Building the perfect 90

[erover82]

In 2019, after a brief fling with a Jeep and several Rovers, I set out to find and build my ideal Land Rover. I wasn't going to settle this time. It had to be exactly what I desired. I'd tired of the hassle of swapping vehicles, moving from one compromise to another. It would be the culmination of all I'd learned about Rovers, and all the mistakes I'd made, and seen others make.

The search began. It had to be a Defender, specifically a 90, soft top, 200Tdi, rust free, and one of a few ideal colors. From there, the list of desired specifications was long. It was unrealistic to expect find any single example which fulfilled all these desires, so I'd search for something as close as possible to start from. However, the more I thought about it, the more I didn't want to find the "perfect" example. I wanted a project, something to completely tear apart and rebuild with my young sons into the perfect Rover. What I wanted, was a rusty piece of junk.

Thankfully, the Defender market was full of such examples at the time. Rovers are rare here in southern Oregon though. However, it wasn't long before one happened to appear on Craigslist only a hundred miles away, practically in my back yard.

It was a 90, hard top, 200Tdi, assuredly rusty, and I didn't have to buy a plane ticket to get it. The seller was a collector of various automobiles with at least 60 on site. The Defender had been a passing interest and he was ready to move on. He advertised it as the "cheapest Defender in the country", and he may have been correct at the time. It may have been "cheap" in Defender terms, but was it a value?

To be continued..

 

[Napalm00]

Dis gonna be expensive

 

[erover82]

Now, before proceeding, there really is no such thing as a cheap desirable Defender. At the two ends of the market spectrum you have: expensive desirable Defenders, and cheap crusty remains of Defenders. For the former, one will compete with the wealthy to obtain something remarkable with limited supply. For the latter, one invests significant sums in time, labor, and parts. Either way, you will pay.

Now back to the Craigslist 90. After a conversation with the seller, we left the next morning for the 100 mile drive to see what the "cheapest Defender in the States" was like. The area is beautiful and rural with wide open spaces and mountains beyond. The seller's property is a large ranch which I'm told was built and owned by a Heinz ketchup heiress. Two large warehouses contain his automobile collection, dwarfing the actual house. Yes, this is the kind of guy I expect to own a Defender. He's not a Rover enthusiast though, and I'm sure the romance wore off quickly after picking it up from port and discovering the common "quirks" of the UK's exported Defender cast offs.

With my trusty engineer's hammer rot finder, the inspection began.

No tapping necessary here, as the bulkhead was visibly rusted-through in several areas, particularly around the windscreen hinges where an applique style repair had been performed on the front side. The rear tub capping needed new corners, at the very least. Most other steel parts and brackets were also rusty.

The doors were actually quite good, except for dents. Other body panels exhibited more dents and the expected spots of galvanic corrosion. Road salt is a vicious thing.

The coil springs, shock towers, rear drums, and both (yes it had two) steering dampers had inexplicably been painted bright red. They would go anyway.

With the wonderful discoveries leading up to inspecting the chassis, and then seeing it had been painted over, I fully expected it to be swiss cheese. However, despite my exhaustive use of the engineer's hammer, I could only find two isolated areas of rot, both in expected areas. The rear crossmember had been replaced at some point and some other minor repairs had been attempted by what I can only guess was a drunk blind bloke with a stick welder. I planned on replacing the chassis, so only needed something usable for a few years. However, this was perfectly serviceable. I've seen many others driving around the world in much worse condition.

Photo taken previous to my inspection. The LT77 had been recently replaced with a rebuilt unit, so there was one less thing to worry about, in theory. Unfortunately they didn't stop there and installed on of those awful Slickshifts.

The 200Tdi sounded and felt great when driving. Looking around I spotted few easily remedied bodges (eg. electrical tape on intake hose seen above). I saw no evidence of excessive oil consumption or back pressure. A new exhaust had been installed. The sump was leaking from the drain plug, probably from reusing the same copper washer since it left Solihull. The LT230 was also exhibiting the Land Rover's famous anticorrosion fluid dispersal technology. Perhaps that's how the chassis had been somewhat spared.

