Leonv said:

I know a man who’s an marine engineer and swears by stainless fixings. So that’s why I was going to use them

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Good for you. If you want to use them then use them. I'm not going to stop you, only warn you. To be honest you're likely not going to get to the stage of bolting it back together so the point is moot.

Leonv said:

It was more of a joke, my classic isn’t in terrible condition from what I can see so far. I’m planning on getting a unit over the next month or so, then I can start the strip down, first plan of action is to strip down and get the chassis acid dipped then galvanised with a painted finish. Then depending what I find I’ll go from there

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How many on here have said those immortals words "it doesn't look that bad" and then said "Jesus it was worse than I thought" on dismanteling...hope everything is good...post pics...by the way I bought a 101 sat under a tree in the Algarve for 15yrs...its just last friday passed its matriculation for portugese reg paperwork has been a nightmare parts all sent from UK...thanks Able Engineering...its cost me a lot and it was a sound vehicle on a galv chassis to start with...so plan and speak to your insurance company if you plan to spend big on replacing fixtures and fittings with expensive replacements...

My 110 is as follows.
1996 2 door. £3500
Half chassis £900
All the other bits and bobs 4k
But knew what I was taking on and to be honest I wouldn't change it.
Hours of entertainment, away from the misses is priceless.

You can keep the cost down by only doing jobs that really need doing while it's in bits.

Expensive items like engine, gearbox and doors can all be done in the future.

Don't expect to get your money back. Don't restore it if that's your long term aim.

l bought a very clean 2005 110 back in 2014 for £13,750

The Defender didn't need a restoration but l've still spent close to £10,000 on it since then.

lt's now worth probably £20,000. So it makes no sense to spend the money hoping to get it back. But as l planned to keep the vehicle, it's worked out a hell of a lot cheaper than buying a new van every few years like l was doing before.

First van, bought in 2000 for £10,500
Sold in 2008 for £2,000

Second van, bought in 2008 for £14,000
Sold in 2014 for £4,000

So the Defender makes much more sense when viewed that way.

Allnewtome said:

Hours of entertainment, away from the misses is priceless.

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If you really feel like that, a divorce might be cheaper.

And I suspect that after 3 and a bit years, the OP might have given up anyway.