Rosie... oh good old Rosie. Rosie was with us for a time for storage and possible restoration.
The previous owner had more pressing projects and realized it was time to pass her on to a new owner. She was already a good truck, with an upgraded Mansfield heater unit, and a Roamerdrive overdrive, but corrosion had more or less done her frame in. The truck had actually started to buckle, giving it the tightest, cleanest door gaps that a Land Rover ever had.
The new owner bought Rosie from her previous keeper and a new galvanized frame from us on the same day. The frame was swapped and a complete mechanical restoration was undertaken at the same time. The new owner was partial to the character and patina that Rosie had accumulated over the last 50 years, and as such, her exterior was left in original condition.
The crew in the shop wasted little time in getting Rosie stripped down, with parts sorted into two categories - those that could be restored and refitted to the truck, and those that would need to be scrapped and replaced.
With the body now off, the extent of the corrosion can be appreciated.
It never ceases to amaze how "okay" a Land Rover can look from 10 feet away, compared to how little of this frame was still actually structurally sound. Note the gaping hole in the outrigger. Yikes!
Brian, inspecting what could be salvaged, while the new galvanized frame awaits transplant.
Both axles were inspected, disassembled, refurbished, and reassembled before being set in the new galvanized frame.
Each one of our projects gets named, dated, and badged as we work away. While this started as a bit of fun, it's become helpful when discussing projects in-house with a bit more clarity.
Peter and Brian assessing the bulkhead on the rotisserie
While the chassis was obviously in need of replacing, the bulkhead had some issues of its own. The "foot" on the driver side was compromised to the point of needing replacing. To fit new metal seamlessly is as much an art as it is a trade. Brian was more than up to the task.
New bulkhead foot welded in and flawlessly blended.
Both footwells were tired and in need of replacing as well.
With the bulkhead sorted, and new metal in both footwells, it was time to mount the bulkhead on the new galvanized frame and start getting Rosie put back together.
Rosie's bulkhead, now repainted, fitted back to the frame during reassembly
In addition to a new galvanized frame, and repaired bulkhead, Rosie was the recipient of parabolic springs, shocks. suspension hardware, copper nickel brake lines and clutch hoses, a complete stainless steel exhaust system, footwells, floorboards, and associated stainless hardware, heavy duty track rods, door sills, and weatherstripping all around.
Once Rosie was back together her new owner opted for a Hardura interior lining. Not only does this help with noise and insulation, but it really tidies up the cabin of the truck,
Hardura Seatbox covers, transmission tunnel cover, and footwell liners, as well as new floor mats to finish off the interior of the truck.
Rosie's custom speaker bracket, paint matched to fit right in.
As we neared the finish line with Rosie, we had developed quite the friendship with her new owner. While many of our restoration clients send their trucks to us from far off destinations, Rosie's new owner was local to us and had made the time to stop by now and then as we worked away on the truck. We had gotten to know him and he'd shared his passion for music and guitar with us. As Rosie didn't have any sort of stereo system, we thought it would be a fitting gesture to gift him a Marshall bluetooth speaker complete with a custom steel bracket affixed to the bulkhead.
We fabricated the bracket in-house, painted it to match the truck's body and riveted it against the bulkhead. This particular Marshall speaker is the Emberton II, and is the perfect size for a Series truck. It's waterproof, lasts 20 hours on a single charge, pairs via Bluetooth to your phone, slides in and out easily to keep the party going once you get there, and sounds phenomenal.
Rosie back together, awaiting collection by her new owner.