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1993 Defender 110 Station Wagon #132/500
Upgrades
This 1993 Defender 110 rebuild was recently completed by ECR. Go here for some details on the project. The new owners love the new Wagon, but they wanted to make some additions so that it would better fit their needs. To that end we will be installing everything from a differential guard and an ECR ROX tie rod guard, to a new sound system with XM radio, iPod, DVD and more.
To help the 110 handle everything from ranch chores to off road recovery, we are installing a new Safari Gard front bumper and skid plate. This will allow us to mount the winch, keep the steering gear safe and even help keep the front end of the 110 from harm in off road situations. The removal of the stock front bumper means that we have to relocate the turn signals from the bumper to the fenders, that is why the front lamps are out. Our conversion will end up looking stock, but it is actually a custom set up. More on that later. Here you can see the new bumper and front skid plate framework installed on the 110.
The Warn 9000 winch will easily handle anything the 110 gets into. To make the install clean looking we will remote mount the winch control box so that it can not be seen, but can be easily serviced in the future.
The remote control outlet for the winch is then relocated from the winch control box to the LH fender for easy of plugging/ unplugging from the system. This custom set up we do also keeps the winch control cable away from the winch drum, so that no accidents can occur.
As the winch wiring is being completed we also installed an upgraded set of shocks on the Wagon. Going to the Bilstein shocks will give the 110 better on and off road manners and allow it to handle those washboard dirt roads with ease.
To handle the added load of the winch and to assure for fast easy starts even in the coldest weather we also added twin batteries for the ultimate in power. These batteries were hooked up to a battery cut off switch so in case of an emergency, or if the 110 is going to sit for a long period that switch can be turned off so that no battery drain happens while the 110 sits. That means no more dead batteries when you are ready to use the 110.
Here you can see the completed SG front bumper and skid plate installation. The set up adds the winch mount, protects the front end and give a great approach angle as well. In this image you can also see a number of the smaller jobs being completed. The lower arrow points to the new front differential guard that has been installed to protect the front diff from off road hazards. We have also completed the wiring and lamp conversion for the turn signal relocation kit (upper arrow). As you can see the set up looks bone stock, but our conversion keeps the 4 front marker lights and adds turn signals to the lower lights.
We have also completed the install of the 3 Hella 4000 lamps so that the 110 can turn night into day either on the trial or on those lonely back roads and installed the 2 ECR ROX recovery points for lots of winching and recovery options.
Here you can see the ECR ROX heavy duty drag link. This steering rod is made from heavy materials and will protect the drag link in case it gets hit by a rock or tree stump that gets past the front skid plate.
To protect the last part of the exposed steering gear we have installed an ECR ROX tie rod guard. This protects the tie rod completely by surrounding it in heavy gauge steel. This unit does not interfere with suspension flex or the use of sway bars (if you run them) and offers 100% protection for the tie rod. You can even jack up the vehicle by it if you like. Other shops install heavy duty tie rods, but hit the wrong rock at a good clip on the trail and no HD tie rod will fend off the blow (it will bend or sheer off the tie rod end). The ECR ROX tie rod guard will stand up to the blow and protect the tie rod and tie rod ends. The tie rod is the lowest point on a Defender, it deserves the best protection, even for those who only do mild off roading. It only takes one stump hidden in the tall grass to mean you are walking home... if you don't have an ECR ROX tie road guard that is.
Another upgrade to this Defender 110 is a full set of water resistant heavy duty seat covers. We have had questions in the past asking why we use the ROX seat covers instead of the Land Rover seat covers, so we thought we would explain the differences. The arrows above point to some of the differences. #1. The ROX seat covers come complete, right down to the head rest cover. The Rover seat covers no longer offer a headrest cover. #2. The ROX seat covers are about 3 times thicker (stronger) and are not made from slippery nylon. They won't rip and they won't make you sweat or slide around in the seat like the factory covers do. #3. The ROX covers are 3 piece (headrest, seat back and seat base). This allows you to remove the seat base easily to access the battery or tools in the tool lockers under the front seats. The factory covers are one piece, so removing the seat base becomes a production, as you have to remove the seat cover from the base to access the seat box. #4. They look way cooler, and we can make them in custom colors for you. The Land Rover covers only come in one color.
The middle row of seats on this 110 has also been treated to a new seat of ROX seat covers that can stand up to mud and water from off roading, or even just wet dog feet and even dog claws. The Land Rover seat covers do not stand up to dog claws because they are very thin (ask us how we know... ruined seats from our favorite Australian Shepherd is how we know). The ROX covers stand up to it all without issue.
