Last week, we posted the list of upgrades and fixes we plan to make to our Defender, on the exterior and interior. However, because the list of mods we intend to make are quite extensive, we've split the post into two parts, with this post covering the mechanics.

Handling

We covered handling in the last post, as we want to make the Defender handling 'a-little' more taught. We're not expecting miracles, but new bushes will certainly help. Since posting, we've been looking into Polybushes and have found that many Land Rover owners prefer SuperPro bushes. SuperPro apparently have a lot more of a quality feel to them, and we've found that TD5 Alive stock them. It might be interesting if we could do a straight comparison, so we'll look into it in the future.

Oils

As daft as it seems, we want to try and use the best wherever we can. Hence, we'll be switching the oils to those from the Millers Oils brands. They are renowned world wide and used by racing teams, which is a great endorsement. Interestingly, Millers Oils are based about 10 minutes away from our office, so we're going to try arrange a video tour as part of an upcoming project we have in line for you guys. It's called 'Overdrive'.

Service

The Land Rover isn't due a service for another 6,000 miles, but with the extra power and performance (and weight) we're throwing at it, it would be advisable to have the car serviced. As to whether we do this ourselves, as per Land Rover workshop specifications, or pay a local Land Rover workshop to carry a full service out, we're not sure. We also want to query 2 oil leaks, one from the engine and the other, from the gearbox. Yes, we know it's a Land Rover, but we're looking into whether it's possible to completely stop, or at very least, reduce the amount of oil that drips from the underside of this car. The servicing is right next to the suspension (from our previous post) in terms of it's priority. We might also give it a steam clean around this time.

Cooling

After icicles formed on the radiator grill in winter, the intercooler and radiator have both suffered. The intercooler (which is a standard Land Rover part) has sagged due to ice expanding in the fins. The radiator too has shifted slightly and has sprung a leak. Fortunately, dropping some Radweld in has fixed the problem, but this too is high up on the list for replacing. With a genuine Land Rover item costing £225.00 plus delivery, we'll be using an OEM part (but not Britpart). We're going to team that with a performance intercooler, from TD5 Alive or Twisted Performance.

Exhaust

Fitting a sports exhaust and de-cat pipe to a TD5 can give great performance and a really awesome sounding beast! Again parts will be sourced from Twisted or TD5 Alive.

Check this video (showing just a de-cat and mid-box replacement)

Hybrid Turbo

In order to get real power from the TD5, fitting an uprated, or hybrid turbo is the way to go. Power outputs of 230bhp+ can be achieved using an item like the following from TD5 Alive.

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