The first cut is always the hardest-build or wheel as-is?

ptschram

ptschram

Well-known member
Sep 27, 2004
21,955
50
In the shop doing the Lord's work one broken Rover
www.ptschram.com
I've got a '93 SWB that runs pretty good, interior was gutted by the previous owner. Lifted three inches, Salisbury rear, 24-spline front end, rebuilt right before it came to live with me.

I now have a conundrum. I really, really want to remove the roof, cut everything above the belt line off behind the front doors and make it more pick-up like, and a two-seater.

The body is rough with trail damage, the glass is intact, coachwork is pretty good, not much rust at all. I could seal the pan with just a coupla hours of welding time.

It's sitting out behind the house right now with the battery charging. I really want to do it, but the first cut will be the point of no return.

I'm a wimp sometimes!

Talk me into it and extra bonus points for pics of well-done Rangies.
 
kennith

kennith

Well-known member
Apr 22, 2004
10,891
172
North Carolina
ptschram said:
I've got a '93 SWB that runs pretty good, interior was gutted by the previous owner. Lifted three inches, Salisbury rear, 24-spline front end, rebuilt right before it came to live with me.

I now have a conundrum. I really, really want to remove the roof, cut everything above the belt line off behind the front doors and make it more pick-up like, and a two-seater.

The body is rough with trail damage, the glass is intact, coachwork is pretty good, not much rust at all. I could seal the pan with just a coupla hours of welding time.

It's sitting out behind the house right now with the battery charging. I really want to do it, but the first cut will be the point of no return.

I'm a wimp sometimes!

Talk me into it and extra bonus points for pics of well-done Rangies.
Click to expand...

An RRC without a roof is very, very fun. Do it. You have enough Rovers hanging around already. It's time you had some real fun with one. Some roll bars, and it's very easy to make a removable soft top.

Cut it up. Have a blast.

I'll talk you into it.

A Range Rover with no top is the ultimate ride for a gentleman who wishes to get past his gray hair and enjoy a bit more youth. It signifies adventure and a wandering spirit. More importantly, it will encourage you to hit the road and feel a Land Rover like you used to; not simply a bucket of parts, but a lifestyle of laid back travel with the potential for adventure around every corner.

A Range Rover without a top says you have been there. If you haven't been there yet, you will feel like you have, and you just might decide to go out and be there anyway. It says that you have planted your flag where the path ends and the wonders of planet Earth begin. It says that you not only appreciate the finer things in life, but you can also see past the mundane into a future of possibility.

Without a Roof, a Range Rover again becomes a Range Rover, and you again become that interesting gentleman with a far off stare who people ask questions of philosophy, and who people wish they could be.

A Range Rover without a top says that whatever surprise the world throws you, you will endure it with a calm resolve and a smile on your face. It says that in difficult situations, you are the man who people will turn to in hope and faith.

Without a top, a Range Rover places you atop that rocky cliff, staring into an infinite sunset with confidence, with your right hand pulling the hip of a beautiful woman to your side, and your left hand on your knife, as the wind blows the open shirt from your bare chest and sweeps your hair.

It says that the woman you hold will have the best day of her life with you, and will stare up at your square jaw with tears in her eyes, longing to be swept off her feet to lay with you in those dusty rocks; her heart pounding as she realizes that the thing she always wanted was this time and this day, and for her clothes to be torn from her body and blown away; gone with the winds of romance.

Of course, it is also really, really cool to have a chopped RRC.

Now, give me some shit for my trouble.:D

Cheers,

Kennith
 
jymmiejamz

jymmiejamz

Well-known member
Dec 5, 2004
6,010
362
35
Los Angeles, Ca
I say don't do it unless you have a lot of time you want to put into it without wheeling it. I let mine sit for almost a year before I finally finished it. It is a blast to drive around town though!
 
ptschram

ptschram

Well-known member
Sep 27, 2004
21,955
50
In the shop doing the Lord's work one broken Rover
www.ptschram.com
1: I have two '88s, three '93s, and a '94 LWB. I think I can afford to cut one of them up.

2: This truck has irreparable trail damage. The roof is wrinkled on the corners, the sills are partially collapsed, front wings wrinkly, wheel arches were chopped pretty badly by the previous owner.

SWMBO is definitely against it, something about taking friends wheeling, to which I respond, we have no friends, I've run them all off in my possessive nature about her :D, and if we ha friends, if they don't have their own Rover, why they're no friends of mine (sung to the tune of the Safety Dance). And, we've been wheeling together once in the past three years and the only times I've wheeled in that period with others folks, it's been AFIRover I was with, and we all know he has his own Rover:D.

