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1993 NAS Defender 110 Station Wagon #312/500
Full restoration (galvanized frame, Td5 diesel, custom paint and many upgrades)
This 1993 Defender 110 has come to us via a customer in CA for a complete restoration. The donor truck has been well used and previously lived in Vermont. Take those factors and add in roughly 17 years since the truck was built and you get the sort of sad looking NAS 110 you see above. The good news is that nearly any Defender can be saved and made into something great because of the rebuild-able nature of the Defenders construction.
The bottoms of the T supports show some pretty nasty rust issues and the interior seating is starting to sag due to its age and use. The good news here is that we will be taking out all the carpets and replacing them with new and getting the seat frames restored and then topping them off with new seat upholstery in a nice black leather. The rusted T support is also history and will be replaced with all new steel before it is epoxy primed and painted in Willow Green for a really cool and one of a kind NAS 110.
The frame on the 110 has seen better days as well. It has quite a few swiss cheese areas and suffers from the scale and rust that most NAS 110s that were used in New England year round do.
There is some good news on the body because the tub and a number of other panels we need are well used, but are very straight and will only need to be stripped and refinished because they are all alloy. All the rusted capping pieces you see here will be removed and replaced with brand new ones that are epoxy primed and painted on all sides with Willow Green PPG paint so that this type of rust will not happen again anytime soon. The safari cage will also be removed, blasted back to white metal and then zinc and powder coated in satin black for a great finished look that will look a lot like a 1997 NAS Defender 90 LE Wagon (minus all the diamond plate).
As the 110 continues to get stripped down the new backbone for the project is brought in and made ready for the project, as you can see above. This brand new galvanized frame will cure all the rust issues of the old frame and is already set up for the body mounts of the stock NAS 110, but the engine mounts are already set up to handle the Td5 turbo diesel engine that will be heading for the engine bay in this NAS 110.
While the work getting rolling chassis assembled continues, the paint department is going strong getting the brand new door shells primed and painted in the customers color choice of Willow Green. Once the paint has cured the guts from the old doors will be reconditioned and installed into these brand new shells. Doing it this way assures that there is no rust or corrosion in the doors once the 110 starts going back together.
The safari cage also gets a full restoration. Any damaged areas are repaired with new metal to be factory correct. These pieces will now be loaded up to get blasted to white metal and then zinc and powder coated in a satin black.
As you can imagine, the bulkhead on the 110 was way too far gone to save, so instead of trying to repair the rust we will be replacing the bulkhead with a new unit from our inventory, as you can see above. The new bulkhead will not only cure the rust issues it will allow us to easily install the upgraded dash system that the customer wants for NAS 110 #312/500.
Here you can see the rolling chassis coming along nicely. The axles have been installed and the rear axle has been upgraded to disc brakes and the drive-train has been assembled and installed into the chassis.
The new Td5 engine has been mated to a new R380 5 speed and is starting to get hooked up with all the ancillaries and hoses. We try to get as much as we can installed on the motor before the body parts go on so that there is less chance of scratching the new Willow Green paint.
Along with getting completely rebuilt, the 110 will also be getting some nice additions, such as ARB air lockers front and rear. This image shows one of the ARB lockers being installed. Once the locker is set up and bench tested it will go into the axle case and then we can install the rest of the suspension and the wheels and tires.
Here you can see the new alloy wheels and G/Y MTR radials that will be on the 110. Its a nice departure from the factory steel wheels and skinny 7.50x16 tires that came stock on the NAS 110 and with the new color these alloys will make a for a great overall look.
The cargo area of this 110 will not be getting jump seats, it will be a cargo only area. So to help all that cargo stay in place and not damage the interior we have Rhino-Lined the interior of the rear tub. Once we get the tub installed on the frame we will add some secure tie down points and this will make a great place for all the gear that the 110 may want to carry.
Now that the tub is in place we have started to add the rest of the bodywork from the bulkhead to the tub. All the parts that have to do with the straightness of the body are installed at this stage and everything is lined up perfectly. Doing this ensures that the door gaps will be correct and that the doors will open and close easily. Once everything is lined up and locked into place we will start to add the rest of the body panels. You will also see that we have started to install all the new wiring harness parts. It takes quite a bit of wire to install a Td5 with its on board computers and all, so there are miles of wire that need to be installed and run.
Here you can see the body a little further along. The roof is on, as are the front doors. All new updated hinges have been used along with stainless steel hardware to attach those hinges so the, all too common, door hinge rust bleeds will not be a factor in this NAS 110.
This images shows the 110 Wagon a little further along. The fenders have now been painted and installed and all the wiring run in them. The AC parts have gone into place as well as the safari cage. Next up the rear step, roof basket and rear ladder will go on to dress up the exterior and then we will start to install the black leather seats and get the sound system and other options wired in and ready to hook up.
Here you can see the new ROX front bumper going into place with the Warn 9000 winch and the customer's Light-Force HID lamps. Up next for the front end will be to install the composite fairlead and the new winch rope and then we will install the bumper's skid plate the RoverTracks HD drag link and the ROX tie rod guard to make the steering set up near bulletproof.
This shot shows the 110 coming along nicely. The body is nearly complete and all the body lines have been set so that the doors open and close easily. As work is being done to get the front bumper combination installed, the ECR ROX sliders are being fabricated to protect the sills. Once they are completed they will be epoxy primed and painted in satin black for a great overall look to this custom NAS Defender 110.
Here you can see the nearly completed Td5 conversion. Unlike other shops that may attempt this kind of work we do it with factory precision and all factory parts. This not only makes for a better install, it makes it easier for the customer to service the vehicle down the road. If you use some odd-ball part from the local auto parts store during a diesel conversion, what happens 10 years from now when that part needs attention? Who will know what it is or where it came from? Here at ECR we use all factory Genuine Land Rover parts so that you can easily service this 110, no matter where you are, or who is doing the servicing. Now it is time to fire up the new Td5...