[catchkumar]

Will this dream get to its reality or not depends completely on the help i get from this forum for am still a novice.
A humble request to all the members of this forum to help me get away from calling it OVER.

The story of this Land rover started sometime back in May / June of 2012 when i first discussed about it with my friend & TBHP'ian Binu Balan after seeing it on olx a free ad website.
It remained a dream..... well till date.

Discussed with by better half as to what am thinking of LR.
She was positive for she shared the pain of seeing our Jeep go.
Even after this i was not too sure so i opened a post in the LR Support thread in early September 2012.

I was still undecided though invinci, Sudarshan were positive on saving this Rover.

After a lot of dilemma & thinking over one final day i decided that it should be given a good home, discussed with by better half again as to what am thinking of for the LR.

While the thinking was still happening my wife decided to get rid of my everyday habit of scouring free ads online & offline.
She gave a call to the owner & let him know of my interest & she even negotiated the price WOOOOW.

The terms were decided & the vehicle put on a truck to be transported from Nashik to Bangalore this was in March 2013.
Took almost a year for me to finally take a call & now that i have i really want to see this best on road oops off road.

[catchkumar]

The Truck which bought the landy reached Nice Road (Kanakpura) after multiple calls & followups.
Me, 2 of my friends Chandan & Pradeep reached the place & asked the driver to wait while we went looking for a place to get the vehicle off safely.
After over 2 hours we finally managed to find a place, in the mean time due to some confusion the driver had reached the Toyota showroom on Kanakapura road thankfully close to the place we had identified.

Trouble started as soon as it was unleashed from the ropes which held the beast in its place.
To begin with it dint crank & muscle power of 5 men was no match.
My swift came into action & tugged the Landy out, we realized that the battery was dead & fit only for funeral.
We pulled out the battery from the truck & it decided not to crank & we couldn't figure out much since all the wiring was in place & the indicator lights were working, well those were the only things that worked now.
We called the owner & after some dilly dallying it finally roared.

We decided that it needs to directly go to the workshop.
We managed to reach JP Nagar with a lot of cars & bikes cursing us all through for we couldn't go fast as the brakes were almost non-existent.
We were not sure of what gear the vehicle was in until it took off every time we came to a stand still. The gears was almost a ball for no matter how hard you tried.

The landy finally stopped mid way near Keppel Purvanka & we could almost smell something burning.
We had earlier realized that the fan & hose pipes were replaced after it was loaded into the truck in Nashik as we could see bits & parts of the broken fan in the truck.
It dawned on us that the coolant must have drained out.
My Swift comes to the rescue again, we found an auto electrician who came with a jumper cable & we struggled since the battery is located not under the bonnet but under the center seat in the cabin.
We managed to move the vehicle only for a brief moment & the same excise followed.
We decided that it would be too difficult to make it to BTM where the workshop is.
The vehicle is currently parked in JP Nagar next to my relatives place.

The initial reaction of my friend Chandan -
C - First thing you should do is to put it on TBHP.
K - Yes yes i will open a new thread take help from the forum etc. etc.....
C - Silent & Dumb stuck after some time he corrects himself & says "I meant the classified section"
K -

I dint take all this trouble & almost a year of decision making process to put on the classifieds section.
I explained to him that one of the first thing that will happen is a change of Engine & Gearbox on this vehicle but he was not convinced.
I will show him some videos of a LR & its capabilities, above all its my love for the Rover which has driven me this far so am not going to get bogged down.

The only person who was very positive again was binu balan who knows what it is to own a Jeep / LR.

A few more photos of the Landy (Pictures taken before it reached Bangalore & from olx)

[catchkumar]

HELP - F1
Request all the LR Gurus & aficionados to pitch in & help in every aspect of restoring my Landy.

To begin with here is what it has now from what i could figure out -
1. The engine & GB of a Tempo Traveller.
2. A Dead battery.
3. Lots of rust - The Bulk head & the foot well is rusted with huge holes.
4. The dashboard looks juggad with a Jeep's meters shod on it.
5. The tyres are Hankook except the one on the bonnet.

The engine seems to sound fine while the gear box seems to be from the junkyard, well the engine might as well be from the same place.
The only reason i said the engine sounds well is because it doesn't make too much noise so hope you know where my knowledge levels are now.

