Defender rebuild

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BTR

Member
Posts
17
Location
Hereford
First of all apologies if this is in the wrong place as I'm not sure.

So I bought a ex mod defender and I loved it , I've been slowly putting bits and pieces right, spent a few quid on top of the initial purchase.

I took it in to be looked at as the starter had gone and it was a nightmare to get to, it turned out it was a 1991 2.5 N/A with a discovery 200tdi engine, which is why it was so tricky to get at.
That was the first sign all was not as it should have been. Turns out I was sold a lemon and have been advised it has a bent mot and shouldn't be on the road and really needs a full rebuild.
Its got a decent chassis although not a nice galvanised one. Everything else needs attention.
So my question is, do I cut my losses and get rid, or do attempt to rebuild it myself, I'm no mechanic and have only ever done basic stuff like servicing and suspension parts on cars in the past.
My other option is get a company to do the rebuild, but I haven't a clue what potential costs would be and I'm guessing it'd likely be prohibitly expensive.
Suggestions and opinions welcome. I'm sure I'm not the first or last person for this to have happened to, but a steep learning curve none the less and not the best way to get into defenders.
 
“A bent MOT” can that be straighten with a torch?
Post some pictures and have a look at some of the member projects on here as they have done full rebuilds.
Don’t give up on it ;)
Good idea, I'll try and get some pics up in a bit. I really do like it and would rather keep it, but it's got to be achievable or it's going to become an expensive garden ornament that rots away, anything in particular to take pictures of?
 
Can't be any worse than the Disco I'm working on currently. The 200Tdi engine is a common and good upgrade for the underpowered previous diesel. Just give us some general pictures of the vehicle so we can see what you've got to start with.
 
Don’t give up on it just yet! As the chassis is sound, that’s the biggest expense, so everything else should be relatively straightforward.

What else is wrong with it? If you put a list up, we can take a look and hopefully give you an idea how to tackle it. And some pics too.
 
I took it in to be looked at as the starter had gone and it was a nightmare to get to, it turned out it was a 1991 2.5 N/A with a discovery 200tdi engine, which is why it was so tricky to get at.

200tdi is a common (& great) engine conversion - you wont be impressed with the 'performance' of an origonal 2.5do_O
if it's a disco / rr engine then the turbo's exhaust downpipe setup can be tortourous - especially if home-made & this blocks access to the startermotor (not easy on a Defender LR at the best of times:rolleyes:)

That was the first sign all was not as it should have been.

you've bought a modified vehicle......

non-standard;)

Turns out I was sold a lemon and have been advised it has a bent mot and shouldn't be on the road and really needs a full rebuild.

hummmmmm.:confused:

sure the garage doesn't want to buy it cheaply from you to use / repair / sell off @ proffit?:(

as to needing a rebuild, it's mostly a 1991 Landrover so ~30 years old - doubt it's had full service history since cast / demob;)





we have a 1986 LR Ninety (TUL / FFW) thats POWERED by a 2.5d, all 60hp so it's soon getting a 200tdi engine conversion for ~ twice the power & torque:cool:


Rich.
 
What reasons were given for the thought of the MOT not being right?

J
I had it looked at by someone I trust, no hazard warning lights, leaking fuel tank, leaking pretty much everywhere in fact, split rubbers, just everything generally wrong, that was a couple of days after it had aledgidly past an mot lol
 
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