Pretty rusty alright but very original innit. Do they have MOT's in Shetland or is it one of those places so remote they're kind of exempt, maybe its been passing on the nod given the usage but eventually someones said enough's enough!

My goodness me you've got some rust there. As others have said, it must have had some very gentle MOT inspections. Just shows what a maritime environment and a brisk sea breeze can do over a few years.

I shall be watching this with interest.

DefenderPilot said:

After posting that I did a little research myself with Google. Will still be going with a Richards chassis I reckon.

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I went with Marslands, mostly because they did additional things like the gearbox crossmember and TD5 tank brackets for no extra charge. Plus they use genuine LR chassis and galv them instead of making their own.

Have had no reason to regret that so far, it even came with the bolts for the A frame.

Cost £1500 I think.

probably hasnt had an mot for a long time looking at it ... been used or sat on a farm.

also in the more remote parts of shetlands (anywhere out of lerwick) - mot - what .... it stops and starts dunnit.

cycled round shetland a few years ago - theres a really nice restored originally series in virkie near the shop - but bar that - most of the old ones i saw i wondered - how does that have an MOT. awesome place to live though ,if you dont mind me asking , whats the day job that lets you live up there.

my grandparents lived in brae - they worked on the BP installation up there

On mainland Shetland all the usual rules for motoring apply. That is, you must have a valid MOT, be taxed and insured. It seems to be much more lax on the other islands though. I haven't looked into it thoroughly as I'm living on the main island but from what I've gathered what are called "isles cars" are exempt from either tax, MOT or both. This Landy spent a considerable time on Yell, one of the main inhabited islands.

Shetland is an awesome place to live and work for me personally as I enjoy the isolation, peace and quiet. Wanted to get away from the rat race and you really can't get much further away without leaving the UK. Working for BP at Sullom Voe helps a lot towards being able to afford it. It was a once in a lifetime opportunity for me and I grabbed it with both hands. So far no regrets at all but I've only been here for a matter of months and have yet to experience the full brunt of a Shetland winter. Apparently quite a few people have come here then left again after their first winter. I won't be one of them though.

About chassis: Spent a fair amount of time reading posts on other forums (I know, it's not just Landyzone!) and the usual arguments raged about peoples personal experiences with different manufacturers, both positive and negative. You get that with any product you want to buy. Everything I read was mostly positive for both Richards and Marsland but the Richards seem to be more well known. In the end you pay your money and take your choice. I haven't read anything to unduly sway me one way or the other so I'm going with what appears to me to be the more popular choice for rebuilders. I've also actually seen a Richards chassis recently as the guy I bought this from was rebuilding another one and he let me have a good nose around. It looked pretty good to me and worth the price.

DefenderPilot said:

On mainland Shetland all the usual rules for motoring apply. That is, you must have a valid MOT, be taxed and insured. It seems to be much more lax on the other islands though. I haven't looked into it thoroughly as I'm living on the main island but from what I've gathered what are called "isles cars" are exempt from either tax, MOT or both. This Landy spent a considerable time on Yell, one of the main inhabited islands.

Shetland is an awesome place to live and work for me personally as I enjoy the isolation, peace and quiet. Wanted to get away from the rat race and you really can't get much further away without leaving the UK. Working for BP at Sullom Voe helps a lot towards being able to afford it. It was a once in a lifetime opportunity for me and I grabbed it with both hands. So far no regrets at all but I've only been here for a matter of months and have yet to experience the full brunt of a Shetland winter. Apparently quite a few people have come here then left again after their first winter. I won't be one of them though.

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Never been myself, but the missus has been up a few times, she had a project up there a few years back. She thought it was awesome, and I am sure it is very spectacular, but like you say, even worse than here in the winters!
I wouldn't ike the salt in the air myself, judging by the state of that chassis, hopefully yours will be more like this one day.

Great photos!

That's a lovely clean engine Turboman, as is the rest of the car. Had to look twice at the steering guard, at first glance it looked like it had loads of different shaped cut-outs in it but then I realised it was either a painted finish or stickers.

I think my example has had a particularly hard life, even for a Land Rover. There are loads of them up here and most in great condition (the ones I've seen anyway).

DefenderPilot said:

I'm not sure what the differences are with different 3rd party chassis. Richards seem quite popular as I've seen them mentioned a lot. Is the Marsland better? Will it last longer?

