Another new project
In with the old, out with the new, as a 110 replaces the Rangie
MY CLASSIC Range Rover has gone to a new home – and a local one at that. Even though I had enquiries and questions from every corner of the British Isles, the ol’ girl lives about an hour away with my friend, Ian Smith. In Ian’s hands the Range Rover has covered more miles in the last few weeks than it had in the last few years.
With the arrival – and hopefully imminent registration for the road – of my Defender 2.8i 90 Station Wagon from South Africa, I decided to rest my Discovery 2 for a while and have it parked up in the barn and declared SORN. The D2 won’t be for sale anytime soon and I will probably bring it out again before the winter – I shall see how I get on with my trips to Doncaster for Land Rover chassis loads in my trusty Defender 90 Td5.
Talking of which, the 90 Td5 has been very busy on towing duties lately – recovery of a Defender from Co Down that seemed to be intent on consuming its own engine oil in the quest of imploding; delivery of a 127 to the paint shop (together with chassis, axles and other items also for paint); and pick-up of a rather interesting new project. When I say new, I mean 1988 new.
The new project popped up on a couple on online pages that I keep an eye on, and I nearly passed it by altogether. While Land Rovers that need a rebuild are getting a little harder to purchase these days, a 110 Station Wagon with most of the usual rust issues are far from impossible to source. This particular one was not really very remarkable, apart from one small line in the advertisement. Yes, it has an interesting story. Yes, it has only had one owner from new. Yes, it came with lots of valuable new parts. But did I need another project to add to the list of builds that I already have – a list that never seems to get much shorter?
What was the line than made it stand out for me?
‘Fitted with International HS 2.8-litre TGV and new R380 gearbox in 2004’.
I have been here before – two times – and both were great experiences. Once where I put together a 100-inch soft top Defender with the TGV engine and again where I converted a V8 Discovery 2 to 2.8i TGV diesel. Following a fascinating inspection evening with the late owner’s son and wheeler-dealer daughter-in-law (anyone needing a great sales professional should speak to this girl!), a deal was struck and a time agreed to collect the Land Rover – which had not turned a wheel in at least six years.
The new engine was fitted in 2004 and taken off the road in 2011. The engine certainly cannot have covered an epic mileage. Although the late owner had made fastidious notes on what he had done with the 110 and what he had planned to do, the old MOT certificates were missing, which would have helped to get an idea of actual mileage on the engine and the new gearboxes. Then I found the receipt for the package, with a handwritten note: ‘new engine fitted at 95,800 miles’. The odometer was reading 111,250. The engine, R380 and LT230 had covered 15,450 miles – barely run in!
So now a decision to make: do I restore the old 110 Station Wagon to its former glory, with a very fine low-mileage drivetrain? Or do I want a Defender 90 with an HS 2.8 TGV engine under the bonnet? Those are questions I will have to ponder for a while longer, but either way, I see a very interesting Land Rover in my future!