So the big question no questions -
Where do i start ?
How to go about the entire process of getting it back on road ?
Can you please suggest the right place to get things done ?

Hopefully with the above answered by all the gurus here i will be able to get started.

Regards,
Kumar
capturekumar@yahoo.com

[GTO]

Thread moved from the Assembly Line to the 4x4 Section. Thanks for sharing!

[DeClutch 4X4]

Hi CatchKumar,

let me be the First to congratulate and thank you for saving a Landy from other butcher types.
Don't be disheartened with your decision to purchase and importantly with your would-be gorgeous ride!. with time and love she will turn out pretty well. I am sure you would agree with.

I would love to pitch-in to help you on this in a small way. I have a spare jeep battery with me (requires charging, as i didnt use it for few days for now). if its okay with you, will get the battery charged by tomorrow and drop it your place on saturday.

Cheers,
Deepak

[fazalaliadil]

Catchkumar,

Congratulations on a good catch.

LR pickup's are not a common sight, show me more than one or two.
Now you need patience, perseverance, time and good advice from fellow LR owners and BHP'ians.

The vehicle looks good and stock, lucky to have survived in this condition until now, the body works and mechanicals will consume a lot of time and money but worth the effort.

Inspite of the huge task ahead of a thorough restoration, this one is for keeps!
Regards,

[Rokztar]

I saw a similar truck parked at one workshop on Varthur road.

Looking at the pics I thought it may have been the same one...but after reading through your post I realized yours is somewhere in JP Nagar.

I will talk to that mechanic and find out if he is familiar with this car.

If so I will forward you the location and his contact details.

[sridhar24]

Hey buddy congrats on fulfilling your dream of owning a Land Rover, I have not seen a pickup version of Landy. Looking at the pains you have taken to search one and bring it all the way to Bangalore, shows how passionate you are about Land Rover.
BTW which year was this beauty made? Hope you bring her back to life soon and do keep us posted about the Landy.

[Sudarshan]

ZEEZZ , congrats Man

My god you have put it in the words ' Its a Land Rover , never over '

Get ready for the biggest auto mechanic course on earth .

They say nearly 75 % of this breed produced still menses the earth , True & to add to that nearly all the owners have now become 75 % mechanics .

This is an addiction man , get ready if your son calls you a ' scrapwalla ' one day , get ready if your Father In Law & In-laws in general shake their heads & slowly walk in to your house to console your wife .

YES this is a dream many have perished, leaving empty pockets ,empty accounts & empty lockers behind, but believe me its worth living .

Get ready to get strange looks by wallet ( ?? ) parking staff , the highway hotel owners .

Get ready if the school principle of the kid's school calls you for explanation ; about what weird things going on in & around your house , stories of which your kid is circulating .

At the end your kid will be the happiest in arriving at school in a African Safari vehicle .

We will help you , bring as many pics as you could , we can find out whats wrong & where .

There are few links in the Land Rover Support Group which will enable you to download some workshop manuals . There are pics of the Haynes manuals , buy them .

Its a tough task , tougher than maintaining any Indian Jeep , but it pays more than what you have expected . Rich Rewards I say , a completely satisfying dream that any auto enthusiast would love to live .

Fazal Saab has rightly said , patience , it has just started .

Sudarshan -- fairly alive , happy as hell & kicking after digesting three Land Rovers

[vasanthn21]

This LR is a beauty.
You havent mentioned which model this is? Could you share the cost details and how much your are planning to spend further on this?

[catchkumar]

Deepak - Thanks a lot for supporting my decision.
The first PM i received from xxxx after this thread went live said "SELL IT"
I saw your PM immediately after that & trust me it was such a huge respite.
Thank you so much for the battery - please do not worry about chagrining & dropping it home. I will be more than happy to come down & pick it from you.
I have your number from the PM you sent me, will call you. Thank you so much again.

Originally Posted by DeClutch 4X4

Hi CatchKumar,

let me be the First to congratulate and thank you for saving a Landy from other butcher types.
Don't be disheartened with your decision to purchase and importantly with your would-be gorgeous ride!. with time and love she will turn out pretty well. I am sure you would agree with.

