Fam ily o w n ed b y en th u siasts sin ce 19 7 9

Many season’s ago – the
autumn of 2000 to be
precise, I decided to
purchase a Series Land
Rover. It had to be a
1959 model (the year
of my birth) and it had
to be an 88”. At that
time, I was a graphic
artist working at
Rovers North and my daily driver was a 1997 Defender 90 soft
top. Being an ex-pat Brit, I loved the idea of driving the
Defender with its V8 through the bucolic vistas of Vermont at
$1.50 per gallon (this was 2000). As much as I loved the
Defender, I really appreciated the simplicity and looks of the
early Series Rovers and wanted to try my skill (as little as they
were at that time) to restore one.
I did find a candidate vehicle in New Hampshire. However,
it was apparent before purchasing the old Land Rover that a lot
of time would be needed to bring the vehicle up to scratch.
What I didn’t prepare for was that my enthusiasm for the vehicle
took me on a nine-year adventure to get this Rover as close
to its original state as I could. This journey would take me to
many interesting locales and the opportunity to meet many fellow
enthusiasts.
For those of you with a long memory, I had produced a few
articles on this vehicle in the Rovers North newsletter, back
then published in glorious black and white. When first purchased,
the vehicle did look cosmetically sound, however,
once the body was removed from the frame, the indications
were that this was not going to be a quick fix. The chassis was
a total rust bucket and beyond repair. For the next few years,
this rusted mass became a lawn ornament much to the chagrin
of my very patient wife. One very important point for me was,
despite the fact that this vehicle now resided in a multitude of
parts in and out of the house, I NEVER lost interest in the vehicle
and would always spend time focusing on one single
component at a time (no matter how small) and bring it
back to life.
It may be due to an obsessive desire, but I found the more
I researched the vehicle, the more I became interested in originality.
The story of how this vehicle was manufactured, and the
story behind each part became very compelling. One example
would be the early Series II turn indicator. It was operated by
turning a large white switch on a panel on the dash. Once
turned, the switch would cancel out by a spring friction mechanism
inside the unit. This primitive design was an endearing
example of the naïve nature of a 50’s vehicle. The Series II had
certain differences from the later Series IIa that could be frustrating
at times when seeking replacement parts. Some examples
being that the main bearings are different (notches are on
the opposite side); the water pump is a different configuration
and finding gaskets proved difficult, but not impossible.
One of my fondest memories was a trip to the Billing Land
Rover show in the UK, at that time, the Mecca for Land Rover
enthusiasts. It was a trip that resulted in me finding an original
round Smith’s heater for the vehicle – a rare find. I didn’t have
to leave Vermont to find most of the parts I needed, Rovers
North had a fine inventory of original Series II parts available
along with a great deal of information and advise.
With the purchase of a new galvanized chassis from Rovers
North, my project had a vital component to build the project.
I do have one word of warning when doing a ground-up
restoration project – take everything off the old chassis before
you toss it! I made the mistake of throwing away valuable parts
that seemed to blend in with the rust of the chassis. I managed
to salvage quite a lot of the original vehicle; my goal was to
keep it as original as possible. I must have spent the next 5
years or so taking parts to my local sandblaster and welding
company to get all the parts and panels straightened and rot
free. I have a real appreciation for the master welders who
work their magic on aluminum with their TIG machines.
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