Saturday, 10 July 2010

Series One Land rover

The 1955 Series One Land rover has come a long way since I last mentioned it. The bulkhead has had the top rail section replaced with a new section fabricated 'in house' and various repairs have been made to the footwells. The chassis has had repairs to the bumper irons, outriggers and more drastically, a complete rear 1/4 chassis! As the rear crossmember was a bit 'ripe' and the spring hangers had been heavily plated, it was the easiest route to a smart repair.

The chassis, fuel tank and axles were all thoroughly cleaned, painted in an anti rust primer and then given a few coats of black enamel. The front springs were replaced with new items along with various bushes and bolts, and things like steering, pedals and prop-shafts have all been greased. Also, the brake pipes (including flexi peipes) and wheel cylinders have been renewed.
The old mix of worn out tyres have been replaced with a brand new set of suitably nobbly 6.00x16 crossplys. Supplied by the good folks at Longstone Tyres (a good source of old style crossplys for all kinds of vehicles) they look the part, and wernt any more expensive than cheap radial remoulds.
It was then time to get on with the bodywork. As mentioned before, the owner stated that he wanted the vehicle to be tidy and usable, and concious of cost, the bodywork was given a quick prep down, with the wrost of the dents and old body filler being rectified.
The vehicle is now looking much better in its original 'mid bronze' green colour.
The wiring has been replaced with a nice new loom from Autosparks and everything is now connected back up and working. Due to the fact that the originals were broken or missing the side lights and indicators have been replaced with brand new series 2/3 land rover items.
Within the next few days the vehicle should be back up and running, driving, and ready for its first MOT in a good few years!