Well, this story starts one cold, dark and wet October night in Derby.
Two friends and myself, tooled up with a tow rope, torches and some cash went to pick up this Land Rover, allegedly with a broken gearbox, tax due to run out at midnight.
Cash changed hands and my friend drove it round the corner while I followed in the Disco. We parked it up and examined the situation, it seemed like the clutch was dead, quick check of the fluid revealed why!
Once topped up the Land Rover became driveable and made the trip up the A6.
I'd always fancied both a soft top and a V8 Series 3, I had a 3.9 in a shed and I had just aquired a Series 3 for peanuts so a plan was hatched!
First job was to strip the whole thing right back to a bare chassis, there was a fair bit of rot in the usual places (front spring hangers, rear Xmember, rear body outriggers, fueltank out rigger).
I had always set out to do this on a budget without cutting corners, replacement parts were ordered and welded into place and metal let into any place possible. The rest of the chassis was cleaned up with a wirebrush cup, the battery tray was cut off (no room for this with a V8) and the whole thing was given a liberal coat of waxoyl/underseal.
Brakes were rebuilt, new brakes lines run and flexibles replaced with braided hoses.
The steering idler was filled with oil on the bench and placed back, wiring re-run inside the chassis leg and new springs bought and fitted. Axles were placed back and the whole lot wheeled outside, it was winter hence the lovely frost effect
I had previously purchased a conversion plate to mate the V8 to the Series box, the flywheel had to be drilled and pegged to take the series clutch and some alan-head bolts of the correct thread found to bolt the two together. Once bolted together the two were dropped into the chassis as a trial fit to take measurements for the bulkhead when the time came.
The bulkhead was fairly rotten in both footwells and had been bodged in the past.
Both footwells were cut out, drivers side replaced as it should be. After some measurements the passenger footwell was cut and welded into place.
The engine in my series sits fairly far back, so I can keep the original front end, which makes access to the rear spark plugs a PITA. A cheek panel was made up and bolted into place so the rear spark plug and manifold bolts could be accessed with the bulkhead in place.
All this was primed and put to one side while attention was turned to the engine and gearbox.
The engine had been sat outside for a while and at some stage had filled the sump with water
On closer examination it seemed to be in fairly good nick with only a shot cam and the need for new shells.
I had a cam laying about the place which seemed to have a more interesting profile than the standard 3.9 cam, I think it's a real steel cam from a different project but can't be sure.
The gearbox was given a once over, bearings replaced where required and the same treatment given to the TX box.
The whole lot was then bolted back together and fitted into the chassis.
An exhaust was made up from various old range rover systems and the almost new discovery system I had taken off to fit my shiney stainless one a few months earlier.
The bulkhead was sprayed and bolted into place, this meant the doors and rear tub could be trial fitted, this is the point I knew the rear X member was back in the correct place!
I will probably re-do this at some point, like when that silencer dies, with a bigger bore from the join back. This was more of a stop-gap to get the thing onto the road.
I will update this more later in the week, I should sleep now though.
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On closer examination it seemed to be in fairly good nick with only a shot cam and the need for new shells.
