Project: Expedition Alaska.

[RyanB16]

I bought my Defender november of last year for just one reason. To do a 5 months expedtion in it up to Alaska. This will be my first expedition and I thought what better way to do it in, then in a Land Rover. So I sold my Chevy and decided to buy a rover that needed a little bit of work.

I just dropped off my rig this morning to get pulled back to straight and new rear quarters put on. I had to do some looking around to find a body shop that would even consider working on a defender. And if they would work it, their work wasn't cheep. I did find a respectable shop that works on a lot of Rovers and have worked on defender in the past. Which is good because they were more in my budget range of what I expected the job should cost. I did the front wings last month when I did the motor swap. Every panel except the hood and tailgate is getting replaced. I have some issues with a passenger side door not staying closed. especially when I take corners. I guess its expected when its been on its top. Thought I would post some pictures up here of the progress.

The rebuilt motor is a 3.9L that came out of a 95 Defender. I did a complete gasket and seal kit. A performance cam done by Bullet Racing Cams, new lifters, new timing chain and gears, A custom head shop did a complete head job, and a new clutch. when doing the swap, I noticed the lack of head bolts in the newer motor. My 3.9L that was in my 94 has twice as many bolts around the heads. Anyone know the reasoning for the change? Just something that caught my eye.

I have plans to do a roof top tent set up with changing station, Dual optima battery. I need to rig up an inverter to 110 to run some of my accessories (laptop, cameras, etc), roof rack, solar, mini fridge, I have an idea for a stove to hinge off my tailgate, and a lot of aux lights on it. I think that is pretty much what I have planned. If anyone else has any interesting ideas of whats needed or what I am forgetting, I would like to hear about them.

estimated departure date of June 1.

[dave_lucas]

Is this the one madcowdungbettle was selling?

What are you planning to do for a top?

[RyanB16]

thats the one. I drove the thing home from Charlotte. Its got a brand new soft top for it.

Is this the one madcowdungbettle was selling?

What are you planning to do for a top?

[Neil McCauley]

Wow that truck looks a bit tired, but saveable no doubt. Interesting how the block has burnt oil in the oil galley, guess it means the oil wasn't changed often enough with clean synthetic. I would of had it pressure tested and thoroughly cleaned.

neil

[JimC]

Sounds great - we don't have enough of these types of projects going on around here - everyone should be restoring at least one rover at any given time. And we definitely don't have enough reports of people out roving in their rovers. Good luck with this and make sure you post updates more frequently than ECR and Ron.

[evilfij]

Good luck with this and make sure you post updates more frequently than ECR and Ron.

You mean once every eight years is not enough?

[RyanB16]

. Good luck with this and make sure you post updates more frequently than ECR and Ron.
I am putting together a web page that I will be documenting the entire trip as I go. Updates during the trip should be every couple of weeks, depending on how remote of a spot my defender can get me.

[akfisher]

ryan,
what kind of expedition are you planning up here? you probably already know this but even though alaska is huge we have very few roads and not a lot of areas where you can off road. that being said there are plenty of cool places to drive to such as the dalton highway(haul road for pipeline) that goes all the way to the arctic ocean, the road to mccarthy in the wrangell mountains, the denali highway(not in the park but close by and does have some offroading possible). you might also consider the dempster highway in the yukon that also goes to the arctic ocean but is even more remote than the dalton. i would make a couple suggestions
1- get a copy of the milepost which is published by alaska magazine, it is a complete description of every major road in alaska paved and unpaved. it shows where you can get fuel, where you can camp etc etc
2- there is a land rover dealer in anchorage but they dont stock defender parts. you should consider bringing any parts you think are likely to fail on a long trip. you can get overnight parts to anchorage if needed however.
3- you said 5 months leaving june 1 - if you are driving up here via the alcan remember that summer is pretty much over the 2nd week of september and the snow is usually flying by october. 20 below is not unheard of in october here in anchorage and it can be much colder on the alcan in october. another option on the way back might be the marine ferry from haines to bellingham. you can put your car on the ferry and enjoy the ride and avoid the drive in the cold.
if you have any questions feel free to ask. maybe i'll see you up here this summer
rj hall

[evilfij]

www.alcan5000.com

:)

