1971 SERIES IIA SWB (HENRY)
PHILIP WEISS, ESTATE MANAGER, SCOTTISH BORDERS
Why should we feature your project? Henry is a 1971 Series IIA with two sets of headlights: two next to the grille and two on the wings (from a Series III, of course). What makes my project different from most is that with Henry I am on the tightest of budgets. I’ve done nearly all of the work myself except for the welding and installing the new gearbox. Parts have all been sourced via ebay, Gumtree and auto jumbles. Would you describe your family as Land Rover fans? My family just loves them. I was born in Tanzania and Dad used to have Series Is and IIS; he now has a Defender while my brother has two Defenders and a Freelander 2. I also have a Freelander 2.
How did you find the project? It was for sale on Gumtree listed by a guy called Ben who runs a Land Rover business called Engine 710, near Edinburgh. He found Henry on the Isle of Skye and purchased him for a project that he never found the time for, which is where I come into the story.
What have you done so far? I was determined that this would be a project that did get finished despite the lack of funds and a workshop. The first job was to take him apart until all we had was a chassis. Henry was a whole lot rustier than I thought. The chassis was well worth saving and repairing thanks to Shaun the mobile welder. Those were tough times and lesser men might have thrown away the chassis and started again. We persisted and proceeded at a steady pace. I have fabricated new footwells from Henry’s old leaking roof panels, found bargains at jumbles and bartered like crazy to save a quid or two.
Does Henry have a sound engine? It has purred since purchase though it does sometimes have a bit of a cough. I plan on changing the plugs, leads and contacts. The original gearbox wasn’t great so I reluctantly purchased a reconditioned one. Thanks Alister from Lauder Land Rovers for bringing over your hoist to help manoeuvre it.
What are your plans with Henry? I have to get him back onto the road again and use him daily. Henry is not a museum piece, after all.
List all the jobs done so far Chassis rebuild, full panel restoration, filling and painting by hand, full rewire (not using a pre-assembled loom wasn’t my brightest move) and fitted a Capstan winch.
What are the next jobs? The next major job is making Henry watertight, so I will replace every seal. Then I can put back the restored doors, side panels and roof. Did I mention that I still have to restore the doors, side panels and roof? What has been the hardest part of the project? The wiring loom was definitely
a challenge as it was not pre-assembled. I lost sleep and gained grey hairs as a result of that. Another tough part has been finding the time, not only to do the work, but also to source parts. It’s all a delicate balancing act of costs, finding time and trying to keep some of Henry’s character intact.
When will it be finished? When are they ever finished? The aim is to have an MOT by the end of the year. I don’t need to get an MOT, of course, but I want to do it for peace of mind. Who is helping you with the project?
Mostly the imaginary man I keep swearing at! Like many Land Rover enthusiasts I have a Landy widow indoors. She’s fabulous, she has helped at the other end of a spanner, tightening the many hundreds of bolts. She has been very understanding with the pools of oil, metal shavings and the copious amount of dust, and is now an expert in recovery, when Henry needs a tow! She has fully immersed herself in the world of Land Rovers and nothing gives me greater pride than when she spots one and says “Oh, that’s a Lightweight” or “There goes a Series IIA”.
Any other projects on the go? I have purchased Henry Jnr, which is just a tub really and plan on turning it into a camping trailer. Look out for the two Henrys at future Land Rover shows.