MikeV8SE
New Member
OK, so I've bought my second RR Classic a few weeks back and, rather than post lots of threads as I do stuff, I though I'd put it all in one place for anyone who's interested. The plan is to keep the car as close to original-spec as possible (i.e. standard looking) but also kit it out for greenlaning, Recovery/Response work in the winter and also expedition use, starting with a trip to Morocco next year.
The car itself is a 1994 Range Rover Classic 3.9 V8 Vogue SE auto, a late soft dash model with EAS (Electronic Air Suspension) and an LPG conversion with a 100 litre tank in the boot.
Why did I choose this? Well, I love Range Rover Classics so it had to be one of these, and finding a decent 200/300Tdi for sensible money is nigh-on impossible. I love the V8 engine too, so an LPG kit keeps the running costs here in the UK sensible, and everywhere else in the world petrol is relatively affordable (e.g. 72p /litre in Morocco at the time of writing).
Whilst this car was scruffy in places, the engine and gearbox are sweet as a nut and the chassis is 100% solid underneath, both of which are vital for a good base vehicle. The cosmetics can be sorted out as I go along, if I want to.
So, here's a pics of the car as advertised:
First job was a REALLY good clean, in and out. It smelt like a dog had died in there and it was pretty grotty outside too, but I like to give every vehicle a thorough clean before starting any project - its a great way to get to know a vehicle. She cleaned up nicely:
Now I could make a list of faults to fix and mod's to do. The abbreviated list runs as follows:
- Sunroof only opens about 10% of the time
- Rear windows only work about 50% of the time
- Rear N/S door doesn't unlock
- Rear O/S door doesn't lock
- Rear N/S door very difficult to open from the outside
- Upper tailgate doesn't shut properly
- Rear N/S air spring needs replacing
- N/S front tyre is a different size to the other three (215/80 vs 205/80)
- Exhaust is blowing, suspect N/S manifold/downpipe gasket
So I will tackle these in turn, trying to do as much of the work as I can. I have also got a lengthy (and ever-growing) list of modifications to do to ready it for my requirements and it's intended use, most of which I will cover in this thread:
- New tyres - some decent A/T tyres all round
- Fit appropriate recovery points front + rear
- Fit underbody protection as required
- Service and repair/replace EAS system components as required
- Build a boot-storage system, broken down into several parts - daily use (to include recovery gear), greenlaning (+ camping equipment) and expedition use (+ everything else!)
- All fluids to be checked and changed as required
- Possible addition of an expedition roof rack + roof tent - to be decided!
- Hopefully a swingaway rear wheel carrier, to hold either one or two spares (may remove the spare + sub & amp from the boot for additional storage space)
Anyway, I hope you enjoy the thread as it evolves - it's not gonna be a quick project, and there's no major body-off rebuild to get excited about, but as I discover problems and fix them along the way, hopefully it'll help others out too!
Enjoy...
The car itself is a 1994 Range Rover Classic 3.9 V8 Vogue SE auto, a late soft dash model with EAS (Electronic Air Suspension) and an LPG conversion with a 100 litre tank in the boot.
Why did I choose this? Well, I love Range Rover Classics so it had to be one of these, and finding a decent 200/300Tdi for sensible money is nigh-on impossible. I love the V8 engine too, so an LPG kit keeps the running costs here in the UK sensible, and everywhere else in the world petrol is relatively affordable (e.g. 72p /litre in Morocco at the time of writing).
Whilst this car was scruffy in places, the engine and gearbox are sweet as a nut and the chassis is 100% solid underneath, both of which are vital for a good base vehicle. The cosmetics can be sorted out as I go along, if I want to.
So, here's a pics of the car as advertised:
First job was a REALLY good clean, in and out. It smelt like a dog had died in there and it was pretty grotty outside too, but I like to give every vehicle a thorough clean before starting any project - its a great way to get to know a vehicle. She cleaned up nicely:
Now I could make a list of faults to fix and mod's to do. The abbreviated list runs as follows:
- Sunroof only opens about 10% of the time
- Rear windows only work about 50% of the time
- Rear N/S door doesn't unlock
- Rear O/S door doesn't lock
- Rear N/S door very difficult to open from the outside
- Upper tailgate doesn't shut properly
- Rear N/S air spring needs replacing
- N/S front tyre is a different size to the other three (215/80 vs 205/80)
- Exhaust is blowing, suspect N/S manifold/downpipe gasket
So I will tackle these in turn, trying to do as much of the work as I can. I have also got a lengthy (and ever-growing) list of modifications to do to ready it for my requirements and it's intended use, most of which I will cover in this thread:
- New tyres - some decent A/T tyres all round
- Fit appropriate recovery points front + rear
- Fit underbody protection as required
- Service and repair/replace EAS system components as required
- Build a boot-storage system, broken down into several parts - daily use (to include recovery gear), greenlaning (+ camping equipment) and expedition use (+ everything else!)
- All fluids to be checked and changed as required
- Possible addition of an expedition roof rack + roof tent - to be decided!
- Hopefully a swingaway rear wheel carrier, to hold either one or two spares (may remove the spare + sub & amp from the boot for additional storage space)
Anyway, I hope you enjoy the thread as it evolves - it's not gonna be a quick project, and there's no major body-off rebuild to get excited about, but as I discover problems and fix them along the way, hopefully it'll help others out too!
Enjoy...
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