My Defender Story

Documenting the ground up restoration of my North America Spec Land Rover Defender 110, #66

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Showing posts from May, 2021

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Defender Sunday (aka FedEx Recovery)

on May 31, 2021

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Windows and Rivnuts, oh my!

We've taken a short break from test-fitting the tub to complete some of the supporting bits we'll soon need. I also happened upon the rivnuts required for the Bulkhead and seat box. These are the gull-wing rear windows from Explore Glazing . Hard to believe I ordered these over a year ago. We also fit the rear window into the rear door, which is tinted to match. I also found a source for the oversized M8 rivnuts that are used in the more modern bulkhead and seat boxes. After a bit of searching the McMaster-Carr website, I was able to find Part number 95105A191 , which is listed as a "Steel Twist-Resistant Rivet Nut" " About twice as strong as aluminum rivet nuts, these steel rivet nuts are zinc yellow-chromate plated for corrosion resistance. A ribbed body holds the nut in place so it won't turn when tightening a screw. Also known as blind inserts, they can be installed when you have access to only one side of...

A Long Overdue Update

In June / July - Jim finally took his assignment in Japan. This left me down not only a pair of hands, but a project manager and decades of experience working on Defenders. Over the course of the project, we experienced tons of delays - many related to Covid and other issues. From sourcing a frame to stripping the original frame, to paint and other delays - we just ran out of time. Early last year, Jim and I had Drew at Coniston Classics do the welding on the original frame. The work was great, and while we were at his shop we were able to get a great look at the work he and Jimmy were doing on their custom builds. From the moment we walked into their shop, Jim and I agreed, that should things go awry - and I find myself unable to finish the project, this was the best place we could take it. Jimmy and Drew have a ton of experience with not just Defenders, but Land Rovers in general. They are factory trained LR technicians, and met while they were working at Land Rover ...

Photo Dump / Update

Its been a long few months since my last update. Between work and delays in getting parts and paint completed, not a ton of progress was made between Feb and early May. I also picked up covid-19 for a week in May, which slowed me down a bit. But we've started moving things along in earnest and I expect it to begin resembling an automobile here in the next week or so. I collected torque specs from lrworkshop.com and consolidated them into a google sheet . I had them printed up and bound at staples - this is super handy to have around the shop. Was missing two of these, so had to fab four new ones from a cutting board. Sometimes we make our own parts.