Back in October 2001 at the Sodbury Sort-out I came across a Series II rear tub that I thought would be handy to have as a spare for my V6 powered Series II pickup (YCV 201B). I asked the guy selling it how much he wanted for it. £25 was the response. Not one to ever buy the first thing I come across (my feminine side showing!!) I wandered off and promptly forgot about it while perusing the other bargains on offer. On the way out to the car park at the end of the day I happened to walk past the stall again and the tub was not sold. Jokingly I said, "I’ll give you a fiver for that tub". To my surprise "OK" was the response. The conversation on the journey home centred around what if I didn’t use it as a spare. How about building something different, something like a hybrid. Using coil springs but an 88" wheelbase. When I got the tub home I stored it up the yard and forgot about it.

Two months later after spending most weekends crashing around the countryside on ‘Cart’ springs I came across a Range Rover chassis and had a cunning idea. If I cut a foot out of the middle of the chassis then I could build an 88" vehicle on coil springs. It would also mean that if I put a Defender front on the vehicle I could also accommodate a V8 motor on the original engine mounts. I had to retain the axles and the original chassis to retain the registration number according to the DVLA’s points rules. That Christmas on the shut down week I took the chassis to my mate Julian’s work and we cut the chassis down, plating it on the inside to retain its strength and welding it back together. We also cut the Range Rover outriggers off and welded on some Defender outriggers (sourced from Paddock Spares) after much head scratching to get the placement exactly right. I wanted to lower the body in relation to the chassis to keep the centre of gravity as low as possible. To do this I knew that I would have to modify the tub I had bought at Sodbury because the Range Rover chassis has a arch over the rear axle that a Series vehicle does not. I then spent hours cleaning, rust killing and painting the chassis and axle cases.

Following this I spent a number of evenings on the phone to Colin at Scorpion Racing discussing springs and shocks. I knew I needed to lift the vehicle to fit the size tyres I had planned. In the end I decided to go for 2" taller than standard springs and matching DeCarbon gas shocks. Colin had to take an educated guess at the springs required, as my vehicle would be lighter than standard Defenders or Range Rovers. Colin provided the suspension with the assurance that if the springs were not long enough or too long once the build was complete then he would swap them for a different set. I would only have to pay any difference in the price of the springs (longer ones are more expensive), and carriage. With these sorted I could fit the newly restored axles with their Defender diffs onto the chassis and look to the bodywork. I did consider fitting vented brakes and diff locks at this point but decided to save my budget and only fit these once the vehicle was built if they were required. I had sourced a 90 bulkhead from Julian, as he did not want it for the 90 he was rebuilding so this went on. I also saw a set of Bronco 4X4 Dirt Devil tyres on a Defender at the Spring Sodbury Sort-out and decided I had to have them, so a set of 5 265/75R16 ones were purchased on black and chrome modular wheels.

My creation then needed a heart. It had to be a V8 and the bigger the better. I found a couple of dated 3.5l’s and 3.9l’s but they were tired motors that would need a rebuild to be up to the abuse I planned. It was then that I came across a 4.0 l out of Discovery Series II that had been rolled. The bloke selling it was selling it as complete unit with a 4 speed auto box and the LT230 transfer box. It was the latest THOR type EFi system which I would not be able the re-use as the ECU needs to be set up by Land Rover. It also needs two other ECU’s to talk to it, but the seller also had a 3.9 Phlegm chamber and matching ECU (no loom though) which I could use. We did a deal and I took my new acquisition home.

On reading up on the EFi systems it became apparent that the EFi route while reliable and more efficient would be harder to tune and also be less simple to fix. Especially when stood in a puddle up to my middle, in the depths of Wales, at six o’clock on a Saturday evening. It would also mean tapping plugs for lambda sensors in my shiny new stainless steel Janspeed exhaust system. After doing some more resource on the internet I called RPI Engineering as they are THE people to talk to about V8 engines. I spoke at length with Chris Crane and we came up with a new plan.

Chris provided me with a 4 barrel Weber 500 carburettor with matching manifold and air filter, a Mallory Dual Point Distributor, coil, ballast resistor, Magnecor Leads, a Piper 270/110 High Torque cam shaft and replacement front cases water pump, alternator and sump required to replace all of the electronic gubbins I stripped off my motor. I put all the bits I had taken off or didn’t use on eBay and they almost paid for bits I had bought!

