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1997 ECR Beach Runner #3 Service and Upgrades
The ECR constructed Beach Runner #3 has found its way back to ECR from its home in Colorado. Its been running around out west and the owners have been having so much fun with it that they want to take the truck to the next level. The BR110 will now be getting some off road upgrades to make it even more capable off road. That means we will be adding ARB lockers front and rear, lots of ECR ROX off road protection items, a rear winch, off road lights, gas can rack and much more.
The first step in this project is to go over the 110 and make sure that everything is 100% and then we will start the upgrades. A few new products have come along since we built BR110 #3 so we will be adding those to the upgrade list as well. Things like performance oil cooler lines and more. We would not want to see this super cool 110 end up in flames, so all the safety upgrades are done first. The next step is to remove the stock differentials and install ARB lock diffs front and rear.
Here you can see the differential housing has been removed and the open carrier has been removed. Next we will get the gears cleaned up, replace all the bearings and seals and install the new ARB air locking diffs. These will give the BR110 true 4 wheel drive and make the truck that much more capable off road.
In using the truck off road the owner found that the low bumper that was originally on the truck was not protecting the front end, so we have fabricated a ROX front bumper for the 110 and set it up with a custom Hi-Lift jack mount. This will keep the Hi-Lift in a secure, yet easy to reach location and the new bumper will protect the front end from brush.
To help the ARB air lockers with traction we have ditched the street tires and installed a set of Super Swamper SSRs for excellent traction, superior side-wall protection and an agreeable ride. These are great cross over tires when you do not want to sacrifice off road performance and still need the Rover to do well on the highway.
The 110 will also be getting a rear winch, custom spare tire carrier with two gas cans and rear work lights. So we have removed the stock rear bumper and tire carrier in order to get started on the custom pieces.
One thing the owner wants on the 110 is plenty of auxiliary lighting for night time off roading. So to make this happen we have set up the front safari cage hoop with the ability to run 4x Hella driving lights and we have made a protective cage around the lights so that riving in areas with low tree limbs will not clean out the lights.
We have also added a hood mounted spare tire carrier and a 6th rim and tire combination so that no matter what happens the 110 will always have fresh rubber at the ready.
This image shows the 110 with the newly fabricated pieces mocked up to make sure everything fits perfectly and works as we intended.
Here you can see the ROX bumper back from zinc and powder coating. The recovery points, winch and Hi-Lift mount all look at home and are simple, yet very functional items that will help the 110 perform its off road duties.
This image shows the upper Hella lamps being installed on the new front hoop that has just returned from zinc and powder coating.
Here you can see the limb risers, made from marine quality stainless steel hardware by one of the local boat yards, going on. The lamps will now give the customer the desired off road lighting, and with the protection we fabricated and the limb risers, the lights and the body will now be much better protected for the customers off road adventures, and everything will stay in place without damage.
This image shows the rear winch/step bumper starting to take shape. We have mocked up the new system and test fit the Warn 9000 winch. The rear winch system is not only bolted to the rear cross-member but it also has supports that reach forward to the main rails of the frame to allow for heavy duty winching, towing or recovery without worry of something bending.
There has been a good deal of fabrication on this truck, and here is some more. This image shows our ECR ROX sliders for a 110. The units have been built up, the Hi-Lift points installed, and now they are ready for media-blasting and then epoxy primer and paint.
With the rear winch bumper done we can turn our attention to the rest of the rear end upgrades. The customer has given us a long list of things to he wants to carry and it is up to us to make it all fit, work correctly and look good as well. To handle the need for the full size spare and carry 2 gas cans we have installed a Safari Gard tire carrier system. In this image you can see we have started to mock up the unit in order to weld the supports in place to keep it all in shape long term.
Here you can see the ROX rear winch/step bumper has come back from zinc and powder coat and has been installed. The step portion of the bumper has been tied into the look of the truck with a step plate made of 5 bar diamond plate (to match the wing top guards) and the Warn 9000 winch has been installed and spooled up. It isn't often when you need a rear winch, but when you do this set up will save your bacon, and the meets the customers requirements for what he wanted on the 110.
This image shows the SG tire carrier installed along with the 2 new fuel cans. This set up will make sure the Rover is never without a little extra fuel for those longer treks and the large, heavy spare tire now moves easily when you open the tailgate due to the new the carrier.
Along with the 2 gas cans, winch, rear step and full size spare the customer also wanted a lot of light at the rear of the 110. To that end we have installed a pair of Hella twin reflector work reverse lamps. These units are set up so at the flick of a switch they can be work lights for winching or loading gear, or they can come on and off automatically as you select reverse gear, or you can switch them off completely if you are driving around town.
On the upper right hand side of the body you will also see the winch control outlet (small black circle). All the electrics for the winch are housed inside the truck so that they will stay safe from road dirt and such. Simply plug the winch control into the side of the Rover and the system is ready to go. This will help the system last a good long time by keeping the solenoids out of the elements and also keeps the winch control cord away from the winch itself.
Here you can see the ECR ROX sliders have been epoxy primed, painted and installed. We paint sliders instead of painting them because we make them for you to grind on rocks and it is easier to touch up paint than powder coat. The customer also requested Euro-style side steps that can be bolted on and off for when the truck pulls double duty as a people carrier, remember this ECR BR110 seats 9 with ease.
Up front the additional outfitting continues. We have installed the 6th full size spare tire on the hood, installed the limb risers and set up the truck with a quality shovel for those times when nothing else but a shovel will do. You can also see the Hi-Lift jack that has been installed on the ROX bumper.
Next up is a little bit of tweaking to the suspension to make sure it can handle the additional weight and still flex nicely while off roading, then it will be time to get everything cleaned up and ready to head back to CO for a summer of off road adventures.
If you have needs for your Defender, from routine service to wild modifications, contact ECR. We'll be happy to help get your Defender back into shape.
East Coast Rover Co.
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