Hi All, Seeing as I actually have my landy now, I thought I would start a thread to get your opinions as I am a noob when it comes to mechanical and defender stuff.
Short story: I bought the defender in the pics off my parents for £3000+vat. It is going to need a new chassis at some point soon as its spent all of its life on the farm.
The plan is to try and save some money up until April, then start work. I have a shed on the farm to work in, so that is all sorted.
So...what in your opinion is essential or recommended to put on/do during the rebuild? What would you do to the outside?
I am planning on doing it on a refurb or replace basis, as eventually I want to do some kind of expedition trip somewhere so want to know how all the parts work and how to repair them.

So far I have on my list:

Put on:
Chassis (Richards)
Gywn Lewis Challenge Suspension kit (if I can afford it) and probably his wading kit too
Safari snorkel
Mantec spare wheel carrier
Masai rock sliders and winch bumper
Some kind of winch, probably Warrior
Discovery transfer box (if anyone sees one of these come up please let me know)
New back door
Repair or replace front doors
New wings
Roof rack with spots on (not sure what)
External roll cage (if I can afford it)
Seat retrim kit
Polybush kit
All the various guards underneath, probably most from Masai
Intercooler pipe kit
Terrafirma steering damper
Maybe wheel spacers and wider arches
Wiring loom

Do:
Powder coat chequer plate black
refurb alloys
Full service while it is apart, inc clutch, timing belt, engine and gearbox mounts etc.
Paint chassis
Full respray at the end as its missing a lot of lacquer. Same colour I think.

The 300tdi has enough power for me really, and don't want to break anything, so will just do the easy mods to it such as egr removal and decat pipe.

Anything obvious I have missed? I know there are brake pipes, bolts and all the smaller things.

If it really needs a chassis swap then take all the money you were going to spend on all the mods and put it in to the rebuild because there will be a lot more parts required than you will expect, nuts/bolts/brackets/fittings etc. Then what about all the bits that bolt on to it.... getting the gearbox rebuilt will help you out a lot more on an expedition than getting the chequer plate powder coated

If the chassis can be repaired, even just to keep it going for a few years more, you'll gain a lot more by just getting out on the slippy stuff in it and enjoying it. Same theory applies, spend the time and money on the mechanical stuff first.

A lot on that list are "wants" rather than "needs" as dan said get the motor up to scratch then add the toys, while you're rebuilding keep your eyes out for second hand "wants" save yourself a lot that way.good luck

Yep, I completely agree...the list wasn't specifically in order. It generally goes something like
1) fix the niggly small bits (there are quite a few)
2) do mechanical rebuild
3) add the "shiny" bits when finances allow

Thanks for the help, I will probably hold off anything cosmetic until the rebuild is nearly done. Maybe later than that

The gearbox is actually ok, or would you recommend getting it rebuilt while it is out?

The chassis could probably be patched for another couple of years I think, but it has already had quite a bit of welding done over the years, plus the defender hasn't really ever been looked after, so I think it is probably a good point to take stock and see what is broken!

As far as suspension goes, do you think I am being a bit over enthusiastic, when a slight upgrade on standard suspension would be more sensible?

if you plan on doing an expedition why go for a challenge spec suspension set up? the standard LR set-up is fantastic and with some choice springs and dampers to accomodate the extras i.e rollcage and roof rack surely you could save a fortune there to be spent in better ways?

basically what im saying is be 100% sure what it is you will use the vehicle for rather than throw money at "nice" bits

trust me ive just done this with my challenge truck and my original budget of 8k has more than doubled thanks to impulse buys and not planning/researching

Ok, so if I was to just upgrade the current suspension it would be fine for what I need it for? I guess Land Rover wouldn't have put it on if it wasn't!
I would probably like to use it for some green laneing and off roading eventually, once I find some people to go with!
I know what you mean, I am asking all of these questions now when I can't afford the stuff, so that I don't impulse buy everything!

the challenge suspension kits are fantastic but unless you are using the car for regular extreme levels of off roading is it worth it is the point im trying to make

you will be amazed how far the standard set up can get you

my advice is to plan out exactly what you want to use the car for then do as you are and research the best option rather than spend money on items that you may not necesarrily need

good luck with it

chrisgall said:

you will be amazed how far the standard set up can get you

Click to expand...

True fact!

totally random, but I'm still amazed at what my stock suspended Disco 2 can do

Thanks. That does sound like a sensible plan, you have just saved me a lot of money!

james6546 said:

Yep, I completely agree...the list wasn't specifically in order. It generally goes something like
1) fix the niggly small bits (there are quite a few)
2) do mechanical rebuild
3) add the "shiny" bits when finances allow

Thanks for the help, I will probably hold off anything cosmetic until the rebuild is nearly done. Maybe later than that

The gearbox is actually ok, or would you recommend getting it rebuilt while it is out?

The chassis could probably be patched for another couple of years I think, but it has already had quite a bit of welding done over the years, plus the defender hasn't really ever been looked after, so I think it is probably a good point to take stock and see what is broken!

As far as suspension goes, do you think I am being a bit over enthusiastic, when a slight upgrade on standard suspension would be more sensible?

Click to expand...

The gearbox was just a random example, but my point is if you are in the middle of nowhere and break down, at least you can admire the respray while you wait for recovery Don't mean to sound so horrible, but that's how it is

I've done it plenty of times, make a car look all nice and lovely only to be let down by a part I should have replaced for a fraction of the time/effort/cost.

The thing with going for a full rebuild is that it will be a big long expensive road, it is fun and rewarding in the end but so far you haven't got anything out of it. I'd be looking to get it safe and reliable as quick and cheap as possible (not cheap as in cheap crap parts, but only buy what you really need right now). Then get out on some lanes, pay and play sites, snow etc and work on your off road driving technique, recoveries (learning self recovery is very valuable) and so on. You will also then highlight any weaknesses of the vehicle which you can put right as you go. You'll also see the benefit that each change will make and this will give you a better understanding of how the whole package is working.

Even the likes of recovery gear, spares and tools you can carry with you will be more beneficial to you right now. Plus they look much nicer covered in mud and battle scars than bling

Ha, thats true, though I would like battle scars on it that I made, rather than the one day that the cows got out and pushed their way past it! True story, and it was about a week after it got new wings!

Thinking about it, you have a very good point, I think I probably got carried away looking at everyones amazing looking landys.

I agree about the quality parts, there won't be much (if any) britpart stuff going on it...

I have scheduled the next 2 years for the rebuild!!