Owner: - Tristan Backhouse

Make: - Land Rover  Model: - Defender 110 special vehicles

Reg: - S685 HOK Engine: - 300 Tdi

Hello and welcome to the story of my Land Rover Defender 110. Firstly Defenders are basic vehicles built by Land Rover for owners to finish and make them into what ever they need. I found him on a farm in Leeds where I originally went to buy a Land Rover 90 which was very nice, however, when I looked around at the other 30 or more Land Rovers I saw this one and knew I wanted it. Unfortunately it was buried behind a few other Land Rovers, so once unburied and a road test later a deal was done I bought it there and then.

 

The following weekend I picked it up with 12 months mot, a quick trip to the post office for 12 months tax, then set off home to start his transformation from work horse to customised work vehicle. His nickname is 'Oakey' he is a genuine special vehicle that was specially made for Eon the electricity company. The chassis has had extra steel plating on both top and bottom to give it more strength when pulling electricity cables in. The original winch was PTO driven using a prop shaft running from the back of the transfer box alongside the gearbox and engine to the front bumper, where it turns the gearbox contained within the winch housing. There are dual side lockers fitted, one to store kit and the other was used to store a gas bottle. There was also an aluminium roof rack for a ladder and a box used to carry road works barriers and other bits of kit. The inside had racking for more equipment, steel security grids to the rear windows and a standard Land Rover tow bar to finish it off.

It was a basic Land Rover in good condition but what to do with it? Then ideas started to come to me as I pondered and slowly started modifying it. The winch and bumper, good as they were got replaced by an electric winch with a solenoid pack fitted under the bonnet in addition to a tubular bumper, a safari snorkel, spot lights and recovery lights fitted to the front. The wing tops and bonnet were fitted with chequer plate, mainly because Eon used them as work benches and were quite well dented! The rear lights were upgraded to North American Specification 'NAS' lights, and the spare wheel was mounted to the rear door. Inside was very basic to start with, so I fitted a cubby box, then a Mud centre console with 7 carling switches, midland CB radio and a CD player with Parrot hands free. The stereo was lacking punch so I fitted 2x 10in subs in the back, a pair of 6x9 speakers and dash tweeters were much better, but may still need improving but good enough for a start. By the time I finished there was so much stuff the dash was bulging, so after about a year the choice was either cut down what I have or go bigger . . . . So bigger it was. Raptor engineering built me a centre console dash that I had customised for Oakey with everything the mud dash had, as well as the night heater timer, which was cut out especially for it. For the moment I'm happy!

 

 

in the middle 

In the back I converted it to a sleeping area, so a fold away double bed was fitted, a head lining from a 110 county was also fitted though as I had no alpine lights being a hard top and I didn't like it without, so I fitted alpines, which now finishes the roof off perfectly. My Dad got me some side windows for my birthday, and a quick jigsaw later the side windows were fitted. It would get cold sleeping in the Landy in the winter so 50mm of polystyrene and 12mm ply board was fitted to the side walls. The side walls, floor and seat box were finished off with hard wearing rubber backed carpet courtesy of national express coaches, reduces noise and easy to clean once in a blue moon, and just in case it's really cold I fitted an eberspacher d1lc night heater under the drivers seat, meaning it can be freezing outside but inside the Landy can be a toasty 30 degrees or so. A timer is fitted to the Raptor dash to turn the heater on when you're not around, so no more cold mornings or nights in the Landy! The front seats were tricky, something comfy but easy to get in and out of, without costing a small fortune? A pair of Subaru Impreza WRX seats. A slight remodel of the brackets and they bolt in on the original mountings! Externally I have spot lights and recovery lights. Underneath I have fitted 6mm steel plates from front to back, to protect the steering bar, and also the front axle as well as the rear diff, and at the back a tank guard which incorporates a detachable tow bar, which has been one of my favourite purchases as I'm always towing something, but I love quarry days and green laning and the tow bar is like having ground anchors on the back they always catch or dig in when you don't want them to! The sills were removed and rock sliders fitted and three side markers down each side just in case you don't see me! (Unlikely). All in all a very loaded Landy that does anything goes anywhere and puts a smile on my face all at the same time.