Then came the Gearbox. I wanted the Series II Discovery Transfer box as it is considered the strongest Land Rover have made to date, it also has a higher geared ‘High’ ratio, which would suit my more powerful motor. The Auto Gearbox from the Discovery was not going to be of any use because it needs an ECU of its own to operate four solenoid values within it. These valves control the rate of flow of fluid inside the gearbox and so smooth out gear-changes, kick-down and pulling away from a stand still. I did not have (or want) any electronics for this so I decided to use a four speed Auto Gearbox from a Range Rover that Shane in the breakers in Three Legged Cross happened to have, along with a bigger oil cooler from the three speed box. To make this work Julian machined the primary drive cog from the transfer box to fit the shorter splines on this gearboxes’ output shaft. After fitting I realised that the Torque Converter from the Range Rover would not fit to the Discovery flywheel (there was a 2" gap). I had two choices, the first was to remove the whole flywheel assembly from my engine and replace it with one from a Range Rover. The second which I discovered in conversation with Ian Ashcroft of Ashcroft Engineering was to swap my torque converter with one from a Series II Discovery as the internals are the same. As I did not know the condition of my torque converter, I sent it to Ian and he provided me with a rebuilt Discovery one. To mount the gearboxes I had thought about using a 300Tdi gearbox cross member as it would bolt into the Range Rover gearbox mounting holes on the chassis and would provide extra rigidity. Unfortunately the transfer box fouled the cross member so I just cut the two ends off and used them for gearbox mounts.

Now I was onto bodywork. The original plan was to have Defender front wings, bulkhead, bonnet doors and front panel with a Series windscreen, roof and that rear tub which started this whole idea! On closer inspection of the bulkhead Julian had given me I could see that it was twisted along the top edge, I could have straightened it but I came across a 300 Tdi version complete with heater and pedal boxes for silly money at the breakers where I found the required wings, doors, bonnet and front panel so I used that instead.

Then came the fun bit. To weld the rear cross member into place Julian and I needed to align the rest of the body and fit the rear tub. The first thing was to cut the whole floor out of the tub and raise it by an inch and a half so it would clear the chassis. Next was to align it with the doors and tack the front tub outriggers (from a 90 chassis) in place, then do the same with the rear cross member. We then had to measure and re-measure to make sure everything was level and square. With much patience we lined everything up and welded it up adding a lot of extra bracing.

Using the 300Tdi wiring diagram I ran new sections of loom for the rear lights, rear wiper and rear heated window. I also cut out the glow plug sections and used some redundant sections to provide me with an ignition feed, most of the rest was just a case of using existing connectors. I did build in new feeds for a stereo, CB radio and a hands-free mobile phone kit.

The next headache was the fuel tank. I wanted to keep the under seat placement but a normal Series tank would not fit due to the radius arm mounts, and a 90 tank was way too long to fit under my seat-box. In the end I ordered a tank from Designa Chassis that was designed for use with their Coil Spring conversion chassis for 88" Series vehicles. This fitted in every direction except height; it was too tall due to the body drop I had built in. To get around this it was back to Julian’s to cut a couple of inches out of the height so I could fit the tank under the seat box. With this in place I built up the bodywork. This meant I could finally fit the seats, which had been gathering dust in my attic for about 12 months! Fitting the seats necessitated the removal of the centre bulkhead, which took real care to not remove valuable strength this provides.

Next up was the gear lever linkages, I decided to run an auto gearbox as these have the two advantages of being stronger than the manual’s and they also provide more control off-road with less chance of wheel spin. I used the linkage from the Series II Discovery that came with the gearbox. This fitted fine except for the final linkage, which was 90º out of line. Julian welded up the slot in this linkage and re-cut a slot at 90º to the original for me. The High-Low selector on the Series II Discovery is a cable driven device that does not operate the centre diff-lock so I retained this and installed a third lever from a Series I Discovery that I modified so it locks and unlocks the centre diff.

By this time I had binned the Series windscreen and roof idea and after talking to Shane at the breakers in Three Legged Cross decided to use a Defender screen and roof. I wanted alpine windows and a sun roof / emergency hatch plus Defender style side windows, this was achieved by buying a Defender 110 County Station Wagon roof, windscreen and the side panels that fit behind the second pair of side doors. These are exactly the same length as the side panels on a short wheelbase Series hardtop. My mate Mark and I then drilled out all of the rivets holding the very back of the roof together. Once this was off we marked the roof to length and cut it down using a circular saw. Then we bolted both halves of the roof onto the vehicle and drilled and pop riveted them back together. I was also able to cut down the headlining and fit that to the inside which tidy’s the interior up no end.

Final job’s before the dreaded MOT was to cut and shape the rear wheel-arches to take wheel spats from a Defender, and to fit the harnesses. The day of the MOT arrived and it was with great trepidation I drove the 6 miles to my test centre, the first time the vehicle had gone any distance under its own power. Once there it sailed through with no problems.

Once back from the MOT I fitted the steering guards and tow points to provide some protection to the underside when off-road. Then I went and got it muddy for the first time! I was very surprised with how able it was and it was not finished yet!

