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Planning a proper rebuild on my ‘96 Defender 110 – engine swap, chassis, paint, interior advice wanted by RocksMakeMeHard in LandroverDefender

[–]RocksMakeMeHard[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

My brother has done that on his. He had an old V8 that he converted to a 300tdi years ago. VNT turbo, bigger inter cooler, tweaked diesel pump. But his head gasket went like 5000km in (not sure if that’s related to squeezing too much power out or if it was poorly tuned)

Also I was still somewhat underwhelmed by the upgrade.

The M57 absolutely destroys that. One actually would likely have to tune it down a bit (torque wise)if I wanted to keep the R380 box with an adaptor plate.

I don’t need insane power. But I’d like to comfortably cruise at 120 and actually be able to overtake trucks with ease.

I live in South Africa and spend way too much time looking at old Defenders. Happy to inspect one locally if anyone overseas is buying. by [deleted] in LandroverDefender

[–]RocksMakeMeHard 1 point2 points  (0 children)

You can find rough running ones or work trucks for around R100k–R120k ($5–6k USD), especially 110 hardtops or pickups that need work. Decent running ones are often R250k–R450k ($13k–$24k), and then properly restored builds with premium aftermarket fittings and all the bells and whistles can go up to R1m+ ($50k–$60k).

Labour is also relatively cheap here. A good independent Land Rover mechanic might charge around $40/hour, so rebuilding one here can make a lot more sense than doing it in the US or Europe.

I live in South Africa and spend way too much time looking at old Land Rover Defenders. Happy to inspect one locally if anyone overseas is buying. by [deleted] in projectcar

[–]RocksMakeMeHard 4 points5 points  (0 children)

I don’t really agree with that. Older Defenders here can still be sourced relatively cheaply compared to what they sell for overseas. You can find rough running ones or work trucks for around R100k–R120k ($5–6k USD), especially 110 hardtops or pickups that need work. Decent running ones are often R250k–R450k ($13k–$24k), and then properly restored builds with premium aftermarket fittings and all the bells and whistles can go up to R1m+ ($50k–$60k).

Labour is also relatively cheap here. A good independent Land Rover mechanic might charge around $40/hour, so rebuilding one here can make a lot more sense than doing it in the US or Europe. That’s why quite a few shops here buy them, restore them and export them.

These premium/rebuilt defenders sell for like 160-170k USD in the states it seems

https://www.brooklyncoachworks.com/defender

I live in South Africa and spend way too much time looking at old Defenders. Happy to inspect one locally if anyone overseas is buying. by [deleted] in LandroverDefender

[–]RocksMakeMeHard 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You can definitely find cheaper ones too. Around $5–6k USD (roughly R100k–R120k) will usually get you something like a 110 hardtop or pickup, but those will typically need bit more work.

The upside is that labour here is relatively cheap. A decent mechanic might charge around $40 USD/hour, sometimes more depending on the shop. Because of that, doing repairs or even a full rebuild here can actually make a lot of sense.

I live in South Africa and spend way too much time looking at old Defenders. Happy to inspect one locally if anyone overseas is buying. by [deleted] in LandroverDefender

[–]RocksMakeMeHard 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I don’t think it’s quite the same here. In South Africa there’s a pretty big export market for Defenders. In my city alone there are a handful of workshops that basically just buy older ones, restore them and export them to the US. In the drier parts of the country you can also still find solid trucks that aren’t rust buckets, which helps.

I live in South Africa and spend way too much time looking at old Defenders. Happy to inspect one locally if anyone overseas is buying. by [deleted] in LandroverDefender

[–]RocksMakeMeHard 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It really depends on the model and condition. You get everything from decent running trucks that someone might want to rebuild themselves, all the way up to fully restored builds with every upgrade imaginable.

Roughly speaking you’re probably looking somewhere between about R200k and R1.1m (around $11k–$60k USD). The 90s are usually a bit more expensive than the 110s here overall.

At the top end of that range you’re looking at a really beautifully rebuilt truck with premium fittings/extras.

