Defender 110 Restoration
Discussion
Morning everyone..
Well she has gone to the MOT station this morning.. But not for an MOT!.. I have been busy over the last few days desperately trying to get things ready for the MOT but due a couple of unforseen problems theres no point MOT'ing her yet as she will fail!.. Well they wouldnt even test her.
When fitting the drivers seatbelt over the weekend I noticed it is cut.. This is a fail and I wasnt able to get one in time for this morning. The other reason there is no point testing her is that I currently can't get the OSR door open. It is stuck locked. After having to take the door off again over the weekend I thought I had cured the problem.. evidently not! So I now have to mess around again trying to sort it. I have ordered a new lock mech but its going to be a pain getting the door off again...
The garage is going to track her up today and give it a bit of a pre MOT check to make sure there arnt any other bits to take care of before I take her back.
I did go for a bit of a drive around the farm on Saturday and up the road to see if there were any other bits I needed to deal with.. If it works you should be able to see a couple of videos below... You may need to crane your neck as I cant get it the right way up! Apologies for the poor quality!
And a couple of photos in the daylight...
When I get the MOT sorted later in the week I'll take the Land Rover for a decent photo session with a proper camera!
Well she has gone to the MOT station this morning.. But not for an MOT!.. I have been busy over the last few days desperately trying to get things ready for the MOT but due a couple of unforseen problems theres no point MOT'ing her yet as she will fail!.. Well they wouldnt even test her.
When fitting the drivers seatbelt over the weekend I noticed it is cut.. This is a fail and I wasnt able to get one in time for this morning. The other reason there is no point testing her is that I currently can't get the OSR door open. It is stuck locked. After having to take the door off again over the weekend I thought I had cured the problem.. evidently not! So I now have to mess around again trying to sort it. I have ordered a new lock mech but its going to be a pain getting the door off again...
The garage is going to track her up today and give it a bit of a pre MOT check to make sure there arnt any other bits to take care of before I take her back.
I did go for a bit of a drive around the farm on Saturday and up the road to see if there were any other bits I needed to deal with.. If it works you should be able to see a couple of videos below... You may need to crane your neck as I cant get it the right way up! Apologies for the poor quality!
And a couple of photos in the daylight...
When I get the MOT sorted later in the week I'll take the Land Rover for a decent photo session with a proper camera!
Thanks again everyone for the nice comments.. They do help to spur me on when things are getting tedious! The end is so close yet at times seems so far away!
I got the Defender back on Monday afternoon with a list of things that needed addressing for an MOT.. There wasnt anything serious which was handy.. Silly things like the fact I hadnt actually filled up the washer fluid reservoir!.. There were other bits but most of them have been scratched off the list.
I got a parcel this afternoon which should help with the MOT..
Driver's seat belt assembly..
Off side rear door mech..
After managing to get the door open and off again last night I am still unsure as to whether the Mech is the culprit or an associated part however I will be able to investigate further this evening.
If all goes well I plan to get the test done on Friday. I will then tax it and use it over the weekend. The only glitch with that plan is the fact that another job on the to-do list is to get the heater to work as it is currently out of action.. This may mean having to wrap up warm if driving anywhere!
I got the Defender back on Monday afternoon with a list of things that needed addressing for an MOT.. There wasnt anything serious which was handy.. Silly things like the fact I hadnt actually filled up the washer fluid reservoir!.. There were other bits but most of them have been scratched off the list.
I got a parcel this afternoon which should help with the MOT..
Driver's seat belt assembly..
Off side rear door mech..
After managing to get the door open and off again last night I am still unsure as to whether the Mech is the culprit or an associated part however I will be able to investigate further this evening.
If all goes well I plan to get the test done on Friday. I will then tax it and use it over the weekend. The only glitch with that plan is the fact that another job on the to-do list is to get the heater to work as it is currently out of action.. This may mean having to wrap up warm if driving anywhere!
Well an update for those interested..
I got everything on the to-do list for the MOT done on Thursday evening.. With my new hinge the rear door was working great so it was dropped off on Friday morning for an MOT..
