More testing times
Following last month’s extensive rust repairs on Dave’s Ninety, surely his Discovery would breeze through the MOT . . .
THE story so far... Last month I reported how my 1984 Ninety had needed some extensive repairs – including new footwells – to get it through its MOT, thanks to ravages of rust. My mate Norfolk Nigel did the repairs and I picked it up for the drive home to Northamptonshire, leaving my
1996 Discovery 1 in his capable hands to get it ready for its turn at the MOT station. I left believing it wouldn’t need too much work... The next day, Nigel phoned with the bad news: the rust was terminal, he reckoned. The passenger side sills were shot and there was rust elsewhere, too. “The cost of repairs will be far more than it’s worth,” was his considered opinion.
It was a sad moment. I’ve owned that Disco more than 13 years. It’s been reliable and capable and repaid all the abuse I’ve thrown at it. The thought of abandoning it for scrap was deeply saddening. It was more than just a car, it was my faithful friend. Yes, I know you shouldn’t get attached to a car, but I do.
It seemed wrong to condemn it. Behind that rusty exterior (and tatty interior) was a 300Tdi engine and automatic transmission that didn’t miss a beat. Nigel was right in his assertion that repairs would cost more than it was worth, but that was because its value, on paper, was probably less than £1000. That’s how much it was worth if I attempted to sell it, but, of course, it was worth much more to me.
Plus, I just happened to have a pair of new inner and outer passenger sills. I’d bought a full set for both sides a couple of years ago, but it had turned out that only the driver’s side had needed replacing. Sure there were some pillar and footwell repairs needed doing too, but Nigel was an excellent fabricator.
And so what if it cost me £1000 to get it roadworthy again? That was the price of a service on some modern cars I could mention. Annual depreciation on most cars amounts to a lot more than that.
In other words, I bottled it. I was looking for every excuse to keep my Disco on the road and I reckoned I’d found enough to reprieve it from Death Row. The following morning I phoned Norfolk Nigel with my considered opinion – and he laughed. “I thought yew would say that,” he said.
And so he set to work. I wasn’t able to get across to Norfolk to see the project, but his wife, Sally, kindly sent me regular photo updates with her phone as Nigel
removed the rotten sills and much of the adjacent floor on the passenger side and cut out and repaired the other rust hotspots, too.
Besides rebuilding much of the body, he also replaced the steering drag links (which were worn) and the rear anti-roll bar joints (ditto). At the end of the week he booked it in for its MOT and it passed with flying colours. The total bill was less than £1000 – and I’m delighted to have my faithful everyday wheels for at least another year. I’m convinced I made the right decision – what do you think?
Back in Norfolk a week later for my school reunion at the King Edward VII School, King’s Lynn, I was delighted to meet my old history master, John Smallwood, for the first time since 1972. Now in his late 80s, I’m sure he couldn’t remember me among the thousands of boys and girls he taught over the years, but I can certainly remember him – which is why I dedicated my new book, The Land Rover Story, to him. I was thrilled to hand him a copy.
There was a mischievous glint in his eye as he read the inscription. “Mmm, I suppose I will have to stop moaning about Chelsea tractors now,” he growled. I wonder if he’ll mark it out of ten?
Later that day I took Billy for a run along the beach and came across a baby seal, which at first I thought was stranded, but soon waddled back into the shallow water as I approached to take a photo. Like my Discovery, it was in fine health.
Back home in Northamptonshire, the fine summer weather has meant plenty of trips out into the lovely Nene valley, both in the Discovery and Ninety, as well as on foot, of course. For some reason there have been more frogs and toads around this year than I can ever remember seeing before and I even managed to get very close to a huge toad basking in the sun, snapping off several pictures before he got bored and disappeared back into the undergrowth.
Fingers crossed, I will be able to enjoy the rest of the summer without too many Land Rover dramas.