[catchkumar]

Hi All,

I have paid advance to pick the Land rover of pictures below -
The vehicle is in the North & by mid month it should be in Bangalore.

My plan is to cut the chassis & make it look like a Defender 90.
I am a complete newbie to the technical side of things.
Any help / suggestions & advices will be highly appreciated.

Thanks & regards,
Kumar
Attached Thumbnails

[SirAlec]

This is a series III, the 109 wheelbase one.

Oh! boy its in pretty battered state.

However old maybe, cutting LR chassis is not an easy affair. Also you need a very competitive MIG welder to wield the body work, as its aluminum all the way.

What engine does it have.? how much did you paid for it.

If you need technical data you can PM me your mail will send you stuff in pdfs.

PS: why don't you create a four door crew cab instead. I have similar plans for a LR but have lot of other works at hand currently. hence no time for hobbies.

[IQBAL VEERJI]

Originally Posted by catchkumar

Hi All,

I have paid advance to pick the Land rover of pictures below -
The vehicle is in the North & by mid month it should be in Bangalore.

My plan is to cut the chassis & make it look like a Defender 90.
I am a complete newbie to the technical side of things.
Any help / suggestions & advices will be highly appreciated.

Thanks & regards,
Kumar

Our most respected Landy lover, restorer,know every things about Landy is our beloved Sudarshan ji from pune.
He will guide you in all respects and will also help you to solve many problems you will aalso face problems with parts which will be solved by him .He has a landy in pune. Am I right sudarshan ji?

[catchkumar]

Originally Posted by SirAlec

This is a series III, the 109 wheelbase one.

Oh! boy its in pretty battered state.
However old maybe, cutting LR chassis is not an easy affair. Also you need a very competitive MIG welder to wield the body work, as its aluminum all the way.

What engine does it have.? how much did you paid for it.
If you need technical data you can PM me your mail will send you stuff in pdfs.
PS: why don't you create a four door crew cab instead. I have similar plans for a LR but have lot of other works at hand currently. hence no time for hobbies.

Hi Sir Alec,

It has a Parkinson diesel engine.
The gear box is missing hence a MM550 gearbox with 4x4 transfer case is put in the load bay so.. not fitted on the vehicle.
I would need all possible help & pdf's to bring this dream back on track.
I have seen a video of complete restoration of a 100" wheelbase range rover to defender hybrid.
I don't mind a 100" as well but a 90" will make it a dream come true.
I have sent a PM to you with more details of this vehicle.
Sudarshan sir has also mentioned that its a very very difficult job to shorten the chassis.
I have started to wonder if am doing the right thing by picking this vehicle now.
Please advice.

Regards,
Kumar

[SirAlec]

Originally Posted by catchkumar

Hi Sir Alec,

It has a Parkinson diesel engine.
The gear box is missing hence a MM550 gearbox with 4x4 transfer case is put in the load bay so.. not fitted on the vehicle.
I would need all possible help & pdf's to bring this dream back on track.
I have seen a video of complete restoration of a 100" wheelbase range rover to defender hybrid.
I don't mind a 100" as well but a 90" will make it a dream come true.
I have sent a PM to you with more details of this vehicle.
Sudarshan sir has also mentioned that its a very very difficult job to shorten the chassis.
I have started to wonder if am doing the right thing by picking this vehicle now.
Please advice.

Regards,
Kumar

So its not in an original state. i suspected that

i have seen the video. It a conversion of 100 inch Range Rover to Defender. and not a series to defender. which is unique in its own right as Defender comes in three wheel bases 90, 110, 130 but not in 100.

Believe me you will never go wrong when you pick a LR. They say 75% that ever came out of Solihull are till on roads". Its the question of time and patience that you have to spare.

Like i said making it into a crew cab would be a viable option. With big bull bars at the rear. i am planing to do the same.

Some examples.

Image courtesy:
Car Pictures @ CarPictures.com

[svsantosh]

Originally Posted by catchkumar

It has a Parkinson diesel engine

PERKINS, you mean?

I have started to wonder if am doing the right thing by picking this vehicle now

Well, when it comes to jeeps, landies, jongas - one can never go wrong. Your spirit is commendable...

Beware, this project can really give you Parkinson's!!! You are a sucker for jeep trouble, if you get my drift...

[SirAlec]

^^^
no there is a less heard company Parkinson.

[Sudarshan]

Originally Posted by IQBAL VEERJI

Our most respected Landy lover,== Am I right sudarshan ji?