Here we see a few photos of its former life in the UK just prior to being shipped overseas to the land of the free. It's not readily apparent in the photos, but to sweeten the deal, it was sporting the most awful paint job I had ever seen. It appeared to have been applied with a large cheap paint brush, with no respect to proper painting technique, no component removal, and no masking whatsoever. I figured either a farmer slapped it on like they were coating an old tractor (not too far off), or some unscrupulous UK seller (gasp) knew a hundred dumb yanks would queue up to pay top-dollar for this turd if it appeared somewhat shiny.

That said, it had what I wanted; a serviceable drivetrain, chassis, engine, VIN, documentation, and state registration. It was exactly the piece of junk I was looking for.

 

[Tbaumer]

Nice start to your build thread! Super cool that your sons will have the shared memories of making it better.

 

[Tomaco1]

why the hate for the slick shift?

 

[rocky]

When it comes to Defenders, I certainly wouldn’t call America “ The land of the free”.
Land of more expensive with shipping perhaps.

 

[MountainD]

Did you end up wanting to keep your NAS? I did similar but just...haven’t ...sold....mine. Lol. It’s hard.

 

[erover82]

why the hate for the slick shift?

It masks wear in housing, raises the shifter so it no long fits the gaiter properly, and I don’t like the closer shift pattern.

 

[erover82]

Did you end up wanting to keep your NAS? I did similar but just...haven’t ...sold....mine. Lol. It’s hard.

Never had one. They have their advantages, but for my uses, I prefer diesel Defenders. That could change if the build was purely off-road focused.

 

[MountainD]

Never had one. They have their advantages, but for my uses, I prefer diesel Defenders. That could change if the build was purely off-road focused.

Got it. I would have a very hard time buying a modifying a clear NAS. Mine was salvaged. I would keep a NAS stock and modify a ROW.

 

[erover82]

The deal was done. We had signed papers, exchanged cash for keys, and tested lights for proper function for the 100 mile drive home. They worked.. occasionally, but good enough to get home. I'd made enough questionable purchases in the past to expect these things, and a few more quickly became apparent. The fuel gauge was terribly pessimistic and the speedometer jumped around randomly, but as night had fell and no interior lights worked, it didn't matter. Just get on with it.

No matter how clapped out a Defender may be, to the primitive male mind, it retains a nearly universal siren-like allure. I must admit, over the next several months, it hardly moved. Between work, raising young children, and several emergencies with my property and home, it was a stressful period. Most of my interactions with the 90 were simply looking over the monumental task I'd taken on, taking stock of the seemingly endless list of tasks involved in its rebuild, and then trying to calm the rising panic. Maybe I shouldn't have bought this piece of junk.

 

[erover82]

Got it. I would have a very hard time buying a modifying a clear NAS. Mine was salvaged. I would keep a NAS stock and modify a ROW.

I should have been more clear. Being that there's no inspection of any kind here, I'd take an ROW and NASify it with a GEMS 4.0, ZF, and cage of some sort.

 

[erover82]

Time continued as the outlook cycled between optimism, stress, and regret. At the high points, the boys and I would tinker with it, ignoring the larger rebuild tasks which loomed on the horizon. I had tried to keep it in usable condition while we made minor repairs, concerned it would never move again if I really tore into it, and consequently, that the boys would never get to really enjoy it in actual use.

We did however manage several enjoyable trips. Even when it was parked, they got much joy out of climbing all over it and pretending to drive through far-off lands, their stuffed animals playing the part of wild game.

Here we see one young apprentice distracted from the day's repair order. Instead, working on their own vehicle without OSHA approved footwear.

 

[erover82]

Maybe I shouldn't have bought this piece of junk.

Having weathered the dark period, my conviction returned. Buying the junk Defender was the right choice, the only choice, and it was time to suck it up and get on with it.

"Yeah suck it up, dad. This thing has potential!"

Off came the top, doors, grille, bumper, and brush bar. Wheel arch eyebrows went in the bin. The monstrously heavy and poorly made roof rack was cut up and recycled. The tacky red bent steering guard was also recycled.

