A Land Rover to be proud of

I don't post a lot of automotive stuff here on the Look Me in the Eye blog, but I am known as a machine aficionado, so I guess I can do it sometimes . . .

A year and a half ago, this tired red Land Rover Defender crawled into our shop. The gas tank was rotted out of the frame in back, the floors had holes, and the whole thing was just whipped and tired. However, the owner had a vision . . .



This was a long job. It was like restoring an old house. Every layer you peeled off left another layer of rot and corrosion to remove. Eventually, there was nothing left but a pile of parts. The truck was totally stripped to its component parts.

And then the reassembly started. Some parts got cleaned, some were overhauled, and a few were remade. Many little bits were replaced. Some key pieces were no longer available, or we didn't like the stock part, so we made new parts to suit our vision.

Today, I drove it back to his farm in upstate New York. It’s one of the nicest Land Rover projects we’ve ever done. Here’s the restored Defender, its owner, and me



Looking at this next shot, you can see that it’s totally new underneath. We took the truck completely to pieces, and rebuilt it onto a new galvanized frame. The suspension, steering, brakes . . . it’s all new. Everything was painted or finished and then assembled, which gives a look you just can’t get any other way.

We installed the Bilstein shocks, skid plates, diff guards, and some basic off-road gear but otherwise the truck remains pretty stock.



He was tired of the red, so we chose Coniston Green for the new color. We’re actually doing quite a few Defenders over in this same shade now.

In front, you can see the bumper we made . . . it looks stock but mounts a Warn winch. And we took the stock bull bar and lifted and reinforced it to stand above the winch.



We fitted a heated windshield, and the bigger mirrors. We also made some new front lights. You'll also see some custom rock sliders under the sills, and we've started using the new corrosion proof (dare I say that on a British car?) door hinges.


At the rear, we took a second frame cross member, and made it into a step bumper. Very nice job, if I do say so myself. And lest you think I am bragging about my own work . . . I’m not. This truck is 100% the result of Paul, Jeremy, Joe and the other guys in the Robison Service Land Rover shop. I may supply some kind of creative vision, and I jab and prod to keep them moving, but this beautiful work is all theirs.



And you can't miss the Badger top. Chris and his guys do really great work. Their Land Rover tops are really the best.

Here's a "better than new" interior view: You can't see it in this photo, but we built new seats, and fitted a Tuffy center console with the latest Alpine stereo, iPod control, and Sirius radio. We even thought to use Sony marine speakers in the doors, knowing you can't ever make a Defender water tight.



The inside is all lined with the Dynamat sound deadening panels. Boy, do they make a difference! This thing is still loud, but all the high pitched whine, and all the engine compartmetn noise is gone. In addition, the noise of gravel spray on the underbody has vanished. Very nice.

This is one really fine Defender! I was sorry I couldn't keep it for my own . . . Now, I want to restore my own ex-Army truck just like this one. Or maybe a bit better. If that's possible.