I would love to pitch-in to help you on this in a small way. I have a spare jeep battery with me (requires charging, as i didnt use it for few days for now). if its okay with you, will get the battery charged by tomorrow and drop it your place on saturday.

Cheers,
Deepak

Fazal Sir - Salutes to you :-)
I was so wanting to call you & talk to you.
You have always been helpful in guiding us here in the right direction. I still remember your advice on my previous tirades with LR & CJ5's.
You are right sir, though the engine & gearbox has been done away with the vehicle seems to have retained a lot. It still has the data plates intact inside the dash, one of them is red in color, no idea how or why.
I will post more pictures in the coming days.
I completely agree with you that the beauty will have to go through a through restoration however my biggest question is where should i get it done. Given the dearth of good workmanship esp. in Bangalore.
Will look forward to your guidance in every aspect sir.
Thanks Again.

Originally Posted by fazalaliadil

Catchkumar,

Congratulations on a good catch.

LR pickup's are not a common sight, show me more than one or two.
Now you need patience, perseverance, time and good advice from fellow LR owners and BHP'ians.

The vehicle looks good and stock, lucky to have survived in this condition until now, the body works and mechanicals will consume a lot of time and money but worth the effort.

Inspite of the huge task ahead of a thorough restoration, this one is for keeps!
Regards,

Thank you so much Rokstar, You truly are a STAR.
I will eagerly look forward to your reply.

Originally Posted by Rokztar

I saw a similar truck parked at one workshop on Varthur road.

Looking at the pics I thought it may have been the same one...but after reading through your post I realized yours is somewhere in JP Nagar.

I will talk to that mechanic and find out if he is familiar with this car.

If so I will forward you the location and his contact details.

Sridhar,
Thanks for helping me keep my spirits up.
From the RC it says 1979 however am not sure how true or wrong this is.
It will surely see the day lights however it might take a lot of time.
As Fazal sir has mentioned its going to test my Patience & i hope i will have loads of it for i intend to do a strip down restoration grounds up.
I will surely keep the thread updated of every little progress i make.

Originally Posted by sridhar24

Hey buddy congrats on fulfilling your dream of owning a Land Rover, I have not seen a pickup version of Landy. Looking at the pains you have taken to search one and bring it all the way to Bangalore, shows how passionate you are about Land Rover.
BTW which year was this beauty made? Hope you bring her back to life soon and do keep us posted about the Landy.

Sudarshan SIR - The GURU of Landrovers to me weather you agree or not.

Thank you so much for your advice a few months back on the LR Support Forum which helped me decide on bringing the landy home.
I have downloaded all available manuals from - http://www.landroverweb.com/landrove...rover-manuals/
I hope that in the process of restoring this LR i at-least gain 10% of the knowledge you have & will try to be a good mechanic for the love of LR. :-)
I also have quiet a bit of LR Brouchers (Soft Copies) with price list of different years. Not sure if this helps but its in my collection of LR Material.

My wife already calls me a scrapwalla for all the vehicles which has ended up in my garage (I have a small collection of below 50cc mopeds).
The first thing wifey said as soon as the LR landed was - "Don't get it home until its fixed" PERIOD. OMG

I hope with all the help around here the restoration will be quick hopefully by an year. Any quicker & i will be the happiest.
I will never take the landy near a school till my daughter gets into one for i don't want to be denied school admissions LOL.
In Santosh's words am a sucker for trouble. He knows pretty well my knowledge levels for he was the god send in getting my jeep on 4 wheels & getting me the first taste of offroading.
I just hope (PRAYING) all the troubles are halved when it comes to the landy.

I will look forward to a lot of help / advice from you Sudharshan sir.
Will post more pictures soon.

Originally Posted by Sudarshan

ZEEZZ , congrats Man

My god you have put it in the words ' Its a Land Rover , never over '

Get ready for the biggest auto mechanic course on earth .

They say nearly 75 % of this breed produced still menses the earth , True & to add to that nearly all the owners have now become 75 % mechanics .

This is an addiction man , get ready if your son calls you a ' scrapwalla ' one day , get ready if your Father In Law & In-laws in general shake their heads & slowly walk in to your house to console your wife .

