guessing 2.5d or 2.5 turbo d. They are shocking engines, avoid the non turbo version at all costs, unless you never want to go over 40mph, the turbo version can also be a bit of a dog too, should be ok as long as you're handy with the spanners as parts are cheap, my old one spent more time under repair than on the road in the end. 200 and 300 tdi engines were much better Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grumpy Old Git Posted February 15, 2009 Report Share Posted February 15, 2009 This might be of interest, you might need to register to access it though 90 rebuild Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevethefish Posted February 15, 2009 Author Report Share Posted February 15, 2009 Can't thank you guys enough for the help, hope its worth the effort, I'm sure it will. Steve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crazyfarmerboy Posted February 26, 2009 Report Share Posted February 26, 2009 if you are up for it go for it, doing the rear cross member is not too bad, the hard stuff to patch is the front half, personally i would not touch one with a bad front half, if it is a tdi it makes it more worth while, people seem to think the standard td is no good, i have one and have seen no problems yet, good luck Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lurcherboy Posted February 26, 2009 Report Share Posted February 26, 2009 Why not consider a rebuild? Get a galvanised chassis for it and spend a few weeks moving all the bits over. You'll have a really solid truck for a long time then, and it will be worth more than you paid for it if you come to sell it on :blink: LB Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
craftycarper Posted March 5, 2009 Report Share Posted March 5, 2009 sounds really cheap, i would bite his arm off for it so it would be worth having a really good look underneath, footwells, bulkhead,outriggers & especially the cross members. As for oil leaks don't worry about them, they all leak....you know the saying with landies....if it ain't leaking...then it's empty ...good luck Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danmar94 Posted March 13, 2009 Report Share Posted March 13, 2009 Have a good check by the hinges underneath the windscreen as they used to be a sod for rotting away as well. There are too many spots to list that need to be checked but it is basically everywhere where steel meets alu. It'll rot to *******!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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