Backdating the look of a 1989 2-door

I hope I won't be flamed for sacrilege, but I plan to backdate the look of my 1989 2-door RRC as much as possible without spending a fortune. I love the appearance of the early trucks, but I also love the modern touches inside my 1989, and am hoping to come up with the best of both worlds (for me, anyway.) The truck is about to go in for complete body repair and paint work. There is no rust, but it's dinged and dented and the paint is scratched and faded, so now is a good time to accomplish some of the backdating.

Plus, my truck is a base model, so it already has the old style steel wheels and lacks a front spoiler or any of the posh touches of the more expensive specification RRC's.

A few questions:

1) If I source an early vertical grille and headlight surrounds, will the parts bolt right up as replacements? Or is it more complicated than that? Are the cornering lights next to the headlights different early to late or anything like that?

2) My truck has the rub strips along the lower part of the outer bodywork, but the early trucks did not. Can I just remove them, fill the holes, and paint the truck? Or is there a different contour to the early and late doors?

3) Do early bumpers bolt up easily? I'd love to remove my heavy bumpers with end caps and bolt on some early, simple bumpers, but is it that easy?

4) I notice the early trucks have an exposed fuel filler cove. Is backdating as easy as removing the filler door on my truck to obtain the same look?

5) Painting the upper bodywork (A, B and C-pillars) in body color (as opposed to the textured black color on the late trucks) looks pretty straightforward for a professional body shop. Am I missing anything?

Is there anything else that will backdate the exterior that is relatively easy and cheap? Since the truck is getting ready to be painted anyway, I would hate to miss something easy at this point...

Thanks in advance for your help,

Sensh said:

A few questions:

1) If I source an early vertical grille and headlight surrounds, will the parts bolt right up as replacements? Or is it more complicated than that? Are the cornering lights next to the headlights different early to late or anything like that?

2) My truck has the rub strips along the lower part of the outer bodywork, but the early trucks did not. Can I just remove them, fill the holes, and paint the truck? Or is there a different contour to the early and late doors?

3) Do early bumpers bolt up easily? I'd love to remove my heavy bumpers with end caps and bolt on some early, simple bumpers, but is it that easy?

4) I notice the early trucks have an exposed fuel filler cove. Is backdating as easy as removing the filler door on my truck to obtain the same look?

5) Painting the upper bodywork (A, B and C-pillars) in body color (as opposed to the textured black color on the late trucks) looks pretty straightforward for a professional body shop. Am I missing anything?

Is there anything else that will backdate the exterior that is relatively easy and cheap? Since the truck is getting ready to be painted anyway, I would hate to miss something easy at this point...

Thanks in advance for your help,

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1 the light boxes are the same, the old style headlights with ther verticle grille have a surround whereas the new style with the plastic crgille that extends around them does not. aside from that some minor adjustment may be required.

2. rub strips are bonded with 3m tape no holes to fill

3. bumper mounts are the same, the ones with end caps will have a hole for the end cap mounts on the front wing where it drops down at the front

4. nope. pop the wing off and replace the filler recess

5. nope.

as for rust. rust free ?? wait till you get the body panels off and the carpet up !!

Thought 2 door models were phased out '86-87 sort of time....

A 1989 2 two, would seem to me to be a bit of a rarity.....the CSK which came out in 1990 with the 3.9 engine was the only later 2 door model that I can recall.....

Hahaha! Yeah, there might be some rot lurking somewhere I suppose, but compared to old MGB's and Lancia Fulvias and Fiat 130's and other things I own or are familiar with, I can see a ton of this vehicle and it seems very dry. It came from a very arid area of Spain.

I think it was mostly for the Spanish and French markets that the 2-doors soldiered on so late. I think they were done in the UK by 1986 or so, and never appeared in North America at all, if I recall...

Okay, so with all this in mind:

1) Does anyone have an early style filler recess I can buy? Something cut out of a damaged early wing or something? I can have my body guy bond it in.

