Reply With QuoteI am very interested in this
A friend has a similar project with series 1 waiting in Africa that I am helping with.
Likely Less rot on the chassis but a lot more dust.
In the spirit of Menno I thought id share a few pics of a job we’ve taken on to restore a 1969 Series 2A Land Rover.
This particular vehicle has been in the same family since new and the lady who inherited it from her father decided she wanted to get it back on the road. Someone started it several years ago however it didn’t get very far and it sat untouched in an open barn for about 7 years.
After having it recovered we established that the engine wasn’t actually seized. The owners thought that was the case however we found that the water pump was totally locked and not allowing the engine to turn. After a check over we found that the body, shell , bulkhead are in remarkable condition but the chassis has essentially rotted away. We’ve had to do some remedial work to get the engine to crank over which includes new starter and battery, rework the ignition system and put in a temporary fuel line, once its been established the engine runs we will start the strip down where a new galvanised chassis is waiting. Cant see it being finished until at least mid next year however for anyone interested I’ll update with pics of the progress.
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I am very interested in this
A friend has a similar project with series 1 waiting in Africa that I am helping with.
Likely Less rot on the chassis but a lot more dust.
Last edited by Sinnlover; 29th November 2023 at 22:26.
Great thread and I am delighted that of all our UK members you’re the one who started it.
'Against stupidity, the gods themselves struggle in vain' - Schiller.
Love this D.
When you look long into an abyss, the abyss looks long into you.........
Oh yes!!! I'm going to enjoy this! I know all too well how this sort of work develops, and I think that mid 2024 is an honest 'dot on the horizon'.
Oo, I do love a good Land Rover thread. Looking forward to seeing the progress Dudley
My first car was a Series II. This one appears to have a Series III front though? Look forward to see it returned to it's former glory.
This will be fun. Out of interest, what will a job like this cost the customer? Just looks crazy, in a good way.
Christ, no idea. There’s far too many unknowns at the moment like the state of the diffs, transfer box and main gearbox. Once it’s running and we get some wind in the tyres we’re hoping that a run around the yard will give us a better idea. Whilst it’s going to essentially be a refurb we/ the owner want to keep as much of the original car as possible so things like paintwork aren’t being done. The aim is to be safe, road worthy and relatively reliable going forward.Originally Posted by Onelasttime
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Subtle differences than the series 3. Although they have the same front end this one is a H plate from 69 with a hard dash, screen brackets on the outside of the bulkhead rather than inboard, electric - wiring under bonnet very different and the bonnet hooks are slide in on this one rather than drop in on the 3.
Also VIN plate gives it away
Above pic is the series 3 (K plate) which we also have in.
Vin:
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Last edited by Franky Four Fingers; 30th November 2023 at 10:04.
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Series 2 had headlights in the middle, Series 2A had them on the wings - it's one of the easiest ways to tell them apart
Anyone see the Series 1 featured recently on Bangers & Cash Restorations? Ended up costing over £80k to purchase and rebuild. Final result was like a brand new vehicle, the bill for labour was about £58K .
It sold for £40k.
7 out of 10 customers that come here in the workshop will tell you: "That's the story of my life as well, don't tell my wife." But there are two sides to this:
The first:
Keeping labour costs as low as possible without bankrupting the restoration company is one of the hardest things. Many workshops here deduct 5 to 15% of their normal hour-rate when it's for lengthy jobs like a restoration. But, a lot of money (labour) is spent on jobs that are outsourced; to give you an example: machine shop work for the engine, paint job work and upholstery work. All those shops have their own labour costs.
Restoring a 'normal' 60s or 70s car is the same as losing money. Only a few cars are worth more than the amount it took to restore. Porsche 356, 911 - and nowadays the 912- are a few examples of cars that are worth restoring. With -as I said often before- the re-use of the original material. I've owned a 914 and the engine rebuilt which is basically a VW 2.0 engine, costed me 10 yrs ago 6000 euros. And that was 'mates rate'... We also see that along the way, customers ask for more than bringing it back to original. I already mentioned that most restored cars are built with upgraded parts (The Austin Healey with an upgraded steering rack). I think that in most cases, the focus of the owner shifts to upgrades, making a restoration more costly. Add 20 to 80%... is my experience.
The subject of this thread, the Series 2A, is a fine example of 'classic motoring-and-memories'. And people are lucky to spend money to re-live those memories. Or see thecar as a rolling memorial for their family members.
