Rover Resto Shops Must Be Busy

Uncle Douglas

Well-known member
Callsign: delete
they can pick and choose what they want to do. That is the prerogative of many successful businesses.

This /\ . How you approach a business to take on a large project has everything to do with the response you get.

Ed Bear ?
 

copleymotorcars

Well-known member
I think what many don't understand, is that ECR is not pumping out $150k "builds" like many of the newcomer shops.

It's a $300k plus project with them, if you supply your own decent NAS 110 or NAS 90. Just a different league. And, it's worth every penny. Those of you who know, know.

I can tell an ECR 110 from 100 feet away because they are put together so square. No one, no one, does it like Mike's crew.

adam
 

SMac

Well-known member
I think what many don't understand, is that ECR is not pumping out $150k "builds" like many of the newcomer shops.

It's a $300k plus project with them, if you supply your own decent NAS 110 or NAS 90. Just a different league. And, it's worth every penny. Those of you who know, know.

I can tell an ECR 110 from 100 feet away because they are put together so square. No one, no one, does it like Mike's crew.

adam



I?ve seen a few pristine builds that would rival the ECR trucks I?ve seen in person. Perhaps the difference is the level of ?stock/genuine/factory? parts. Fit and finish...debatable.

You make my point, ECR?s customer base is not enthusiasts. And again, absolutely nothing wrong with that. Same as the cherry NAS and NAS ECR trucks you market. I?m very pleased ECR and Copley keep the high end of the market in good order!




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The_Vermonster

Well-known member
You make my point, ECR?s customer base is not enthusiasts. And again, absolutely nothing wrong with that. Same as the cherry NAS and NAS ECR trucks you market. I?m very pleased ECR and Copley keep the high end of the market in good order!

I think you're falsely trying to equate expensive builds with non-enthusiasts. The guy I bought my truck from had zero interest in the brand or lineage. He just saw a cool 4x4 that he could put fat tires on and bomb through the woods. He probably would have been happier buying a 90s Cherokee.

On the other hand I've worked with a man who has a barn full of cars that are each worth $200k+. He can't drive them due to medical reasons so he pays someone to drive him and the car to car shows all over the place. He sits in a chair next to the car and chats for hours with people.

I wouldn't say people that are willing to pay for the quality ECR is know for aren't enthusiasts.

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Red90

Well-known member
From what I see, the people going to ECR are people that actually use them. They are looking for reliability and quality, not bling.
 

SMac

Well-known member
I think you're falsely trying to equate expensive builds with non-enthusiasts. The guy I bought my truck from had zero interest in the brand or lineage. He just saw a cool 4x4 that he could put fat tires on and bomb through the woods. He probably would have been happier buying a 90s Cherokee.

On the other hand I've worked with a man who has a barn full of cars that are each worth $200k+. He can't drive them due to medical reasons so he pays someone to drive him and the car to car shows all over the place. He sits in a chair next to the car and chats for hours with people.

I wouldn't say people that are willing to pay for the quality ECR is know for aren't enthusiasts.

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Nah, it?s darn hard to express opinions online, and I come across as having a very extreme left or right position when I do not intend to. Your point is very valid, I have family with rare Italian metal who drive them daily and are in every sense of the word ?enthusiasts.?

I would say my opinion is that based off my interactions and perception from afar, with pricing within the small NAS community just being one of the metrics.

But this is all neither here or there. We all agree ECR is tops in the business and they should have no apologies for doing it their way!



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Adam

Well-known member
This is a phenomenon you find in most any specialty car market - there will only be a handful of worthwhile shops, and they tend to be geographically overwhelmed. They may experience a downturn in the level of service they can provide and/or may limit the projects they take on in order to guarantee a caliber of product they are willing to put their name on. This can be driven by quality, focus area or a combination of both and other factors as well.

It does make it difficult for those of us looking in the middle ground of restoration as we become uninteresting to many shops. As the OP may have noted, this is not limited to ECR or the "nationally known" mega build shops. I myself have experienced this with highly regarded members of this very board ;)
 

roverrange

Well-known member
Where does SafariHP fit in here? Their builds seem to be top notch and they still give great customer service for people purchasing odd parts here and there.
 