[RyanB16]

ryan,
what kind of expedition are you planning up here? you probably already know this but even though alaska is huge we have very few roads and not a lot of areas where you can off road. that being said there are plenty of cool places to drive to such as the dalton highway(haul road for pipeline) that goes all the way to the arctic ocean, the road to mccarthy in the wrangell mountains, the denali highway(not in the park but close by and does have some offroading possible). you might also consider the dempster highway in the yukon that also goes to the arctic ocean but is even more remote than the dalton. i would make a couple suggestions
1- get a copy of the milepost which is published by alaska magazine, it is a complete description of every major road in alaska paved and unpaved. it shows where you can get fuel, where you can camp etc etc
2- there is a land rover dealer in anchorage but they dont stock defender parts. you should consider bringing any parts you think are likely to fail on a long trip. you can get overnight parts to anchorage if needed however.
3- you said 5 months leaving june 1 - if you are driving up here via the alcan remember that summer is pretty much over the 2nd week of september and the snow is usually flying by october. 20 below is not unheard of in october here in anchorage and it can be much colder on the alcan in october. another option on the way back might be the marine ferry from haines to bellingham. you can put your car on the ferry and enjoy the ride and avoid the drive in the cold.
if you have any questions feel free to ask. maybe i'll see you up here this summer
rj hall

wow...you are full of all kinds of good information. The expedition is put on to enhance my photography business. taking pictures of wildlife has always been a hobby of mine and now i plan to do it full time. I have some friends near Copper Center where I will be doing most of my stay. I can branch off from there in my rover when needed. Some of the major national parks are on my list of places to see. Katmai is one of them for the bears. My parents have some friends in Denali so I will be there a few weeks, and i will be doing a lot of hiking in the wrangels. The reasoning for my extended stay into the fall is I would like to be in Haines when all the bald eagles start to gather. I was told late september and october. Other then that, I plan to get some good fishing it, camp, hike, and have a good time.

Parts....I haven't owned a defender very long so I dont know what tends to be their week points. I plan to bring some basics, but anything that is recommend i will put on my list. extra belts, fuel pump, etc. full set of tools.

ryan

[akfisher]

ryan,
you are probably coming to alaska at the perfect time. due to the economy they are expecting tourism to be way down this year and there are all kinds of deals to be had. usually brooks camp at katmai is booked well in advance during the prime bear viewing season but i bet this year there are still openings and probably at great rates. bear viewing is becoming a very popular activity and the flight services all over are developing other areas to go that arent as restrictive as a national park. just google bear viewing alaska and you will get all kinds of ideas. you can even go down and see tasty timmy treadwells bears by flying out of kodiak or homer. your friends in copper center can give you better advice about the wrangells but i can recommend both the mccarthy and nebesna roads as fun, scenic drives. if you are going to be hiking in the wrangells one option is using one of the air services in mccarthy to fly you up high in the mountains and then you can hike your way out, down hill all the way. wrangellmountainair.com if you have time i would also highly recommend the dalton highway, it is very cool to drive over the yukon river then cross the arctic circle and then up and over the brooks range mountains and then over the plains of the north slope all the way to the arctic ocean. the bummer is that the last mile or so is on oil company property and some years they let people drive it and some years they make people pay to take a tour. as you can see you'll find once you get an alaskan talking about alaska its hard to shut them up.

[TDI Guy]

Ryan, was that cage bent? I almost bought it..... But found another truck.. More Build Pix too.. :)

[RyanB16]

I took some measurements throughout the cage. Across the top it all measures pretty sq. My defender is in the shop getting pulled as we speak. I will know how far the roll bar is out when I get the 90 back and everything is where it is supposed to be. There wasn't any signs of damage on the cage. luckily, the way the cage is set up, it absorbed the impact where there are joints are on the cage. The rear quarter collapsed with the impact across the top cap where the roll bar mounts to, so there was no damage to the wheel well in the tub. which is nice.

I am stopping in the shop tomorrow to see how the work is coming. should have some pretty good pics to post tomorrow, maybe some with the rear quarters pulled off and new tin going on.

you can see where the majority of the impact was place on from the cage. a few weeks ago I was on the north side of denver and just happen to stop in to the flatirons LR dealership, it turns out they had my top rail for the tub.....in stock. I couldn't believe it. I had him check on ordering the part, and he comes up from the back with the part. I about fell over. apparently, they ordered it for someone about 2-3 years ago and for some reason, they never came and got them.

[TDI Guy]

Crazy..

