In June / July - Jim finally took his assignment in Japan. This left me down not only a pair of hands, but a project manager and decades of experience working on Defenders. Over the course of the project, we experienced tons of delays - many related to Covid and other issues. From sourcing a frame to stripping the original frame, to paint and other delays - we just ran out of time.
Early last year, Jim and I had Drew at
Coniston Classics do the welding on the original frame. The work was great, and while we were at his shop we were able to get a great look at the work he and Jimmy were doing on their custom builds. From the moment we walked into their shop, Jim and I agreed, that should things go awry - and I find myself unable to finish the project, this was the best place we could take it. Jimmy and Drew have a ton of experience with not just Defenders, but Land Rovers in general. They are factory trained LR technicians, and met while they were working at Land Rover of Richmond in VA. Their combined experience, their preference for OEM level solutions to problems, knowledge of the overall Land Rover ecosystem, QA & attention to detail make them an excellent choice.
Last week, Jimmy and Drew came up to NoVA to pick up the chassis. They took a load of other parts, and I've made one trip already with a 12 ft trailer full of parts down to their place. It's about a two hour trip into some of the most beautiful parts of Virginia.
More photos and details will continue!