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1995 NAS Defender 90 Soft Top #2253
Engine replacement and upgrades
Here is a 1995 NAS (North American Specification) Defender 90 Soft Top has come to us from NJ. The truck has some pretty serious mechanical issues that we need to address. Sadly, the engine is toast and the clutch is so far gone that when you push on the gas in higher gears the truck goes nowhere. The good news is that we can fix the 90 and get it back on the road. To that end the customer is having us install a new 3.9 and also do some upgrades along the way, like a better sound system and some stainless steel parts for longevity.
The first order of business is to yank the tired old 3.9 V8. It appears to have had a hard life and is suffering from everything from liner issues to a loud rod knock.
Solution: Install a replacement 3.9 long block that will cure all the engine issues in one shot and with proper care from this point forward, will last a good long time. Here you can see the 3.9 being set up with the ancillary parts from the old engine.
A little further along the 3.9 long block is starting to look like a complete engine and is nearly ready to go back into the engine bay.
Inside the engine bay we are taking care of some rust issues before the engine goes back in. The brake pipes on the 90 are badly corroded, so we will be replacing all the brake pipes with our stainless steel units. Our SS brake pipes have stainless steel fittings as well, unlike some of the cheaper alternatives. We don't feel there is any point to SS lines if the fittings will corrode down the line.
This image shows the badly rusted lower clutch pipe. These fittings were so rusted they were starting to leak just sitting there. We will be replacing these clutch pipes with stainless steel as well to cure this issue for good.
Here you can see the new 3.9 installed and nearly ready for some test miles. The engine bay had a number of issues that we had to address from a bad radiator or injectors that were shot, so getting the 90 into good running order took more than expected, but once sorted out it will be good to go for a good long time.
Here you can see the stainless steel brake and clutch pipes installed. As you can see the follow all the factory routes and have all the correct bends and fittings and the best news is that they are stainless so they are long term upgrades for this 90 soft top.
Speaking of upgrades, we have also gutted the old sound system and fixed all the wiring to bring things back to "stock" and then install an upgraded Alpine sound system the right way. This system controls your iPod and even has a Bluetooth system for easier use of your cell phone directly through the head unit itself.
We also installed a set of JL Audio speakers (front and rear) and added a ROX allot kick panel in place of the factory cardboard piece.
Out back we have installed a pair of 8" subwoofers to deliver on the promise of full sound and installed them in our custom sub boxes that have been painted in AA yellow to match the body. These twin subs not only offer great sound, but they hide pretty well in the 90 and don't take up any useable cargo room. You can still use the bench seat and still get to all the cargo space.
Here you can see the 90 after a few test miles. It is doing great and other items that the customer wanted us to address, like curing some of the water leaks and such have been addressed and tested in today's rain storm.
Next up we are going to sort what is wrong with the AC and see if we can get that system back up and running.
Stay tuned as this Defender 90 gets sorted out.
Here at ECR it doesn't matter if you have a large job or a smaller project like this one.
If you want expert care for your Defender, don't settle for less.
If you have dreams for your Defender, contact ECR. We'll be happy to make your Defender world class... just like this one.