Well she passed with no advisories so a tax disc was got from the post office and she has gone straight into daily service! I used the defender all weekend which was useful to shake down a couple of small issues. The main one being the lack of a heater!.. I was certainly cold Saturday morning after a scattering of snow around these parts.. Anyone after lots of cursing and blood.. (see below photo) the heater worked once again!
Yesterdays job was to get some music in my life!.. The Defender didnt have a radio so I purchased a cradle and after a bit of faffing managed to wire in an old head unit I had in the shed..
With sound and heat the end is very close.. Truth be told I have been suffering with a bit of post natal depression for car builders. Im not thrilled with the finished item.. There are a few bits Im not happy with. Everyone who has seen her has been very flattering but for me it juse doesnt look right!.. The main thing which I am not happy with is the ride height. I ordered heavy duty standard ride height springs when I began the project and since it has been back together I think its just sat 2" too high. I have spoken to the supplier of the springs and they have assured me they are the standard ride height versions so I am hoping they will settle some more over time.
To try and help her look less like she is on stilts I have spent another £300 today on some side steps and a full set of mud flaps which I am hoping will give the illusion of the LR sitting slightly lower..
Anyway some pics of her outside in the car park..
I am hoping that by the end of next weekend I will be able to class her as 'finished'. In inverted commas as I dont think there ever is such a thing!
I got everything on the to-do list for the MOT done on Thursday evening.. With my new hinge the rear door was working great so it was dropped off on Friday morning for an MOT..
Well she passed with no advisories so a tax disc was got from the post office and she has gone straight into daily service! I used the defender all weekend which was useful to shake down a couple of small issues. The main one being the lack of a heater!.. I was certainly cold Saturday morning after a scattering of snow around these parts.. Anyone after lots of cursing and blood.. (see below photo) the heater worked once again!
Yesterdays job was to get some music in my life!.. The Defender didnt have a radio so I purchased a cradle and after a bit of faffing managed to wire in an old head unit I had in the shed..
With sound and heat the end is very close.. Truth be told I have been suffering with a bit of post natal depression for car builders. Im not thrilled with the finished item.. There are a few bits Im not happy with. Everyone who has seen her has been very flattering but for me it juse doesnt look right!.. The main thing which I am not happy with is the ride height. I ordered heavy duty standard ride height springs when I began the project and since it has been back together I think its just sat 2" too high. I have spoken to the supplier of the springs and they have assured me they are the standard ride height versions so I am hoping they will settle some more over time.
To try and help her look less like she is on stilts I have spent another £300 today on some side steps and a full set of mud flaps which I am hoping will give the illusion of the LR sitting slightly lower..
Anyway some pics of her outside in the car park..
I am hoping that by the end of next weekend I will be able to class her as 'finished'. In inverted commas as I dont think there ever is such a thing!
Thanks everyone for the nice comments..
Over the course of the last week I have fitted a full set of mudflaps and some side steps. I have been really pleased with these as they have really helped to make the defender look less like the ride height is too high. Because the side steps came with silver chequer plate on them I have had to disassemble to paint the chequer plate satin black to match the rest of the vehicle...
Other jobs I have managed to sort have been fitting the rear end door trim and the most annoying one was getting the fuel gauge to work. I fitted a new sender unit when the new tank was fitted so I knew that wasnt the problem and by earthing one of the connections I was able to see that the gauge was working fine too.. In the end I took the sender unit out and couldnt see anything amiss so refitted and hey presto it worked fine!.. I think the float may have been getting caught on one of the baffles in the tank. This last job has led to another problem unfortunately which shouldnt be hard to sort just a pain when things dont run smoothly!. The fuel pickup line is part of the sender and the jubilee clip which held it in place broke upon removal and typically I didnt have one the right size so have fitted on which is too big and hence not sealing correctly. Im pretty sure this is leading to air entering the fuel system as I cant get her to run smoothly since the sender was out. The system seems to be picking up air constantly.
