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Thread: MOVING LAND ROVER SOFT TOP WORKSHOP TO BRISBANE

  1. #1
    redearthvalley Guest

    MOVING LAND ROVER SOFT TOP WORKSHOP TO BRISBANE

    Hi Land rover nuts.
    What are your thoughts on the demand for reproduction / replacement / custom Land Rover Tilts / Hoods / Soft Tops in the Brisbane region?

    I run Red Earth Valley industrial Textiles in the UK and i'm moving it with me back to Brisbane where i grew up.

    I manufacture Fire Water and Rot Proof Poly Cotton canvas hoods with the original fittings. Colours are generally Sand, Khaki. White, Blue, Black etc.

    i am trying to ascertain if it is worth sending my industrial sewing equipment on ahead as it'll be shipping and quarantine for months.

    any thoughts?

    Unfortunately my hybrid tax exempt Series II FFR with matching FFR Radio Body Sankey / Land Rover hybrid trailer won't be coming.

    I have read that AUS customs are pretty hard nosed about hybrids and they're sure to find mud somewhere. The import taxes are silly and i'd rather nab an ex army sale or hybrid up a 109 again....

    Are there many trimming / coach works companies in the brisbane region manufacturing repro and custom bikini's, hoods and truck cab covers for Landies?

    Also can you all give me a heads up on the ex army 90 110 and pere demob sales to public? Are they getting what you call a blue ticket? or road reg? or are there hurdles to jump through?

    Do you all cusomise the hell out of your landies as in the UK? TDI engine upgrades / high lift kits / rear tub change / mods / window mods / roof mods etc?

    many thanks. Can't wait to be back in Brisvegas!
    Matt Carey
    Red Earth Valley

  2. #2
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    you'll do well i believe...

    welcome back..
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  3. #3
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    G'day Matt,
    Welcome to the forum. Sounds like you're heavy into the Landies! Not that many hybrids around-there are some just not a real lot. We tend to go for longer wheelbase vehicles too, 110s are standard, 90s uncommon until recently.

    There also aren't/weren't any 90s used in the ADF so no demobbed ones to buy, unless it is a private import from the UK. The 110s sold in the auctions in Sydney usually have a blue slip so are easy to register, I bought mine from the Brisbane auctions and didn't have a problem registering it either. The only hurdle is finding a roadworthy inspector worthy of the title-some don't know what they are looking at so quibble over things that don't matter or aren't covered in a roadworthy inspection.

    There is a bit of customisation here but rarely to the UK trialler/winch challenge style-not that many tube frames for example, and roll cages aren't common either. Roadworthy laws are getting tighter all the time making the bigger modifications a bit tougher to achieve.

    As for soft tops, there is two mobs making canopies for military vehicles, though one is a one man hobby band. There is nothing for civvy vehicles as far as I know. Probably not a real big market either unless your prices are cheap enough to compete with All Wheel Trim and Exmoor for the civvy stuff.

    You'll wonder how you ever enjoyed for a green lane or quarry once you have been four wheel driving over here

  4. #4
    redearthvalley Guest

    tx 4 the replies.... exmoor hoods there?

    great replies guys. Thanks.
    So are Exmoor hoods made there or imported from the UK?
    What price are they in dollars there?

    I make civvy and military hoods of a higher quality than exmoor as mine don't shrink, are two tone if required and are fire and rot proof, not just water proof.

    I tend to trend slightly higher in price than exmoor here as my fabrics cost more due to the longer lasting design and additional proofings.

    Are there many ex army series 2A's and 3s about still? Australia seemed to have rows and rows of these in service into the 90's even.

    I'm bringing a container over with my equipment in it / studio / workshop etc. I had originally planned to drive my truck and matching trailer straight into the container, load it up with my gear, pack it and shut the door. Upon it's arrival collect the container... deliver it home, open the doors unpack and drive it out.

    I then read about the many charges and difficulties of bringing vehicles in.. mostly taxes and 'dirt fear', and got cold feet.

    I've lived in Australia for 15 years and studied ecology and wilderness reserves and wildlife so i know all about the dangers of insects, soil and exotic plant matter and organisms coming onto australian soil.. so i can understand it.
    I just figured a good degrease, jet wash / steam clean would suffice.

    And it may have, but then i read on...
    We are very relaxed about land rover mods over here. My MOD show buddies are well versed in demob vehicle technicalities and some of them are road traffic vehicle officer or VOSA which are the vehicle heavies.
    Even they move within a fairly easy going yet safe set of guidelines.

    reports of peoples modification / customisation experiences over there sound scary. I mean some of the 'illegal' vehicles were merely given after market bolt on products like high lift springs, replacement A bars (to rear axle), roof mods, roll bars, engine changes, axle changes / upgrades, chassis changes.

