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Land Rover Series 3 Restoration Project

Project Begins: September 2011

Starting out in September, the charity acquired two Series 3 Land Rovers, which – as you can plainly see – were not in the best of shape. The idea behind the project (started as a project for local Banbury students) was to strip the aforementioned Land Rovers down completely and then build them up into a condition as close to complete restoration as possible. It was an ambitious undertaking.

Things started out fine. The Land Rovers were easy enough to obtain and were found to be in a state in which it was actually possible to drive them back to the workshop. So from Day 1, the Land Rovers were running and driveable. However, that was about the only positive thing that could be said about them at that time.

Two teams went to work on the Land Rovers and started the stripping process. The teams managed to get both cars down to the bare chassis, unfortunately finding more and more problems with the inner workings of the vehicles. That was just the start of the trouble…

Chassis Problems: October 2011

Work continued on the Land Rovers, progressing at a steady rate. Both engines and the gearboxes were removed, as well as all of the running gear being taken out. Sadly, as things developed, it became clearer and clearer that the issues with the chassis were too numerous and too severe for either chassis to be of use to anyone. They were both found to be completely beyond repair.

A decision had to be deduced from all of this and that decision was that owing to both the cost and the state of present funds, it would only be worthwhile to completely restore one vehicle instead of the initial two. As both chassis were unusable, a new chassis would have to be found somewhere.

Onwards and Upwards: November 2011

Having scrapped the old chassis, the charity purchased a totally new galvanised Land Rover chassis, which enabled the project to resume with renewed vigour from a safer position.

The stripping began, with both the axles and differentials being removed and then rebuilt with completely new parts. New chrome swivels were also fitted. All of the metalwork was taken back to bare metal, utilising both hand and machine methods (angle grinders for the majority, by hand for those hard-to-reach areas). Once that particular task was completed, the metal was treated with a rust-proofing compound (namely red oxide) to ensure safety against the elements/rust in general, before being repainted black. In December – preceding a short break for Christmas – a new suspension system was purchased and four leaf springs and shock absorbers were also fitted.

Something that had up until now been an ongoing part of the project also came into play, chiefly the four wheels being stripped back to metal, being rust-proofed and subsequently painted with Land Rover paint. Following this, all of the brakes were dismantled and then rebuilt with new parts and all of the brake hoses and pipes were renewed as well.

Engine Work: January 2012

Post-Christmas, work resumed and the engine was completely stripped. The pistons and crankshaft were removed and the engine block and cylinder head had to be sent away for refurbishing.

Further purchases have been required; a complete set of pistons, along with both big and small end shells.

Project Ongoing: February 2012

As of going to press, work on the Land Rover is still underway, with the bodywork to be started as soon as the engine is rebuilt.

The next large item to be installed will be the main Bulkhead. We do have one, taken from one of the Land Rovers. This bulkhead will require a fair bit of metalwork to bring it up to the restoration standard.
In an ideal world we would like to purchase a new bulkhead but at a cost of over £800 this out of reach for us, at this present time.

ANY HELP IN THE FORM OF SPONSORSHIP WHETHER IT BE A DONATION OR MATERIAL DONATION WOULD BE VERY MUCH APPRECIATED.

In summation, the entire project has been a tremendous achievement by both students and staff. Although one member of staff happens to be an experienced Land Rover Mechanic/Instructor, the students themselves had never even set foot in a workshop before. After a number of short courses covering Health and Safety, air tool usage, and tools including imperial sizes, the students have all gained a considerable amount of experience on the topic of garage workings.

The aim of this Land Rover Project is to provide the students with the skills and experience to help them on their way to achieving a Level 1 in Motor Vehicle Engineering. Considering these students had originally been excluded from mainstream education this would be a fantastic achievement for them. Our hope also is that when they leave Skidz not only have they acquired practical skills but have developed the interpersonal skills that will enable them to secure employment in the future.