Every time I think the end is just one or two jobs away something else crops up to complicate things which is highly annoying! Anyway with a new jubilee clip the fuel system problem should be sorted and then she needs a wash (and ideally a proper flat and polish) and she will be ready for a proper photoshoot with a decent camera.
You guys will be the first to see the photos so watch this space and hopefully by the end of the week Ill have an update.
Over the course of the last week I have fitted a full set of mudflaps and some side steps. I have been really pleased with these as they have really helped to make the defender look less like the ride height is too high. Because the side steps came with silver chequer plate on them I have had to disassemble to paint the chequer plate satin black to match the rest of the vehicle...
Other jobs I have managed to sort have been fitting the rear end door trim and the most annoying one was getting the fuel gauge to work. I fitted a new sender unit when the new tank was fitted so I knew that wasnt the problem and by earthing one of the connections I was able to see that the gauge was working fine too.. In the end I took the sender unit out and couldnt see anything amiss so refitted and hey presto it worked fine!.. I think the float may have been getting caught on one of the baffles in the tank. This last job has led to another problem unfortunately which shouldnt be hard to sort just a pain when things dont run smoothly!. The fuel pickup line is part of the sender and the jubilee clip which held it in place broke upon removal and typically I didnt have one the right size so have fitted on which is too big and hence not sealing correctly. Im pretty sure this is leading to air entering the fuel system as I cant get her to run smoothly since the sender was out. The system seems to be picking up air constantly.
Every time I think the end is just one or two jobs away something else crops up to complicate things which is highly annoying! Anyway with a new jubilee clip the fuel system problem should be sorted and then she needs a wash (and ideally a proper flat and polish) and she will be ready for a proper photoshoot with a decent camera.
You guys will be the first to see the photos so watch this space and hopefully by the end of the week Ill have an update.
Well I managed to sort a couple of the little jobs that needed doing last night..
She is driving very well at the moment and I am very pleased with the look since the mudflaps and side steps have been fitted... Still waiting on some longer black rivets before I can refit the steps and the look will be completed.
I should be able to give it a wash on Friday and take some decent photos but here are some photos of the LR with side steps and flaps fitted.. And with quite a bit of road dirt on her aswell!..
Next update Friday all being well...
She is driving very well at the moment and I am very pleased with the look since the mudflaps and side steps have been fitted... Still waiting on some longer black rivets before I can refit the steps and the look will be completed.
I should be able to give it a wash on Friday and take some decent photos but here are some photos of the LR with side steps and flaps fitted.. And with quite a bit of road dirt on her aswell!..
Next update Friday all being well...
Hello Everyone
As promised I have managed to get the last couple of jobs done so I gave her a wash this morning and have been to take some decent photos.
I will let the photos do the talking...
Well I would like to take this opportunity to say thank you to everyone who has commented over the last few months.. I have enjoyed the project and nice comments have always helped to spur me on when Ive been getting fed up with the whole process!.. The year I have spent doing the project has had its own ups and downs but I have finally finished!.. I am not a mechanic.. I am a mere hobbyist who took on a project and I would recommend anyone with the time, inclination and finances to do the same.
I am pleased with the results and seeing her complete has made me wish I had pots of money so I could keep her as a second car. Unfortunately unless my numbers come in tonight that isnt really an option..
The car is now as complete as it is ever going to be so can currently be found in a classifieds near you...
Well I suppose I had better find something to do now... (Twiddles Thumbs)
As promised I have managed to get the last couple of jobs done so I gave her a wash this morning and have been to take some decent photos.
I will let the photos do the talking...
Well I would like to take this opportunity to say thank you to everyone who has commented over the last few months.. I have enjoyed the project and nice comments have always helped to spur me on when Ive been getting fed up with the whole process!.. The year I have spent doing the project has had its own ups and downs but I have finally finished!.. I am not a mechanic.. I am a mere hobbyist who took on a project and I would recommend anyone with the time, inclination and finances to do the same.
I am pleased with the results and seeing her complete has made me wish I had pots of money so I could keep her as a second car. Unfortunately unless my numbers come in tonight that isnt really an option..