    And it seems if the border custodians don't like a vehicle they charge you to return it to source..

    Real shame as one of my army vehicles which was originally petrol 2.25 L leafsprung is now 300 TDI 120 BHP V8 transfer box (high gearing) high lifted, coil sprung, disc brakes, defender bonnet and grill, no wheel arches, new pattern BF Goodrich MT etc etc.
    It clips along the motorway believe me.
    As a series it would have done 15 miles to the gallon (4.4 L ish) and now it does 34 miles to the gallon on its bigger wheels, higher geared transfer box, better engine and efficient turbo with sports filter and straight through exhaust pipe (no mufflers).

    yearly vehicle test agents always pass it and feel the exhaust volume, although louder, is not excessive as the turbo in between the exhaust manifold and the outside air reduces the volume somewhat.

    That said, it sounds loud for a 4 cylinder 2.5 L... in a sort of nice Perkins tractor engine kinda way :/)

    matt

  5. #5
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    Here in Oz, due to high local prices, we are not scared to order from the UK, so Exmoor etc is purchased as mail/web order, and there is an importer or two though they don't hold stock AFAIK.

    Your canopies do sound good, now if just they were 100% UV proof they'd never need replacing!

    There are a fair few ex-mil 2, 2as and 3s around, our drier climate and unsalted roads help them survive. Note that the mil canopies are a different pattern to what the UK commercial canopy makers produce, so sourcing them is moderately expensive and not necessarily easy. Borrowing canopies for patterns might result in a bit more business.

    I don't know a lot about vehicle mod laws so I'll leave it at what I have already said, suffice to say that I want to hear your Series!

    There are a few members on here who have brought vehicles over, so it isn't insurmountable by any stretch of the imagination.

  6. #6
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    Quote Originally Posted by redearthvalley View Post
    Hi Land rover nuts.


    Also can you all give me a heads up on the ex army 90 110 and Perentie demob sales to public? Are they getting what you call a blue ticket? or road reg? or are there hurdles to jump through?
    Matt Carey
    In Aust, we don't have a system like your ex-MOD vehicles going in bulk to a select list of dealers by tender, who then prepare them for sale to the public. All sales are through public auction. There were a small number of TD5 110s that were modified for military service, and these have now been completely disposed of. As mentioned, we did not have Def90s. The remainder of the fleet are "Perentie" variants, which are a completely Australian evolution of the One Ten pre-Defender. These have a 3.9lt Isuzu diesel and LT95 gearbox.


    The sales are conducted each month. Sydney is the head office of the auctioneer, so every month there is a Sydney sale. All roadworthy vehicles sold through Sydney have the paperwork to enable quick trouble-free road registration in NSW (we have state based vehicle rego, not national). Other state capital cities like Brisbane also have sales from time to time (but not each month, it could be a couple of months before the next Bris auction), and these interstate sales do not include the inspection paperwork for road registration. It is up to the buyer to effect this, and there have been varying results (from trouble-free 15 min job, to having a vehicle seized as suspect!).


    It is quite possible to buy a vehicle in any state and have it transported, inspected and registered in Qld. The NSW paperwork will allow you to obtain temporary rego for the purpose of driving the vehicle to your new home in Qld for a very low cost.


    This month's Sydney and Brisbane auctions:
    Ex-Military Unimogs,Trucks,Land Rovers,Bikes,ATV's &Trailers


    Unreserved Ex-Military Land Rover 110 6X6's & 4X4's

  7. #7
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    With the change in exchange rates, the increase cost in both air and sea transport and the overall costs of goods, buying from the UK is not as cheap anymore.

    We are a retailer of Exmoor Trim, and due to such a large parts inventory keeping stock of each item would be cost prohibitive, even Exmoor make most things to order.

    You would have to work out your costs, and compare to the UK manufactures, and the odd people who make stuff here, Roboc are a huge concern and have big buying power so matching there prices might be hard on the Mil stuff.

    But I think theres a market here, and you could always tap in to Malaysia and the other SE Asian countries for further sales, plus NZ, work with a established supplier or agent.

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    Look at the dates people....
    do your own research...
    "How long since you've visited The Good Oil?"

    '93 V8 Rossi
    '97 to '07. sold.
    '01 V8 D2
    '06 to 10. written off.
    '03 4.6 V8 HSE D2a with Tornado ECM
    '10 to '21
    '16.5 RRS SDV8
    '21 to Infinity and Beyond!


    1988 Isuzu Bus. V10 15L NA Diesel
    Home is where you park it..

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