“We are planning to travel around the UK in our retirement”
The Withers family’s faithful One Ten spent five years sitting in a field, but was transformed by a better-than-new restoration
ONE of the things we all love best about Land Rovers is the history that comes with them. While most cars are just cars that have done car things, the average Land Rover could have driven round the world, fought a war, ploughed a field or just quietly and tirelessly worked for a living. Some may have done them all. Take the gleaming One Ten you see on these pages, for example. It started its life serving in the British Army, in 1986. Not much is known about its service history – it may have served in Northern Ireland or the Middle East, or both – but what is known is that the Withers family bought it in 2007 as a family runaround, farm workhorse and plaything for their teenage son.
For seven years it was a firm family favourite, but when the son grew up and left home, it was abandoned in a field for five years before the Withers decided to restore it its former glory. Well, that’s not strictly true: they left it in the capable hands of Land Rover restoration specialists at the top of their game, whose finished creation is probably better than anything Solihull produced in that era.
But, as always, I’m getting ahead of myself. Please allow me to introduce Paul and Elizabeth Withers, from Retford, Nottinghamshire. Paul, a chartered civil engineer, is a senior partner in a consulting civil, structural and geotechnical engineering practice, which he set up with Elizabeth (now
retired) in 2000. There isn’t enough room in these pages to describe exactly what they do, but their achievements include designing the iconic Wing building at Silverstone race circuit, a stunning complex that will be very familiar to our petrolhead readers.
When they weren’t involved in heavy civil engineering projects, the Withers family – which included two sons, a daughter and a boisterous Labrador dog, loved nothing better than to relax on the family farm.
Paul explains: “Our youngest son, who was 14 at the time, had an interest in farming and acquired some sheep. We needed a vehicle to negotiate rough farm tracks to attend to the sheep, so we started looking for a Land Rover. In 2007 we spotted a newspaper advertisement for this One Ten, which we bought privately. The then-owner had partially restored the vehicle, painting it Desert Sand with a royal blue canvas canopy.
“It turned out to be a real workhorse, ending up piled high with hay bales when we were hay making, or collecting straw and animal feed. It also towed a trailer when we took sheep and lambs to market. When our son went to agricultural college, Elizabeth took over the management of the flock and increased the number of sheep. But in 2014 she decided to sell the flock and the Land Rover was parked up in the garden.
“It was always our intention to restore the Land Rover rather than buy a newer one, because of the many happy family memories we had shared in it. At the time we had a Labrador puppy, sadly no longer with us, who came everywhere with us in the Land Rover.”
But it was five years before the Withers finally got around to restoring their family favourite. “We particularly wanted to restore it to the original MOD spec, as it had so many original features still on it and we didn’t want to lose them,” says Paul.
“After much searching we found Atwood 4x4 in Redditch, but before entrusting our Land Rover to them, we visited their works and found a very professional and friendly response, together with a very well-equipped workshop with many pristine restored Land Rovers.
“We agreed a brief with Rob Howard, the principal of Astwood 4x4. We knew we had made the right decision when he arrived to collect the Land Rover from us on a low loader and was so enthusiastic about the vehicle. He noticed some unique and interesting details that we hadn’t noticed or taken for granted, such as a white mark underneath where a light would have been, for when the vehicle was in convoy and couldn’t be seen by aeroplanes above. There was also an original MOD plate on the side of the seat mounting and the vehicle commander notice on the dashboard.”
The Withers were sad to see their precious One Ten go, but at least they were reassured that it was in very good hands. Rob from Astwood 4x4 takes up the story: “When we arrived at the family’s home, the Land Rover looked very tired,” he recalls. “But we managed to start-up the old thumper – aka 12J naturally-aspirated 2.5 diesel engine – and drove it onto the trailer.
“Back at the workshop, we started stripping it down. It was soon clear that every panel was knackered and would need replacing.
“What did the owners want? They didn’t really know. They loved the vehicle, but they knew it wasn’t practical for everyday driving. They wanted us to turn the car into something they could use and have some fun in.”
To achieve that, the old engine had to go. The 1986 nonturbo oil-burner, although reliable enough to jump into life after being laid up five years, couldn’t pull the skin off a rice pudding and was not powerful enough for modern traffic conditions, so it was replaced with a 300Tdi. But Rob decided to keep the original LT77 five-speed gearbox, albeit mated to
an ex-discovery transfer box, in order to keep the revs down when travelling at 70 mph in top gear. “At the same time I fitted power steering, which made a massive difference when driving it. I also fitted loads of soundproofing, to make it nicer to drive for long distances.
“I usually like to fit galvanised chassis when I do a rebuild. To be honest, the chassis on the One Ten wasn’t as bad as many I’ve seen, as ex-military ones usually are, because they were under-sealed from new and that makes a difference. But I still didn’t consider repairing the rusty areas and then having it galvanised, because to do so is a massive mistake. I wouldn’t consider galvanising an old chassis because of the risk of rust and muck lurking inside. Chassis can rust from the inside out, just as easily,” he explains.