The second:
Many years ago, Practical Classic Magazine had an article about the use of a classic car as every day car. The car of their choice was a Morris Minor. A 'modded' one with -I think- a Fiat engine, better brakes etc. The investment and the more frequent maintenance was cheaper than buying a modern car (I cannot remember what they had as comparisson-car). You can take that route as well: restoring a car with every day use in mind: powder coating, galvanizing, modern 2K paint, modern rust prevention (Mike Sanders). Then you can end up with a car that will outlive you, so to speak! One word of warning: when you take route, stay away from cars with 'frist gen' electronics. Not a lot of people know how to handle problems with these rudimentary computers. Even 'tanks' like the early Volvo V70 are prone to difficult to solve electronics problems.
(Dudley, I hope you don't mind this long-read in your thread!)
I don’t hold the monopoly on this thread Menno, you are the restoration guru… I am just a mere upstart!
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A lad at our work has done one up over the years. Nice old boat but there’s always something that needs sorting with it. The boy in the car is not the owner BTW
Its a '63 series 2A with inboard headlights BTW.
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Last edited by stefaulkner; 30th November 2023 at 15:40.
Thread update, we had to wait for the customer to get the chassis to us and with our current work load meant quite a wait to restart again however……many rusty bolts cut and removed later…
Last edited by Franky Four Fingers; 11th June 2024 at 18:15.
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Sweet Jesus! The owner must feel very connected with this car to have it restored. That's a real major operation. Sort of 4x4 version of Theseus Ship Paradox.
One thing I’ve learnt over the years, there is no end of people who are prepared to spend silly money on an old Land Rover especially when it holds a lot of memories with the owner.
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That is in waaaay worse condition than my '54 Series 1.
Having lived most of its life in an Aussie desert, the lack of rust is amazing, given the year.
The condition of this one shows that UK conditions and UK winter mud are not kind to old Landies
I get it. They don't want a Land Rover; they want grandad's Land Rover. Old cars don't have to make financial sense. Younger people wouldn't appreciate the way that certain vehicles are almost part of the family.
Great to watch these restorations in real time, but I always wonder at what point the ‘triggers broom’ effect kicks in!
Started out with nothing. Still have most of it left.
So true! I can tell you similar stories. No Landy related but various other cars. And, tbh, Driving old Saabs like I do nowadays, reminds me of my 20s... There's a young Dutch couple on YT with vlogs about their old Saab 96. I often think: "That was me when I had that age!" Call it priceless memories.
Funny, it's actually in better condition than the 1983 110 I used to have, and I sold that (with beaucoup welding and a new rear x-member) in 1994!
Old Landies make the most sense if you're an enthusiastic, resourceful* and patient spanner-wrangler yourself with a decent workshop/garage/barn.
(* If you wanted to work on a 1983 car, you needed a full set of metric and imperial tools...)
I tired of lying on the ground with rain water running down my back several decades ago, and sadly won't be revisiting, much tho' I love a Landy...
I hear you, my Dad's 1991 200Tdi had to have a new chassis, it was that bad.Funny, it's actually in better condition than the 1983 110 I used to have, and I sold that (with beaucoup welding and a new rear x-member) in 1994!
Old Landies make the most sense if you're an enthusiastic, resourceful* and patient spanner-wrangler yourself with a decent workshop/garage/barn.
(* If you wanted to work on a 1983 car, you needed a full set of metric and imperial tools...
I tired of lying on the ground with rain water running down my back several decades ago, and sadly won't be revisiting, much tho' I love a Landy...
Lived most of its life sat under trees, so cold and damp all winter. It loves its new Galv chassis.
i bought a 1980 long wheelbase s3 in 1991,got it cheap because the chassis had plenty of rot.easy to weld up though as all chassis sections were available.it had the 6 cylinder petrol engine ,12 to a good gallon ,single figures when towing.despite all this i loved it.put a jib in the back and used it as my wrecker and tow in truck for the garage for ten years.it would do an indicated 75 if i held my foot down long enough but the cabin would fill with dust from the vibration.it didnt so much accelerate as gain momentum.didnt have any significant mechanical problems in that time.all in all i enjoyed owning it.
Last edited by greasemonkey; 14th June 2024 at 08:34.
I worked for a Land rover specialist (25 years ago). We did a full resto on a Series 2 for a farmer - as you say, they'll spend a lot of money for sentimental reasons. Pretty sure even way back then the bill was well north of £18,000 (literally anything slightly duff was replaced with new or an as-new replacement sourced).
One thing I will say. Speaking from experience (and not trying to teach my gran to suck eggs) make VERY sure that the bulkhead and rear body section go back on exactly right. If not you'll never get the doors to fit properly. You'll have noticed on dismantling that there are shims between them and the chassis which are fitted from the factory, as the panel to chassis interfaces were never that consistent. Just do a lot of measuring before you bolt them down!
All the best with the restoration
Last edited by Scepticalist; Yesterday at 07:56.
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