[JimC]

And if the expedition rover plans fall through, will you just take a caravan of minis?

[RyanB16]

And if the expedition rover plans fall through, will you just take a caravan of minis?
I dont think I can out run a bear in a mini. I could probably out corner him. :)

[RyanB16]

Here are some progress pics of the rear quarters. They have most of the pulling and allignments done. They still have the both cappings to do on the driver side quarter. Looks like they might be done towards the end of the week. We will see how far they get done in the next few days.

[evilfij]

Wasn't there a new tub available from the same seller of this truck?

[RyanB16]

Wasn't there a new tub available from the same seller of this truck?

There was. When I bought the truck, the price on the tub was 2K. and if I remeber correctly, some of the cappings were banged up from moving it around and such and probably needed to be replaced anyway. and who knows how many more dings from transporting that back from charlotte that would occur.

So what I did was:
both rear qrts - 120 for the pair,
both top cappings - 112 each,
one rear corner capping - 11.
bag o rivots - 30
labor for install - 550

All and all, I am under a grand.

The key to this was finding a Land Rover body shop. Every other body shop goes by the book on how many hours the book suggests. and in the european body shop book, it list that each quarter panel takes 17 hours. one shop actually quoted me over 3K just to do the two quarters (and I provide the panels) Luckily I found a Rover shop that has delt with defenders before so the price was much more affordable. they bid the job on how many hours it really does take. which was nice.

[Grover]

Make sure they paint under the cappings...

Are they spot welding the rear 1/4s in?

[RyanB16]

Are they spot welding the rear 1/4s in?

Yeah, they are going to spot weld them in and make the spot welds visible. they are also using sheet metal adhesive for added strength.

[Grover]

Sounds like they are doing a great job! Keep us posted on the progress. Are you painting the cappings or having those galvanized? Check out the '95 Pendy is selling...the galvy looks good...


Cheers...

[Gore Ranger]

There was. When I bought the truck, the price on the tub was 2K. and if I remeber correctly, some of the cappings were banged up from moving it around and such and probably needed to be replaced anyway. and who knows how many more dings from transporting that back from charlotte that would occur.

So what I did was:
both rear qrts - 120 for the pair,
both top cappings - 112 each,
one rear corner capping - 11.
bag o rivots - 30
labor for install - 550

All and all, I am under a grand.

The key to this was finding a Land Rover body shop. Every other body shop goes by the book on how many hours the book suggests. and in the european body shop book, it list that each quarter panel takes 17 hours. one shop actually quoted me over 3K just to do the two quarters (and I provide the panels) Luckily I found a Rover shop that has delt with defenders before so the price was much more affordable. they bid the job on how many hours it really does take. which was nice.what body shop are you having the work done at?

[Stmpede]

Nice, keep the pics coming. It looks like the body shop is doing a great job!

IIRC, LR went to the new style head with fewer bolts because they found that the 3rd row of bolts was causing premature head gasket failure. I've heard that a lot of people don't reinstall the 3rd row of bolts when they do head gaskets in order to prevent this.

[RyanB16]

what body shop are you having the work done at?Johns Collision Repair is doing the work. LR Denver South referred me to them. its the place where they takes all their rovers to get worked on. It should be ready for pickup on monday. then on to the paint prep work. Here is some more pictures with the cappings all in place.

[bjf]

Looks good but shouldnt you have painted it first?

[FlaD90]

I thought to get an "A" one job you paint all these panels first too?

whish I knew a place in Florida where you can get a quality job without breaking the bank.

[TDI Guy]

LOL. why is the rear land rover badge upside down??

[RyanB16]

I thought to get an "A" one job you paint all these panels first too?.

that would have been nice but much more expensive. I would have to paint it twice if I were to do that. none of the rivots would be painted. All the capping came primed from the dealer. and none of the factory pieces were painted under the cappings.

Follow-up Post:

LOL. why is the rear land rover badge upside down??
=) that is from the the previous owners sense of humor. The fact that its been on its top deserves the badge to be upside down. What was impressive whats that the body shop couldn't find the seem of the badge on how it used to be (right side up). so they were stumped on how long it has been that way and if it ever was put on the right way. it gets a lot of laughs. it is like the red bull can over the ignition coil trick.

unfortunately, it will have to go on the right way after it gets painted.

[TDI Guy]

Ryan, make sure you remove the badge prior to painting. Reinstall after the paint job....

