Thread: Got myself an Australian Land Rover

I have no idea what the hole is for on the grill, perhaps it had an electric fan fitted there previously. I had considered getting a replacement but I think it's all part of it's history.

Interesting about the ampmeter, I never knew there was a difference. I do not know the history of this Land Rover. I bought it from a guy in Mudgee and before that it was used to recover cars at a race track.

Whilst sanding I noticed very faintly on the middle seat box lid that it said something like 'Danger High Voltage' I couldn't read the rest of it. Perhaps it is ex military though I thought the indicators would be in a different position. It does look like it may have had aerials mounted on the rear tub.

I'm looking forward to getting it back on the road. It's a shame that it has had a six-cylinder Holden motor added - the front panel sits further forward and once the bonnet has the hinges attached you'll see that it doesn't fit squarly over the headlamp panel. If I had the skill I would extend the bonnet.

LoveB, I got the seats new from Exmoor Trim in the UK. They were about $300 delivered if I remember correctly.

So I have ordered the paint, primer and thinners plus paint gun. Will do the final preparations to the bodywork this weekend then shall start the repaint the following Thursday. If anyone has any last minute tips on re-spraying they would be greatly received. I haven't done it before and don't want to screw it up!

Resprayed it over the weekend. I'm relatively pleased with the finish but it needs cutting back and polishing to get a decent shine. I painted it in acrylic paint which is quite forgiving and there was no need to apply clearcoat with the colour used. Having said that, I have come to the conclusion that I will never paint a car again - leave it to the experts. It's been by far the most difficult task of the restoration, there are too many variables to worry about (moisture in the air, dust, wind, air compressor pressure, thinner ratio... etc. etc.!)..

Tasks pending include sorting the wiring - though it runs none of the gauges work and the indicators need some fine tuning. I also need to fit seatbelts, door seals and rubber matting for the floor in the back (and eventually bench seats - do these need to have seatbelts for the roadworthy? Are bench seats permitted in NSW?). I'm also thinking I may extend the bonnet so it fits better - you'll notice that the front panel sits further forward than normal due to the 6-cylinder Holden that the previous owner fitted.

Can't believe how many fittings there are for the front floor and gearbox tunnel - I think there are close to 50! I do hope that doesn't have to come out again in a hurry.

Here are some pictures.

Missed this one, after.. and before. A much nicer place to be (just need to paint the gear sticks and get all the gauges to actually work..!).

It looks great, nice neat finish everything you want your project to be. How long did it take you to refurbish it?

It's taken around 8 weekends and a couple of week-days to get it to this point... working 12 hours non-stop at a time! I'm going to be glad to have my weekends back.

Thought I'd include a better picture of the interior of the rear tub. Anyone have ideas why the wheel arch sections have been reduced in length?