Built on the 22nd of October 1998 in Solihull, England, this is one of the very first Defender produced with the Td5 engine. Land Rover sought to replace the ageing 300Tdi with something more modern, powerful and refined. The Td5 engine was conceived all the way back in 1993 and was to be the first Defender controlled by an Engine Management Unit, or ECU. Developed in conjunction with Lucas, the ECU regulates fuel delivery by taking into account a number of factors from both within the engine and externally such as inlet pressure and temperature, coolant temperature and throttle position from the new fly by wire, accelerator pedal. The 5-Cylinder Turbo Diesel engine uses the same R380 5-Speed gearbox and LT230 2-Speed transfer case from its predecessor.
The Defender has undergone a comprehensive Tier 2 to restoration involving breaking the vehicle down to its bare chassis, and rebuilding it back to the vehicle you see today. The chassis was sandblasted, and powder coated in the original satin black finish as it left the factory. The axles have been repainted, again in satin black, the differentials have been inspected for wear. The axles were rebuilt with new stub axles, wheel bearings, and oil seals throughout. The front axles also received new swivels.
New AP Lockheed brake callipers have been fitted with new discs and pads at each corner. The hard brakes lines have been replaced with modern Copper-Nickel lines and the flexible brake lines replaced. The brake servo and master cylinder has been replaced with new OEM items.
The suspension has all been replaced with new OEM springs and new Bilstein shock absorbers. All mounts have also been replaced. The suspension was reassembled with polybushes throughout. The steering box has been overhauled and new Heavy Duty steering rods fitted with all ball joints replaced.
The Defender has been refinished in its original colour of Caledonian Blue with a contrasting Alpine White roof. It was decided to style the vehicle after the Heritage Edition Defenders produced in 2015. As such, a heritage front grill has been used along with cast aluminium front and rear badges. The headlight surrounds and wing mirrors are painted in body colour, and the front bumper and door hinges have been finished in Silver..
The Defender sits on a matching set of Wolf Steel wheels painted in the Caledonian Blue body colour, and are wearing a set of new BF Goodrich AT tyres in the size 238/85R16. A set of stainless Steel wheel nuts have been fitted and the spare is located on a swing away wheel carrier mounted to the rear door. A NAS, or North America Specification rear step is fitted to make accessing the rear much easier, and this has a US 2 Inch receiver for accessories.
The vehicle was completely disassembled during the restoration, with all the panels painted individually off the vehicle before being later assembled. Five new doors were fitted during the restoration. The vehicle was completely repainted inside, out and underneath in Caledonian Blue
This Defender features our LED light package consisting of LED headlights, and LED side lights, indicators, brake light and fog lights, reverse and numberplate lights. These are in the Red, Amber and White colour like the original lights. Anyone who’s driven a Defender will know how substandard the stock headlights are, with these understated LED Headlights providing good visibility on both high and low beam. Stainless Steel hardware has been used throughout the build where appropriate which will ensure it looks smart for many years to come.
Stepping inside the Defender, the seats, dashboard and door cards have been retrimmed in Premium Tan Leather. In the front, there is a pair of original style front seats, with a matching cubby box. The middle row features three individual seats, again trimmed in Fluted Tan Leather. In the back of the Defender, there is a pair of two-man bench seats, again in Tan Fluted Leather. A Wooden rim steering wheel has been fitted and the driver’s switchgear replaced. The headlining and side trim panel have been retrimmed in two-tone Tan and Black synthetic suede.
For practicality we have decided to fit mats throughout the vehicle. In the front, there is a heavy duty matting system from Exmoor Trim, which also provides a good level of sound installation. Underneath the front floors panels, sound deadening has also been fitted. In the middle removable mats are fitted, and in the back of the Defender a Genuine Land Rover logo mat has been modified and fitted.
This vehicle is fitted with an under dash OEM-style Air Conditioning unit, which should ensure it remains cool inside during the warmer months. For the colder months, the front seats are fitted with two-stage seat heaters and a heated front windscreen has also been fitted, so as to ensure that it defrosts quickly. The rear screen is also heated.
A modern Blaupunkt retro stereo has been fitted with two pairs of Focal speakers, one set mounted under the AC unit and the other on the back corners of the vehicle. Sound deadening has been fitted under the second row floor and inside the rear tub. It is also fitted on the roof along with 10mm of closed cell foam insulation. This not only eliminates the booming sound that Defender’s often have from their design, but also drastically cuts down the ambient noise making them a much more pleasurable place to be.
Mechanically, the engine, gearbox and transfer case are original to the vehicle. It has covered just 276,000km which for the Td5 engine is very reasonable. During the restoration, the sump and cylinder head was removed to allow inspection of the cylinders and crankshaft bearings. Perhaps unsurprising at only this mileage, the level of wear was almost non-existent and it was decided to leave it untouched. The turbocharger and starter motor has been rebuilt and the water pump was replaced. The Injector wiring loom was replaced. For those that don’t know, Land Rover decided to install the wiring loom for the injectors inside the cylinder head. These ‘wet looms’ can however allow oil to travel along the loom and into the ECU. The injectors were tested and reinstalled with new o-rings and copper washers. A new in-tank Fuel Pump has been installed, and a free flowing stainless steel exhaust system fitted. The gearbox and transfer case were inspected and re-sealed. A new heavy duty clutch has been fitted, as well as a new clutch slave and master cylinders.
It has been fully serviced, all fluids and filters replaced and undergone around 500 miles of shakedown testing since completion.
