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10,000 for a rebuild!!!?
That's a lot! I got mine machined for $900 parts cost about $700 from the UK,but then that was a 2.25 series engine, a 2lt would cost more as parts are harder to find, + another $2500 if you replaced the con rods,crank and things like that.
Amos
[bighmmm]Not having a dig at anyone - But I don't need to be told I spent a lot of money on the engine, I already know that!! [smilebigeye] I could have bought a brand new V-Strom for less.
But I went into it with eyes wide open, already forewarned of the possible costs involved. As you say, it does cost more to rebuild a 2lt than a 2.25lt. One of the first things I ordered was pistons and rings, these alone set me back around $900, which gave me some idea of what I was in for; I have receipts for parts for about $5000 (including freight) from Cox & Turner in the UK, and everywhere I could I used NOS parts.
The only salvageable parts in my motor were the block, head, crankshaft and various external covers, so every other conceivable part of this engine was new or rebuilt. And then there were the machining costs, which included installing new cylinder barrels, no cheap option there either... I had the mechanic re-build it as well; I don't have the competence or confidence to do it myself. At the moment I'm having the gearbox over-hauled professionally for the same reasons.
So you can see all of this can add up to a pretty hefty bill...
Yes, I'm sure there are possibly more economical ways to do it but the chassis, engine and gearbox numbers are the original match on this vehicle (truck!) and I wanted to keep it that way. That was my call.
But I'm (now) at home with the costs; I'll have a great little motor there, with a warranty on all the work performed. [thumbsupbig]
Peter.
Im in the 3rd year of a 1 year project to rebuild my Series.
The bills have been about double what I thought they would be each step along the way.
The only original parts that Im sure of is the main chassis rails and the centre crossmember.
I think the back might be but not certain.
I havent kept track of the invoices but I think it is more than $10000 plus original vehicle cost. With maybe $5000 to go.
Result will be at best a $5-7000 vehicle which I have no plans to ever sell.
I have the same sentiment that others have about enjoying the journey. But I am looking forward to the destination maybe before next winter or the one after that.
It is the same with any car , best is not to look at the cost. The only people who make money out of car restorations are the parts suppliers & repairers .You never get back what you have spent (except in the enjoyment of driving it & knowing that you did it your self)[smilebigeye] The longer you keep it & they become harder to find & the older it gets the value will go up. I spent $3000 30 years ago restoring my 80" this time around doing a tart up I have spent $10,000 already just fixing things I did wrong the first time & correcting oil leaks ect.[bighmmm] Just keep going it is worth it in the end. It is amazing how much attention these vehicles attract .
I am in the slow hunt for a Series vehicle (probably next year), but if it is anything like maintaining/fixing/modifying a very well used Disco 1, then I don't want to look at the bills!
Hi Folks,
Sorry for the bump. Reading this thread with interest. Recently the wife and I purchased a fully refurbished, 1966 Franklin caravan. I've always admired/dreamed about owning a landy but never had the $$$ and I reckon a restored Series 3 would be perfect for towing it, maybe with an upgrade to the engine, i.e. a 200TDi or some such (no idea about that really...). The main issue I have apart from a lack of $$$ is an even greater lack of mechanical skill and know how which means I would have to have others do the work for me, which would obviously increase the cost greatly. I figure if I could find the right base vehicle, I'd be looking at around $50-60k or more for a professional refurbishment/rebuild to new or better standard. Bear in mind, this is to keep for the next 20 years or so... So, looking online I saw a Brit company that has a recently restored Series 3 2.25 petrol SWB soft top on offer for 22.5k Pounds sterling. after a bit of research I came up with a total import cost of just under $50k AUD. Do these numbers sound about right?
To me that sounds like a much better option...I currently drive a 2012 Jeep Compass Sport, so you can see why I'm attracted to the landy...
When restoring a car & it comes time to sell it you will never get back what it owes you, unless it is a very rare vehicle ( only one left in the world) when I sold my MGBGT I added up the receipts I had ( I have a bad habit throwing them away) there was over $35,000 & that was just for parts , did all labour my self except for painting. I had that vehicle for 8 years & sold it for$18,000. My 1950 S1 30 odd years ago cost $3,000 for a total restoration but the latest tidy up I spent over $10,000 on parts again not keeping all the receipts.
In saying all that I would do it again , I do enjoy the hunt for hard to get bits like finding the complete tool kit that took over 5 years to do. Also the responce trom the general public at car shows . I have beeb at car shows & the number of people looking & asking questions about the old S1's coompaired to more exotic vehicled is hard to beleave.
To me the money does not matter I get my money worth in the enjoyment of rebuilding from scrap metal & the the people who can se how much I have put onto it. It also keeps your brain healthy , most of the time.
I said when I finished the tidy up of Landy that would been my last but now find I am wanting to sell my 1984 BMW 323ie30 which is a very origional vehicle with just over 100,000k's that needed nothing doing to it & am hoping to replace it with an 1984 Rover 3500SE with a bit of tidying up required ( I enjoy getting the under bonnet area as tidy as the rest of the vehicle) like the one we owned a few years back
The other plus is the friendships you make along the way money can not buy that.
I've been re-commissioning Land Rovers on a shoe string for a number of years.
When I look back at a couple of my build threads it's clear they have been going for a long time. Need to spend some money to get to the next stage on one, start doing some work on one of the others till I get the funds or find a low cost way round the problem.
There's also the issue of time, something I don't always have plenty of.......
1956 Series 1 with PTO welder (home made)
Walter the Dormobile
2a GS Refurb ARN 178-334
FFR Refurb
Isuzu C240 powered Series 3
Swapping parts, parting vehicles out, meeting other Land Rover owners, working on the vehicles, developing new skills, tracking down parts, finding alternatives.....all part of the fun.
Haven't done much for about 6 months now, working on other projects and currently have something which is taking priority Model Steam engine build
Next need to get the IIa GS done and then the Dormobile.
Colin
Makes the $22k I spent converting the $5000 Series3 Lightweight to EV seem cheap , oh add $1000 for a set of Parabolics, $1500 for a pair of Truetracs , $800 for Heavy duty half shafts & 4.75 gears & $800 for a new Canvas . Still cheap motoring , especially when its powered by sunlight !!
Shannons are happy to insure it for $30k , so I'm happy too.
Financially, I think you would be better off to buy a Discovery 1 300Tdi auto, which are dirt cheap, and fix it up for towing the van. Would do the job well.Quote:
Originally Posted by jmabbott