SOLD - 300TDI Land Rover Defender 90

obselesc

Member
486538


486539


*SOLD*

The time has come for me to sell my beloved Defender. Unlike most Defenders for sale, this isn’t a sight unseen import that was barely looked over before being flipped for a profit. This rig has been my daily driver for the past three years. Old Rovers work best when they are consistently driven and I have worked hard to iron out any mechanical quirks. I would not hesitate to drive this rig cross country tomorrow. I apologize in advance for the lack of photos (I currently only have glamour shots) and will be taking detailed/interior shots and posting on CL this weekend, but figured I’d give ExPo first dibs.

Located in Portland, OR.
Looking for $21,500

I have paper records going back about 18 years to when it had about 90k miles. It was imported just over 3 years ago to the States by a couple who flew to the UK to buy a Rover for themselves and imported a couple to sell. I am the only stateside owner after them. I bought it with a smokey old 2.5TD, which had already been rebuilt once. In early 2017 (~175k miles), Doug at Ship’s Mechanical Services in Portland, OR installed a 300TDI and all new ancillaries. The 300TDI being desirable as it was the last truly mechanical diesel engine made by Land Rover, being produced for over 10 years and used by the military means there is a wealth of knowledge and spares available for these engines.

1989 Land Rover Defender 90 County – 183k miles (RHD)
300TDI Diesel Engine – ~100k miles
LT77 Manual Gearbox
LT230 Transfer Case

Upgrades:
Heavy Duty Steering Rods
Front Runner roof rack w/ ARB Simpson III Tent (tent can be removed from sale)
OME Nitrocharger Suspension - ~2” Lift w/ castor corrected bushings so it handles properly
NAS style tire carrier, swings with doors and takes weight off door hinges
A decent amount of Dynamat sound deadening
Alpine Bluetooth System & Speakers
Hella AUX Lights & Bull bar

New within the past 3 years:
300TDI install (about 90k miles on engine before install)
Remachined head and new head gasket
New timing belt tensioner/idler
New water pump and gaskets
New air filter
New engine seals
New fuel pump
New thermostat
New ancillary belts
New radiator
New intercooler
New electric fan
Alpine window seals
Track rod ends
Swivel ball housings and bearings (No typical Defender wobble!)
Brake Vacuum Pump
New Exhaust
New rear window slides (No window rattle!)
New VDO Temp Gauge
New Tires, about 5k mikes on the rear set, fronts are brand new.


Spares/Parts:
Spare fuel pump
Extra spare steel wheel and tire
New heated windshield w/ installation kit and seals
OEM Jack
Two jump seats (currently only 2 of the 4 are installed)
Center bench seat
Steel lamp guards (front and rear) currently not installed

The Bad:
It’s a Land Rover! So some oil/transfer case/transmission drips are pretty normal. Nothing that pools, or requires topping up between typical fluid changes.

LT77 transmission is long in the tooth! I have dreams of switching to an R380, since it will make it a friendlier highway vehicle, but with that said the LT77 does show signs of mainshaft wear, a typical design problem that translates to some transmission slop. It’s fixed with a rebuild using an updated part or a new transmission. Honestly though I hardly notice it unless I’m offroading, which is rare enough.

Rust/Corrosion! This rig is definitely one of the better imports I have seen, with that said it is almost 30 years old and has a few spots worth mentioning. The drivers side footwell has a ~2” spot that should be cut and patched, the rest of the bulkhead is pretty good. The driver and passenger doors have the typical rot/corrosion at their base. Replacement doors (or parts if you just want to replace the steel crossbar) can be found easily, just has never been a priority for me. The rest of the rig and key steel components such as the frame itself are in pretty decent shape.

For what it is worth, if I kept it, it’s likely that the doors/transmission would go unaddressed as neither issue keeps the rig from getting me where I am going or is at risk for harming anything else. With all that said it is a great rig and it will be missed. I drive it every day and have driven it up and down the West Coast several times, but life plans are changing and it just doesn’t make sense to hold onto right now.

Message me for any questions as I am sure I am forgetting something and thanks for reading this whole thing!
 
Last edited:

J!m

Active member
Sounds like it's well cared for. If I was looking for a 90, I would have already PM'd you!

But how did you mate the LT77 to the 300Tdi? My understanding is that tranny mates to the 200 and the R380 was the only mating (manual) transmission to the 300... just curious mainly as this is the first time I've heard of one. (The 200 also mates to the old series tranny as well)
 

obselesc

Member
Since a shop did the install I’m not 100% sure, but I believe it is just a couple new holes in the bellhousing to get it to mate.

The key thing is the engine position requires some special fab/mounts to get the engine mounts to work.
 

J!m

Active member
Well yes, the engine mounts are different. The 300 sits further forward than the 200 and 2.5NA and therefore has a looong bell housing. Conversely, the 2.5 and 200 both use a very long cowl to allow the engine fan to draw air through the radiator.

Good luck with your sale!
 

obselesc

Member
Want to mention that I am open to offers and other drive-able Land Rover trades + Cash, with the R380 D1 being preferred.

As this is probably the worst time of the year to sell a classic and unique vehicle, it is also one of the best times to buy ;).
 

obselesc

Member
A little bump, with some more photos
 

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obselesc

Member
Plans for the next rig are moving quicker than anticipated, so dropped the price to hopefully move things along.
 

obselesc

Member
Just took the rig on a ~600 mile weekend trip and it did great. Feel free to make me an offer, I am ready to get this sold.
 

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obselesc

Member
Really hoping to get this sold before the end of the month. Make me an offer! Also up for partial trades where the majority is cash.
 

obselesc

Member
BUMP! Interested? Shoot me some questions or an offer, I'm motivated to get this sold. I have had about 15 different people contact me and then disappear before seeing this rig in person.
 

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