Land Rover Defender restorations at Robison Service

As we near the end of another extensive Defender restoration, I thought I’d take a moment to reflect on what makes a quality restoration, and what it takes to achieve that result.

Looking at the photo of the near-finished truck, it does not look very different from any other new Defender.  Except that this Defender is 19 years old!  And the fact is, with the work we did, it would not matter if the Land Rover we started with was 20, 30, or 40 years old.  The end result would look essentially the same, with the exception of period details.

You can go to any car show and see beautiful paint jobs.  But a paint job does not make a restoration.   Sometimes, all it makes is a mess.

When you paint a modern car, you are repairing damage on a vehicle that’s basically complete and serviceable.  So you can paint a scratch or repair a dent, blend the repair to the existing paint, and you’re fine. 

You can’t do that on an older vehicle like this.  In most cases, vehicles that are 20 years old have started to corrode on the seals and joints.  That’s usually where corrosion begins – there, and the places water is trapped under or inside.

A true restoration won’t hide corrosion.  It will remove it.  And a good restorer will take steps to reduce the chances of corrosion happening again, to the extent possible.

A proper restoration usually requires disassembly of the body.  Not just stripping the paint off – but actual disassembly.  On a job like this, we begin by taking the vehicle apart. We take photos every step of the way, and bag and tag the fasteners and hardware as we go.  Even when we use new hardware – often the case – having the original stuff tells us what sizes we need.

On a Defender we lift the body off the frame, and dismantle each section.  In this photo you can see the rolling chassis – rusted framing and all – in the process of teardown.  

A little while later, we begin the process of assembly – in this case, with a new galvanized frame.  We can use the old frames over – we can even galvanize them – but they are often weakened and building them back up will cost more than a brand new part.  Since the look is the same, we usually go new for this core component on 1990s trucks.  With an older vehicle we may go either way but a restored original frame will almost always end up costing a good bit more and that’s always a consideration.

As soon as the vehicle is apart we begin the process of stripping and overhauling the components.  This is a more extensive process than what we do when a vehicle comes in for component overhaul in our service department.  The difference:  In a restoration, we take everything apart, have the metal tank cleaned and blasted, and then we re-plate or powder coat every part before it goes back on.  The result is a subassembly that’s finished far better than it ever was new, and will hopefully outlast the original version as well.

The body sections are also broken into their component parts, and depending on the job, are liquid painted or powder painted after being cleaned up and repaired as needed.  On this truck we saved almost all the exterior sheet metal, though a good bit of repair was needed on some sections.

Disassembly and paint removal often reveals corrosion you never knew was there!

When the vehicle goes back together we replace or rebuild just about everything we handle under the car.  In many cases, we install upgraded or improved parts.  You can’t see this work unless you look close, but this kind of detail separates a paint job and cleanup from a true restoration.

Many of the parts we plate or powder coat were bare metal when these vehicles left the factory.  That may have been fine a few decades ago, but we cannot let them continue to corrode – in 20 more years there would be nothing left, and no replacement parts to be had.

Here are some examples, all of which are visible in the images of this truck

• -       We replace the steel fuel lines with stainless
• -       Rubber brake hoses are swapped for performance braid hoses
• -       All bushings and joints are new, as are springs and shocks
• -       Brakes are totally rebuilt with all wear items replaced
• -       Exhaust is new, and assembled with non-corroding copper fasteners
• -       Extensive use of stainless hardware to reduce corrosion on the body
• -       Everything under the car is finished with the same care as the top

We often make subtle improvements.  For example, this vehicle has a custom Badger top.  You can buy cheaper tops from a catalog, but I have never seen a better piece of work than what we get from The Badger.  He’s slow and he’s finicky but if you want the best . . .

This Defender also has the Exmoor premium seating, which looks fairly original but is light-years better than what was supplied in this truck new.

The wheels are another area of change.  In America, these trucks came with allow wheels and BF Goodrich general purpose tires.  For this fellow’s use we installed military Michelin XZL tires on NATO steel wheels – which were also powder coated.  They are very different from original, but they are what armies use on these rigs all over the world, for good reason.

It’s no surprise that we installed a better stereo.  For a beach truck “better” means water resistant.  For that, we turn to marine radio and speaker components.  The original Rover stereo would be ruined in the first rain shower.  This system will shrug that off, and it has Bluetooth, ipod control, and a host of other features.

We’ve also swapped the non-secure wood console for a lockable steel Tuffy Box.  The vehicle is open all the time, and some secure storage is needed, even on a small island. 

A job like this will eat up at least 1,000 hours and require the skills of a number of different craftsmen.  This particular truck employed:

-       general Land Rover mechanics

-       two body men

-       a painter (liquid)

-       a powder coat specialist

-       several metal platers

-       a fabricator/welder

-       several upholstery men

-       a good detailer

-       a stereo/electronics installer

The list goes on . . . this kind of project is far from a one-man task.

