Team L200

The Mits is back again, 5th year on the trot.

Why do we keep falling for it ?  Because it's such a great event, for a superb Charity and the folk that go ain't so bad.

Hoping to take the kids again this year.  They did the first two in 2010 and 11.  We had two years without them, which was very strange.
So, assuming their respective schools allow us to take them out of school during term time, they'll be with us in 2014.

The Mits won't change much for next year.  Maybe a few bits an bobs, but it's served well for both this and the Mac for the last 5 years, why change anything.

You know it makes sense  

Mind you, I need to review the 'selection' process; how did the application get accepted??  

Great to have the clan and the L200 with us again  

evo4x4 wrote:

I need to review the 'selection' process; how did the application get accepted??  

May have been down to the brown envelope he bunged Tim at peterborough?
Or perhaps cos they have the best cooking facilities
Or the fact they bring their own wine waitress?

Mark Avo wrote:

evo4x4 wrote:

I need to review the 'selection' process; how did the application get accepted??  

May have been down to the brown envelope he bunged Tim at peterborough?
Or perhaps cos they have the best cooking facilities
Or the fact they bring their own wine waitress?

Or, all of the above  

All change on the rear of the L200.

Off with the old:



On with the new:





Trial fit only at this stage - only hung on with 2 bolts either side - hence why it's not straight/upright.

A few mods to do:
Winch tray to fit behind it, and fairlead to fit into the bumper.
Rear lights to change to LEDs
Trailer sockets (mounted on rear valance either side of the number plate) now need relocating in the bumper.
Oh ....... and paint it black.

And bigger rear springs? Looks like a substantial bit of kit

Yup, it is quite heavy, but I pre-empted this earlier in the year when I changed the rear suspension and put higher load springs on.

It's also now become a two bedroom L200:

nick that truck is kitted right out, with all that extra weight may be worth looking into some beadlocks wheels too will stop any miss happen on sideways movement on the tyres

Unfortunately, beadlockers are not road legal   

That dose surprise me as we have them on road legal ATV

Can't find the relevant section of the Construction and Use regs, but, it's got something to do with tyres not mechanically fixed to the rims.
There's also been cases of bolts working loose (which they tend to) and then becoming a projectile when thrown off the wheel.
They also need to be E marked, DOT/VOSA approved.
There's a lot of differing "advice" on many 4x4 forums (forii??) suggesting that some are and some aren't - single or double beads, or internal (such a Staun) etc...

intresting im going to dig in to this cheers for the heads up nick

I've just spent an hour looking - no real answer is obvious. Gave up in the end, not something that I'm likely to have need of.
Often run both the ATs and MTs down to 20 psi or less and never popped one yet.

well i found out its to do with road legal tyre pressure or sumt lol, atv very rarely run over 15psi on standard wheels, with beads it safe to go down to 3 psi and still maintain a speed, so may be sumt down that route.

Nick, I just hope you have enough rice left to feed that engine with all that extra weight you have added.

Richard, I've now got a discount card for the local Chinese food wholesaler, so rice isn't an issue any more.

Good to hear Nick, you will need it with all that added weight hanging off the back.
Have to say my LR runs a lot better now I have a much larger intercooler, and it is even running a fraction more economically, all of 1 mpg, but the power difference defies description. No longer have to give the LR written notice I want to over take those slower rice burners   

So, it's been a long while since I gave the front end any real attention (other than the odd track rod end or ball joint), so this year's winter refit has focused on rebuilding the whle lot - suspension and steering ball joints, steering box, brake discs, bearings, bushes etc... etc...  dampers were changed just before the 2013 rally when I changed all 4 dampers and put uprated rear springs on.

A few pics:

Drivers side stripped out and new steering box fitted.


Near side stripped out


And the pile of bits more or less ready for re-fitting:


I think these bushes might be a bit beyond it ..... still, they have been in for over 120,000 miles and over 8 years.

Concentrate on the LW(you know you want to !)  

I would Tony, but all 4 of us are doing the rally this year, so the L200 has had to come first.

The lightweight is going to get a full rebuild - chassis up - once the L200 is sorted.

nickburt wrote:

The lightweight is going to get a full rebuild - chassis up - once the L200 is sorted.

Could take some time - sorting the rice burner I mean............!!  

Thanks Jan   

Nick - There are a lot of bits there; hope you remember where they all go   

no matter how careful you are

you always end up with one bolt left over   

Lovin the new bumper