Difficult for me to tell from this overhead (drone?) view but I think this is a Defender (as opposed to a Series). But always nice to see a Land Rover gettin’ some love.

I don’t put bumper stickers on my cars for the same reason I don’t put tattoos on my skin. I’m committment challenged. Today’s clever sticker will seem dated and lame in a week. And I’ll play hell getting the thing off my car. So no bumper stickers. But every time look at a photo of the rear “bumper” on the Land Rover (looks more like part of the frame to me but everyone calls it the bumper) I think, “What a good spot for a bumper sticker”

Then I thought of magnetic bumper stickers. Sure enough, they make them and the made a couple for me.

Barb asked what would keep someone from taking this. And do what with it?

My friend George took pity on me and purchased this Land Rover. Even painted it to match the color of my imaginary Land Rover.

It’s been just over a year since I got the Land Rover bug and — with a little luck — my truck will be ready to ship by the end of the week, but probably a month before I have it (I assume this is what it would be like to be 12 months pregnant). I’ve watched a lot of vintage Land Rover videos on YouTube, including a few restoration series. The one by a Brit who calls himself Maximus Ironthumper is my favorite but I have high hopes for this one as well.

Watching these guys (I haven’t come across a female Land Rover mechanic yet) I’m struck by two things. First, how did they ever learn how to do this? Second, all of the tools required to restore and old truck. It takes a garage full of tools to tackle a project like this. (I have a hammer and a screwdriver) Let me add a third observation. How much fun these guys are having.

As far as I can tell, there are really only a couple of ways get a vintage (mine is a 1979 Series III) Land rover. You can drag one out of the weeds and spend a year or two rebuilding it… or you can pay someone to restore one for you (or purchase one that has been restored). As noted above, the first option takes a lot of time, experience/knowledge and a bunch of tools. The second involves a fair amount of risk, a bunch of money, and — in my case — a lot of patience.

The expression “They don’t make ‘em like that anymore” comes to mind. I’ve thought about this a bit since starting this project. Nobody is manufacturing 1979 Land Rovers anymore. And they never will again. Someone could build a reproduction but it won’t really be a 1979 Land Rover. However many there are, that’s all there will ever be. That’s real scarcity. And I wanted one. But that’s really not what hooked me (possessing something rare). I loved the look of these old trucks. And the simplicity. I have a minimalist itch that occasionally needs scratching.

A month from now I expect to be driving my Land Rover and we’ll see if the reality lives up to my imagination. Will it be fun to drive and mess with… or will it be a pain in the ass? Like the expectant first-time mom, there’s no going back now.

This is a BubbaRope Kinetic Energy Recovery Rope. 7/8” x 20’, breaking strength 28,600 pounds. I don’t plan to get in the kind of deep shit where you need one of theses but no self-respecting Land Rover owner would be without one. Mr. Wolf recommended the BubbaRope and it’s pretty impressive. There seems to be a difference between a “snatch strap” and tow rope but I’m still too new to the game to appreciate the difference.

Growing up in southeast Missouri it was not uncommon to see one vehicle towing another down the highway with a big old chain between them. (Can you say shrapnel?) But I found damned few photos of that so drivers have moved on to better solutions.

With space at a premium, I’ll probably keep this hanging on the wall of the garage and toss it in the back of the truck when I expect to be off-road. Along with a couple of Gator-Jaw shackles.

As The Great Truck Project draws to a close it’s time to think about what sort of tools and equipment gets to ride along (see previous post). I recently asked Mr. Wolf about fire extinguishers:

Dry chemical makes a huge mess. “Huge mess” actually doesn’t do it justice. If you discharge a dry chemical extinguisher inside a vehicle, it is a disaster. You will never get the grit and sticky junk out of the nooks and crannies. Worse yet, most (all?) dry chemical compositions are corrosive, so when it gets into the dashboard electrical bits, it ruins things. Not immediately, but over time. Is it better than just watching it burn? Sure. But most times undoing the damage done by the extinguisher takes more effort than repairing the damage done by the fire. Oh, also the powder that comes out is sort of sandy, I don’t know if it has silica in it or what, but if you spray the engine bay with it and the engine inhales the powder, major engine damage will follow.

So that leaves us with Halotron (the replacement for Halon 1211) and CO2. Both have risks (Halotron discharged in the cabin of a vehicle will suffocate you, CO2 will give you frostbite if you point it at yourself. Both scenarios seem avoidable…) CO2 is a bit cheaper to refill, and does a great job, so that’s the direction I would head.

The breadth and depth of Mr. Wolf’s knowledge continues to amaze.