Category Archives: My Land Rover

Blog posts about the restoration process started 5/22/2017 and ended 8/24/2018

Updates from Philippe

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I’m now thinking putting a rebuilt engine in an old Land Rover is a much bigger challenge than a heart-lung transplant. Couple of brief updates from Philippe:

“Have some more trimming to do on the frame; clutch slave rubbing when engine running; finishing fan and cable; replaced battery cable and clamps (the existing ones were not good.)”

“Got stuck on the ignition switch. Couldn’t get the on-off for the fuel cut-out but finally figured out to install a switch just where the stop-run cable was.”

Watch this space.

Visiting the truck and Mr. Wolf

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Mr. Wolf picked me up at the airport in a vintage Italian sports car and headed straight for Philippe’s garage (reaching speeds of 100 mph)

The engine is in and Philippe expects everything will be wrapped up — wait for it — by the end of next week.

Since arriving I have seen exotic vehicles worth millions (?) and met some really nice and interesting people. I’ll post a proper report and more photos upon my return.

Land Rover Timeline

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Watch on YouTube »

This timeline includes my payments to Lucra Cars, Zombie Motors, Mr. Wolf, and — eventually — Philippe. I’ve been reticent about sharing that information. Seemed in poor taste. Or I come off looking like a chump. I’m over that. The truck will wind up costing what it costs and that is undeniably part of the story. Video runs just over 3 minutes. More info on each of these events by clicking the Land Rover link below. You can also navigate by date using the tool in the sidebar.

New engine is in

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I gather this was only slightly more difficult than a heart-lung transplant and will cost about the same. Next comes wiring, redoing the exhaust system, and finding someplace to stick the radiator. Might be done by the end of the week. The real test will come when Mr. Wolf starts driving the truck again. Speaking of Mr. Wolf, he’s out of town the rest of this week at some kind of off-road event.

This video is pretty amazing and if off-roading is your thing, worth a watch. Mr. Wolf will be driving a Unimog.

The Big Engine Swap

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After a week with no news on The Big Engine Swap, I called EuroLand 4×4 and left a message: “You guys are working on my truck and I’m calling for an update.” Ten minutes later I got a call back from the mysterious Philippe (whose accent is somewhere between Pepe Le Pew and Inspector Clouseau).

The old engine is out and Philippe’s concerns about its condition were confirmed. Unfortunately, the new engine from Zombie Motors isn’t going to be the plug-and-play fit we were told. Philippe had to contact the Land Rover folks in the UK for some instructions on how to make the new engine fit. Battery will have to be moved from the engine compartment to under the driver’s seat; instead of belt driven fan we’ll be using an electric fan for cooling (which is a better way to go I’m told); and some changes to the wiring and exhaust system. Translation: expensive.

Philippe sounded confident he could make it all work and might be finished in a week. I’ll believe it when I see it. O when Mr. Wolf sees/drives it. In three short weeks I’ll wing it out to San Francisco to finally meet Mr. Wolf and — with some luck — play with the truck before it gets shipped back to Missouri.