County Doors

[cewilson]

Does anyone know where I could get a set (all of them) from?


Or (maybe impossible) a rough price of how much it would cost?


I really need to swap out the current doors on my Defender (93 model) that has finally been struck with cancer too bad to fix. That and I keep busting the bloody plastic handles they supply. Hence the county idea - can't bust something that's already designed right :p


Thanks if advance
Chris

[clean32]

Does anyone know where I could get a set (all of them) from?


Or (maybe impossible) a rough price of how much it would cost?


I really need to swap out the current doors on my Defender (93 model) that has finally been struck with cancer too bad to fix. That and I keep busting the bloody plastic handles they supply. Hence the county idea - can't bust something that's already designed right :p


Thanks if advance
Chris

go a step further and get s3 doors with the sliding windows. i have driven a county with these doors the extra 3-4" of nee room is brilliant. no plastic no rattels etc

[JDNSW]

When you refer to "County" doors, I assume you mean ones with lift-up handles? (County is actually a trim level term used on Series 3, 110, 90 and Rangerover)

They changed to the "Defender" type doors with push button handles in 1987, three years before the Defender appeared here and two years before it appeared anywhere.

While I prefer the earlier doors for the reasons you mention, plus the fact that they are thinner, you should not be under the impression they are trouble free - they rust just as easily as the later ones, and seem to be impossible to permanently derattle. The locking system is also idiosyncratic, to put it mildly.

If it is necessary to replace the doors, I would seriously consider clean32's suggestion and look at Series 2/3 doors. These give more room, less rattles, less weight, you can take the top off (most fronts, not back) -- and you have much more chance of finding them, and affording them when you do find them! They are the same doors fitted to military 110s, except that the glass arrangement is changed slightly (join between the two bits of glass parallel to the front not vertical). Also the military door tops are alloy framed I believe, but fully interchangeable with the Series 2/3. But rear doors for Series 2/3 are probably nearly as scarce as "County" doors, as five door wagons were quite rare until the 1980s.

John

[cewilson]

Thanks for the advice. I'm not planning on using the plastic trim this time - I'm going to make up some chequerplate trimmings for the doors.

As for the rust - yeah I'm aware of that problem. I'm looking at using something to insulate between the two different metals to try and slow this down. I'm also going to strip them back to bare metal and hit it with say Galmet or something similar to see if it helps.

Cheers
Chris

[clean32]

i am playing around with using Ply for the inner door at the moment, not so cold and hard as alloy.

[JDNSW]

Thanks for the advice. I'm not planning on using the plastic trim this time - I'm going to make up some chequerplate trimmings for the doors.

As for the rust - yeah I'm aware of that problem. I'm looking at using something to insulate between the two different metals to try and slow this down. I'm also going to strip them back to bare metal and hit it with say Galmet or something similar to see if it helps.

Cheers
Chris

Actually, seeing you live inland, the rust should not be too bad! The secret is to try and either drain or remove any pockets that water can accumulate in.

John

[cewilson]

I'm inland at the moment, but I move around every couple of years - next one at the end of next year to Amberley :)

That and I spend a lot of time down here in the snow and mud, plus the trips up north to the centre and the islands.

Cheers
Chris

[mark2]

I have Series 3 doors on my 110. I've galvanised the frames and fitted Rocky Mountain alloy door tops. The benefit of increased knee room has already been mentioned but being able to easily remove the door tops off-road is also great as the opening is much bigger than a wind up window type.

[isuzubob]

Spray a heap of fish oil right down in all the crevices between the skin and frame helps too. Use an air line first to blow out all the crud, use a needle to get right in if you have to to loosen it all up first. Once it's all sprayed make sure the drain holes are still able to let water out.

Rob W