This gave us a better view of the typical rust areas that the farmer paint job hadn't concealed.

I refused to look at these trashy wheels and lame tires through an entire rebuild. They had to go.

"Let me help you with that!"

Acquired five ANR4583, more appropriate tires, and painted the wheels in several coats of Chawton White SS 2k polyurethane.

While the paint booth was setup, I prepped and painted a repair section and two diff guards (yellow passivated zinc bling is for Jeeps) in black 2k epoxy.

Fall weather had come, a welcome relief from triple-digit temperatures. To take a break from work and get a few drives in the favorable weather, I would need to at least refit the side mirrors and the front-end. I cut the door hinges in half, reinstalled them backwards and attached the side mirrors to the bulkhead side. I drove the 90 around like this for a while before the next phase of work began. It felt spritely and more enjoyable with all the weight removed, even if partially temporary.

 

[hillstrubl]

View attachment 19176
While the paint booth was setup, I prepped and painted a repair section and two diff guards (yellow passivated zinc bling is for Jeeps) in black 2k epoxy.

Check out this stuff for coating the inside, I've found it keeps mud from building up too much between the diff and the inside of the guard -> https://www.neverwet.com/ https://www.walmart.com/ip/Rust-Oleum-NeverWet-Multi-Surface-Liquid-Repelling-Treatment/26910062

 

[Classic4X4]

Killer Thread!

 

[erover82]

Before this story goes any further, I'd like to clarify the thread's title, "Building the perfect 90". I almost cringe reading it now. It's too easy to interpret this thread as an arrogant attempt to universally and objectively define what the perfect 90 is. Such an effort would be impossible. After all, whoever bought this ↓ probably thought it was their perfect 90.

Ouch.

What are you supposed to title these anyway? "Yet another fucking build thread"?

A better title might have been "Building our perfect 90". What does that look like? I think it'll be more interesting to let that evolve in each update. If you came here hoping for LEDs and CNC'd aluminum bling, look elsewhere.

 

[rocky]

The problem with any thread or build like this is the way you use the truck changes over time.
So you change your truck to meet those new needs.

Or you sell it and build another.

 

[Tbaumer]

^^That's what makes threads like this fun! ^^
Anyone who knows what they want from day one & changes nothing until completion, is a damn robot!

Or I guess they could be a regular robot, not necessarily a damn one...

 

[erover82]

I'm one of those who, when they I set out on an endeavor, prepare extensively and then execute. I envy those who get elbows deep first and accomplish things quickly, even if a bit haphazardly.

Initially, with the understanding that my time and energy was limited, I set out with the intention make periodic incremental improvements, but for me, that would never work. Riddled with corrosion-phobia and rivet-counter-itis, plans evolved. What started out as early evaluations of which parts were most necessary to purchase first, snow-balled into what I hesitate to admit could be called an "unintentional nut/bolt restoration" and an acute case of parts-hoarding.

Looking back through my email archive, it appears that the first purchase was actually not the result of an early parts-need evaluation, but completely discretionary. It was a winch bumper, custom made, and obviously Camel Trophy inspired. It roughly fit the design I desired to eventually equip, had great ground clearance, integrated recovery points, and so I jumped on the deal and began its cross-country journey via Greyhound.

Upon receiving the bumper, it was apparent it needed a bit of straitening out. It had seen a few impacts, and despite being quite heavily built, the right brush bar had been bent back about 3/4 of an inch. To straiten it, my new F150 would be utilized for its weight. Boards were carefully placed to spread the load and also to limit how far the bending could proceed. After driving up onto the brush guard and checking straightness and accounting for springback it was clear that not enough force was being applied. Various refinements were employed, but in the end, getting enough force required placed a floor jack under the rear opposite corner and jacking it up to transfer nearly the entine truck's weight to the perched corned upon the brush guard.

Satisfied with the straightening results, it went into storage.

Next, one of the most obvious needs was shocks. The previous owner had fitted the cheapest set possible, and unsurprisingly one had failed at the upper mounting point, leaving the rear left corner with zero damping. After much research and thought, a set of Koni SPX were ordered and stashed away.

After this, things began to accelerate..