[cgalpin]

I would think brush painting primer on the sections of panel covered by the cappings would quick, cheap, and effective. What do people normally do?

[RyanB16]

I would think brush painting primer on the sections of panel covered by the cappings would quick, cheap, and effective. What do people normally do?
that is much needed with working steel on steel, and would have to be done. It is an aluminum panel under the dealer primed steel capping. any water that would get under there would be pressed up against the aluminum and be fine. the parts that rust are already primed.

[cgalpin]

Yeah, sounds reasonable.

[FlaD90]

Ryan,

Keep those pictures comming man!!! did not mean to nit-pick about the painting process.
The trip to Alaska is fantastic amigo, safety is top priority GPS, GPS, cant say enough about this.

[RyanB16]

Ryan,

Keep those pictures comming man!!! did not mean to nit-pick about the painting process.
The trip to Alaska is fantastic amigo, safety is top priority GPS, GPS, cant say enough about this.
GPS is my specialty, I have the garmin on the dash, the PLB in the bag, the military grade Suunto GPS wrist watch with navigation, I jsut picked up the Spot GPS locator beacon (mainly for the text communication ability and the trip tracking capability.) I am putting the tracking link of the SPOT on my webpage so people can track my progress and see where I am in my trip. THe SPOT links with google earth so it should be pretty easy to monitor.

Follow-up Post:

So here is what happened with the body shop that is doing to work on my rover. I had stressed about having the spot welds and how I need them to be visible, etc, etc. They told me it wouldn't be a problem. "Return to factory specs" is that they said. so, they called me up a few days ago and said spot welding is going to be a problem and the bill adjustment to have it done would be an aditional $700. almost double of the original bid to have the qtrs put on and pulled back to sq. My problem that I am faced with is that they already glued it back together so spot welding is now out of the question unless removing the qtrs and starting over.

I went down to talk to them about it and they told me they mis-bid it and didn't realize how many spot welds there are. I mentioned to them that I am in the remodel business and if I mis-bid a basement finish, I eat the cost. it sucks but it happens. they told me in the auto body world, it doesn't work that way.

They mentioned a few ideas of how to get the "spot weld look" but I am a bit skeptical about it. They want to take like a 6mm socket and hammer in little spot welds everywhere.

0r, they want to put on the primer thick, and then with an eraser of a #2 pencil, go around and place little dimples everywhere.

I am not a big fan about either. I guess what I am trying to get to, is that I am pretty much S.O.L on the subject. What other options do I have?

Ryan

[cgalpin]

Damn that sucks. I'd ask someone like Mike at ECR.

Is this truck really going to look "stock" or have no trace of having been rolled/wrecked when done? If not, I'd just skip the fake welds. If not, do it right. Sucks they won't honor the bid though.

[JimC]

We just had a thread here where some of the pros offered good advice about the spot-weld thing, I forget where its at though. Of course its BS about them messing up the bid. Seems more and more places are happy these days to behave this way - I don't get it. But anyway...

I don't think I'd be too disappointed with just replicating the spot-weld look if the rest of the job was satisfactory. How about using a hole punch on sand paper to create a bunch of little discs, then use adhesive (there is adhesive backed sand paper right?) and stick the little discs to the end of a pencil eraser - chuck the pencil into your drill and make your spot weld marks. You could even vary the pressure and angle to get some variation etc. Once you paint it, I bet it would be hard to tell the difference.

[revtor]

Skip the fake spot welds. Is it really that important of a look that you'd fake it? (for something that no one but you will really notice anyway?) You've got rivets and dents - thats the real LR stuff right there.

keep going! get her on the road..

~Steve

[evilfij]

Ryan,

Try this:

"Ok, great, give me my truck back as is and I am paying you nothing or fix it the way agreed at the agreed upon amount or I will tie you up in court and cost you 10 times what you are making off the job and truthfully tell my story everywhere on the internet and to all my friends."

Also, pay with amex and dispute the charge if they will not release the truck without payment.

Ron

[RyanB16]

Well, I dropped it off to the paint guy last week. Sorry I am a little late with posting the before pictures. They primed it all yesterday and should be spraying the red either today or tomorrow. so more pictures will follow soon. but these were the ones before i dropped it off. I should have it back before the weekend and then start re-assembly.

[JimC]

I don't have a problem with the lateness of your post - I'm just pi$$ed that I can't enlarge the images and see more detail!!

