Thread: Freelander body on a D2 TD5

Idiot, ... no
I thought what a stupid idea until I saw this photo,
I think Freelanders are horrible things, but this actually looks good,
Looks better than a D2 infact. ( I think its on a D1 chassis)

no reason why you wouldent be able to get it engineered except for $$




.

I thought the same, the Freelander I have is black and is 100% straight hardly a mark on it, I like the TD5's I have 2 running and 1 in bits for parts, can't help myself saw the same pic and thought gotta do this. One of my boys would love it when he gets his lic, so I got just over a year to complete. All I need to do is work out my approx costs - I'm a mechanical fitter to trade and I have most bits so I'm hoping that it will not be too costly.

Well that's one way to turn a Gay-Lander straight!!! LOL

Would be interesting!

Joe
Just to throw another idea into the mix!!
Why not simply put another good Disco body onto your existing chassis?

I/We have done this quite a few times, we have it down to an art.
The biggest part of the job is to take out the dash from the donor body and install the same taken from the bent up body you have removed. This retains the Vin I/D.

It takes us about 20 man hours to complete depending upon physical conditions.

As a funny a few years ago a new customer brought me a well bent D1 having had his son and a bunch of school chums go off-roading and rolled it down into a ravine. It looked like an old Pepsi can that had been kicked around Caracas a few a week!
It was his missus car and she was away with a bunch of friends doing a hen thing in Aruba. She was due back in two weeks and he was facing some wrath of crap if he didn't find a solution! Poor bloke was quaking at the knees.

Leave it there and I can fix it like new and call me the Friday before she is due back.

What he didn't know was that we had an identical green D1 that had gone over some concrete obstructions and had tore out the axles but the unmarked not a scratch on it body was exactly the same!
So we swapped the lot and later that week I was driving it about!

I don't think the bloke believed me so he turned up early to see the progression. I could see him walking about in the forecourt looking for any signs if body damage and repair to his missus prized possession. Delighted with the result but not knowing how we fixed it so fast, he commented that the passenger door had a 3" long scratch and in it she might get suspicious.
I said "well mate for another $500 I can scratch the bloody door if yah like"!
She won't notice it believe me!
To date the fellow still doesn't know of our little shop secret, and now four years later, the wife is still scudding about in it none the wiser. Everyone has kept his trap shut!
Dennis
zedcars

Originally Posted by zedcars

The biggest part of the job is to take out the dash from the donor body and install the same taken from the bent up body you have removed. This retains the Vin I/D.

Doesn't work like that here - the Vin of the resultant vehicle is taken from the chassis not the body. Our Identity check process will show up the two Vins and questions asked - not such a worry but in the end the Vin will be what is on the chassis not the body - will cause ongoing issues (solvable) when authorities look at the rego documents and see a different Vin in the obvious spot on the dash.

Garry

Garry
Well it does here too!
If you take the dash plus vin plate out of the soon to be torn off body, put it in the donor body it will then jive with the vin number stamped on the frame.

The only confusion is then the vin sticker found on the driver's door jamb. On this side easily removed and with a bone fide registration those nice people at the LR dealer will get you a new one.

Out of interest though, do your registration/owner titles have the body colour in the details?

In the UK they do, but here no-one cares less what colour it is on this side!
Cheers Dennis
zedcars

Going by what it cost the original owner of my ute I`d say about $1500 - $2000 for a engineers report. Would be no different to what was done with my ute. My ute is a series 3 on a range rover chassis. Does go of the chassis and the vehicle that the chassis was part of for pollution emission etc. Hence why I can have a stop cable. Range rover chassis on my ute was a 1975 and at that time stop cables were legal. If you do go ahead with the conversion find a engineer first and map out what you are going to do. The report I have indicates that there is definite stages mapped out and inspections as each stage is completed. Don`t just go to a engineer after the job is done.
Cheers Hall

Hall
Those regulations all smack of the UK I can see some similar references in your post.

On this side if it will pass the emission test for THAT year you are in the door.

If its a home built, you just take it down the the local State patrol. Get them to inspect it, raising a $25 fee'd official inspection sheet. Then get ( possibly locaL Vin number depends) riveted on by the State cops and away you go!

Pretty relaxed if you know the drill. I often wonder what a UK cop would think is this scudding down a English country lane!

This gives rise to things like Rat Rods which are popular at the moment.
Here's sampling:-
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aC36gsaawWY&feature=related"]VOO DOO LARRY - YouTube[/ame]
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BqQYx0_WCa4&feature=related"]Rat Rods-Cruise - YouTube[/ame]

Dennis
zedcars