The car is now as complete as it is ever going to be so can currently be found in a classifieds near you...
Well I suppose I had better find something to do now... (Twiddles Thumbs)
Hello everyone!..
Thought I would give you all a bit of an update..
Well the Defender has been advertised for about 10 days and I have had a few enquiries but so far I still own it!.. Im quite thankful of that currently as I noticed I had a problem and I wouldn't want anyone buying my problem!
As I was using the LR daily I noticed that the gearbox wasn't right so I have bitten the bullet and done this....
I have pulled the old gearbox out and today my new Ashcroft unit arrived..
I have been at the shed tonight trying to get the car back together as I want to take it to my Friend's wedding on Friday however I have only got tomorrow night to get it back together or else Im in the Saab!
The gearbox was always an area of concern with the Land Rover as when I bought the vehicle I wasn't able to take it for a spin up the road to test the transmission. With the benefit of hindsight it would have been far easier to change the gearbox when the vehicle was still at the rolling chassis stage however I had to take the risk that the gearbox was ok... Anyway Im £700 lighter now however my Defender benefits from an Ashcroft transmission and new clutch which Im doing at the same time. At least I wont have any worries about the new owner having any problems with the gearbox!
Didnt have to twiddle my thumbs for very long before I found something to do!
Thought I would give you all a bit of an update..
Well the Defender has been advertised for about 10 days and I have had a few enquiries but so far I still own it!.. Im quite thankful of that currently as I noticed I had a problem and I wouldn't want anyone buying my problem!
As I was using the LR daily I noticed that the gearbox wasn't right so I have bitten the bullet and done this....
I have pulled the old gearbox out and today my new Ashcroft unit arrived..
I have been at the shed tonight trying to get the car back together as I want to take it to my Friend's wedding on Friday however I have only got tomorrow night to get it back together or else Im in the Saab!
The gearbox was always an area of concern with the Land Rover as when I bought the vehicle I wasn't able to take it for a spin up the road to test the transmission. With the benefit of hindsight it would have been far easier to change the gearbox when the vehicle was still at the rolling chassis stage however I had to take the risk that the gearbox was ok... Anyway Im £700 lighter now however my Defender benefits from an Ashcroft transmission and new clutch which Im doing at the same time. At least I wont have any worries about the new owner having any problems with the gearbox!
Didnt have to twiddle my thumbs for very long before I found something to do!
Yep its the LT77.. I have heard similar things about the reliability of that model but its what the 200tdi came with so wanted to stick with it...
As far as the V8 is concerned there happens to be one sat in the next shed to mine waiting for a good home.. Trouble is I want that for my next project!
As far as the V8 is concerned there happens to be one sat in the next shed to mine waiting for a good home.. Trouble is I want that for my next project!
Well a bit of an update for those interested...
I managed to fit the new gearbox along with a new clutch. Due to a couple of issues with the job this has taken slightly longer than I would have liked (me dropping the clutch slave cylinder pushrod into the gearbox bell housing once all was back together and then having to take it all apart again!) but she has been back in daily use for a week or so.. I have noticed a bit of an oil leak from what appears to be the transfer box input shaft seal so unfortunately Ive gotta drop the transfer box again to replace this seal. I have now had the transfer box off a couple of times so I am confident I can get it sorted over the weekend if I have the energy!.. Yes I know I should have done this when the transfer box was off!
Once the new oil seal is in she will be holding her fluids 100%. There arn't many people with Defenders that can say that but in my opinion I cant sell something that has an oil leak!
On the subject of selling the Defender I have decided to reduce the price. I am in no rush or have any great need to sell however I feel that to generate some substantial enquiries I have no choice but to sharpen the price slightly. I have had lots of interest from people and lots of emails complimenting me on the restoration however nobody has actually been to have a look yet!
I shall keep using her on a daily basis and when/if the snow comes I will get a tow rope and drive around offering to pull peoples cars out of ditches to give myself a feeling of self worth!... Knight in Stornoway Grey armour and all that!