:)

[RyanB16]

I dont know what happened. that is the first set of pics that happened too.

[JimC]

Much better, thanks! What did you decide about your spot-weld marks?

[bjf]

take the winch motor thing off and the hinges before painting

[RyanB16]

Much better, thanks! What did you decide about your spot-weld marks?
I decided to go without them. it wasn't worth 700 to me or a way too many hours dealing with them.

Follow-up Post:

take the winch motor thing off and the hinges before paintingYeah...i took out the bolts and ran some zipties in there so the painter can just cut the ties and get right to work.

[RyanB16]

I have a list of things I still need to do to my rig. If anyone has new or used of these parts, or know someone tha does, I am interested in buying them.

- Rocker guards - heavy duty, I dont want the diamond plate covers to fancy them up, strong steel body armor is what I had in mind.

- snorkle - NAS snorkel kit. I have been looking at the ARB kit. Seems reasonable. unless someone knows any other good snorkle kits to buy

- Fridge/freezer - I again was looking at the ARB fridge/freezer combo, but 800 might be a little steep. Coleman makes a fridge without the freezer for about 600 less. Is the freezer that really important on expedtion to alaska? (a place where it can snow any day of the year)

- lockable storage boxes for the back - I am taking out the back seat...or not putting the back seat back in, to create more storage, running the soft top, I could use a couple lockable storage containers to organize the back of the rig. one for cameras and more fragile gears, then maybe one for tough gear (recovery gear, tow rope, etc.)

- Roof top tent - The ARB tents are nice, but it looks like Mombasa makes the exact same thing for about half the cost. If someone has one they are getting ready, that is still in good condition, I am interested. this will be my home for the next 5 months so comfort is key. does anyone have any feedback on the Mombasa tents? just curious what the ARB tent does that the Mombasa doesn't.




That is about all I can think of right now. Again, if you have what i am looking for or know of a decent product to point me to, I want to hear about it.

Ryan

more pics should be coming soon. my paint guy keeps pushing it back. I guess thats what happens when he is painting it as a side job.

[Chaucer]

When are you going again? I'm planning a 3-day weekend camping trip to try out our Camping Lab tent (same as Mombasa) not this weekend, but next and can give you and idea then.

[RyanB16]

When are you going again? I'm planning a 3-day weekend camping trip to try out our Camping Lab tent (same as Mombasa) not this weekend, but next and can give you and idea then.
I am not leaving til mid June. just about a month away. That would be awesome to get some feedback from it.

Ryan

[evilfij]

For the money of a roof top tent and for 5 months, I would consider a small trailer like a pop up or scotty.

[Stmpede]

Last I knew, Twisted90 (yousef, who is in CO) had a roof top tent for sale, and if Buck hasn't scrapped them yet, he had a free pair of really heavy duty rock sliders that he was giving away.

[RyanB16]

Last I knew, Twisted90 (yousef, who is in CO) had a roof top tent for sale, and if Buck hasn't scrapped them yet, he had a free pair of really heavy duty rock sliders that he was giving away.I talked to Yousef about his roof rack he was selling a few weeks ago. I think he had already sold the tent. I will check with him again.

How do I get a hold of Buck?

Thanks for the leads, btw.

[Oxcart13]

Ryan - we should get another HH together to chat.

Rock sliders - if Buck doesn't have his old set, you should just go down to the Springs and get a set from Rockware. Easy and done

Snorkel - I can give you one of the UK LR mags I have laying about. In the back you can source some very reasonable prices snorkels. I paid 68GBP for my 110 snorkel, which was about $100 plus shipping.

Storage - I have some Troy Smith boxes in my attic if you are interested. Do a search on this forum for images.

Would like to pick your brain about cameras some time.

HTH. Mark

[RyanB16]

getting everything masked off to paint yesterday. It should be all red now. I pick her up tomorrow. Then the fun begins of putting it all back together.

[bjf]

Is the land rover sticker still on the front?

[cgalpin]

Storage - I have some Troy Smith boxes in my attic if you are interested. Do a search on this forum for images.

This would be a good choice imo.

[rijosho]

Awesome thread, Ryan. Thanks!

[RyanB16]

Is the land rover sticker still on the front?



Land Rover Sticker came off. =) Here are the paint pictures. He still isn't done. He has the inside of the tub still to paint and then still has to polish the outside. But he let me take some pictures.