YES this is a dream many have perished, leaving empty pockets ,empty accounts & empty lockers behind, but believe me its worth living .

Get ready to get strange looks by wallet ( ?? ) parking staff , the highway hotel owners .

Get ready if the school principle of the kid's school calls you for explanation ; about what weird things going on in & around your house , stories of which your kid is circulating .

At the end your kid will be the happiest in arriving at school in a African Safari vehicle .

We will help you , bring as many pics as you could , we can find out whats wrong & where .

There are few links in the Land Rover Support Group which will enable you to download some workshop manuals . There are pics of the Haynes manuals , buy them .

Its a tough task , tougher than maintaining any Indian Jeep , but it pays more than what you have expected . Rich Rewards I say , a completely satisfying dream that any auto enthusiast would love to live .

Fazal Saab has rightly said , patience , it has just started .

Sudarshan -- fairly alive , happy as hell & kicking after digesting three Land Rovers

Hi Vasanth,
Will surely share all the details in the next few posts including the landing price :-). As per the RC its a 1979.
How much am planning to spend is a question am afraid i dont have an answer for. What i can surely tell you is that this thread will have all the details on every penny spent for restoration.

Originally Posted by vasanthn21

This LR is a beauty.
You havent mentioned which model this is? Could you share the cost details and how much your are planning to spend further on this?

Thank you all again. With the support of all you Land-R-Lovers am sure this will be a great adventure right from day one with a lot of learning.

Regards,
Kumar

[DHABHAR.BEHRAM]

Dear Catchkumar - first of all, CONGRATULATIONS. Please, never even think of selling it. Its started now. And if your better half has told you not to bring it home till its fixed, please be prepared because for guys like us, our vehicles never get fixed completely! .

Don't get carried away, please make out a list of ABC items and hit them strategically, that's the correct way! Please get Sudarshan's help, he has "digested" three Land Rovers already! .

Best regards,

Behram Dhabhar

[catchkumar]

DB Sir,
Its an honor to have you comment on the thread.
Thank you so much for your advice. Looks like am going to ask a lot of Sudharsan Sir's time.
I completely agree with you that our vehicles never get fixed as we keep looking for ways to improve or there is something which needs fixing.

Thanks & Regards,
Kumar

Originally Posted by DHABHAR.BEHRAM

Dear Catchkumar - first of all, CONGRATULATIONS. Please, never even think of selling it. Its started now. And if your better half has told you not to bring it home till its fixed, please be prepared because for guys like us, our vehicles never get fixed completely! .

Don't get carried away, please make out a list of ABC items and hit them strategically, that's the correct way! Please get Sudarshan's help, he has "digested" three Land Rovers already! .

Best regards,

Behram Dhabhar

[Prithvi]

Congrats once again. Don't even think of selling it! I have a Defender 110 and will never sell it. It is a joy to restore LR's and drive them. Restore it with only original parts and not ones from scorpio, M&M jeep etc.

Log in to www.lrseries.com and all the part are available.

[Sudarshan]

Originally Posted by DHABHAR.BEHRAM

Dear Catchkumar - first of all, CONGRATULATIONS. Please, never even think of selling it. Its started now. And if your better half has told you not to bring it home till its fixed, please be prepared because for guys like us, our vehicles never get fixed completely! .

Plus 1 to that

Don't get carried away, please make out a list of ABC items and hit them strategically, that's the correct way!

Absolutely correct , there is a difference in doing up the usual Jeep & the LR . Not that the either one is Superior or anything , but there is a huge difference in the method of working on them .

Land Rovers do take More time than one imagines ( or less even in few things )

DB Sir is right , observe it & make your decisions , lot of people will suggest you to spend on 'KOOL items , but that can be done anytime after the foundation is solidly built , that is setting up the vehicle to a basic running condition .

Please get Sudarshan's help, he has "digested" three Land Rovers already! .

I must confess that I am nothing in compassion with the 'D B ' himself .

About digesting ?? well its probably the opposite

Originally Posted by Prithvi

Log in to www.lrseries.com and all the part are available.

Prithvi Saar , please explain this , its been a question for me & others for Importing parts & How to . I mean the whole process right from identifying the part to ordering to payment to delivery

Sudarshan