LazyRabbit
Well-known member
So this is long overdue and also many years in the making. I feel it's about time to start a build thread since i just drove across country (4k+ miles) and Im moving forward to ship it to Hawaii.
Long ago in a dusty place called Camp Bastion my interest in the Defender bloomed.I've always loved the iconic trucks that screamed simplicity and practicality that seemed to be only overseas. Beyond my love affair with the 70 series Land cruiser, I didn't know much about Land Rovers except for their iconic image. In afghanistan I saw tons of Defenders from basic MOD trucks, clean white rentals , all the way to fully kitted out WMIKs.
The familiar 70 series troopy
common view at work
Some common defenders I saw hanging around which added to my inspiration
A series 2 that i saw on the beach in Australia
As my ability to possibly purchase an "exotic" diesel, stick shift, adventure rig became more of a reality. I found that these defenders were "as cheap as chips" compared to 70 series LCs from Australia (at least in entry price).
Thus began a deep dive into everything land rover and reading everything in the forums about them.
Originally i was going to get an Ex-MOD and add a few WMIK and Wolf add ons.
I almost pulled the trigger on this exact Tithonus,
Eventually I found the 5 door wagons more appealing and "future proof". I did research on dealers and sent tons of emails asking for videos and photos of various rigs.
I eventually landed on this girl:
She was an 1989 5 door 110 with a 19J engine. From looking up her MOTs and registration history it looked like she started life in southern england and then migrated u to Scotland and then back down to England a few years back. Plus she had her original paint unlike most other trucks, so i felt it was harder to hide some aspects. I didn't care about about patina and some scratches and dents, i didn't want a polished turd (which were flooding the market).
I got the shipper and broker all sorted and waited for the truck's arrival. A couple days later I hear that customs seized a bunch of defenders and on top of that I would probably be stuck in afghanistan and miss the arrival of the truck into Baltimore.
To be continued....
Long ago in a dusty place called Camp Bastion my interest in the Defender bloomed.I've always loved the iconic trucks that screamed simplicity and practicality that seemed to be only overseas. Beyond my love affair with the 70 series Land cruiser, I didn't know much about Land Rovers except for their iconic image. In afghanistan I saw tons of Defenders from basic MOD trucks, clean white rentals , all the way to fully kitted out WMIKs.
The familiar 70 series troopy
common view at work
Some common defenders I saw hanging around which added to my inspiration
A series 2 that i saw on the beach in Australia
As my ability to possibly purchase an "exotic" diesel, stick shift, adventure rig became more of a reality. I found that these defenders were "as cheap as chips" compared to 70 series LCs from Australia (at least in entry price).
Thus began a deep dive into everything land rover and reading everything in the forums about them.
Originally i was going to get an Ex-MOD and add a few WMIK and Wolf add ons.
I almost pulled the trigger on this exact Tithonus,
Eventually I found the 5 door wagons more appealing and "future proof". I did research on dealers and sent tons of emails asking for videos and photos of various rigs.
I eventually landed on this girl:
She was an 1989 5 door 110 with a 19J engine. From looking up her MOTs and registration history it looked like she started life in southern england and then migrated u to Scotland and then back down to England a few years back. Plus she had her original paint unlike most other trucks, so i felt it was harder to hide some aspects. I didn't care about about patina and some scratches and dents, i didn't want a polished turd (which were flooding the market).
I got the shipper and broker all sorted and waited for the truck's arrival. A couple days later I hear that customs seized a bunch of defenders and on top of that I would probably be stuck in afghanistan and miss the arrival of the truck into Baltimore.
To be continued....
