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1994 NAS Defender 90 Repairs and Upgrades
This 1994 Defender 90 soft top has come to us from New York with a blown gearbox and some other issues. Overall the 90 is in quite good shape as it is a one owner car, but it still suffers from lack of updates and typical dealership "get it in/ get it out" style service work. The good news is that the Rover is now here at ECR where all the repairs and upgrades will all be taken care of with our usual attention to detail to not only get the job done right, but to make sure any repair we do is better than the stock Rover was. The main reason the 90 landed at ECR was a blown output shaft on the gearbox. This 90 has already been updated from the LT77 gearbox to the R380 gearbox, but because the installers did not install the new style transfer case gear cluster, and didn't let the customer know about a slight transfer case oil leak, the output shaft blow out and the cluster gear is fried.
To make a complete and long lasting repair we have scrapped the damaged gearbox and have mated a new R380 to the existing transfer case. We fully inspected the transfer case and installed new seals, bearings and gears were they were needed. We also corrected the incorrect transfer case diff lock linkage so that the transfer case can be utilized to its full extent. The dealership messed up the install and the transfer case could not be put into differential lock the way they installed it. In the image above you can see the fully tested and correctly set up R380 and LT230 transfer case going into the Defender with a new clutch, pressure plate and T/O bearing.
While the 90 was here at ECR getting the gearbox sorted out, the customer decided to throw on a full round of upgrades to make the 90 that much better. To that end we have installed a new front bumper and a set of Hella 4000 lights. The bumper will be handy in all sorts of ways and the lights will help turn night into day on the trail.
As this 90 is a 1994 model the original turn signals were located in the factory front bumper. They need to be moved to the body with the other lights. In doing this you can do it the cheap-ass way like most places do and wire the signals into the parking light, making fuses blow and the lights flash way too fast, or you can do it the ECR way where we use the correct look lights and factory connectors that allow us to still run 4 marker lights (as per factory) and also utilize the lower lamp as a turn signal that flashes at the proper speed and intensity The green tape on the bumper is to protect it while we work on the 90. It gets removed prior to delivery.
Along with the bumper we also added a set of new style door hinges to combat that rusty look and installed everything with stainless steel hardware so that it will last a long time. During the hinge install we also lined up the body better on this 90 so that the doors close easier and latch securely without slamming them.
The factory spare tire carrier on this 90 was starting to rust pretty badly, so we removed it and installed an upgraded tire and gas can carrier on the back. This set up is much stronger than the factory unit and allow you to carry larger tires than the factory unit is made for, and it lets you carry two 5 gallon cans of fuel or water on the rear platform. In case you don't need fuel for your expedition you can also carry a cooler or anything else on the tire carriers rear alloy plate. The new tire carrier will also carry a Hi-Lift jack across the top of it with ease so it is a great addition to the limited space inside a D90.
Inside the 90 we have done a few service items and completed the install of the new R380 5 speed. Here at ECR we test drive everything to make sure there are no leaks and that everything operates correctly. How many times have to had your car repaired at the dealership only to find on your ride home that the problem is still there. This does not happen at ECR because we test drive your Rover before we consider any repair complete.
Here you can see the nasty cardboard toe board panel that Land Rover installed on this 90. It is basically a joke.
This image shows our ECR ROX toe board panel that is made from alloy and then polymer coated to look like the original, but never sag, never bend and never fall down onto your feet. It looks factory, but it performs better. More information on these can be found here.
Here you can see the front of the Defender where we have finished up the Warn 9000 winch install and added a set of ECR ROX recovery points so that the winch can be used in many different winching situations with ease.
Underneath the bumper we have installed a front skid plate to help protect the steering gear of this Defender 90.
This image shows the completed install of the rear tire carrier. We have fabricated and installed a new third brake light (purple arrow) mount and installed everything with stainless hardware for a long term upgrade.
Here you can see the 90, complete and ready to head back to NY. The Rover has a host of upgrades and a long list of repairs done so that it will be ready for summer fun when the owner takes delivery. Everything from a flush and change of all the fluids to the repair of the clutch hydraulics has been taken care of. That way the owner can enjoy the summer and not have to worry about what is going to go wrong and how he will get it fixed. Instead he can enjoy the Rover and think about what upgrades he wants next.
If your Defender needs something as complex as a new gearbox, or as simple as a new winch bumper installed, contact ECR. We'll be happy to make your Defender dreams a reality.