Sirji , thanks for the compliments , this is more than I actually deserve , thanks again .

Originally Posted by catchkumar

It has a Parkinson diesel engine.
The gear box is missing hence a MM550 gearbox with 4x4 transfer case is put in the load bay so.. not fitted on the vehicle.

dont put that engine on the landy Its an old timer P 4 engine which used to come with the Mahindra FC , its a load carrier engine very noisy & much vibrations , also you will need a different bell housing to go with mm GB
Options
1) give the engine back to dealer & get rebate

2) get a XD 3 P engine 2400 cc approx ( peugeot --larger than the XDP 4.90 --2112 cc engine ) this will suit with the MM gear box

3) get an original LR engine + Gearbox ( difficult to find )

I have seen a video of complete restoration of a 100" wheelbase range rover to defender hybrid.

Have seen it also , see it again . Check out the workmanship involved , its not that easy to get it done here by ' our ' mechs .This was done abroad (UK ) where they get any part easily

Originally Posted by SirAlec

Like i said making it into a crew cab would be a viable option. With big bull bars at the rear. i am planing to do the same.

This IS THE BEST that can be done with rhis vehicle

Originally Posted by svsantosh

PERKINS, you mean?

A P4 engine used to go on MM s FC . Load carrier very rough engine

My Suggestions ( if its your first L R & you are Novice )

1) Forget the cutting & re welding the chassis , alterations with the body is another -----

2) get rid of the P4 engine , get a peugeot along with KMT 90 gear box & T 18 transfer case will be easy for parts & all

3) crew cab conversion is the best in current scenario ( as suggested above )

A Landy chassis is a box section & its not uniform in shape like the old Jeep C section so repairs arnt easy will need a very very expert hand + a workshop that has the necessary infrastructure & most importantly ' Interest & time for you --- you will get ripped

The Body is aluminum , with rivets all over Very tricky to weld & get in to original shape & strength if damaged


Sudarshan

[Sudarshan]

for reference the chassis drawings of 109 " wheel base Landy , tell me where to cut , to reduce the length







this is a 88 " wheel base chassis ( for comparison with the 109" )





Sudarshan

[catchkumar]

Hi All,

Thanks a lot for all your valuable inputs.
Am in a BIG state of confusion now my main objective to pick this LR was to convert it into 90" WB & my biggest mistake was not to have checked with the experts here like sudharshan ji, Sir Alec & all the others who are a treasure trove on land rovers.
I wanted a SWB so that i can use it as a daily drive too & the 110" is practically an over kill for this purpose in Bangalore hence if i cant cut it short then i will have to shelve the plan sadly.

What do i do now is a big question mark which i guess i will have to sort out between my heart & mind.
There was only 1 person who said the chassis cut job is doable in the right hands & my only last hope is to see how feasible this would be & discuss the costs involved in case i decide to do it.

The last thing i can do but sadly is to let somebody who is a LR enthusiast & wants to have a series 3 to pick it.

Guess its going to be a week of decisions & discussions with a lot of people.

Thanks sudharshan sir & sir Alec for your inputs - I will update this thread & send a PM to all updating the plan of action.

Regards,
Kumar

[Baburajs]

I also think that cutting the chasis and making it to 90 may be an idea that may not be practical because of the lack of skilled man power and parts in this part of the world .

Best thing to do it to wait for getting one( i know it may take forever ) or get it and keep it the way it is . As Sudarshan said get a good XD3P engine ( or a Scorpio turbo engine - dont remember the technical name ) and a compatible gear box (BA-10 will be good ) and transfer case and rebuild it as it is .


Babu

[voodoochild]

Hello catchkumar,
Sorry to bump the thread, but what's the status of the project? Seems like quite a tedious project, but very very interesting!

Lets hope you've had some significant breakthrough.

Cheers
Rahul

[binu balan]

Originally Posted by voodoochild

Hello catchkumar,
Sorry to bump the thread, but what's the status of the project?

Its scraped due to the complications and reliability of a cut chasis

[Anupam]

Originally Posted by catchkumar

Hi All,

Am in a BIG state of confusion now my main objective to pick this LR was to convert it into 90" WB & my biggest mistake was not to have checked with the experts here like sudharshan ji, Sir Alec & all the others who are a treasure trove on land rovers.

The last thing i can do but sadly is to let somebody who is a LR enthusiast & wants to have a series 3 to pick it.

Hi CK, did you finally pick the car? if not then can you please PM the details

Thanks
Anupam