The plan had to change. I worked out that to replace the worst offending panels was going to set me back £700 and I would still have a lot of rust left on the frame and would no doubt be down another £700 or so within a year.
Slightly older, wiser and considerably angrier, I started searching the ads for a new chassis and body shell. A few months earlier I had seen lots for sale so how hard could it be? Stupid question. There were very few on offer but eventually I did manage to find a complete vehicle minus engine and gearbox on the LRO forums located in Milton Keynes.
The asking price was a non-negotiable £700 which was slightly more than I wanted to pay but it was still going to be cheaper than my original plan.
The next day I headed South to have a look. The vehicle started life in 1987 as a 3.5 efi but had been converted to diesel somewhere along the way. The current owner was removing the engine prior to selling it though so I would be able to drop the engine and box in from my existing Range Rover.
It had obviously had a much easier life than my original purchase, it needed work but not of insurmountable proportions.
All I needed now was to get it from Milton Keynes to Perthshire. Julian to the rescue, with his Range Rover and car transporter. July 5th saw my new burden arrive, slightly shaken with Julian trying to set a new speed record on my 2 mile rough track driveway and we set about finding the rusty bits that needed the attention of his welder.
(click thumbnails for larger images)
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