Awesome!!
I had a 300tdi when I lived in Tanzania. Complete rebuild after rollover.
Came with second 45ltr diesel tank in right rear fender well and 45ltr water tank in left fender well, both standard South Africa upgrades, both awesome upgrades
My 2 cents..
Don’t Americanize the defender too much, it will always be loud, always leak oil and always leak at door seals, English call that “character” . keep it light as possible, it will perform better.
Change timing belt if you aren’t positive it was done recently, early 300’s had pulley misalignment but was likely already upgraded by po
Be careful on parts, some real ? out there.
I built sill protection from heavy rectangular tubing with lighter gauge piping for steps, rectangular tubing doubled as my air tanks and steps provided needed sill and door protection. Built strong enough for highlift jack points.
Landers are awesome off-road but crap on reliability, need constant maintenance, luckily most can be repaired in the field with basic tools.
Land Rover motto..if you have to ask why I drive one you wouldn’t understand if I told you.
Good luck...
Ps, carry 8’ 14 g wire, if you ever run into electrical trouble, disconnect electrical, run 12v fuel shutoff directly off battery it’ll get you home.