Missing my Tipper
Trevor has sold a family favourite but he is going to replace it with a real cracker
OVER the years since I built my first Land Rover tipper based on a Defender 110, I have constantly made use of this type of highly-versatile vehicle. The building of the 110 chassiscab and subsequent tipper body was featured in a series in LRM almost ten years ago. I made use of the truck until three years ago, when I sold it in order to buy a 130 Tipper that my good friend Dan Dew was selling – the 130 having a better spec and a galvanised bulkhead etc. Because I always make good use of a Land Rover Tipper, I never thought I would sell the 130. Ever. But I have indeed just sold it to a man from Co Galway!
The phrase, “never say never” springs to mind here – I thought I’d never sell the 130, and I still need it – but sometimes it makes sense, when circumstances dictate it. I was getting an excellent price from the Co Galway man and needed the cash in a hurry for an exciting deal.
So what do I do now, with no tipper and the need for one more than ever? The answer is easy if I can find the time. I am going to build another one.
Last year a friend of mine – Colby Philips – from the USA purchased the 130 Double Cab HCPU that I had built as another LRM project vehicle following the 110 Tipper project. The problem was that a Land Rover with a new galvanised chassis and non-factory engine and gearbox cannot be imported into the United States. Colby didn’t see this as an actual problem – he hired me to fit an original chassis and a drivetrain that was acceptable to the USA authorities. Part of the deal was that I could retain the unused parts, so I have a used galvanised 130 chassis that has never seen the road and an excellent drivetrain in the Mazda SL35TI diesel engine and ZF automatic gearbox. I also have most of the other major components available, although I will probably buy a new galvanised bulkhead. This leaves me with all of the Double Cab body panels, but I am sure these can be sold off, in order to help pay for a new Tipper body from Houston Coachworks Ltd.
I’m excited to be able to put the Mazda engine to good use – it has only 30k miles on it from new and will be perfect in this type of workhorse Land Rover. It will be reliable, torquey and have plenty of power for the work the new tipper will be put to. Fuel economy is not paramount, as mileage will all be local and not high, although the Mazda 3.5-litre engine is not overly thirsty.
I had completely stripped the 130 chassis at the end of last year, and nearly had it sold. There was a man who agreed to purchase it, but never came up with the cash. This has proved to be very fortunate, as the new price of a 130 chassis is currently out of reach for me. I had fitted the axles and the Mazda engine with gearboxes to a 90 chassis, with a view to building an off roader – so a backwards step – but a solid day’s labour will have everything back on the 130 chassis, with the help of my right-hand man. Then it will be a matter of building up a cab on the rolling chassis and getting my paint shop guru – Anthony O’neill – to apply a good coat of paint. Now what colour shall I go for? Green again? Limestone? Red? Minor detail!