The Finest - Rackspace Hosting

B
ack in 1969, I began looking for a good four by
four vehicle to use as a daily transport as well
as hunting and fishing trips. My neighbor had a
1963 LWB which he let me drive
occasionally; I was quite taken by the Land Rover because of
its uniqueness. I looked over the other vehicles available: the
International Scout, the Ford Bronco, the Jeepster and the
Chevy Blazer. These North American vehicles were all priced a
little higher than the Land Rover, got much poorer gas mileage
and came with less equipment.
The Chevy dealer asked, “Do you want a roof with that?”
and then informed me that would be $700. I thought about
driving a topless Blazer in the land of the great white north and
then made tracks for my Land Rover dealer. Actually, the Land
Rover was the vehicle I wanted from the start.
On January 3, 1969, I purchased my new Series II-A from
British United Automobiles in downtown Toronto, which also
sold Jaguars. I have been driving my IIA daily since then. It cost
$3000 complete with a tow hitch, AM radio and deluxe
interior. At the time it was my only vehicle, so it saw services as
daily transport and for hunting and fishing trips.
Unfortunately, my image of the indestructible Land Rover
was severely tarnished when in 1979 I discovered severe rust
on the frame. The vehicle only had 48,000 miles and 9 years of
service on it, so it was hard to understand why this much
corrosion had taken place. I took the vehicle to a professional
welder friend of mine and asked him to repair it. I was more
than slightly disappointed when he said there was no frame left
onto which to weld new steel! He went on to suggest we simply
build a new frame. I could hardly believe my ears but
eventually we built a completely new frame from scratch.
The main frame rails were made with 10 gauge steel,
approximately 1/8 inch thick and heavier than the original
material. The rear cross member, front cross member and the
large member at the front rear spring hangers were made from
11 gauge steel. The crossmembers under the engine and
transmission were welded up from heavy walled 2 inch square
tubing. Spring hangers were cut from 3/16 inch plate. Shock
absorber mounts were made from heavy walled steel tubing.
Outriggers were of 14 gauge steel. I made cardboard patterns
and drawings from the old frame and transferred the
information to sheets of new steel. The pieces were cut out and
welded together. The frame was totally closed in with only the
necessary bolt holes drilled so that no mud and water could
enter. To my mind Land Rover frames came from the factory
with many unnecessary holes to collect dirt and water.
After completion, the frame was sandblasted, painted with
epoxy primer, two coats of Tremclad, and undercoated. This
frame has been on the road, winter and summer, for
26 years and has only required a welding repair to the left
front outrigger.
Would I build another frame from scratch? At the time
I had no idea I could have obtained a new frame from England.
It would depend on whether or not one was paying full price
for welding services or if you could do it yourself and how
much fun you would have doing it. A new galvanized frame
would probably be the better way to go but not nearly as
challenging!
I also did a lot of rebuilding of other parts over the 3 years
the truck was out of service. Everything (driveshafts, axles,
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