[bjf]

looks good!!

[Rod Hayward]

- lockable storage boxes for the back - I am taking out the back seat...or not putting the back seat back in, to create more storage, running the soft top, I could use a couple lockable storage containers to organize the back of the rig. one for cameras and more fragile gears, then maybe one for tough gear (recovery gear, tow rope, etc.)
Have you thought about a lockable storage drawer long enough to secure a long gun?

[RyanB16]

Have you thought about a lockable storage drawer long enough to secure a long gun?That might be a good thing to have. I have a gun waiting for me when I get to Anchorage. I dont know how strict Canada will be if I try to transport one up there.

[evilfij]

That might be a good thing to have. I have a gun waiting for me when I get to Anchorage. I dont know how strict Canada will be if I try to transport one up there.

Long guns are fine but have to be declared. At that is the way it was last time I did it.

[Chaucer]

Feedback on the Camping Lab/Mombasa RTT: It did well during our 3-day weekend. I didn't notice much of a difference in wind resistance on the highway unless a strong wind would hit us. So average conditions - not a big deal. It does make the rover a bit more top-heavy, so lane changes and turns need to be taken a bit more carefully than usual as it does behave differently. This is on top of a 110 - so your 90 would react differently (ask Dan “WLDKGDM” on this board…I think he has the same RTT on a 90).
The first day, we were in warm, relatively dry weather (low humidity) – no problems with condensation. There was a slight ventilation issue (if all windows were closed) even with the two ‘vents’. Once you open a couple of the windows to let some air flow through, no problems.
The next day, the weather changed rapidly from around 80F down to high 30s to low 40s, by morning there was definitely condensation on all sides of the tent (just like a normal ground tent). This was sitting next to a river and a much more humid day than the previous.
One tip: there are metal sticks that prop open the window ‘eves’… I found out the after the fact, that one can install these from the *inside*of the tent rather than climbing all round the rover on the outside.
Hope this helps, hit me up directly if you want any specific details.

[TDI Guy]

WHat size tires are on the truck?

[RyanB16]

Feedback on the Camping Lab/Mombasa RTT: It did well during our 3-day weekend. I didn't notice much of a difference in wind resistance on the highway unless a strong wind would hit us. So average conditions - not a big deal. It does make the rover a bit more top-heavy, so lane changes and turns need to be taken a bit more carefully than usual as it does behave differently. This is on top of a 110 - so your 90 would react differently (ask Dan “WLDKGDM” on this board…I think he has the same RTT on a 90).
The first day, we were in warm, relatively dry weather (low humidity) – no problems with condensation. There was a slight ventilation issue (if all windows were closed) even with the two ‘vents’. Once you open a couple of the windows to let some air flow through, no problems.
The next day, the weather changed rapidly from around 80F down to high 30s to low 40s, by morning there was definitely condensation on all sides of the tent (just like a normal ground tent). This was sitting next to a river and a much more humid day than the previous.
One tip: there are metal sticks that prop open the window ‘eves’… I found out the after the fact, that one can install these from the *inside*of the tent rather than climbing all round the rover on the outside.
Hope this helps, hit me up directly if you want any specific details.

yeah...helps a lot. Thanks for the report. Sounds like it worked well for you. I think the Mombasa is the one to go for. For the price, I think it will do everything that I will need it to do. Good info about the top heavy. I still have to build my roof rack that it will be mounted on so I might have to give it the lowest profile I can have for it.

Follow-up Post:

WHat size tires are on the truck?
I am currently running 285/75/R16. I have been shopping around to do some suspension lifts. I am not sure if I want to go with a bigger tire or not. I am definately thinking about going to a wider wheel. I might have this set of 5 MTR's for sale in a few weeks when I decide to do the upgrades if anyone is interested in them.

[Chaucer]

Yeah it worked well. Planning on using it again in the next couple weeks. Regarding mounting it with the lowest profile - if you're mounting to a rack you are going to build, then I recommend mounting directly to the rack (which would hopefully be mounted as low as possible too).

I ended up using a set of Thule Crossroad mounting feet that use a rubber coated steel strap around the roll cage and a pair of the 58" crossbars. I didn't use the extruded aluminum that came with the tent as that added another inch to the height. I ended up using come Yakima wrap-around mounts instead (so no drilling through the crossbars).

