1976 SERIES III SWB SANTANA
LION KELCH, PLUMBER/ELECTRICIAN/JOURNEYMAN, HARESFELD, GERMANY
Firstly tell us a little about yourself
I am just a regular 23-year-old bloke who loves his Land Rovers. I do spend more time than I should fixing them for myself and others but I love it, of course. The little village that I live in is near Hamburg in Germany.
How did you find your project?
As with most things these days it began with an online search at the beginning of this year. The internet has certainly made finding Land Rovers a whole lot easier. I don’t know how the old folks did it before that.
My Santana was located in Barcelona. The advert told me that it was an ex-spanish military vehicle.
But Hamburg and Barcelona are a thousand miles apart?
Yes, but we have aeroplanes and so I flew to Barcelona to go and buy it. Just like a lot of other people who buy Land Rovers I had this romantic idea of driving my new (old) purchase home from Barcelona to Hamburg. That would have been a sure sign that I got a good one. Sadly, I didn’t even make it to the border between Spain and France due to several issues including an electrical one that I could not solve at the time.
What then?
I did what I should have done in the first place. I flew back home to Hamburg, picked up a trailer and car and then drove all the way back to pick it up and bring it home. Job done, no real drama.
What are your plans with it?
As with most Land Rover owners I have a dream, which is to drive across Canada, but first I need to learn how to repair these cars. The rough plan is to drive from Newfoundland to British Columbia without any major mishaps. I will definitely let LRM know how that goes.
What about the engine?
It is so smooth and runs perfectly fine. It is the one thing that I don’t have to do anything to. Maybe in 20 years time it will be a different story.
What are you currently busy with?
I’m in the process of repainting all the little parts and I am trying to get it ready for the road in Germany. As you can see in the picture I am well on my way to achieving this.
What are the next jobs you will be doing to your project Santana?
As with any Land Rover of this type the rear crossmember needs sprucing up as they start to rust before they leave the factory. Then I will have to tackle the brakes as they are not working as good as they should be. After that I will source a new exhaust. My Santana also needs a new set of seats, so I will have to look for some on the internet.
What is the hardest part of this project?
The hardest part is that I really don’t know what I’m doing, but for me that too is the fun part. Trial by error they say and I am learning fast as I go along. I am not the first Land Rover enthusiast to go through this and I won’t be the last.
When will it be finished?
I assume that it will never be finished as there is always something that needs doing on a Land Rover – and my Santana is no exception.
Who is helping you with the project?
Me, myself and I.
Any other projects on the go?
Friends from Greece found out about my hobby and so they sent me their Series IIA from the Greek military. They want me to bring it back to life for them. I’m thinking I can practise on theirs and then do a perfect job on mine! I just hope they don’t read this magazine.
Anything to add?
In August this year I hope to get through the qualification stage for the 2019 Land Rover Experience Tour. That would be a really fantastic experience. In Germany the Land Rover Experience tours go all around the world in the latest Land Rovers. You can follow me on Instagram on @landy_project.