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Home > Maintenance & Modifications > 110 Bowler Sills with Sidesteps, yes or no?
Bowler Sills
Yes you should, at 5'8" you'll find it easier to get in, dwarf boy.
28%
 28%  [6]
No way dude, clean looks better, like the Rally cars...
61%
 61%  [13]
Don't care about your height, they just look better with steps
9%
 9%  [2]
Total Votes: 21

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Grenadier



Member Since: 23 Jul 2014
Location: The foot of Mont Blanc...
Posts: 5893

France 2011 Defender 110 Puma 2.4 DCPU Corris Grey
110 Bowler Sills with Sidesteps, yes or no?
Just wondering what consensus is? Should I have side steps with my soon-to-be-installed bowler sills or keep the clean 'race look'? Here are some examples (many thanks in advance if any of your Defs pop up, these are all taken from Google):





Click image to enlarge







Click image to enlarge




 Monsieur Le Grenadier

I've not been everywhere, but it's on my list.....

2011 Puma 110DC - Corris Grey
Post #536554 1st Jun 2016 5:07pm
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mk1collector



Member Since: 17 Sep 2009
Location: West Yorkshire
Posts: 6772

England 2004 Defender 110 Td5 CSW Bonatti Grey
No steps for me Thumbs Up Ray
My build thread
http://www.defender2.net/forum/topic17615.html
Post #536555 1st Jun 2016 5:12pm
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languedoc



Member Since: 13 May 2016
Location: Edinburgh
Posts: 283

Scotland 2008 Defender 110 Puma 2.4 CSW Alaska White
Visited Bramley once, god knows how they get their cars in the showroom as its all mini courtyards, double yellows and tight turns but they do have beautiful cars
Post #536556 1st Jun 2016 5:21pm
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Grenadier



Member Since: 23 Jul 2014
Location: The foot of Mont Blanc...
Posts: 5893

France 2011 Defender 110 Puma 2.4 DCPU Corris Grey
How the hell does Bramley's ability to manoeuvre cars help me? Very Happy Monsieur Le Grenadier

I've not been everywhere, but it's on my list.....

2011 Puma 110DC - Corris Grey
Post #536558 1st Jun 2016 5:26pm
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Riverboy



Member Since: 16 May 2016
Location: French sector, Earth
Posts: 1288

2014 Defender 90 Puma 2.2 SW Corris Grey
Yes it'll look fab! Thumbs Up

Now what was the question again Question
Post #536559 1st Jun 2016 5:27pm
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languedoc



Member Since: 13 May 2016
Location: Edinburgh
Posts: 283

Scotland 2008 Defender 110 Puma 2.4 CSW Alaska White
Slightly off topic but valid in my mind Whistle
Post #536564 1st Jun 2016 5:37pm
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jomara



Member Since: 26 Oct 2009
Location: Lanarkshire
Posts: 1790

Scotland 2014 Defender 110 Puma 2.2 XS CSW Santorini Black
Another no, the Bowler sills look a lot cleaner without side steps Thumbs Up 2014 110 2.2TDCi XS Station wagon
1971 Bowler Tomcat 88 4.2 V8 Auto
2022 110 D250 XS Edition - Gone
2024 110 D250 X-Dynamic HSE
Post #536567 1st Jun 2016 5:55pm
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CarMan



Member Since: 29 Nov 2010
Location: Cotswolds
Posts: 1892

United Kingdom 
For me, steps look fine on the 110, but not the 90 - for what it's worth Rob

1993 200tdi 90 hard-top
1998 300tdi 90 soft-top
Post #536572 1st Jun 2016 6:08pm
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Stacey007



Member Since: 25 Sep 2015
Location: Cheshire
Posts: 3849

United Kingdom 
I like the steps.


