Rover King Defender 90

[Webbage]

Well after a good bit of work by myself and my paint guy, this is my first picture of my new(ish) baby.

Sorry about the crappy quality it was taken in my room with no flash so you could see the lights.\

This is only the first part. I plan on making a winch bumper and a real metal read cross-member for the back, and maybe even some side bars for the sills if I can work out the mountings. This is very much a 'semi-scaler' project though, I'm just looking for something a little nicer than a normal lexan shell stuck on a WK. No interior or anything, and no scale chassis (sorry chip).

 

[slowngreen]

looks good man, any more info on it??? whats the guts?

 

[chip cross]

A 1:1 D90 is a cool rig, looks like your off to a good start.

 

[Webbage]

Sorry, I was just so proud of my work I had to get a picture up

It's based on my Wheely King (which has been through more facelifts than Michael Jackson).

Electrically it's got:

27T Hand Wound Motor
Spektrum 6-ch. reciever
HPI EN-1 ESC (and yes it sucks)
4500 mAh Ansmann Racing NiMH pack
TowerPro MG995 Servo
LED Head and Tail lights

The rig is made up from:

Stock WK gearbox
Traxxas Centre Drives
Stocks Axle Cases
Stock Link/Shock mounts rotated 90-degrees.
HD Rings & Pinions
STRC Cs and Knuckles
STRC Steering Bar
RCGuy.com Lockers and Servo mount
STRC Rear Lockouts
RC4WD Alloy upper 3-link mounts
Axial 'Shadow Chrome' Beadlocks
Proline Flat Iron Tyres
Axial AX-10 shocks (the only straight set I had left )
East End Machining TVPs
STRC Shocks Towers
Home brewed lower links (custom made for the 11.25" wheelbase)
Standard upper links with a long screw and sleeve to allow for the wheelbase extension.

The shell is a standard HPI Defender shell, painted with Tamiya spray paints on the inside (the 3 basic colours) and with a semi-gloss black on the arches, sill bars and bumper to give the effect of matt plastic.

The colour scheme and numbers were chosen to honor Craig Jones, who lost his life in a World Supersport Championship race at Brands Hatch this year, and whom I was a massive fan. I re-drew the numbers and had them printed on vinyl stickers especially for the project, my personal addition being the red and black circles in the background.

I'm not gonna be shooting out as early as I thought to morrow so if the weather is fine I'll get some better shots of her outside (if I don't freeze to death ). If not then I'll try and grab some Sunday.

This project is not finished yet, I'm gonna shoot for a winch bumper for the front and making a real rear crossmember for the back to enhance the Land Rover look. I intend to hand fabricate those myself.

I can't promise anything will happen quickly but when i does I'll post more here.

A 1:1 D90 is a cool rig, looks like your off to a good start.

I live and work around Land Rovers, so they are like second nature to me. You say off-road, I think Defender

 

[slowngreen]

dude not that you are interested but there is a land rover hardbody for sale on rcc, used but looks good.

 

[Webbage]

Wish I had the money bro, I really do.

I'd do a full scale setup on CR-01 axles (which are the closest to Land Rover axles) and a Midgard chassis, the works but I'm on a budget of 0GBP at the moment, and will be for a long while yet.

I'm doing the Rover King because I could afford the shell and paint and I have the materials to do the rest on hand already. I figure I can make a go of it as a project, keep my eye in and my hands busy over the holidays/new year, and make a nice looking rig at the same time.

Thanks for the heads-up though.

 

[chip cross]

I would give my &a!!s for a 1:1 D90.

 

[Little Hammett]

Thats what alpine was looking at before he got his truck.

 

[rollinlow]

thats a clean truck man good job

 

[Webbage]

I would give my &a!!s for a 1:1 D90.

Thats what alpine was looking at before he got his truck.

Defenders are fantastic off-road rigs, among the best there is. They do have their issues though.

The NAS (North American Spec) models were only built 1994-1997 (as far as I know) and didn't sell well, so are rare and sought after and thus expensive. They all use Rover V8 engines (either 3.9 or 4.0 litre) which tend to suffer from porous blocks. The block is cast as an aluminium honeycomb to make it light but the eventually something in the engine gives in and lets water into the block, leading to loss of coolant water, and possible contamination of other engine areas with water. It basically makes the engine run sick, like it has a blown head gasket.

Then there's the practical element. Defender's are not very comfortable to drive. The cabin is cramped with very little elbow room on the door side. The seats are not that great either and lack adjustability in the D90 model because of the bulkhead behind. The rear seats in a D90 6-seater are also horrible (take that from someone who did a long journey in the back of one!!). The pedals are really heavy too, especially the clutch, making long journeys a real trial.

Apart from that they are the dogs cojones for off-roading. If I had one, and I was in the USA, I'd drop a dependable Chevy small block V8, or a GMC diesel, in it right off the bat. A lot of Land Rover folks get pissy at the thought of not using a Rover engine but if you are gonna have a wagon like a D90, which is utterly dependable, then you need an engine to match!

In the UK the preferred Defender of choice for off-road is the 'Tdi' model with the 2.5 diesel straight 4 and a proper manual-shift box. Built like battleships, they just go on and on and on and on...

The weird thing is that despite every bad point I listed above I still love them and would de utterly gutted if they stopped making them.

 

[slowngreen]

yeah dude i really like land rovers, i hadnt ever been around one till a few months ago and they are bad ass!!! i would definatly take a new one, so luxurious for a off road vehicle and just crazy off road features and ability.

 

[Little Hammett]

My family had a 1967 Land Rover Series 109. Best mudder ever.

 

[Webbage]

I've had the distinct honor of driving every model of new Land Rover vehicle available (Defender, Discovery (LR3), Freelander (LR2), Range Rover and Range Rover Sport) and they are all really nice cars. I could drive 200 miles in any of them easily. I've driven a V8 Defender 90 off-road too. That was fun with a capital F I can see why you Americans prefer having a big V8 to draw on when you get off the road, it's handy when you need a bit of extra ooomph

Anyhoo, here's some rather large but hopefully pretty pictures

I started the front bumper this morning, it's coming along nicely. I still have to make up the chassis rails to mount it yet though

 

[slowngreen]

gonna be sweet!!! and thats awesome you get to drive them all.

 

[RC Addict]

That rig is totally slick, Webbage!

 

[spider]

Thats a nice looking defender. If you want to get a hardbody for it check ebay in the future. They usually have one on there as well.
I have two landrover hardbodies. I'm putting some leds in for rear lights.
Landy's are a cool truck.