Well the work thus far has been approved by 1 Assessor and is now awaiting another assessors approval to go ahead

However the Disco 4 embarrassed itself yesterday by sinking its f@ a55 into some soft grass on a verge off the beaten track.
A quick nip back to get the FF and on the same surface the FF didn't sink and just yanked the D4 out

D4 even went into Extended, Extended hight mode as well strangely and it was only about 3" deep but the tyres just clogged up so i stopped before it dug itself in.

FF 1
D4 0

TBH I'm thinking more and more the FF is more capable in situations that aren't Chelsea than a D4 is! FFRR MY06 facelift With TDV8 Alloys Zeros/ATR's
Mantec Sump Guard, Rigid Load liner, MY10 BT upgrade.

I thought the RR was in the Garage being assessed?

Nope i kept it at a friends near work so i could be there when the assessors turned up and i could point out the bits they would likely miss, like the nicks in the sidewalls of the tyres... FFRR MY06 facelift With TDV8 Alloys Zeros/ATR's
Mantec Sump Guard, Rigid Load liner, MY10 BT upgrade.

Well my new toy has arrived!!!



Will give it a whirl in the disco and see how it is

With half the interior being pulled out of the FF I'm hoping when work gets authorised i can nip in at some point and spend an hour cabling it in discretely down the drivers pillar and into the centre console where i can make the accessory socket permanently live using another task i had waiting to do  FFRR MY06 facelift With TDV8 Alloys Zeros/ATR's
Mantec Sump Guard, Rigid Load liner, MY10 BT upgrade.

I'm seriously thinking about of those bad boys!  Got - 2017 SDV8 Autobiography in Loire Blue
Had- 2008 TDV8 Vogue SE in Java black
Had - 2007 S/C in Stornoway Grey

£125 to your door from korea or £180 in the UK  FFRR MY06 facelift With TDV8 Alloys Zeros/ATR's
Mantec Sump Guard, Rigid Load liner, MY10 BT upgrade.

Well I've had a play and got my blackvue talking English to me and recording in hd with the buttons all ticked, adjusted sensitivity as well.

I can't figure this out if im missing an option somewhere but do they always record 1minute chunks??

I may knock it down to 15fps or the next res down as it filled 800meg in a 10minute drive  FFRR MY06 facelift With TDV8 Alloys Zeros/ATR's
Mantec Sump Guard, Rigid Load liner, MY10 BT upgrade.

Well now rover is back from taking a knock(pictures to follow) he has had some treats bought this week...

4 MT/R's on matching 19" 7 spoke alloys(another still has to be bought and the rim for it too!)
20tonne 3 stage Hydraulic Jack
3 x 38mm waffle boards
2 x 50mm waffle boards (with grit on one side)
VIAIR portable compressor with air hose (powerful one for offroad tyres, ie large ones)
Long tow rope for offroad recovery
Some MORE shackles
4 20l Army style jerry cans
Flexible 30cm spout for the above
The blackvue has now been fitted
Mantec underbody shield(front only as cant find any others
some rolls of 37micron pallet wrap
2 new parking sensors though only need one and thats only as its effin iffy!
Winch cradle (not to be fitted until i find a good winch...)
More jerry's are on their way i reckon as i prefer them for pouring out of due to the breathing lip built into them.


Needless to say im glad i put some money aside last month as it wasn't cheap all that but fingers crossed it will be worth it...

On the list to get are a good hydraulic winch
some chest waders
and finding someone with the balls to make an RAI
then im saving up for a gearbox overhaul as i'd rather do it before it goes and see if i can get the GBox ecu modified to reduce slip when not in low range ov at silly low throttle openings...
CB radio(on order and a handheld as well no whippys for rover!)
Shortened rear overhang if possible to make as can always transfer onto a TDV8 should i get one and just get it resprayed
exhaust replaced. i want a single straight through pipe with no back box and 2 tail pipes like standard as its a stupid chunk of metal that does nothing but risk getting caught all the time on rocks and when driving in ruts!

Gonna be a busy bee next week getting the bits fitted and packed, and then need to test my mac808 and also get a set of loppers too.

I cleaned off the bootliner as i'd used it for soil storage in the garden and it worked a treat, another wash and it will be mint again! they dont half take some abuse!!

I've been using an old blanket as the base for mine for a while but now i have the rubber mat finally that it should have come with i'll use that and the trapezoid cubby part is great for a recovery strop and 2 shackles for quick recoveries when needed as well as my hi vis jacket to stop it rattling.

For the rear bumper to be chopped off im thinking of some sheet ally being bent to curve around and just replacing the bumper but bolting on as then i can put it on when needed and swap back to the bumper when i wont be offroading for a bit, it will take at least 2" of overhang off thats not needed and as long as it sticks out a bit more than the rear lights it should be good. This will be an RLD project in the future when uncle Ray gets some time and i have more cash as it will be a good few hundred quid and im hoping to get a project like Wiggs Trailer
http://www.disco3.co.uk/forum/topic47201.html
I can safelt say it will be a million miles less impressive than Wiggs as im planning to do it from Marine Ply. its a cheaper material and easier for me to use my woodwork skills on. Plans will be drawn up when i get some time but it seems silly not to with such good sankeys going for such little money at the minute and a few £££ gets a 2-3' extension as well.

it will most likely end up a little like one of these things

It would be the same width and hieght for the full length though and have some ideas un-ashamedly nicke from Wiggs as i love the sliding out kitchen idea and fitted cupboards and even the shower bit and heating sound great if not cheap!

