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1993 Defender 110 Station Wagon #12/25 Rebuild
How would you like to step back in time to the Fall of 1992 and be able to buy a new 1993 NAS Defender 110 Wagon? That might not be possible, but we have something even better!
Over and over we heard our customers ask,"I would like a Defender 110 with no apologies" (meaning no flaws, no issues, no rust, no corrosion), but as all 1993 NAS Defender 110s are all getting on in years (all built in mid to late 1992) that is hardly possible today. They all have flaws, or corrosion, or rust, or poor paint work, so it isn't possible to get a "no apologies" NAS Defender 110... or is it?
ECR can build you a "No Apologies Defender 110" and make it better, not just a repeat of the original. Our specifications out do the stock NAS 110. Items like the air condition systems are better. The stock system was basically a joke, so we have updated it to the better, newer system. The rear drum brakes have also gone in favor of new 4 wheel power disc brakes, the new style hinges are used and so on and so on.
The 110 will be stripped down completely. Every nut, bolt and washer will be removed restored and/or replaced. Every bearing and every seal will be replaced with new. The ratty old HVAC system (Heating Ventilation and Air Cond.) will be removed in favor of all new parts and so much more. Every part will be replaced or restored to better than new and we'll even update all the door hinges and upgrade the audio system... the list is too long to detail. Basically everything we have learned about Defender 110s in the last 17 years is applied to make these ECR 110s better than any stock NAS 110 out there. The restoration of #12 will be even more exciting as this 110 will not be white. It will be Arles Blue with a black safari cage and lots of upgrades, making it another great looking 1993 ECR Defender 110.
Here you can see the starting point for the restoration, NAS Defender 110 #12/25. It isn't a bad truck, it has just lived out its useful life, rusted away and now needs to be fully restored. Unlike some shops that give things a new coat of paint, fix the obvious items and then slap on some new tires and call it a "restoration", we fully strip these vehicles and rebuild them with all new Genuine Land Rover parts from the frame up. That is the only definition of "restoration" on our world. Bringing this 110 back to life and giving it another chance for a much longer life, with its galvanized frame and upgrades, is also a very "green" solution to not owning a new car that is disposable.
The first step as always is to tear down the truck to its smallest part. Then we remove and sort out what is too far gone and set aside what we can restore.
Here you can see the tear down process a little further along. The majority of the steel parts in this 110 are toast, so all of those items will be replaced with new factory parts. We don't try to patch any rusted areas. If it was rusted and can't be brought back to 100%, it is replaced with a new part.
Why do we use new galvanized frames and updated fuel lines? So that this kind of crud won't happen again anytime soon. This 110 lasted from the factory for 17 or so years of use. When we rebuild it from the frame up with better than factory parts in many areas, it will be ready for many decades of service to its new owner.
This image shows the new galvanized frame has been brought into the shop to start getting set up. You can see that we also have galvanized items like shock towers and all the other things that commonly have rust issues on the Defenders. This new back bone for the project will make for a long lasting and well built finished product.
As the parts are set up for the rolling chassis we have taken the time to build up the differentials with ARB air lockers for true four wheel drive in this 110. Once the front and rear lockers are installed and checked for correct operation we will get them into the axles and then set up the rolling chassis.
Here you can see the new galvanized frame has been set up as a rolling chassis. Some of the steering gear is now in place and the axles have been installed. The new fuel tank and all the lines have been run at this stage as well, along with some nice upgrades like a ROX tie rod guard and front and rear differential guards.
Here you can see that some of the new body panels have been sealed, epoxy primed and painted and are ready for the "guts" to be installed. Our in house PPG certified paint department means that everything is up to our exacting standards because we don't farm anything out to a local crash damage body shop. The paint is applied over numerous coats epoxy primer and the primer is sanded before the 3 top coats are sprayed on for a nice glossy finish. We also use the factory correct single stage paints for this type of color for the correct look to the vehicle.
Here you can see the rolling chassis a little further along with the customers choice of Boost alloy wheels and BFG A/T tires. Next up we will start to assemble the body parts.
This image shows the brand new, rust free bulkhead that has been put through our paint process and is now ready to be built up with everything from an updated wiper system to a new style dash. Next up we will start running all the new wiring and start to assemble the doors with their windows. locks and latches so that everything can be set up on the 110 once the body gets a little further along.
Here you can see the body set up starting out. The bulkhead has been installed along with the windshield frame and the new heated windshield glass. The steering, clutch and brake systems are also installed and leak tested at this stage.
Inside the 110 the wiring is set up and all the additional wiring for everything from the touch screen Navigation system, and amplifier to the rear view camera is wired in so that nothing looks "added on". Everything is updated and installed with the best materials we can find with the goal of lasting as long as possible and looking like it belongs.
Here you can see the 110 a little further along. The remaining body panels are now being painted Arles Blue and the cage parts and bumper items have returned from zinc and powder coating and are being installed one by one on Defender 110 #12. Next up some of the body parts will go out to be Line-X'd and then when they return we will start to get the body lines and doors set up.
This image shows the rear body tub and the floor sections coming back from being Line-X'd. To protect the paint during these transportation portions of the build we paint the interior of the tub and then once the truck bed liner guys are done we paint the exterior. In this tubs case body side panels had damage so both the LH and RH side have been replaced with new tub sides.
Here you can see the Line-X'd floors going in. All stainless steel floor hardware is used to attach them so that if the cargo area of the 110 gets filthy you can just hose it out. As you can see we never Line-X anything in place, it is all done piece by piece while things are apart. If you spray bed-liner in the truck while it is together and you coat the floor hardware, you'll never get those areas apart again and you just may need to do some service in those areas down the road.