“I changed all the panels – you have to. Even if they are straight, the tiniest piece of corrosion will return to haunt you, even if you think you have removed and treated it. It will bubble up through the new paintwork a few months later, after it has been refitted. Opting for new panels is the only way – and I always go for Genuine Parts from Land Rover, rather than the cheaper aftermarket versions. Luckily, because of the long production run of the Defender, most panels from the later Puma models will fit One Tens and Ninetys from the 1980s.
“Many people don’t realise that and they’re surprised when I tell them. Puma wings will drop straight on, for example. You could fit a complete Puma rear tub on an early Ninety or One Ten. You could even fit a Puma bulkhead, with a bit of messing around.”
Talking of bulkheads, this was the one thing that didn’t need replacing on the Withers’ One Ten, although it is a necessity of most Defender restos carried out by Astwood 4x4. It was, however, shot-blasted and repainted. Rob also decided to keep the One Ten’s original wheels; again they were sandblasted and repainted.
“Whenever I do a restoration I try to keep it as original as possible. I suppose I’m a purist at heart and I don’t like bastardising the vehicles I work on. For example, I like to paint them the colour that it is in the logbook, as long as the
“Whenever I do a restoration I try to keep it as original as possible. I suppose I’m a purist at heart”
customer doesn’t want something else. If I am working on a vehicle that’s still very original I want to keep it original. I won’t use pattern parts. Genuine Parts are more expensive but they’re worth it in the long run.
“The other thing is doors. Aftermarket doors are cheaper than Genuine Parts but they aren’t very good and don’t fit too well. Sure, you can save £200, but then you spend more than that on labour because of the amount of time wasted in putting them right and getting them to fit.”
The One Ten’s brakes were completely overhauled, including new copper piping throughout, as well as Genuine Parts discs and drums. You won’t be surprised to hear that they were Genuine Parts, too. Says Rob: “If I fit brake drums, I want them round, which Land Rover’s always are. I’ve seen aftermarket brake drums that are oval, and that’s dangerous. You want brakes that make your Land Rover stop!”
Meanwhile, all the old wiring was stripped out and discarded, replaced by a new wiring loom for a 300Tdi Defender. Also new were the seats, as well as shock absorbers, springs and bushes all round. “It transformed the handling – it is now a real joy to drive,” says Rob.
The whole job took two weeks, during which the company kept in touch with Paul and Elizabeth Withers, giving them regular updates, complete with images of the work in progress. “Throughout the restoration Rob kept us up to date
“We are planning to use it to travel around the UK in our retirement and raise money for charity ”
with progress by email,” says Paul, who found it reassuring and was impressed by Astwood 4x4’s professionalism.
“When the Land Rover was completed, Rob delivered it back to us after himself having driven it for several hundred miles to ensure everything was in working order. The result was – and is – brilliant. Rob even did some research on the vehicle and discovered it was delivered to the Central Army Vehicle Depot, Gloucestershire, in 1986, and he obtained a Heritage Certificate. We are very proud of our Land Rover - not least because it is part of our country’s heritage.
“We are very sorry that Land Rover is no longer Britishowned and, thanks to EU regulations, has ceased production. You would have thought if a new Defender is to be designed and built that it would have been done in the birthplace of the Land Rover – that is Solihull, not Slovakia,” adds Paul.
Looking back on the restoration, Rob reckons the most difficult task was rebuilding the ex-military vehicle’s special side lockers, which were too badly corroded to repair. “I had to fabricate new ones from scratch,” he says. “That was the hardest bit, but it was no big deal - that’s what we do. I don’t want to sound big-headed, but we do this thing every day and we know what we’re doing.
“I’ve got 12 blokes working for me here, and each has their own job to do. For example, when a vehicle comes in I have got one bloke who strips it down and sorts out the parts. He will throw away all the rubbish and keep the rest for sandblasting. I have one guy rebuilding engines, I have my own paint shop and finally another guy reassembles the vehicle in a scrupulously-clean environment.
“I particularly enjoyed working on the Withers’ Land Rover, because it was ex-military and all ex-military Land Rovers are kept well maintained regardless of cost, and always using Genuine Parts. I know I keep going on about it, but it makes a huge difference. For example, ex-military axles are always in good condition.
“After any restoration I like to have the vehicle back after 1000 miles, so that I can check it over. The brakes may need re-adjusting, or the doors re-setting, for example,” adds Rob, who reckons that 50 per cent of his work these days is the left-hand drive market – principally classic Land Rovers for customers in America, Canada and Norway. The Solihull examples he has going through the resto process at any time include some very rare and immaculate collectors’ pieces.
But for Paul and Elizabeth Withers, their immaculate One Ten won’t be a cosseted museum piece. They plan to put it to good use, as Paul explains: “We are planning to use it to travel around the UK in our retirement,” he says. “We particularly want to take part in rallies, and raise money for charity. The Rotary Club did such an event last year and we are hoping they are going to do another soon.”