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1993 Defender 110 Station Wagon #157/500
Upgrades
This 1993 Defender 110 was recently completed restored by ECR. Go here for some details on the project. The new owner wanted some serious upgrades to make his Defender 110 even better. To that end we will be installing just about every off road trick in the book and setting this ECR restored 110 up for serious business.
For starters we added a ROX front bumper and lower skid plate. We also installed our turn signal conversion kit that moves the turn signals from the front bumper (stock location) to the lower lamp on the Rover. Our set up keeps all 4 front market lights and expands the lower unit to be a flasher as well so that the stock lighting set up is retained, but with added function.
New shoes for this 110 as well... we have installed a set of 33" BFG Mud T/As on the 110 that will help it tackle whatever it put in its way. We'll be installing 6 tires, 4 on the car. One on the hood and one on the rear door for added repair possibilities on the trail.
Inside the 110 the customer wanted to reduce the road noise from the new tires so we have covered every surface we could with sound reducing materials (shown above). These areas will now be covered up with the factory trims so that the sound material is hidden from view, but does its job nicely for and upgraded, but stock look.
Here you can see the rear of the 110 has been fully lined in sound down material and then the heavy duty rear load mats have been installed to not only hide the dyna-mat but give the 110 full "puke proof" functionality.
Up front we have finished the bumper install and added in a Warn 9.5XP winch for tons of pulling power and higher no load cable speeds for off road adventures. The control box for the winch is located safely under the hood, away from the elements, and the remote plug in has been relocated to the grill support for two reasons. One is so that plug in of the remote is easy and two is so that in most situations the winch control cable will not be near the winch drum. At off road events we have seen a number of folks winch up their swinging or blowing winch control cable in the winch drum. This usually shorts out the winch and leaves it on un-conrtollable winch "in" or "out" and leaves the winch in-op (none of which are good things). So by this simple and more user friendly relocation of the winch remote plug in we add safety and easy of use.
Here you can see the 110 ready for the new lift, the ECR ROX sliders and much more. Next we will spool on the new winch rope through the new billet fairlead and continue with the upgrades.
Speaking of sliders here are the basic units ready to be offered up to the 110 so that the mounts can be made. These sliders will be pulling double duty as sliders and air tanks for the Oasis on board air system, so they are made from top quality steel that can take the use and abuse.
Here you can see the ROX tie rod guard that has been fabricated for this 110. It will completed protect the tie rod from harm, you can even jack up the vehicle by it if you so desire. Shown here in raw form it will now be media blasted, primed and painted and then installed on the Defender.
As the fabrication on the custom items is taking place we can go ahead and start to get the upgraded suspension installed. Here you can see we have added a set of upgraded rear springs along with our HD spring retainers (top and bottom). We then set up the 110 on our RTI ramp to get the correct dimensions for the bump stops and the shock drop kit. Once those items are fabricated they are installed, as seen above. As this 110 is a dual duty rig is doesn't have the need for wild shocks, so a set of Bilstiens will keep everything in control on the road and on the trail when they are mounted to the drop kit. We also installed HD trailing arms with a bushing correction bend so that if the 110 does smack something on the trail with the rear arms they will not bend or fold, or overstress the trailing arm bushing.
Inside the 110 we have completed all the sound proofing work and covered over the dyna-mat with the factory correct trims for a clean and functional look. Notice we have also added the heavy duty floor mats for added protection.
The new larger tires mean that new gearing is required. Here you can see the front diff has been removed and set up with new GBR 4.11 gearing and a new ARB 24 spline air locker with all our plumbing updates (shown here ready to go back in). The rear axle will also be getting 4.11s and an ARB locker for the ultimate on off road traction and true 4 wheel drive.
We have also added a raised air intake and installed raised axle breathers so that stream crossings won't be an issue for this Defender 110.
To protect the 110 from what might be hiding on the bottom of that stream crossing we have installed an ECR ROX tie rod guard (see arrows). This unit fully surrounds the tie rod so that it can not be damaged. Unlike an upgraded tie rod this set up means there is no chance of damage, and unlike a large skid plate ground clearance is kept at its maximum.
We have also installed upgraded front springs to match the rear units and new Bilstien shocks. Because of the lift in this 110 we can't just install the springs, we need to correct the suspension geometry for correct road manners and steering feel. The arrow above points to the modified radius arms we have fabricated that give the correct caster adjustment and also are much stronger than the original units. Unlike shops that just slap springs in your Defender, we engineer your entire suspension so that your Rover still drives like it should, even with the lift.
Up front we have installed a HD drag link and a new steering stabilizer so that everything stays protected and smooth as silk. We'll also be installing a new front diff guard a little later on.
To run the ARB air locker system in this 110 and give the Rover the capability to fill tires on demand, and even run air tools for repairs, we will be installing this Oasis air on board air compressor. Believe it or not this unit can fill a 33" tire just as fast as our huge shop compressor, and unlike tanks of air it never runs out. The only down side to this unit is that you'll be filling up everyone elses tires at the end of a day of off road fun.
To help with 110 with recovery we have installed the new synthetic winch rope and 2 ECR ROX recovery points on the front bumper. This set up gives numerous places to hook onto the Defender for whatever combination of winch/ strap set up you choose.
Here you can see the air compressor installed under the passenger seat. It fits nicely and we have access points so that it can be easily service, or even removed if need be.
The air source is located in the seat box with a handy pressure gauge so that filing tires is an easy task at the end of the day on the beach, or the trail. A dash mounted switch runs the system for easy driver control when utilizing the air powered ARB locker system.
The ECR ROX sliders for this 110 double as air tanks for the Oasis and ARB systems and hold plenty of air so that the compressor will only cycle a few times for a full day locker use on the trail.
Out back on the 110 we added a Hella twin light lamp that doubles as a killer reverse light, or a work light. Our 3 way switch set up allows this light to come on automatically when you select reverse gear, or you can switch it on manually from the dash so that you can have a ton of light to set up or take down your camp site.
Inside we have completed all the wiring modifications and grafted all the add on equipment seamlessly into the upgraded dash. No goofy or oddball looking stuff in here, it all looks factory installed. The Hella 4000s, the Oasis compressor and the ARB lockers are all run off factory switches, with correct logos on them, all within easy reach of the driver.
Here you can see the completed NAS 110, fully restored, highly modified and ready for delivery to Colorado. This like new vehicle is ready to tackle anything and offer years of trouble free service to the new owners.
If you are looking to upgrade or repair your Defender contact ECR. We'll be happy to make your Defender dreams a reality.