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If you look at the 2 the difference in quality is massive . we always used richards until my mate bought a marsland we've never had a Richards since . the Dutch won't touch Richards chassis . something to do with the design not been type approved . buy a marsland

DefenderPilot said:

That's a lovely clean engine Turboman, as is the rest of the car. Had to look twice at the steering guard, at first glance it looked like it had loads of different shaped cut-outs in it but then I realised it was either a painted finish or stickers.

I think my example has had a particularly hard life, even for a Land Rover. There are loads of them up here and most in great condition (the ones I've seen anyway).

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Just using up some old paints and masking tape! Steering guard isn't on it any more, I am always messing around with it, electric fans are gone too, I think the viscous fan and cowl is better, and more original.

I was very lucky to get mine in the condition it is in, it had had one very careful owner since 93, I bought it in 2008. Many have had very hard lives, both in terms of poor maintenance, and of abuse. Yours seems free of either, but it is a very nasty case of salt rot.

5cylindertimebomb said:

If you look at the 2 the difference in quality is massive . we always used richards until my mate bought a marsland we've never had a Richards since . the Dutch won't touch Richards chassis . something to do with the design not been type approved . buy a marsland

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OK, OK, sold! I'll get a Marsland chassis.

Actually, just had a look on their web site and there are some differences that I do like the look of, like the adjustable mounting brackets at the back for the tub.

I will probably want to discuss this at much greater length when the time comes for me to actually buy the chassis. Plans have a habit of changing and I may need advice on which chassis to go for depending on my engine choice, which at the moment is looking like 300tdi. Questions like: "What other differences are there on later chassis like fuel tank mounts for instance? If I fit a 300tdi engine will I need to also fit the tank from a 300tdi Defender?" Or "Is it only the engine mounts that differ between chassis?"

Actually, while I'm on the subject, does anyone else have any strong opinions on what chassis to go for?

DefenderPilot said:

OK, OK, sold! I'll get a Marsland chassis.

Actually, just had a look on their web site and there are some differences that I do like the look of, like the adjustable mounting brackets at the back for the tub.

I will probably want to discuss this at much greater length when the time comes for me to actually buy the chassis. Plans have a habit of changing and I may need advice on which chassis to go for depending on my engine choice, which at the moment is looking like 300tdi. Questions like: "What other differences are there on later chassis like fuel tank mounts for instance? If I fit a 300tdi engine will I need to also fit the tank from a 300tdi Defender?" Or "Is it only the engine mounts that differ between chassis?"

Actually, while I'm on the subject, does anyone else have any strong opinions on what chassis to go for?

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Haha, my opinions weren't strong, the only thing that swayed me was that Marsland had one ready (rather than 6 week wait for Richards) and were only 40 mins away from me!

I think it is just the engine mounts that differ, the tank can stay in the same place as it is currently, but if I were you I would order one with the brackets for the TD5 tank, then if you want to you can use the plastic tank which is bigger and will last longer. I have both tanks which wasn't too hard to do and should make for 650 miles on a fillup (if I can ever afford that!)

Other things to consider is that you will need a TD5 onwards tow bar and maybe some slight fettling of the exhaust.

DefenderPilot said:

I also managed to get underneath as the weather is quite mild today and took a few photos of the chassis. The rot is much worse at the back than it is at the front which is leading me to surmise that this may have been used for a boat trailer.

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Nice pictures, not so nice rust though! Saying that, the rear of Land-Rover chassis always seem to be worse than the front as there aren't as many Land-Rover patented oil distribution devices at the back compared to the front. (Engine oil leaks, power steering leaks, gearbox leaks... etc) All leaking onto the chassis and protecting the metal from the rust mites.

DefenderPilot said:

Actually, while I'm on the subject, does anyone else have any strong opinions on what engine to go for?

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Yes but of course! A V8...

"Land-Rover patented oil distribution devices at the back compared to the front. (Engine oil leaks, power steering leaks, gearbox leaks... etc) All leaking onto the chassis and protecting the metal from the rust mites."

you say that - once i scraped all the oil and muck off the front of my 19j chassis from under the air box - it wasnt pretty.....

yet the other side near the steering box was SOLID.

confused- i am

looks like you will have your hands full with that project
Good luck with it