 FFRR MY06 facelift With TDV8 Alloys Zeros/ATR's
Mantec Sump Guard, Rigid Load liner, MY10 BT upgrade.

Oh and i'll probably keep it on the standard wheels and tyres as i'm hoping to keep loaded weight below 500kg and then i'll get another spare MT/R and rim and they can be mounted on it

Idea also being as i could have access to some great secure storage i can push it in with a jockey wheel if not reverse it part of the way and then keep it out of sight and out of mind of the filth! FFRR MY06 facelift With TDV8 Alloys Zeros/ATR's
Mantec Sump Guard, Rigid Load liner, MY10 BT upgrade.

Well its frigging typical in that as one part lands on my desk to replace a busted part from offroading something else gives up the ghost!

And there was me bestowing the virtues of a pretty reliable FF until now.

As my other thread has shown, I haven't seen any 06MY=> EAS compressor failures until i saw my own
And no the piston sleeve hasn't worn out, The conrod itself as fatigued and broke apart!

I've managed to get a 2nd hand unit from a breakers for £!50 delivered so I'm off to pay for that soon.

When it arrives and fattie/rover is back on the road again I'll see if i can get to a machine shop to turn up a new rod in something more durable. Also I'll give the pistons rings a light emery to clear off what looks like heat pitting on them and maybe see about the use of a drop of oil in there as I'm sure there must have been something but its not there anymore and possibly formed the mix with the dust that i found in the motor housing and cleaned out as it was no use to man nor mechanical beast!

In other news F/R has done more offroading. The passenger side wing mirror took a hit so I bought a whole new one for £100 from the bay, mirror glass and all.
This will go with my spare set of rear lights in the garage in a pile that will likely increase in size but be kept for when the its sold on for my tdv8 upgrade.

Bodywork is still looking pretty dam good, it still needs a detail but I think I'll keep that until the sale time as no point before then really as my packing/wrapping film protection method was tried on a little offroad adventure on my own on a tight track i knew and it offered a lot of light brush protection.
The magnetic sheet type protection sounds good but isn't cheap really.

Rock slides that could slide out a little or stick out enough to be just past the level of folded in mirrors would be nice(wouldn't have helped my wing mirror though!)

Also im still searching for a cheap fubar bonnet or drivers wing for my RAI idea. Not sure how it would translate into working on the TDV8 mind but for the TD6 its a possibility at least and the other seals on the car doors hold up really well, though in 3-4years to keep them good they would best being replaced id imagine.

Currently im running the MTR's fulltime as they aren't too much noiser on my short work trips but can certainly be heard on the motorway and offer good grip in all but the oil'd roundabouts around Warrington industrial areas and tending to stick to 50-60mph on the motorway makes the noise barely noticeable. I guess if they wear well enough over a few miles then i could be tempted to run them long term as the tread is so deep they would be a good economical option for the price. Noise being the down side. I am tempted to get one of those tyre cutter things and wave shape it to cut into the chunk blocks a bit to make them more suited to snow and ice and also reduce the road noise a little but i think the noise is more to do with the chunk shapes and how tall they are! FFRR MY06 facelift With TDV8 Alloys Zeros/ATR's
Mantec Sump Guard, Rigid Load liner, MY10 BT upgrade.

Well im currently hunting for a new DECENT BioD supplier as my current one has decided in the new year he is retiring as he is getting old for it all and can't find a buyer with the current tax rate on BioD its not worth it for anyone to buy into it unless already setup somewhere.

For a little while it looks like i will be running out the remaining about of my tesco stuff, still a few 100litre left, then the last of my BioD if i cant get anymore from him before he completely shuts up shop.

I still get very annoyed that the government has increased the tax on Bio Fuels inline with normal fuel as its just ridiculous as most places that sell it now that are anywhere near within traveling distance are now just 1-2p a litre cheaper if at all... Crazy world we live in hey  FFRR MY06 facelift With TDV8 Alloys Zeros/ATR's
Mantec Sump Guard, Rigid Load liner, MY10 BT upgrade.

Updated to add an earlier photo of the beast and will try and get one sorted this weekend with her a bit cleaner if i dont go snow ploughing that is! FFRR MY06 facelift With TDV8 Alloys Zeros/ATR's
Mantec Sump Guard, Rigid Load liner, MY10 BT upgrade.

Well my FF is having a Hissy fit, Rover as he is known and im working throw the fault at the minute but thought i would post up the route im hoping to take him or his replacement on later this year Reckoning on 3 weeks of driving for it all!!

I cant import the normal overlay for some coding reason so just a linky at the minute for people to see

Rovers adventure route FFRR MY06 facelift With TDV8 Alloys Zeros/ATR's
Mantec Sump Guard, Rigid Load liner, MY10 BT upgrade.

Just to update my avatar and make sure its working fine  FFRR MY06 facelift With TDV8 Alloys Zeros/ATR's
Mantec Sump Guard, Rigid Load liner, MY10 BT upgrade.

The Color Line Ferry from Kristiansand to Denmark is a good service.