2) Does anyone have an early style grille and/or headlight surrounds?

yes the 2 door model was available in France (and possibly spain) into the late 80's something to with taxes on agricultural vehicles apparantly

There's been a few 2 doors from southern europe heading back to the UK recently

Sensh said:

Okay, so with all this in mind:

1) Does anyone have an early style filler recess I can buy? Something cut out of a damaged early wing or something? I can have my body guy bond it in.

2) Does anyone have an early style grille and/or headlight surrounds?

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1. get hunting (its not bonded in, it's bolted, when you remove the rear wing you can see how its mounted.

2. get hunting

i have to go visit a breaker to get some bits for my suffix A he has a few he is breaking. sorry i dont want to adertise the location as i need to get my arse there to pick up the bits and dont want to find out all the bit i need have been taken due to having a loud mouth.

I'll check to see if they have them when i go and will let you, know.. they are in the UK though

ukadamwest said:

I'll check to see if they have them when i go and will let you, know.. they are in the UK though

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Oh, very cool. I'm fine with paying shipping, and appreciate your help!

I went and looked at the C-pillar more closely last night. It looks like it is covered in a black, textured plastic cover. If I remove that cover, will the actual C-pillar need to be built up again before it can be painted body color? Or is the cover super thin, and just placed on top of a standard C-pillar?

This project has to be something of a novelty - spending considerable amounts of cash to make a vehicle appear OLDER than it really is
I know it's difficult to know in advance how much all your plans will cost but a comparison with the purchase price of an original old 2 door might be interesting as that would be an appreciating asset. Your project, once completed, will have lost it's originality & a 2 door made as late as '89 must be very rare. Have you thought about doing some research into it's history? The condition of the shell might depend, to some extent, on when in '89 it was built as I believe that was the year that LR slipped into another of their historical periods of using poorer grade steel.

norseman said:

This project has to be something of a novelty - spending considerable amounts of cash to make a vehicle appear OLDER than it really is
I know it's difficult to know in advance how much all your plans will cost but a comparison with the purchase price of an original old 2 door might be interesting as that would be an appreciating asset. Your project, once completed, will have lost it's originality & a 2 door made as late as '89 must be very rare. Have you thought about doing some research into it's history? The condition of the shell might depend, to some extent, on when in '89 it was built as I believe that was the year that LR slipped into another of their historical periods of using poorer grade steel.

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Well, those are good points, but I typically buy vehicles for myself, not for appreciation, and if I change them and ultimately sell them on, I just resign myself to finding the one other guy on the planet who appreciates what I have done. Hahahaha! It doesn't always pan out, buy hey, I'm okay with that.

As for my own interests, I rather like the idea of a truck that has vintage curb appeal but some of the creature comforts and advancements of the later models. (Admittedly, these are slight in my particular case. Mine is a base model with steel wheels, cloth seats, and few luxuries.)

I can't seem to find a VIN decoder that gives me anything except extremely basic information. I know the truck is an early 1989 model because it still has exposed door hinges, but other than that, and confirming what I already know (3.5L injected petrol engine and 5-speed) the VIN decoders I have found in a quick Google search don't tell me much else.

Any idea on what is under that C-pillar cover? I suppose I could just pull it and find out for myself. Hahahaha!

Sensh said:

Oh, very cool. I'm fine with paying shipping, and appreciate your help!

I went and looked at the C-pillar more closely last night. It looks like it is covered in a black, textured plastic cover. If I remove that cover, will the actual C-pillar need to be built up again before it can be painted body color? Or is the cover super thin, and just placed on top of a standard C-pillar?

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It's a metal plate with a glued on vinyl covering. Would be paintable after removing vinyl. A few screws and some nuts accessible after seat belt mount and interior trim removed is how its fastened.

3.5 efi said:

It's a metal plate with a glued on vinyl covering. Would be paintable after removing vinyl. A few screws and some nuts accessible after seat belt mount and interior trim removed is how its fastened.

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Ah. So remove it, strip it, paint it and reinstall, it? Looks like sI have some elbow grease ahead of me. Hahaha! Thanks for the info!