Michael purchased his Series IIA Land Rover around June of 2003,
started the restoration towards the end of September of 2003;
with the Land Rover basically finished almost exactly one year
later. He did the restoration with his friend Sam, a master mechanic
and his cousin Chris, a then engineering student. Michael rented
a warehouse; they turned this into an automotive shop and the group
just got to work on the admirable task of transforming a tired
Series II land Rover into a concourse example of the marque.
Michael has been a huge Land Rover fan for years. It was the Land
Rover Series IIA's simplistic, pure Land Rover-ness that really
appealed to him - no black boxes or computer chips anywhere in
sight (although Michael did subsequently add electronic ignition).
It went from initially being just a simple clean-up to a complete
frame-up rebuild with awesome results.
Having removed the body from the chassis, the Land Rover was effectively
reduced to a pile of parts. It was decided that a new chassis was
needed, so, after one arrived from Atlantic British, it was coated
in rust resistant paint and the rebuild began.
The Series 2286 engine is renowned for its longevity and reliability
and comparatively little work needed doing on it, other than renewing
gaskets and rebuilding the carburettor. Replacing the ring gear
on the flywheel proved a bit problematic however.
Airplane Stripper was carefully used to remove the old paint from
the bodywork then professionally painted in Pastel green 38504A
and Limestone 46251 typical of a Series Land Rover. Equally professional,
was Michael's approach to getting all the glossy black bits, instruments,
wiring and galvanised trim refurbished.
Michael's website Roverhaul.com
documents the entire restoration process in three photographic
albums: before ,during and after completion. There are also specific
technical articles related to particular aspects of the restoration
and for US residents there are some useful links to suppliers
of materials and tools needed for a similar undertaking.
Thanks Michael
*******************
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