[newfD90]

I might have this set of 5 MTR's for sale in a few weeks when I decide to do the upgrades if anyone is interested in them.

Looking good Ryan! I might be interested in them. How were they in the snow?

We gotta do another happy hour here soon.

[RyanB16]

They work well in the snow. I had no problems with them. They actually had better traction then I anticipated. Happy hour sonde good. I had some issues with the paint so the 90 had to go back to the paint booth for some touch up. I am not sure when I am suppose to get it back but will keep you posted. I am planning a trip down to pikes peak rovers this week to talk to them about some suspension upgrades. I heard those guys are the ones to talk too.

[newfD90]

Cool, maybe we can work something out.

Yeah, Eric & Luke know their stuff. Tell them hello for me. Give me a holler if you need any help while down here.

[RyanB16]

so...the paint guy took forever. about 2 1/2 months to be exact. There were a lot of issues when he was done. so it had to go back to him a few times to get everything right. Trying to cut some corners and save only about a 100 bucks by not using primer before the paint, cost him a lot repainting it. My black new door and my silver rear quarter panels ended up drying the red paint a lot darker on the black door as a result. It sucks because it pushed my alaska trip til next year. but here are the pics after the third time I had the paint guy take care of it. after thinking about it, a bear will probably end up stratching the piss out of it up in Alaska.

I ended up going back to work for a bit since my trip got delayed while to paint guy had the 90. I am back now and its time to finish building it up for my trip. I have to winter to drive it and build it.

[RyanB16]

I got all the new parts to finish putting the front end together. New side marker lights, running lights, etc. and new plastic headlight trim pieces. I got her all cleaned up and pulled over to take some pics.

Monday the 5th, I am dropping it off the the upholstery guy to custom make me a top. He is designing it like a reg cab truck style top that will have a dust cover over the rear and a small enclosed cab section around the front. Should make it nice and toasty in there this winter.


I wanted to see if anyone has purchased a roof rack from roverracks.com. Just wonderings peoples thoughts on them. They are quite a bit cheaper then other racks I have seen. If anyone has any insight on this, I would like to hear about it.

Thanks

Ryan

[JimC]

Looks great Ryan!

They are quite a bit cheaper then other racks I have seen.

I think you just summed it up right there.

[woldd90]

Great looking truck... You have put a lot of hard work and $ in, and it looks great. You will need to add the belt rail kit before you can put the soft top on it... Why not just buy a Badger top, instead of having one made?

What is that in the back of the truck?

[bjf]

looks great

[evilfij]

I would put flares on it. Alaska will ruin the new paint without flares from all the dirt/stone roads.

[dave_lucas]

I had a badger 1/2 cab and the tonneau cover and it worked great. Pretty much sounds like you are trying to do the same.

Might want to check with the badger man, he makes top quality stuff and my guess it will fit better than someone trying to make one for the first time.

If you do go to the local person and have good luck let me know. I have a ROW 90 and soft top that I want to get some minor changes made to.

http://www.badgercoachworks.com/index_files/Page682.htm

[Grover]

What is that in the back of the truck?...looks like an engine stand...


The D90 looks great! You must write about your trip to Alaska...

Cheers...

[RyanB16]

...looks like an engine stand...


The D90 looks great! You must write about your trip to Alaska...

Cheers...

Thats exactly what it is. =) Rod let me borrow it for the engine rebuild.

I am at the tail end of finalizing my web page where I will be documenting the entire trip. so once I get that up and running, it should be a good way of tracking my progress.

Follow-up Post:

I would put flares on it. Alaska will ruin the new paint without flares from all the dirt/stone roads.the two front flares were damaged pretty good in the rollover (and removal of the front wings) , I still have to rears and I am going to have to get the fronts pretty soon here with winter coming. If any one has a used front set, I would be interested in them

Follow-up Post:

I had a badger 1/2 cab and the tonneau cover and it worked great. Pretty much sounds like you are trying to do the same.

Might want to check with the badger man, he makes top quality stuff and my guess it will fit better than someone trying to make one for the first time.