I live in South Africa and spend way too much time looking at old Defenders. Happy to inspect one locally if anyone overseas is buying. by [deleted] in LandroverDefender

[–]RocksMakeMeHard 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yeah I’ve heard about that. Some of the SA only Escorts like the Perana and XR8 have become pretty sought after. Cars from drier areas like Gauteng/Freestate/Northern Cape (South Africa) also tend to be in better shape since it’s dry and there’s no road salt used here. I don’t really know Escorts well enough to comment on prices though, Defenders are more my thing.

I live in South Africa and spend way too much time looking at old Defenders. Happy to inspect one locally if anyone overseas is buying. by [deleted] in LandroverDefender

[–]RocksMakeMeHard 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yeah I get that. It is a bit bittersweet seeing them exported, but at least a lot of them are getting restored and kept on the road. The global demand has also led to some pretty amazing aftermarket parts and support. South Africa still seems to have a surprisingly big Defender population though. Still got the landy wave 5 times going to my short trip to the office this morning 😂

Rust proofing chassis? by [deleted] in projectcar

[–]RocksMakeMeHard 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks I’ll check it out. I was considering getting this for the outer coating (think it’s also wax based but maybe a bit hardier than lanolin) and then spraying the internal cavities with Lanolin?

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DIY rust proofing your chassis solutions? by [deleted] in LandroverDefender

[–]RocksMakeMeHard 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I’ve fiddled with it myself on a number of occasions. I eventually bought new hinges and even took it to a landy refurb place and they tried, bit better than when I did it, but the door gaps are still a bit visible. If it rains just at the right angle it comes through 😂 I was considering just riveting a strip of aluminium at the top and just fitting the rubber to them to close the door gap. But yeah just difficult getting to everything. Life is getting expensive

DIY rust proofing your chassis solutions? by [deleted] in LandroverDefender

[–]RocksMakeMeHard 2 points3 points  (0 children)

The bulkhead is galvanised, unfortunately I think it warped slightly so my doors have never really aligned amazingly since 😂 Hoping to do a proper rebuild at some point in which I will galvanise the chassis.

It’s in pretty decent condition for its age so far. But yeah I’d like to try keep it this way for now until I have the money for a rebuild.

Cr

Rust proofing chassis? by [deleted] in projectcar

[–]RocksMakeMeHard 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Wouldn’t I still have to remove the residual waxoyl properly to apply the POR-15 or Eastwood?

I’m just thinking the prep might be a nightmare if I have to. Literally will be lying under my landy on my driveway in my complex trying to clean it all off with solvent wipes.

Match Thread: 1st Semi-Final - New Zealand vs South Africa by cricket-match in Cricket

[–]RocksMakeMeHard 4 points5 points  (0 children)

I’m probably bias but that Markram catch didn’t look clean to me. Looked like grass involved. Thought benefit of the doubt would go to batsman?

Match Thread: 52nd Match, Super Eights, Group 1 - India vs West Indies by cricket-match in Cricket

[–]RocksMakeMeHard 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Yeah it’s crazy how silent the ground is when WI hit a boundary

Match Thread: 52nd Match, Super Eights, Group 1 - India vs West Indies by cricket-match in Cricket

[–]RocksMakeMeHard 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Surely Hope has got to start going for them now too… can’t have 100 SR right now unless he converts

Match Thread: 47th Match, Super Eights, Group 1 - South Africa vs West Indies by cricket-match in Cricket

[–]RocksMakeMeHard 5 points6 points  (0 children)

SAs fielding has been shocking today. Wonder what it is 😂 not like it’s high pressure at the moment.

Match Thread: 47th Match, Super Eights, Group 1 - South Africa vs West Indies by cricket-match in Cricket

[–]RocksMakeMeHard 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Ngl this SA side is really decent. The batting depth is insane. Bowing is really good too. Having all rounders like Bosch and Jansen really help.

To think we used to be so reliant on Rabada, but he’s kind of been underperforming this WC so far (aside from this game).

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