RBBailey

NAS-ROW Addict
Callsign: KF7KFZ
I just keep coming back to the fact that the New Defender will be selling for about half what a 2014 Defender would sell for in the USA, yet Land Rover keeps saying there was no market for the old style...............
 

RBBailey

NAS-ROW Addict
Callsign: KF7KFZ
They have airbags for bike helmets now. It's not like it would be too difficult to put an air bag in. They didn't want the Defender anymore.
 

SMac

Well-known member
Speaking of new ?Defender?....recent spy shots...Definitely not Defender, but seems to be D3/4 ish in style. Better transition than the D4 to D5. Sure we lose all the quirks and solid axles of the Defender but we expected that with all the regulatory mandates of the Commonwealth countries. With the promised lines, I bet sales will dwarf all other Rover models combined. I?ll be helping Rover with that. Here?s to hoping for a 5 door soft top!


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roverrange

Well-known member
Airbags

They have airbags for bike helmets now. It's not like it would be too difficult to put an air bag in. They didn't want the Defender anymore.

Ah - That is very different. You can also ride a motorcycle without a helmet so anything is better than nothing.

It is not - could they put an airbag in. It is could it pass the needed crash tests required for airbags.

Probably when they ran the numbers and realized how much redesign they would need to do just for the American market they said no thanks. It would have probably been a 30 million dollar project to just get them certified for the USA. Then they would need to have two different assembly plants and methods of assembly.
 

rocky

NAS-ROW Addict
One definite is the fact that they will have the production capacity in the new factory to far exceed the numbers that ever came out of Solihull's Defender assembly line.
 

Adam

Well-known member
Somehow this email from ECD dated Oct 2 got lost in the shuffle of spam and whatever else noise was coming and going:

Hi Adam,


Thanks for reaching out. We could do what we call an Overhaul on your Defender. All of our Overhaul projects start out with a drivetrain installation, typically the 6.2-liter Chevrolet (a brand new crate unit). Which runs about $60k (this includes the engine, transmission, fueling and cooling systems, drive shafts, axle inners and a brake upgrade). From there we would add on additional things on like retrimming the interior, paint, wheels and tires, and other accessories or do a full restoration.


Is this of interest? Pictures would be great.


Kind Regards,


Penny

I'm sure the work is amazing, but if I was going to put 60k into this truck, it wouldn't start with an LS swap. That said, I'm happily moving forward in conversations with a shop and looking forward to progress.
 

defenderholty

Well-known member
Not to keep flogging the dead animal, but ECR only fooling with NAS trucks might be brilliant. They are starting with a valuable truck, even if it isn't any better -They know the client has brought in a vehicle that will not likely be abandoned after months of work because 1). They probably have money to pay for the build and b). If they do abandon it, ECR can sell it and get back their money... after all it is an ECR build. And they can afford to piss off the guy with the series truck because the line of folks waiting on them to work on their NAS is so damn long.
 

signalMTB

Well-known member
Revival...what’s the most recent thoughts on premier resto / custom builders in the US? Method SV, Himalaya, ECD, etc NAS and or ROW trucks considered.

Starting talks with a potential client who will want a top notch turn key 110 with upgraded power train (or rebuilt original if NAS).

Personal experiences / immediately direct knowledge would be very helpful. Feel free to PM or text me 423-401-8416 if you want to keep things private.
 

jymmiejamz

Founding Member
Callsign: KN4JHI
Revival...what’s the most recent thoughts on premier resto / custom builders in the US? Method SV, Himalaya, ECD, etc NAS and or ROW trucks considered.

Starting talks with a potential client who will want a top notch turn key 110 with upgraded power train (or rebuilt original if NAS).

Personal experiences / immediately direct knowledge would be very helpful. Feel free to PM or text me 423-401-8416 if you want to keep things private.

Now that I’m back in Virginia I’ll be working with my long time friend and colleague Drew Swoboda. We’d be interested in discussing your client’s goals. I’m sure plenty of people on here have had personal experiences with Drew’s work if you’d like some references.
 
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