1990 RANGE ROVER 3.9 AUTO PART
belt anchorages had all but disappeared.
The sensible solution would have been to have located a replacement chassis and body shell, but to me that would have meant that the very essence of SYD would have been lost. The chassis and body shell were therefore sent away to be gently blasted and dipped and goodness knows what else, and what came back looked even worse and barely salvageable. Andrew’s team of ace metal-bashers and welders were going to be in for the long haul.
The engine was sent to Turners who had initially said they were only interested in taking it in exchange for an off-theshelf rebuilt engine, even recommending that I should upgrade to a 4.2-litre. It took a while to get them to understand that what I wanted was my engine rebuilt and returned to me so that it could go back into my vehicle. They couldn’t quite grasp why it meant so much to me to have my original matching numbers engine. Perhaps I was ahead of the pack when it comes to the importance of matching numbers? I
n the end they agreed, and what came back in due course was my engine, completely rebuilt and beautifully presented. It was actually the first major component in the restoration to be finished.
The autobox was service-exchanged at Ashcrofts for a newly-rebuilt ZF Type 699, as was the Borg Warner transfer box and the front and rear diffs. We had to source replacement front and rear axle cases because both were worn thin and pin holed in various places. Replacement inner wings were sourced together with a selection of various commercially available repair panels, although most of the latter did not impress Andrew’s team so they fabricated their own.
Every single outer body panel bore the scars of many years of off-roading. For one rather daft moment I actually contemplated putting all the original panels back on, but I was saved from that stupid idea when the extent of the electrolytic corrosion became apparent. F
inding new panels was remarkably easy in some cases and very difficult in others, with new upper and lower tailgates of the correct type being particularly hard to find. When I realised this, I bought every NOS one I could find, given that I know only too well how quickly they would rot out again. Finding interior trim was also surprisingly difficult and I decided to preserve almost all of the original trim, spending many hours cleaning, repairing and refinishing it.
Over the course of the project I bought parts from literally
“In many cases I was told I was buying the last of something from a supplier's stock, which I found incredible given SYD was less than 20 years old”
dozens of suppliers including all the usual players in the UK, but I also connected with parts specialists in Portugal, Germany, Switzerland and the USA for things I just couldn’t find closer to home. In many cases I was told I was buying the last of something from a supplier’s stock, which I found incredible given that SYD was still less than 20 years old.
I made many trips to Mitchell Motors during the restoration, either delivering parts or reviewing progress, and frequently discussing yet another knotty issue that needed to be addressed. Andrew and his team were superlative throughout the process, and I particularly appreciated their unflappability and calm, can-do attitude.
Finally, in November 2012, Philip Bashall drove me down to Chicklade to collect a newly completed and freshly Mot’d SYD for the drive back to Hampshire. The next few months were spent on the usual fettling and snagging, but the only significant issues we had to resolve were a persistent fuel starvation problem and an irritating whine from the reconditioned front diff, both of which were successfully fixed by a combination of DLR and Mitchell Motors. Oh, and a faulty fuel gauge that left me stranded late one night with an empty tank despite the needle telling me it was a quarter full!
My original plan had been to pick up where I had left off in December 2004 and continue to use SYD as my daily driver, and this is pretty much what I did for the next couple of years. There were several lengthy journeys to West Cork and the Hebrides, all accomplished without any issues whatsoever. But in 2015 I changed my mind and decided that SYD deserved better, so it was transferred from daily driver to restricted use and special occasions. I love it too much to trash it all over again!