1) Looks 'harder' people don't park near you and open doors on you Very Happy
2) Wife and kids would struggle getting in / out without them



Without it does look more 'racey' but a Defender and racey... unless of course you have the full engine treatment to match.
Post #536578 1st Jun 2016 6:28pm
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miker



Member Since: 13 Sep 2015
Location: Surrey
Posts: 1784

United Kingdom 1999 Defender 110 Td5 CSW Rioja Red
I prefer the look without, but mine is lifted and even at ~6' it's not easy to get in without using the step!!
Post #536595 1st Jun 2016 7:02pm
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Theater



Member Since: 27 Sep 2010
Location: Pisa Italy
Posts: 514

Italy 2009 Defender 110 Puma 2.4 SW Galway Green
No steps for me


Click image to enlarge


Thumbs Up Marco

Defender 110 "SW" SE Galway Green MY 2009
Ex Defender 90 "SW" S Santorini Black MY 2010
Post #536603 1st Jun 2016 7:17pm
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Pilgrimmick



Member Since: 16 Nov 2015
Location: Highlands
Posts: 582

United Kingdom 
Unless you want to advertise your old age and infirmity, without steps. 80" 1948
Lightweight V8
Bowler Tomcat
130 Station wagon
90 300tdi
(Santana PS10 pick up)
Range Rover L322 (Ful fat)
Post #536604 1st Jun 2016 7:26pm
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John Fair



Member Since: 10 May 2016
Location: Norfolk
Posts: 150

United Kingdom 2013 Defender 110 Puma 2.2 USW Santorini Black
I've been looking at Bowler sills and was surprised to see corrosion on the jack mount. It looked to be incompatible metals the sill being aluminium and the jack hole steel with stainless fastenings??. I should suggest a good quality isolator/ water repellent compound would help stop this. I cannot comment on whether this is a one off or whether it had been damaged in some way. Only saying what I saw.
Anyway I'm in the without camp. Cleaner.


Last edited by John Fair on 1st Jun 2016 10:50pm. Edited 1 time in total
Post #536694 1st Jun 2016 10:14pm
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JJ



Member Since: 18 May 2009
Location: Winchester
Posts: 932

United Kingdom 1987 Defender 110 V8 Petrol CSW Corris Grey
Steps Thumbs Up It's a Defender so practicality trumps aesthetics. HR064 Hampshire and Berkshire 4x4 Response
Post #536712 1st Jun 2016 10:44pm
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Grenadier



Member Since: 23 Jul 2014
Location: The foot of Mont Blanc...
Posts: 5893

France 2011 Defender 110 Puma 2.4 DCPU Corris Grey
Thank you all so far, (more thoughts always welcomed) but it's a mixed bag of answers. Not quite a 50/50 split, but not far off at 60/40 erring towards NO steps... Confused

I'm of the view that I agree with those sentiments that no steps look cleaner, albeit I think that is more relevant on the 90. Looks a little squashed otherwise. However the 110 with sills and steps seems to have a 'closer to the ground' stance (even if only visual rather than actual). Further, whilst I'm happy to get in and out without steps, as I am currently doing, Mrs Grenadier at 5'2" might not be so amused, and as for my mother in law (our only visitor to the Alps who doesn't hire her own car) with two knee replacements I'd likely need some sort of step kept inside to get her in and out (Mrs Grenadier's new TT will do the job if just the two of them, but the DC will take over if it's the three of us or more). So it sort of becomes a practical issue. But then she only visits a couple of times a year, so I could just put my shoulder under her derrière and give her a good shove.

But finally, I have a DC, so maybe the argument is a little different? A 110 in length but at the same having a '90' body. Maybe this is the photo I should have posted originally:


Click image to enlarge


Anyway, thanking all for thoughts so far, photos to follow when all the kit is on... Thumbs Up Monsieur Le Grenadier

I've not been everywhere, but it's on my list.....

2011 Puma 110DC - Corris Grey


Last edited by Grenadier on 2nd Jun 2016 7:54am. Edited 2 times in total
Post #536755 2nd Jun 2016 7:47am
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