Before you decide to properly restore a Land Rover Series, it is important to think about a few things first. Understanding how much it can cost, plus the large amount of time it will take to complete, are a couple of points that plenty of people don't appreciate. "After all it's an old Land Rover and all you need is a Hammer, an adjustable spanner and some duct tape" - if this was true then every Land Rover Series would be in an astonishing condition. I have put together a list of the majority of things that need to be considered, before you even begin. Let's start with:
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Budget & Time
Money plays a big part these days, especially with the ongoing inflation. Restoring a Series Land Rover can get very costly and you will need to think about:
- the cost of the project vehicle (the Land Rover Series that you are going to restore)
- the cost for storing the Landy while you're working on it (if you can't keep it at home)
- the cost for replacing broken or missing parts (bearing in mind that not all parts are easily available or even found, and the supply is dwindling)
- the cost for things you can't do yourself, for example: sand blasting, painting or rebuilding an engine
Time is another important factor. For instance, let's say a Bulkhead takes 100 hrs to fully restore and you have 20 hours per week (after work and at weekends) to work on your Project, that would be 1 month and a week just for the Bulkhead. Each part that you properly restore will take time.....and there are a lot of parts in a Land Rover Series, some small and some quite big. So you can see how 2 years are easily spent on fully restoring a Landy. I used to chuckle when I heard someone say that it took them 4 years to restore their Land Rover, but after having rebuilt our own, I fully appreciate the time span. It took us about 2000 hours from start to finish, including some modifications. Using our example of 20 hrs per week, that would be 100 weeks or 2 years including holidays etc.
Knowledge/Skill
Knowledge of old Land Rovers and how they are put together will make the work easier and more enjoyable. There are good books that will help with this as well as very good forums. Land Rover people are in general happy to help out with advise if you get stuck. Check our Info page for some useful links to forums & downloads. Skill is a very sensitive subject and I do not want to insult anyone, but there are people that are better at using a computer or a pen than what they are at using a spanner. In all honesty: Skill set determines Cost. Meaning, if you are good with carrying out mechanical repairs, then you can do the majority of the work yourself and save a large amount of money. |
Tools, Machinery and Space
Tools are important. To do a decent job you need to have the right tools, which also leads to that old Land Rovers are all imperial, not metric, so you need to have the appropriate spanners, sockets etc. Machinery, like a metal folder for fabricating repair panels, a plasma cutter, a welder or a press for removing or putting back bearings for example will save a lot of money & time as you don't need to pay other people to do the job. We ended up making our own Press, Folder & Hole Punch, adding additional time and cost, but this may not be practical, if you are only ever going to restore one Land Rover. Space is rather valuable and is needed for:
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The first two points can be done in the same space, providing it is large enough to fit a full Land Rover and all the equipment needed, for example a work bench, a jig, tools, a Parts Washer etc.
Buying your Project
Once you have sorted out all of the above it is time to find your perfect project. Old Series Land Rover Projects can cost anywhere from £500 to £5000. Finding the right project for you is a personal & individual decision as it depends on factors like how much you can afford to spend, what skills you have to carry out the work and what your preferences are. First of all decide which type you want - Series 1, 2, 2a or 3 - and if you prefer a short wheel base (SWB) or a long wheel base (LWB), bearing in mind that the LWB will require a larger storage space. You then need to decide what you want to do with it once it is finished. |
There are 3 general options:
Option 1 - showing - a Series that you will take to Land Rover Shows and show it proudly. For this one you will need to replace any broken/missing parts with original ones, trying to rebuild it to how it came out of the factory. This will be expensive and most likely more time consuming, as you will need to keep checking online to see if any of the parts you require have come up for sale.
Option 2 - just for fun - a Series that you can take down green lanes, not worrying about scratches, dints and the occasional broken drive shaft. This is by far the cheapest option.
And last but not least, Option 3 - modified fun - a Series that you will take to Land Rover shows because it is different (not shiny) and in which you can tackle any green lanes,no matter how steep or slippery as you are equipped with larger, knobbly tyres or winches, and the occasional scratch will add to its character. Or you could go to the extreme and turn it into a rock crawler. Modifying a Land Rover can get quite expensive depending on what you want to change.
No matter which option you chose, some people will like it and some people will not. We chose Option 3 - our Series 2a has a V8, disc brakes, 2 hydraulic winches, is fully carpeted/lined inside, 2 heated Saab seats, banded wheels with larger tyres, heated wind screen and rear door screen as well as a modified Smith Flat heater. All of these can be seen on our own rebuild page.
Option 1 - showing - a Series that you will take to Land Rover Shows and show it proudly. For this one you will need to replace any broken/missing parts with original ones, trying to rebuild it to how it came out of the factory. This will be expensive and most likely more time consuming, as you will need to keep checking online to see if any of the parts you require have come up for sale.
Option 2 - just for fun - a Series that you can take down green lanes, not worrying about scratches, dints and the occasional broken drive shaft. This is by far the cheapest option.
And last but not least, Option 3 - modified fun - a Series that you will take to Land Rover shows because it is different (not shiny) and in which you can tackle any green lanes,no matter how steep or slippery as you are equipped with larger, knobbly tyres or winches, and the occasional scratch will add to its character. Or you could go to the extreme and turn it into a rock crawler. Modifying a Land Rover can get quite expensive depending on what you want to change.
No matter which option you chose, some people will like it and some people will not. We chose Option 3 - our Series 2a has a V8, disc brakes, 2 hydraulic winches, is fully carpeted/lined inside, 2 heated Saab seats, banded wheels with larger tyres, heated wind screen and rear door screen as well as a modified Smith Flat heater. All of these can be seen on our own rebuild page.
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