I managed to fit the new gearbox along with a new clutch. Due to a couple of issues with the job this has taken slightly longer than I would have liked (me dropping the clutch slave cylinder pushrod into the gearbox bell housing once all was back together and then having to take it all apart again!) but she has been back in daily use for a week or so.. I have noticed a bit of an oil leak from what appears to be the transfer box input shaft seal so unfortunately Ive gotta drop the transfer box again to replace this seal. I have now had the transfer box off a couple of times so I am confident I can get it sorted over the weekend if I have the energy!.. Yes I know I should have done this when the transfer box was off!
Once the new oil seal is in she will be holding her fluids 100%. There arn't many people with Defenders that can say that but in my opinion I cant sell something that has an oil leak!
On the subject of selling the Defender I have decided to reduce the price. I am in no rush or have any great need to sell however I feel that to generate some substantial enquiries I have no choice but to sharpen the price slightly. I have had lots of interest from people and lots of emails complimenting me on the restoration however nobody has actually been to have a look yet!
I shall keep using her on a daily basis and when/if the snow comes I will get a tow rope and drive around offering to pull peoples cars out of ditches to give myself a feeling of self worth!... Knight in Stornoway Grey armour and all that!
jbi said:
not tempted to keep it?
or too much money tied up?
I would love to be able to keep it as a second car but as you say I have too much money tied up.. I have £££££ tied up in the car and was planning to try buy a house in the spring and unfortunately there is no way I can have both given my current financial position! If I came into some money then I would keep it without a doubt... We'll see if tonight's lottery has any for me!or too much money tied up?
Thanks again for the nice comments everyone..
The Defender is still in daily use and going great. I am still finding little jobs to do with her to iron out any niggles. The main job I am planning to undertake next week is to apply some sound deadening to interior panels as she is very noisy. Hopefully this will make it less of an assault on the ears when driving.
I am taking her on a bit of a road trip up to the Lake District this afternoon so I might even be able to get some tasteful photos with nice scenery in the background!.. I know how popular they are!
The Defender is still in daily use and going great. I am still finding little jobs to do with her to iron out any niggles. The main job I am planning to undertake next week is to apply some sound deadening to interior panels as she is very noisy. Hopefully this will make it less of an assault on the ears when driving.
I am taking her on a bit of a road trip up to the Lake District this afternoon so I might even be able to get some tasteful photos with nice scenery in the background!.. I know how popular they are!
Well I have just got back from my trip to the Lake District..
The Land Rover has run like a dream and Im very proud of her.. A couple of hundred miles with no issues what so ever! Very noisy on the motorway but hopefully my sound deadening will go some way to improve that!
Anyway as promised some photos! (apologies for the iphone lameness!)
The Land Rover has run like a dream and Im very proud of her.. A couple of hundred miles with no issues what so ever! Very noisy on the motorway but hopefully my sound deadening will go some way to improve that!
Anyway as promised some photos! (apologies for the iphone lameness!)
Hello
Yep as has been said the Defender was re painted in Stornoway Grey. I chose this colour over Bonatti Grey just due to the fact it was the later colour.. With the benefit of hindsight I would have probably done it in Orkney Grey as that is the latest grey on offer.
As far as the nuts and bolts go I would recommend using new ones.. During the strip down of my project I found that it saved a lot of time in certain instances to just cut off seized bolts and replace with new ones when building back up. If you google Land Rover parts manual there is a very handy pdf to download with all the part numbers.. I transferred those to one of the LR parts websites which made ordering quite easy. Again, with the benefit of hindsight it would have probably saved money to go to a local nut/bolt engineering business and choose your own replacements.
Good luck with your projects!.. Any questions fire them my way and I'll try and offer up some advice (rightly or wrongly!).
Yep as has been said the Defender was re painted in Stornoway Grey. I chose this colour over Bonatti Grey just due to the fact it was the later colour.. With the benefit of hindsight I would have probably done it in Orkney Grey as that is the latest grey on offer.