I'm gonna continue on as I am trying to get it trailworthy for late September. If that inclues removing the top, I'm hopefully.

Thanx for the encouragement Kennith, it was a pleasure talking with you. Amazing how folks can come to the same conclusions from such widely different experiences.

No Cary, I'm still holding out hope for finding a replacement as the old one clearly isn't going to be returned, much less repaired, I guess thieves are like that, eh?

I'm off to return to rust repair duties and TDi work. I have got to get the rust done as we have the entire TDi , save exhaust ready to go into the truck, we're down to the line on all the big jobs and now have a P38 engine swap to do as well.

In my evenings, I'll be working on the SWB. I realized yesterday or the day before that the secondary power lead is heat damaged... Time to install a Disco fuse box.

That Pike's Peak truck has been my inspiration all along. I took MANY pics of it at the rallye in '05, they did a fantastic job on the fabrication, the coachwork and the cage.
 
LR Max

LR Max

Well-known member
May 1, 2004
1,190
7
Hotlanta, GA
F it, wheel it.

Since it doesn't have an interior, you can now smoke cigars while you wheel without any consequences.

So make sure its solid, load it up and roll out. Relax and be awesome.
 
ptschram

ptschram

Well-known member
Sep 27, 2004
21,955
50
In the shop doing the Lord's work one broken Rover
www.ptschram.com
LR Max said:
F it, wheel it.

Since it doesn't have an interior, you can now smoke cigars while you wheel without any consequences.

So make sure its solid, load it up and roll out. Relax and be awesome.
Click to expand...

Cigars? If I'm smokin', it ain't gonna be cigars:cool:

I'm working on making it solid and at least somewhat water tight. I need to find some plugs for the drain holes in the floor. SWMBO does not like it when mud starts rolling in through the rust holes.

I pulled the CD player and sub out late yesterday evening. Might retain the sub, but need to wire in SWMBO's iPod as we're in full-on copy all the CDs to hard drive mode right now.

The engine is pretty tight, runs better than most of my others. The previous owner, three back was a body shop who used this truck as a loaner. They kept it pretty clean and I did the mechanical work on it for years. The transfer case needs to be swapped to an LT-230 (I have one with only 230K miles on it) and I still need rear brake lines and a rear driveshaft to fit the Salisbury. I hope to call Earl's about brake lines later today, might try to get into Mount Pilate to drop off the bits I've carved up for a driveshaft so it can be welded and balanced by someone who knows more than I do and has a balancing machine. Might cut the CV from DII front, but I don't wanna have to deal with the adapter/flange. When the LT-230 goes in, it will have a DII front flange.

Also need to remove the center console and try to figure out what I want to do there as I want something more functional (sidearm cubby) and more robust. The short-barreled EBS will have a mount behind the front seat (keep in mind I wheel in the UP, there are times it is not advisable to be in the woods without a big gun).

Seats are a concern as I want something more water-resistant but am scared spitless of what it will cost to have them reupholstered with nylon or some such.

It's exciting to finally be moving forward on one of MY trucks for a change!
 
LR Max

LR Max

Well-known member
May 1, 2004
1,190
7
Hotlanta, GA
ptschram said:
Cigars? If I'm smokin', it ain't gonna be cigars:cool:
Click to expand...

Whatever, you get the point.

What tires are on this thing? Either way it sounds like its got a solid set of axles. Once you get the LT-230 in, it would be a cool candidate for a series body rock crawler-thingie.

Yes, I am putting ideas in your head.
 
ptschram

ptschram

Well-known member
Sep 27, 2004
21,955
50
In the shop doing the Lord's work one broken Rover
www.ptschram.com
LR Max said:
Whatever, you get the point.

What tires are on this thing? Either way it sounds like its got a solid set of axles. Once you get the LT-230 in, it would be a cool candidate for a series body rock crawler-thingie.

Yes, I am putting ideas in your head.
Click to expand...

Damn you! I do have that SIIA sitting in the pit. It's roough, but it's either this, or I buy one of the Defender chassis that's on D-90 right now.

I'd also love to build a tube buggy, but that would require a day job. The bender is coming back soon though (along with a D50 front axle :D)
 
1MITCH1

1MITCH1

Well-known member
Jan 24, 2007
903
0
Daphne,AL
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