“Rescue”
1970 Land Rover Series 2A 109" 5-Door
Our latest build by Rad Rovers. A 1970 Land Rover Series 2A 109 5-door station wagon — pre-Defender 110. Rescue had lived a brutal life, and the easy choice would have been to strip it for parts. But that’s not what we do here. We Restore, Revive, Rebuild. Two years later, we present to you Rescue.SOLD
Gallery
Click any image to enlarge.
The Story
Restore. Revive. Rebuild.
Rescue had obviously lived a brutal life, to say the least. When we bought it in March 2016, it was a total mess. It looked like hell, and we felt bad for it in a way — but also proud to see how well it held up under the abuse it was given. Arguably it was loved a little too much, but also obviously ridden hard and put away carelessly. The easy choice would have been to strip it for parts, but that’s not what we like to do here at Rad Rovers. As our mission statement states, we Restore, Revive, Rebuild. So, we started in on it.
Rescue was a special case. We felt that if any Land Rover deserved another shot, it was this one. As with all our builds, we strip it down to the ground and assess what we have to work with… not much in this instance.
The Process
Step by step, down to the smallest screw.
The workload was immense, to put it mildly. Separating the big bulky parts one after another, whittling it down piece by piece like a Russian nesting doll down to the smallest screw. We found that in the end, it was necessary to replace roughly 70% of this truck with brand new parts.
Our general plan of attack for each build:
- Strip the Land Rover down to the ground
- Send out everything individually to a media blaster who uses a product called Black Beauty for blasting everything down to the bare perfect metal (a great product for aluminum — not damaging)
- Chop and weld if necessary
- Off to the powder coaters
- After powder coating, time for reassembly
Demolition is easy. Reassembly takes lots of patience and finesse.
What’s New
Roughly 70% of the truck is brand new.
Structural
- New galvanized chassis (from England)
- New firewall/bulkhead
- All 5 doors
- All suspension
Powertrain
- Engine top-end rebuild — all new valves, tappets, rods, etc.
- Fuel tank and entire fuel system through the carburetor
- Water pump
- Alternator
- Distributor
- Differentials removed and inspected
- Transmission pulled apart and resealed
- Clutch and pressure plate
Steering & Brakes
- Converted right-hand drive to left-hand drive
- New tie rods and ends, relay, swivel balls
- All bearings, race bearings, and lip seals
- All brake and clutch cylinders replaced
- Rear drums and all shoes
Exterior & Accessories
- LED lights everywhere
- Deluxe bucket seats
- New wiring harness and several accessories
- Windshield wiper motor
- 13,000 lb winch
- Heavy-duty Jeep bumpers and spare tire mount
Everything else was mostly the painstaking job of working with damaged, but not bad enough to discard, parts. Reusing original parts were few, or we made sure to reinforce structural integral parts.
And because we do all powder-coated parts, we are not allowed to cover over damaged metals before the powder coating ovens, so what you see is what you get. We do not mask over imperfections, let alone rust spots, with body fillers and fare it over. We would not be able to cheat you, nor would we want to.
The Color
Inspired by the US Coast Guard.
We chose the color scheme from the US Coast Guard rescue teams. The bright orange and black we associated with Rescue. Being big fans of the USCG, and how tough, heroic, and brave those guys are, we wanted to make Rescue’s style portray that as well in honor of them.
Plus, after doing some quick research, found that Land Rover also has a line of orange and black Rovers overseas, so we tried to mimic them as well to keep it in line with genuine Land Rover style.
We like the little miner dings and bumps and scratches. The character and charm adds to the truck and tells a story — each one that should be remembered, not forgotten and masked over. The weather-beaten, well-used Land Rover is, to us, beautiful.
Watch the Build
Two years of restoration, captured on video.
Ready for Your Own Rescue?
Every Rad Rovers project begins with a conversation. Contact Jason to discuss your own restoration or custom build.
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