As far as the nuts and bolts go I would recommend using new ones.. During the strip down of my project I found that it saved a lot of time in certain instances to just cut off seized bolts and replace with new ones when building back up. If you google Land Rover parts manual there is a very handy pdf to download with all the part numbers.. I transferred those to one of the LR parts websites which made ordering quite easy. Again, with the benefit of hindsight it would have probably saved money to go to a local nut/bolt engineering business and choose your own replacements.
Good luck with your projects!.. Any questions fire them my way and I'll try and offer up some advice (rightly or wrongly!).
lgssmith1969 said:
Good Day Patrick (P4T)
My name is Leslie Smith and i stay in South Africa
I have been pondering on doing a rebuild of a Defender for quite some time now, but was not sure what and how to start and what to look for
I came across your 110 Defender rebuild and read through it and now i know what and how i want to rebuild
I think your step for step photos are awesome
Would i be able to ask you a few questions about the project
Hi LeslieMy name is Leslie Smith and i stay in South Africa
I have been pondering on doing a rebuild of a Defender for quite some time now, but was not sure what and how to start and what to look for
I came across your 110 Defender rebuild and read through it and now i know what and how i want to rebuild
I think your step for step photos are awesome
Would i be able to ask you a few questions about the project
I would be happy to answer any questions you have. I was very pleased to see that my build thread was at the top of google when searching for defender 110 restoration so hopefully it can help others attempting the same. I certainly relied on others experiences posted online when undertaking my restoration.
The vehicle was finished and sold in January and hopefully it is going well for the new owner. I often think that if my financial position changed I would try and buy it back!
I will say though that the restoration took A LOT of time, effort and money and I would definately think twice about attempting another in the same time period.. I do still have a Series 3 in the shed on the to do list however a house is taking up most of my time at the moment.
Feel free to send me a PM with any questions you may have.
Patrick
Hi Will
I am happy to answer your questions.
The cost of the base vehicle was £2000 despite being in such a bad state... Defenders hey! The sum of parts was about £9,000 in the end including things like painting meaning a total cost of about £11,000.
This biggest killer in my opinion of taking on a project like this is the sheer amount of time that needs to be invested. I work 50 hours a week for my day job and was putting about another 20 hours a week into the land rover. I don't think its the sort of thing you would be able to do if you had a wife and kids that also needed some of your time as I felt as though every spare minute was spent on the LR.
A lot of the parts were sourced on the internet and delivered to my work for ease. There are PDF parts manuals available online and they proved invaluable for part numbers which can then be typed into a website like lrseries.com and you then have the option of choosing a genuine or spurious part depending on the budget.
I rent an old chicken shed on a farm which is where I did the work but for convenience it would always be better at home in a garage simply for being at home would enable you to spend more time on it.
Current project is a house which seems to swallow money like you wouldn't believe!.. When thats done I need to make a start on the series 3 land rover ive had sat in the shed for a few years.
http://i1271.photobucket.com/albums/jj622/PatrickM...
I am happy to answer your questions.
The cost of the base vehicle was £2000 despite being in such a bad state... Defenders hey! The sum of parts was about £9,000 in the end including things like painting meaning a total cost of about £11,000.
This biggest killer in my opinion of taking on a project like this is the sheer amount of time that needs to be invested. I work 50 hours a week for my day job and was putting about another 20 hours a week into the land rover. I don't think its the sort of thing you would be able to do if you had a wife and kids that also needed some of your time as I felt as though every spare minute was spent on the LR.
A lot of the parts were sourced on the internet and delivered to my work for ease. There are PDF parts manuals available online and they proved invaluable for part numbers which can then be typed into a website like lrseries.com and you then have the option of choosing a genuine or spurious part depending on the budget.
I rent an old chicken shed on a farm which is where I did the work but for convenience it would always be better at home in a garage simply for being at home would enable you to spend more time on it.
Current project is a house which seems to swallow money like you wouldn't believe!.. When thats done I need to make a start on the series 3 land rover ive had sat in the shed for a few years.
http://i1271.photobucket.com/albums/jj622/PatrickM...
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