If you do go to the local person and have good luck let me know. I have a ROW 90 and soft top that I want to get some minor changes made to.

http://www.badgercoachworks.com/index_files/Page682.htm
I like the badger tops, They look like really good tops. Unfortunately they are a little out of my budget. I am trying to keep my other soft top so I will be able to go back and forth between the two if needed. the guy making the top specializes in tops and upholstery for mostly hotrods. he is going to base the whole front part of the top off of my other one. He feels pretty confident about it. and I got to see a lot of his work and some of the cars in his shop now. he will be reinstalling the snaps along the top of the rear quarters, just like my other one mounts. I might have him put a couple more on each side to help secure it more in the wind.

here are pics of my other top. after thinking about it, I really dont know how much I will actually use this other top. I really prefer no top when it is nice and more heat when it is cold. I guess if anyone needs a barely used soft top i might consider selling to maybe help fund a roof rack that I still need to buy. or trade for one.

[dave_lucas]

looking forward to seeing what he comes up with.

Would also like his contact info if you do not mind, need to do a few tweaks to my top :)

[RyanB16]

hey guys. sorry for the late posts. been swamped with work for the last few months. but I am all caught up now and have had some time to work on the rover. Here are the soft top pics. and since then, I got my flares back on.

the top really makes the heater work ten times better. He ran the top all the way to the floor and attached it to the lower roll bar right behind the seats. so If I have the rear dust cover off, I can still be dry and warm. so far it keeps it pretty dry inside. no big issues that have aroused.

[madcowdungbeetle]

Ryan the truck looks incredible. I miss that thing everyday, but Im glad you have given it the attention it deserves.

[RyanB16]

Ryan the truck looks incredible. I miss that thing everyday, but Im glad you have given it the attention it deserves.
hey thanks. its come a long ways. it is a fun project. I am glad that I can drive it now. it had too long of a downtime with it all torn apart.

[Grover]

Ryan,

The top looks great! I like how it seals around the cage. Who made the top for you? Also, how does it seal around the door tops? Looking forward to more pictures!!!

Cheers...

[RyanB16]

[QUOTE=Grover]Ryan,

The top looks great! I like how it seals around the cage. Who made the top for you? Also, how does it seal around the door tops? Looking forward to more pictures!!!

Cheers...[/QUOTE

A local upholstery shop made me the top. I gave me my other full soft top to template the entire front off of. so pretty much from the B hoop forward is exactly like my other top. it seals around the doors nicely. no large gaps etc. He inserted a flat piece of steel in the fabric that runs up along the back side of the window. that really helps the structure keeping it top close to the door. He had to special orders those pieces of steel so I went without them for about a week and really noticed a difference. He stitched a drip rail across the top just like the other one. He also put a zipper on the back window so it can fold down in behind the seats which works great for those cold mornings into work and then heats up in the afternoon. seeing how I am not running a/c.

I was out driving around this weekend and passed a small used car lot that had a 95 defender sitting there for sale that had the half cab badger top on it. that was the first time I have seen a badger top up close but I wasn't aware that they didn't seal all around the cab. that it was entirely sectional. I dont know if this was one of there early model tops if there are still making them this way. it was just interesting to see another way of accomplishing the half cab top. overall it wasn't a bad looking defender.

Here's some more pics of the windows.

Follow-up Post:

Forgot to attach the corner pic of the zipper. well, here it is.

Follow-up Post:

I was out running errands today and getting ready to leave the parking lot, the defender wont start. Doesn't crank, no dash lights etc. I have running lights and dome light, just no response when I turn the key. after about 30 minutes or so of checking things out, (battery cables, fuses, etc) I call the tow company. I dont have any tools with me and only about 10 mi les from the house. actually 10 miles seems like a lot when you car doesn't run. anyways, tow truck shows up, funny that I got 2 offers for my dead defender sitting there in the parking lot. one as the truck was being loaded on the truck he wanted me to have it tow it right to his house. but i didn't . right when I got home started checking this out again. got under the hood and checked the 60 amp ignition fuse. which was blown. Thankyou madcowdungbeetle (who had sold me the truck) had 2 extra fuses in the storage compartment. Been there over a year now. New fuse is in and started right up. saved me from a trip to the store. although if I would have checked there sooner, it would have saved me a tow. =)

[FlaD90]

Ryan,

The truck looks great to say the least, if you dont mind can you email me details of the top?
such as price & contact information for this fellow.

enjoy your truck amigo..

[Grover]

Ryan,

The truck looks great to say the least, if you dont mind can you email me details of the top?
such as price & contact information for this fellow.

enjoy your truck amigo..
Ryan,

Me too. You can just pm me...

Cheers...