After 6 months of green laning a Range rover we decided to try our hands at a challenge event, it became obvious that the Range rover was just too big so we set out to find a more suitable vehicle.

The Landrover was bought in 2006 as a standard 2.5 petrol hard top, the first modifications were a 200Tdi engine and an XD 9000i winch; soon followed by a truck cab, full external roll cage and some 35 inch tyres. Little did we know that these modifications were the start of a huge transformation into the vehicle that we have now.

The main focus throughout the build has been not to overcomplicate things, keeping all parts simple and strong, hoping this will result in a reliable truck that is less susceptible to damage. The evolution of the truck has gone through many stages, some modifications working better then others, some requiring to be rethought many times, some not working at all! Building a competition truck can be frustrating at times but it can also be very rewarding when you get it right.

The truck is used for a wide range of events from the one day events of 4x4 Adventures, Challenge South West and the AWDC to the longer events such as the Tay Forest Challenge, the Muddy Truckers and the Steve Maddison Three Peaks in Scotland and Ireland. Or, as a happy contrast, when we get the chance we visit a Pay'n'Play or the woods of a local friendly farmer for a drive round.

I don't believe it’s possible to ever finish a vehicle like this, my truck has been constantly evolving over the last 18 months and there are many more changes and improvements I would like to make. Just when you think you are getting to a point that your happy with there's another idea that comes along!

Steve Gittins

Specification:

Axles
Rover type axles with front and rear disc brakes
Pegged Ashcroft 4.11-1 Crown wheel and pinions
24 spline ARB air locking differentials
Ashcroft heavy duty CV's
Ashcroft heavy duty drive flanges

Bodywork
Landrover chassis shortened at rear/modified to include a strengthened cross member with incorporated winch mounting
Full external roll cage, tubular construction front wings and "tray back" style rear
Custom made rock sliders
Custom made high level front winch bumper

Centre Winch
Superwinch EP9
Albright DC88 solenoid
80' x 11mm plasma12 synthetic winch line

Engine
Landrover discovery 200Tdi. A few small Mods including a straight through exhaust, increased boost pressure and injection pump tweaks.

Front Winch
Warn 8274 running a Gigglepin twin motor top housing with two 12v/6hp Warn XP motors
Gigglepin uprated cam gear
Gigglepin uprated main shaft
Gigglepin uprated brake linings
Twin Albright DC88 solenoids
125' x 11mm plasma12 synthetic winch line

Miscellaneous
2 x Oddesy batteries
2 x 100amp alternators

Rear Winch
Warn 8274 with 12v/6hp Warn XP motor
Gigglepin uprated main shaft
Gigglepin uprated brake linings
Albright DC88 solenoid
125' x 11mm plasma12 synthetic winch line

Recovery Equipment
3 x tree strops of assorted length
2 x Snatch blocks
2 sets of double hooks
2 X bow shackles
2 x 38mm waffle boards
50' x 11mm plasma12 extension rope
Highlift jack
Devon 4x4 "plough type" Ground anchor

Suspension
Devon 4x4 spec Old Man Emu springs (approximately 2" lift with a supple yet stable spring rate)
Gwyn Lewis front shock absorber turrets
+2" De carbon shock absorbers
Lowered rear shock mounts
Challenge relocation cones and spring retaining plates
Gwyn Lewis heavy duty trailing arms

Transmission
Landrover LT77 (suffix H, The stronger one) gearbox
Standard LT230 transfer box
X engineering disc type transmission handbrake
Gwyn Lewis High angle rear prop
Modified front prop shaft

Wheels and tyres
Allied Rock-a-thon bead lock wheels
Interco supper swamper boggers or fedima siroccos (depending on event and my mood)

---