The body structure is coming along nicely and we have already set all the body lines and locked the panels into position. This will assure that the doors will open and close correctly and that the body lines will be straight.
Here you can see the roof getting new coats of Alpine White. Once we bake the paint in the spray booth we will get it onto the 110 and start to assemble the rest of the interior.
This image shows the main body of the 110 coming together and starting to look like a real Defender.
All the main body panels are in place and the body is fully lined up so that everything will work as it should. At this stage as much sound reducing material as we can stuff into the 110 is installed. Then the required wiring and plumbing is run. The sunroof hole has been cut and the sunroof itself has been installed. Once the wiring is all checked to correct operation it will be time for the headliners and the rest of the black leather interior to go in.
Here you can see the upgraded inter-cooler going into place. Once the nose of the truck is together you won't be able to see this unit, and that is a shame because it looks great and will add performance to the engine when matched to the new upgraded computer.
A little further along, the rest of the front end has been installed and the new LED headlights installed. The wiring has been run for the winch and at this stage we are doing mechanical work as well, like leak testing the new AC system. The Safety Devices safari cage is also back from the powder coater and is being installed as the body comes together.
While work continues on the main structure of the truck, the additional upgrade parts are fabricated so that they can be ready to install once the body is complete. This image shows the base of the roof rack being constructed. The raised front bar is made to protect the upcoming off road lights from harm by tree branches. Once the rack is completely built it will be zinc and powder coated to match the safari cage for a clean finished look.
Here you can see the wiring is starting to get finished up. The new Alpine head unit has been installed in the custom made dash center section and things are starting to look like a truck again.
The upper sections of the interior are starting to get finished off as well. The new factory sunroof trim has been installed along with the headliners and interior trims. We also upgraded the interiors lights to the newer dual versions, away from the anemic single interior lamp the stock NAS 110 came with.
This image shows some of the upgrades going into place. The ROX front bumper and skid plate has been installed and then topped off with 3x Hella 4000 lights, a Warn 9000 winch and two recovery points. Under the truck we also added a ROX tie rod guard, a Rovertracks HD drag link and front and rear diff guards to make sure the 110 doesn't have any breakage problems if it heads off road.
Now that the doors and interior trims have been installed we can install the black leather seats. These are factory leather covers with new foams that go on top of the original seat bases that we have stripped and restored to better than new. Sadly, all this work will be covered with a set of seat covers, but at least there is good stuff underneath.
As the electrical systems of the truck come to life we can test the audio/video system. The new Alpine unit has just about everything. Sirius satellite radio, AM/FM, a USB port, iPod, CD, DVD and even touch screen Navigation.
Sit back and watch your favorite movie on the screen, or just call up a good tune on from your iPod. The touch screen on the Alpine unit works in the same way an iPod does, so finding songs or playlists is a breeze.
The video screen in the head unit is also connected to a rear view camera that we made a sturdy and secure mount for. It comes on and off when you select reverse gear so that you can make sure you aren't going to back over anything.
Here you can see the completed dash all cleaned up and ready for the customer. You can also see here that we have added some nice creature comforts to the 110. Power windows and heated seats round out the new systems in the 110 to make it a nicer place to be compared to a bone stock NAS 110.
This image shows the new seat covers installed. These will stand up to dog claws, mud and are easily washed if they get dirty.
The middle row of 60/40 bench seats has also been treated to a set of seat covers so the kids can go nuts in the back of the 110 without fear of trashing the leather.
The cargo area of this 110 does not have any jump seats. The owner of the truck wanted this space open for his dogs. The area has been Line-X'd for the ultimate in protection and we have added subwoofer boxes on each side that house an 8" woofer each for excellent bass response from the audio system.
The sub boxes were also Line-X'd so that they are tough as nail as well and we fabricated some stainless steel speaker grills to make sure that the dogs can't hurt the speakers. On the floor you can see we also added a heavy duty cargo mat, and we installed them throughout the rest of the Rover as well.
To complete the off road upgrades we fabricated and installed a set of ECR ROX sliders to protect the sills of the 110 from rock and stumps. The customer also requested a full set of folding side steps for ease of getting in and out of the truck. These can be easily removed for when the truck heads out on off road trips.
The customer also requested a raised air intake for the truck, so we started with a Mantec unit and then modified it to make it work with the NAS 110 safari cage. Now that it is back from powder coat it has been installed on the air intake.
The newly fabricated ECR roof rack is also back from powder coat and has been installed and set up. The 4 Hella off road lights have ben wired up and installed. A set of fly fishing rod holders have also gone one (these are made to be easily removed when not in use) and a Hella twin Work/Reverse light has been installed at the rear of the new rack.
The ECR roof rack also has a floor so that loading gear and walking around on the roof is an easy task. There are numerous tie down points for straps and the edge retaining bars make it so that you could carry anything from pelican cases to gas cans with ease. Because the ECR roof racks are custom made to each customers unique set of needs they can be made to be exactly what you want. You don't need to suffer with some lame production rack that only does half the jobs you ask it to.
Here you can see the completed restoration of the 1993 Defender 110 #12. You can clearly see that when we say "rebuild" we mean it. It doesn't mean a little paint and some new tires like some shops do. Restoration means a complete nut and bolt restoration of all the systems to make everything better than new, and that is what we do here at ECR. The restored 110 now boasts everything from a galvanized frame, custom Arles Blue paint, ARB lockers front and rear, a full compliment of ROX protection products, high end audio/video and much much more. There really is too much to list on this amazing 110. The truck is now ready to head out to its new owner in PA where it will be ready for anything the owner wants to throw at it, no matter if that is a ride on the trail, or hauling the dogs down the interstate... this ECR restored 110 can do it all.