We’ll be sending this truck to its summer home in a few more days.  Stay tuned for the finish photos and description . . .

Repair or Restoration - which will it be?

You’ve got a nice vintage sports car, but it hasn’t run in many years.  Auction prices for these cars are rising.  Should you restore the car to show condition, or just fix it up to drive it?

Here at Robison Service we see situations like that all the time.  Sometimes the prudent course of action is clear, but other times it’s hard to decide what to do.

Sitting in the garage, it's a memory or a dream, but making it real may cost more than you think . . . 

In today’s market, the cars that bring those jaw-dropping prices on the televised auctions have been meticulously restored and detailed.  We do that level of work but owners must understand it comes at a price, as compared to basic mechanical repair.

Let’s look at the restoration or repair of a Jaguar XKE front end as an example.  This photo shows a typical old unrestored Jag; this particular car arrived here a month or so ago to join two other similar specimens in line for fixing up.

The problems in this front end are pretty well visible. The brake rotors are rusted. The rubber boots on the ball joints have rotted away, and the joints are loose.  The brake calipers are frozen from lack of use.  And the wheel bearings are sloppy.  The fix: a complete front end and brake overhaul.

If this was a modern Jaguar, we’d be able to do this repair in a day, using complete hubs and exchange brake calipers.  The parts would pop off and the new assemblies would slide on.  Old cars don’t usually go that smoothly.   We  can’t simply buy new brake calipers for an old XKE; the calipers the car has must be rebuilt.   Same for the hubs.  Everything is more time consuming because we repair, rather than replace.

In addition the scope of these jobs tends to expand when compared to service on a new car.  For example, we might need to replace the steel brake pipes if they don’t unscrew.  We might struggle with rusty parts that won’t come apart, and we will spend time cleaning things up.

The one-day job on a newer Jag may become a two or three day job on an older car.  Here's an example of how a simple task like "do the front brakes' expands from fitting front pads and rotors.  You pull the rotor and hub off the car, and the bearings are galled and the grease is chunky.  Add a few hours to rebuild the hubs.   When you remove the brake caliper for access, you see the rubber hose has cracks.  Add some time to take it off.  When you remove it, the steel line to the master cylinder snaps. Add half a day to run a new line.  When you go to bleed the system you feel a "bump" when pushing the brake pedal.  On closer examination, you find the master cylinder was corroded inside and the extra push of bleeding has pushed it over the edge.  Add a few hours to replace the master.  Do this at all four corners of the car, and you've added several thousand dollars of parts and labor to a seemingly simple job.  Every job on a vintage car has the potential for this kind of expansion.

So far, all we’re talking is mechanical repair.  What if the goal is restoration?

That adds a whole new level of complexity, because everything has to look new as well as function 100%.   That affects every single task.

First of all, when the area is stripped down for service, we now have to look at the underlying frame or body area.  Is it rusty?  Does it need paint?  Several days labor may be expended preparing the front frame to be serviced.  In many cases we spend more time on the cosmetic restoration of the areas being serviced than the repairs themselves take.

It’s no longer enough to simply replace parts.  Parts may not be available new, or else the current replacement part is a low quality reproduction you don't want to use.  It may be "new old stock;" a part that sat in a warehouse forgotten for fifty years, and it may not be good anymore.  Parts are a major hassle for vintage cars.  In the end, we often find ourselves making parts ourselves, or doing our own machining and rebuilding.  Once again that eats up time and money.

In this shot you see how a simple brake repair has expanded.  The brake caliper pistons are corroded and leaky.  The parking brake has worn out. The hubs need overhaul.   "Simple" jobs are rarely simple on a forty-year-old Rolls-Royce



When restoring, a simple functional repair is not enough.  We must also return the appearance of the parts to a new condition.  That may mean corrosion repair, cleaning, painting or plating.  We may choose to use techniques that were not available when these cars were made, in the interest of finish, performance, or durability.  A good example would be powder painting.  We may need to find alternative processes because the old ways are no longer done due to safety or environmental issues.  Examples of that are lacquer painting or cadmium plating.   All that adds labor time, wait time as paint and plating is processed, and of course there is the cost of it all.

The one day job on a modern Jaguar becomes a week, maybe two, maybe more of restoration work on the vintage car.   Always remember this:  restoration means bringing back the appearance and the function.   A true restored car drives like new - maybe better than new.  It doesn't just look good.  Painting over worn out parts is not restoration, though it's all too common as a means of cutting costs.

