FlatbedPilot

FlatbedPilot

Well-Known Member
Full Member
Spotted this for sale locally for "offers". Put an offer in that I thought for sure would be ignored but I got it!

Needs a total rebuild but I'm going to need something to do during these long dark Shetland winters. Have a few ideas of how I'd like it to look but feel free to offer suggestions.

Some quick snaps of it in nice "original" condition after getting it home today:













 
Just by the first photo i guessed you were on shetland.

That looks like a new chassis needed rest of the bodyworks fairly straight though ?
 
Cheers guys.

Plan is to get a Richards galvanised chassis and do a ground up rebuild. Hopefully the kitty will extend to a galvanised bulkhead as well. Keeping the drive train original (19J engine in this, 2.5L turbo) but will be completely overhauled. Most of the bodywork will be salvageable although I'd like new doors. Once the major important stuff is done I'll turn my attention to the cosmetic stuff. Want to make it look quite imposing but not quite as mad as a proper trials vehicle.

Work won't commence in earnest until February next year as we are still in rented accommodation but hopefully that will be changing soon. There will of course be a build thread, hopefully in the all new "Reader Rides" section if it appears. Can't wait to get stuck in. This will be my first attempt at a Land Rover rebuild. I don't think I'll be as fast as Aaron Morris but hopefully can achieve similar results.
 
DefenderPilot said:
Spotted this for sale locally for "offers". Put an offer in that I thought for sure would be ignored but I got it!

Needs a total rebuild but I'm going to need something to do during these long dark Shetland winters. Have a few ideas of how I'd like it to look but feel free to offer suggestions.

Some quick snaps of it in nice "original" condition after getting it home today:
Click to expand...

Nice project! :) It will be a lovely motor when it is done, I love mine. And they are nice and uncomplicated to work on.

Shame it looks like its had a little too much exposure to the salt air, or even taken the odd dip in the sea! :eek: Same round here, we are only amile from a West facing coast. :(
 
Yeah, underneath is horrendous. It looks like it's been kept permanently parked in a bath of seawater. Just cleaning up the axles will probably take weeks. However, I've got plenty of time. The main thing that will dictate the pace will be availability of funds.
 
Nice, As said by others the body doesn't look too bad.
A new chassis is a good start in my book, At least everything else is easy enough to unbolt and swop as and when funds allow.
Looks like their will be plenty of grinder usage needed under their too :D
 
aaronmorris said:
Nice, As said by others the body doesn't look too bad.
A new chassis is a good start in my book, At least everything else is easy enough to unbolt and swop as and when funds allow.
Looks like their will be plenty of grinder usage needed under their too :D
Click to expand...

You're not kidding. I'll try to get some better photos of underneath so you can see how bad it is. The weather's been a bit horrendous lately though.

Update: There might be a change of plan. I've had a message from a local who has a 300tdi Disco for spares, am I interested? Watch this space...
 
Got a small amount of work done today, nothing major. I'm tackling small jobs and junking/selling what I don't want or need without going straight into a major stripdown because I don't want to create a mess on my landlords drive. But I reckon lots of little stuff done over the next couple of months will go a long way to getting me off to a good start once I'm in my new place.

So started yesterday and took off the front bumper and sold it because it was in reasonably good condition.

Today I removed the rear towbar assembly. Quicker to do it with a hacksaw than try to undo rusty bolts, which were all loose because the crossmember had rusted away on the inside. The last bolt just pulled through the crossmember anyway. Also cut off the dangling tow electrics. I'll separate the tow ball and clean it up and keep it.

I also managed to get underneath as the weather is quite mild today and took a few photos of the chassis. The rot is much worse at the back than it is at the front which is leading me to surmise that this may have been used for a boat trailer. While I was underneath I also got a load of penetrating oil squirted onto various nuts and bolts which will have plenty of time to work it's magic.

This shot turned out looking quite moody:









Evidence of previous repairs:







Hmmmm, there seems to be something missing here:



 
That is rough out. What does the bulkhead top rail say ?

Battery box ?

Seat box corners ?

Tub x member ?

- can you guess what ive been up to today.... Repairing my tub
 
Spend the extra little bit and buy a marsland chassis . they are made like the origional ones not 4 flat plates welded together like a Richards . truck looks really straight and tidy for her age though
 
5cylindertimebomb said:
Spend the extra little bit and buy a marsland chassis . they are made like the origional ones not 4 flat plates welded together like a Richards . truck looks really straight and tidy for her age though
Click to expand...

I'm not sure what the differences are with different 3rd party chassis. Richards seem quite popular as I've seen them mentioned a lot. Is the Marsland better? Will it last longer?
 
DefenderPilot said:
You're not kidding. I'll try to get some better photos of underneath so you can see how bad it is. The weather's been a bit horrendous lately though.

Update: There might be a change of plan. I've had a message from a local who has a 300tdi Disco for spares, am I interested? Watch this space...
Click to expand...

Ah, yes, 300tdi would be good :)
Oh and just seen the pics of said chassis, It looks rather grim under their, Galv chassis is definitely the way to go.
 
Just read the rest of the thread :doh:
Regards chassis I've got Richards on mine and I'm very happy with it.
But in fairness I've heard a lot of good stuff about both companies.
I went Richards because they're only 20 minutes down the road and was cheaper.
 
aaronmorris said:
Just read the rest of the thread :doh:
Regards chassis I've got Richards on mine and I'm very happy with it.
But in fairness I've heard a lot of good stuff about both companies.
I went Richards because they're only 20 minutes down the road and was cheaper.
Click to expand...

After posting that I did a little research myself with Google. Will still be going with a Richards chassis I reckon.
 
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