Been following a lot of threads on here, now I have re-started mine I thought I should share.
The initial plan was to take a Range Rover, shorten it, add a cage/spaceframe and take it Comp Safari racing, first job find a old Range Rover, this all started in about 2002.
Found the perfect donor in rural Essex, all the mechanicals not long re-built, failed the MOT on rot, owner lost heart in it, so I picked it up cheap.
Looks good but the body and rear section of the chassis were totally rotten, fortunately the bits I was going to keep were sound, with a couple of small easy to replace sections.
Out came the angle grinder and body was chopped off, my garage is very narrow so needed to keep it driving/rolling for as long as I could.
Next out came engine, gearbox, bulkhead and down to a bare chassis with axles.
Next job was to cut all the outriggers and extraneous mounts off, and chop 12 Inches out of the middle.
And then stick it all back together again.
That done, the rear of the chassis needed to be culled by another 12 inches or so, lots bracing adding and a new rear crossmember and the first of the hoops.
The Front of the chassis was then back to bare metal, front bracing added and front hoop added, and roof bars.
Axles re-built, new bushes, original springs still as they would get updated later.
Rear supports and cills tacked in.
Windscreen frame and supports
Front bars
Fully welded in
Quick coat of paint
Rover 3.5 and four speed box back in, sitting on new mounts about a foot further back then Land Rover intended.
Next start on the body work
The rear is basically some box welded round the frame and then some flat ally panels riveted to it, didn’t take any photo’s of the frame for some reason, the central section is for a rear mounted radiator.
Rear arch, lots of careful measurements to clear the cage.
Series 1 Land Rover doors mounted
Mockup, mojo booster.
And that is how she sat for a long time, final set of operations following a bike accident, keeping the other offroad toys woking, sorting out the house and most important of all the birth of my son meant no time for the project.
During the hiatus I’d built up a 90 for general offroad use and doing winch challenges, however this was playing havoc with the bodywork so needed something more rugged, time to resurrect the project and make it challenge spec, so first need to convert from petrol to diesel.
The 90 will donate a lot of the trick bits once the project is up and running.
First plan was to buy a rotten old 300Tdi Disco, ES spec with all the leather and whistles and bells, had a MOT when I got it, did think about sorting the rot and selling on for a quick profit, came with a massive aftermarket intercooler as well so well chuffed.
Plundered all the oily bits and put all the other stuff on eBay and even made a profit on it.
Wheeled the carcass out on to the road, cut the axles off, ready for the scrap mans Hiab.
Made a V8 wheelbarrow.
And then set about seeing if it would fit in the hole, my mate Ian is not so sure.
Cut off the extraneous engine mounts I had spent so long making.
And stick it in place, had to cut one of the front rails to clear the fuel pump and may well have to do the same on the other side for the water pump but as I’m not racing it I can afford to loose some strength.
Engine and box in the correct place, now to sort out some CAD for engine and gearbox mounts and we are upto date.
The initial plan was to take a Range Rover, shorten it, add a cage/spaceframe and take it Comp Safari racing, first job find a old Range Rover, this all started in about 2002.
Found the perfect donor in rural Essex, all the mechanicals not long re-built, failed the MOT on rot, owner lost heart in it, so I picked it up cheap.
Looks good but the body and rear section of the chassis were totally rotten, fortunately the bits I was going to keep were sound, with a couple of small easy to replace sections.
Out came the angle grinder and body was chopped off, my garage is very narrow so needed to keep it driving/rolling for as long as I could.
Next out came engine, gearbox, bulkhead and down to a bare chassis with axles.
Next job was to cut all the outriggers and extraneous mounts off, and chop 12 Inches out of the middle.
And then stick it all back together again.
That done, the rear of the chassis needed to be culled by another 12 inches or so, lots bracing adding and a new rear crossmember and the first of the hoops.
The Front of the chassis was then back to bare metal, front bracing added and front hoop added, and roof bars.
Axles re-built, new bushes, original springs still as they would get updated later.
Rear supports and cills tacked in.
Windscreen frame and supports
Front bars
Fully welded in
Quick coat of paint
Rover 3.5 and four speed box back in, sitting on new mounts about a foot further back then Land Rover intended.
Next start on the body work
The rear is basically some box welded round the frame and then some flat ally panels riveted to it, didn’t take any photo’s of the frame for some reason, the central section is for a rear mounted radiator.
Rear arch, lots of careful measurements to clear the cage.
Series 1 Land Rover doors mounted
Mockup, mojo booster.
And that is how she sat for a long time, final set of operations following a bike accident, keeping the other offroad toys woking, sorting out the house and most important of all the birth of my son meant no time for the project.
During the hiatus I’d built up a 90 for general offroad use and doing winch challenges, however this was playing havoc with the bodywork so needed something more rugged, time to resurrect the project and make it challenge spec, so first need to convert from petrol to diesel.
The 90 will donate a lot of the trick bits once the project is up and running.
First plan was to buy a rotten old 300Tdi Disco, ES spec with all the leather and whistles and bells, had a MOT when I got it, did think about sorting the rot and selling on for a quick profit, came with a massive aftermarket intercooler as well so well chuffed.
Plundered all the oily bits and put all the other stuff on eBay and even made a profit on it.
Wheeled the carcass out on to the road, cut the axles off, ready for the scrap mans Hiab.
Made a V8 wheelbarrow.
And then set about seeing if it would fit in the hole, my mate Ian is not so sure.
Cut off the extraneous engine mounts I had spent so long making.
And stick it in place, had to cut one of the front rails to clear the fuel pump and may well have to do the same on the other side for the water pump but as I’m not racing it I can afford to loose some strength.
Engine and box in the correct place, now to sort out some CAD for engine and gearbox mounts and we are upto date.