Next came the final decision on colour, as I could not leave the vehicle in its harlequin colour scheme! The original plan was to spray the vehicle a bright ‘Tango’ orange, but then Land Rover launched the G4 challenge and painted all of its prepared vehicles in Tangiers Orange which forced a re-think. There was much discussion around bright red and bright yellow but in the end I dismissed both as too bright and opted for the Henry Ford favourite, black.

The next decision was how to paint it. I have painted Land Rovers with exterior gloss paint using brush and roller in the past with very good results but decided to spray this one using cellulose paint. The only place large enough to do this was my mate Richard’s garage, and then only when I had put a set old Range Rover wheels on the vehicle and let all the air out of the tyres to get in through the door! We stripped the vehicle. Sanded it back and then sprayed it over a weekend. The finish is much better than I thought considering it is the first time either of us have sprayed a whole vehicle, there are some areas of over-spray which I will polish out in the summer. Some of the panels will need re-spraying by then too as I do plan to give the vehicle some abuse!

Once sprayed I had to put it all back together again! During this process I changed the headlights for halogen versions with up-rated bulbs. I fitted new clear front indicator and side light lenses and new headlight surrounds, as well as the new stainless steel grill cover. I also fitted a pair of chequer plate wing top protectors.

The vehicle still only had two seats in it and the chassis and bodywork sat about an inch and a half to low at the rear so I spoke to Colin at Scorpion Racing again and he sent me a set of two inch longer rear springs. I spent a weekend fitting these and also two rear bench seats provided by Paddock Spares with the associated seat belts. The vehicle was now ready to play!

I hasten to add it is still not finished! I have a full external roll-cage from Tomcat Motorsport in my shed to fit. Chris at RPI Engineering is still working on developing a snorkel capable of handling the airflow required by the carburettor and I have pencilled my name down for one, he is also selling Stage 1 modified engine heads at a very tempting price (Hummm….. More Power!). Julian is currently in the process of manufacturing a second fuel tank to sit under the rear tub to increase my range. I also plan to manufacture a winch bumper to carry whichever winch I decide to fit on the front. I would also like to fit axle diff lockers. After that, who knows!

This has been a great project and I have really enjoyed creating a unique vehicle from component parts. The vehicle has something from almost every vehicle Land Rover has ever made. My goal was to create a vehicle that would be almost unstoppable off road and quick and comfortable on road. I think I have achieved that and more. I now plan to start to compete in the vehicle as well as attending various green lanes and play day events.

If I was going to do it again there are not many things I would change as the whole thing has been a learning experience. I would recommend it to anyone looking for a project to challenge them but will warn them it is not easy or cheap!

My mates for their encouragement, especially,

Julian Turner for his re-manufacturing and machining of components, his finesse with a MIG welder and for finding quite a few of ‘bargains’ during the build.

Richard Caddy for his enthusiasm for the whole project, the use of his garage, his help with spraying and being ready willing and able with spanner, screwdriver or rivet gun.

Mark Hollands for his help twirling spanners, lugging bits around and being able to cut in a straight line!

Jeremy Bell for his advise, ideas and putting the whole crazy idea in my head in the first place.

Most importantly my girl’s,

Kelly (my fiancée) for her support and patience, for her help with the build, especially being able to reach bits that a six foot frame and hands like spades meant I could not get to. Putting up with me when things were not happening fast enough (or at all!) and listening to me plan, rant or simply jabber about all things Land Rover. And for being a Land Rover widow for many an evening and weekend.

Abigail and Belinda for their enthusiasm for the idea and their excitement as it took shape. And for them putting up with daddy "playing with his landy".

Also,

Terry and Chandos at T Johnson Land Rovers in Three Legged Cross (01202 813172). They provided most of the new parts I required and also their wealth of experience with all things Land Rover made them invaluable to me for suggesting alternatives when I couldn’t get things to line up or work correctly.

Shane at the Land Rover breakers in Three Legged Cross. Shane has masterminded some strange Land Rover creations in the past so he helped with some ideas as well as providing second hand components.

Colin at Scorpion Racing (0208 211 4888). Colin knows everything about the products he offers and especially Land Rover suspension. He can provide most common variations (i.e. +1", +2", –1" standard weight or heavy duty) off the self and can have specials made up for bespoke applications.

Chris Crane and ‘Holly’ at RPI Engineering Ltd (01603 891209). Chris knows the Rover V8 motor inside and out. He offered me clear impartial advise (as he can basically provide you with the bits to do just about anything to one!) for what I was looking to achieve on my budget. His and his engine builder ‘Holly’s’ support with the questions and concern’s I had was brilliant.

Ian Ashcroft at Ashcroft Transmissions Ltd (01582 750400). Ian’s advise about the ZF auto gearbox and it torque converters was invaluable to me.