Service and repair is usually limited in scope. Restoration isn’t.  You can’t restore the front frame of a vintage car and ignore the back.  You need to keep going.  The result can be beautiful, and impressive.  But it is very time consuming, and time is money.

Repair work is guided by our knowledge of good practice, and we have many opportunities to save money.  Restoration is often guided by that car make’s Concours Judging Guide, and we have to follow the code strictly if we are to deliver good value in the end. 

It’s very common for a big British sports car restoration (Jaguar, Austin Healey, Jensen, Aston Martin) to eat up 1,000-2,000 hours of labor.  No matter how reasonable the labor rate is in your area, that makes for a big bill.

Wood steering wheels are beautiful, but they were seldom original.  Opinions about these custom touches vary from owner to owner, and car make to make.

Some cars will justify that work.   A rare Jaguar – a 120 roadster, a three-carb XKE – or an exotic Aston Martin may fetch $150-250,000 when restored.  For those cars, a very high level of work is justifiable. 

What about their little brothers – Triumph, MG, and  other cars that are so much more common?   They may be a little simpler to restore, and parts will cost less, but a top quality restoration will still eat up 1,000+ hours of labor.  If top quality examples of your make only fetch $25k it’s hard to justify restoration unless you do it yourself, as a labor of love.  Indeed, that’s what many of these projects are.

The XK120 above has been in the same family for sixty years now.  How do you put a price on that?  If you're in it forever, nothing but the best will do . . .

The final car I’ll consider is the top end – Rolls-Royce and their ilk.  These are much more complex cars, with higher standards of fit and finish, more expensive materials, and “more car” in general to work with.  Where a Jaguar can eat up 1,500 hours in a total restoration the Rolls-Royce convertible may consume 3,000, maybe more.

Values of finished cars vary wildly.  A 100-point restoration on a Silver Shadow may still fetch only $50,000.  A one-off Phantom drophead that was only a little more work to restore may be worth ten times that much in the end.  In that world you need to pick your projects carefully if value is your goal.

And then there’s the custom job – the times we are asked to take a car that was built as one thing, and make it into something else.  We make 88-inch Land Rover hardtops into 130 inch pickups.  We make stock Rovers into fire-breathing rock crawling monsters.  We put Rolls Royce leather and wood into American iron that newer saw anything but Detroit vinyl.

For those people – and indeed for most of our clients – cash value isn’t the goal.  Rather, the value for them is the joy they get owning a fine one-of-a-kind piece of automotive machinery, and using it for its intended purpose.  Most of these projects are Dad’s car; Grandpa’s car; the car we first dated in; or something else that gives that particular vehicle special significance and a value that goes beyond dollars and cents.  And those owners tend to be our happiest clients.

So what’s the takeaway from all this?  Think carefully about what you want.  Don’t confuse mechanical fixing up with concours restoration.  Don't confuse nicely painted but worn out junk with restoration.   If you want a custom job, think that through before you begin.   Remember that different people are happy with different jobs, and there are no right or wrong answers, provided the work you choose is done well.  That’s what we take pride in most of all.

If you’ve got a project you’d like to discuss, call me at 413-785-1665 or email Robison@robisonservicecom

John Elder Robison

J E Robison Service

347 Page Boulevard

Springfield, MA 01104

Putting a new interior in a vintage Lincoln

This is a 1963 Continental Convertible project that we just delivered.  The task was to replace the old off-white vinyl interior with leather and wool a la Rolls Royce/Bentley.  This is the starting point:

Here's the finished interior:

This is the whole car, headed home:

You could buy a car like this for ten grand a few years ago, but now good examples routinely sell for over $100K.  With that kind of value, owners are expecting a substantially different level of quality when it comes to workmanship.

This is a very nice example

We used Wilton wools under the floor, with heavy padding.  The feel is a lot softer than original.  The carpet edges are bound in matched green leather.  The same carpet is used for floormats, but the mats are edged in the same tan leather we used for the seats.

We covered the door panels in leather, and did contrast beading like the seats

The interior is totally transformed.  We dyed most of the original plastic.

Even when they have "leather interiors," many cars just have leather on the seat faces.  On this car, everything on the seats is leather.  In addition, it's Rolls Royce grade Connolly, not the vinyl covered stuff on most cars.  You can smell and feel the difference.  The piping makes for an interesting contrast.

Some areas that were originally plastic looked better in leather

This is the process of dyeing the dash:

We were able to get a near-perfect match between the leather and the dyed plastic.

Here are the newly remade seats.  As you can see, we made new springs and pads in addition to new covers.  That means the car "sits" like a new vehicle.  All too often restorers will only restore the parts you can see, leaving the innards tired and worn.

We made a rough template for the carpet, laid it in the car, marked, cut and stitched/bound it as you can see:

Quite a change from where we began: