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A friend of mine had the ladder installed, and they managed to "salvage" that PowerfulUK backup light by moving it to a small, custom made plate mounted under the first step of the ladder, which I thought was pretty clever especially since the factory backup light is also partially blocked by a step of the Lucky8 ladder on that side. Photo below doesn't show much I'm afraid, but if you'd like I can ask him to send me more photos of the modification.
On a separate subject, how do you install Rotopax cans on that side molle plate without permanently screwing a mount on? Any photos?
For those interested, Lucky 8 now has a Jerry Can holder for the side of the Defender. It holds one 4 gallon rotopax. I like Simons design as it hold more but I believe he is still waiting for Rotopax to give him the approval to use their mounting bracket. I know, one can make one.
@umbertob - Darn! Wish I had seen that earlier. I would have just moved it down onto the edge of the lower trim like that. Didn't really even think about it. Well, next time I'm in there....
@ADVAW8S Yes, you have to screw a plate onto it. The Molle Plate adds a bit of wind noise above about 70mph so it's pulled. Here's a version of Simon's w/ knock off fuel containers. He's gone full Overlanding: tent on top, attached the suitcase to the left side Molle Plate and attached 2x 2 gallon "Rotopax" fuel containers on the right side.
It was a tough call between the Lucky8 and Simon's. In the end, I went with PowerfulUK because it is larger so I can (in the future) attach other things and when camping I hang more from it.
Finished! Took a bit longer than I had hoped. Mainly because I was working in the second summer of central Texas. The main PITA is taking off/putting on the bumper. The rest was straight forward. I had to lose the driver side reverse light upgrade (thanks PowerfulUk & Simon) but it's not a deal breaker.
I like the old school looks a lot better than the OEM folding ladder, but I admit it's a personal preference. It's also NOT cheap, but I have yet to find something since buying the Defender that's cheap. Wait, the little cubby hole in front of the Arm rest was BRILLIANT and only $24 from Amazon. Well, there is that.
Next up, time to start working on Winch/bull bars.
Not tough at all to install.
That looks better than the OEM to my eye. (I've the OEM one order for mine). A smarter location for sure.
I like the tow eyes with the plastic trim piece. Again, better than OEM. I wonder will JLR start mimicking that in future models.
Where did your friend do their install for the Lucky 8 Ladder in LA? Been looking for a potential auto shop to do accessories installs.
The new Galpin Land Rover dealership in Van Nuys. They installed his roof rack, tow hooks, front skid plate, PowerfulUK reverse lamps (with the ladder modification), Lucky 8 rock sliders and ladder over a couple of days. It wasn't cheap - about $1900 in labor I believe - but they did a great job, and it's rare for a dealership here in LA to work with aftermarket parts to begin with.
A buddy of mine does some metalworking as a hobby. I talked to him about making me a step I could add to the rear tow hooks and he came up with this. I'll be swapping out the nut with a wingnut later, but for now it looks perfect. I'll be putting it on tonight when I get home and will add some more pics then. It's much beefier than I expected and, bonus round, it's aluminum.
Apologies for crappy pic. I put it on my computer bag to try to pull out the colors & details. It fits directly onto the hooks and has tabs underneath to help it from sliding around. Should be supper quick to pull off if I need the tow hook. Only sad part is it only brings the "step" down slightly. Still a "work in process".
Top view of the step that sits on the rear tow hook. Bottom beefier and recessed for tow hook in order to help from sliding around.