One of the best reasons that we use the ROX seat covers is that we can have custom pieces made to fit our custom projects. Land Rover does not offer a seat cover for the rear bench style jump seat that we installed into this 110, but we can make them to match the rest of the interior (as seen above).
Next we move onto the new sound system. The stock sound system in a NAS 110 could only be described as pathetic, with its AM/FM tape and 4" paper cone speakers. In todays world of MP3s and CD that just doesn't cut it. To make the sound system in this 110 as cool as the rest of the vehicle we have gutted the factory system and removed the dash so that we can start laying in the new wiring for the Alpine IVA-D310 CD/DVD flip/touch screen system that will allow for AM/FM/CD/DVD/MP3/iPod/XM satellite radio and more.
To add power to the system we have installed a new Alpine MRV-F450 amplifier that will handle the power needs of the system and not only give power for volume when it is needed, but clear and crisp sound even when the volume is low. To mount the amplifier in the limited space of the 110s interior we removed the rear seat and fabricated a steel frame that will support the weight of the amplifier, then installed the factory trim pieces to make it look as stock as possible. This set up will still allow the seat to flip and fold when you need to carry large loads in the 110 and also keeps the amp up and out of the way of muddy feet and debris during normal use of the Defender. Keep in mind when we install systems and upgrades into your Defender we hope that you will still use the vehicle hard and take it off road. All our installs are made to last and to take the abuse, vibration and pounding that off road trips can dish out, and no, your local stereo shop doesn't install things this way.
In the rear we will be adding a set of Alipne 6" speakers to give full sound to the cabin. To make a mounting location for these speakers we have fabricated some simple speaker panels from aluminum that will match the rest of the interior of the 110. These will be mounted in the rear corners behind the jump seats and now that they are complete they'll be handed over to our in house paint department to be primed and painted in the correct shade of white to match the rest of the 110.
High end sound systems need a sub woofer, or two, but as a 110 Wagon does not have a trunk or anywhere else to mount a sub woofer, we have to make the mounts. To take up as little space as possible, but still offer quality sound we have fabricated a small sub box from high density laminate and then covered it in fiberglass. The sub box you see above will hold two Kicker CVR8 subs and offer plenty of low end for the system.
Once the glass has cured we have sanded it smooth, primed it and next we will paint it white so that it will matches the rest of the interior. Then we'll add custom made stainless steel speaker guards so that you can still put the dog in the back, or slide your cargo in and out of the back of the Rover without fear of hurting anything.
Here you can see the new Alpine head unit installed. This unit will control everything and is easily expanded to add things like on screen navigation, rear view camera and much more.
When activated the screen comes out and is touch sensitive so that all controls are easy to use with just the touch of your finger. You can even scroll through you iPod functions just like you would on the iPod itself.
The iPod unit is neatly tucked away inside the cubby box out of harms way in our custom padded bracket (seen above) that holds it securely so that it will stay put even if you are on the trail, and it keeps your iPod out of the way of other items in the cubby box as well. Just plug in your iPod, place it in our custom bracket and close the cubby box. Now you can control the iPod from the touch screen display on the dash.
The front speakers and cross overs have now been installed in the doors and combined with the sub and the power from the amplifier give great sound in the Rover.
The subwoofer box has been completed and installed and as you con see it only takes up a little room in the cargo area. The jump seats are still fully functional and the stainless steel grills over the subs will keep them from harm so that you can still toss your Pelican case or your off road recovery bag into the back of the 110 without fear of harming anything. You'll also notice that we have installed tie down points on the sub box so that items can be strapped down in the cargo area if need be.
The rear speaker enclosures have now been painted, matched with their Alpine 6" speakers and installed for a clean factory look. These give fullness to the sound in the cabin and are nicely out of harms way if you are carrying people or gear.
When you are done off roading and need a break, you can slip a DVD into the head unit and watch your favorite move.
The audio/video system in this 110 now puts most home theaters to shame.
Here you can see the completed 110 Wagon ready for delivery to MT so that the new owners can enjoy this one of a kind ECR creation for many years to come. This 110 has everything from 300 Tdi turbo diesel power to a full compliment of ECR ROX off road equipment and an audio video system that is second to none. If you have Defender needs, from simple repairs on a Defender you own, to wanting a restored Defender 110 like this one, contact ECR. We'll be happy to help get you into a world class Defender... just like this one.
ECR.
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