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1993 NAS Defender 110 #337/500 Restoration
Galvanized frame and "G4 look" upgrades
This 1993 NAS Defender 110 is yet another high miles, worn out and rusty 110, an all too common sight now that the NAS 110s are headed towards 20 years old. The owner of the 110 doesn't want an old or rusty Defender, he wants a new 110 built exactly the way he wants it. So to make that happen we will restore his NAS 110 into the truck that he really wants.
As with any restoration the first step is to bring in the donor truck and strip it down to its smallest piece.
We will then sort it out into pieces that are good enough to use in the finished product and what it too old or rusted. This image shows the 110 as it was dragged into the shop. Now we'll strip it, over the next few days, down to the bare frame.
One thing that we know we won't be using from the donor are its rusted doors. We know the doors are too corroded to use, so we will be replacing them with the new style doors that are more rust resistant. Here you can see the new doors have been primed and are ready for sanding and then numerous coast and paint and clear coat.
While tear down continues on the donor 110 the paint crew readies the new bulkhead for the project. In a true ECR restoration there is no way we would ever reuse an original bulkhead. The original bulkheads have too much rust and corrosion hiding in them, so it is all new steel parts for a true restoration. This image shows the new bulkhead already in epoxy primer and ready for sanding and then some base coat.
As the paint work continues the donor has been stripped down and parts that we will be using restored to as new condition. The new galvanized frame has been set up with the new suspension and new fuel and brake lines.
Here you can see the completed rolling chassis. The owners choice of tires and wheels have now been installed.
This image reveals the new color for the 110, G4 orange. This will be one wild looking Defender 110 when it is done and the owner wants to take it a step further than just the color. On this NAS 110 we will be installing a lot of the G4 parts in order to complete the overall look, so stay tuned for some really neat one off parts that blend the looks of a NAS 110 and the G4 110.
Here you can see the bulkhead starting to come together. The wiring is being laid out, clutch and brake hydraulics set up and more. At this stage we will also start running all the wiring for the upgraded sound system so that nothing looks "added on". All the wiring will follow factory paths and look like they belong.
This image shows the drive systems coming together. The steering is hooked up at this stage and all the systems that are on the bulkhead are hooked up to the rolling chassis. At this stage the 110 would almost run and drive again, but there is still a lot of work to be done.
Here you can start to see what the G4 look 110 will look like when it is complete. The extra holes from the old NAS lighting have been tig welded shut on the tub prior to paint and everything is ready for body assembly. The body lines are being set at this stage so that doors all open and close properly with no oddball gaps. We are also adding layers of dyna-mat to help keep the interior of the 110 as quiet as possible. The next step will be to set the door gaps and then install the newly painted roof and roof sides.
This image shows the body coming together nicely. The front clip parts, including new fender skins and Euro style lighting have been installed and lined up and the body is now ready for the roof section and then the safari cage.
Here you can see the roof installed and the interior safari cage parts installed. A layer of dyna-mat on the roof will help keep road noise down and also help keep the interior cooler in the summer months. Now that the sound insulation is installed we can also install the new headliners to help give the interior a fresh look.
The safari cage is back from being zinc and powder coated and has now been reinstalled onto the 110. Next up we will begin fabrication on the custom pieces on the truck.
Inside the 110 is coming together and all the wiring is now done so that things can simply plug in. It looks like spaghetti at this stage, but with everything built in the wiring will be easy to work on in the future as there are no spliced wires, all the audio and video systems are built in just like if they had been done at a Land Rover factory.
Here you can see the 110 body nearly complete. The G4 specific black diamond plate pieces have arrived form the UK and have been installed along with four Hella metal housing lights across the top of the safari cage.
This image shows the new front bumper that we have fabricated for the G4 style 110. It is a heavy duty blade style bumper that utilizes the Land Rover padded A bar and a Warn winch. Once it is full welded it will be powder coated in satin black for a nice clean factory look to this fully custom piece.
The roof rack is also being fabricated at this time. The unit will be our standard ROX rack with a floor to walk around on and store gear on and numerous tie down points and locations for lights, Hi-Lift jacks and more.
Here you can see the newly fabricated rack is back from zinc and powder coating and has been installed on the 110.
Now that the rack is in place we can add the LED rear work/reverse lamps and the rear view camera (center). The LED lights are very bright, but draw little power and can be used as reverse lights (coming on and off automatically when you select reverse gear) and work lights that stay on until you turn them off, to help you load gear or set up a camp site.
Here you can see the 110 nearly complete. A few more adjustments and tweaks and it will be ready for road tests to make sure that everything is 100=% before it is delivered to the customer.
This image shows the completed interior all ready go with all the upgrades in place, from the updated dash and AC systems to a new Alpine audio system that offers direct control of the iPod and iPhone systems.
In this 110 we also installed an inverter that converts 12 volts from the truck to regular household current so that computers or other items can be plugged into the truck directly. This system draws power from twin optima batteries that are run through a dual battery manager that makes sure the truck always has enough power to start, even if you leave the computer plugged into the inverter overnight.
The interior was also given a set of heavy duty floor mats and a set of ROX seat covers for all the seats to protect them dog claws, mud and other things that could harm the new seating surfaces.
Here you can see the completed G4 look NAS 110 project. It has the color and overall look of the G4 110, but with the custom changes that the customer wanted to make it his own The truck will now be delivered to its owner in NY so that he can get it loaded up an head out on the truck's first trek to Canada. If you you have needs for your NAS 110, anything from simple repairs to a wild custom restoration like this one, get in touch with us. We will be happy to make your Defender dreams a reality, just like we did for this customer.