Defender 110 double cab with Isuzu turbo diesel build up...

[The Rover Shop]

Well it seems I have a shoot load of parts laying around my warehouse that are too big and bulky to bother shipping but I can't throw them out...so the logical thing to do is buy a truck to put them on....... My wife doesn't see my logic on this..
So as if I didn't have enough on my project plate already a good deal came up on a RHD defender 110 double cab, I've always wanted a double cab and being RHD means I can justify keeping it and taking it back home to OZ with me...




I'm in south Florida and the trucks in Seattle, so after searching for a good rate I get the truck on its way shipped for $1200 total.., truck has a rotten frame but I've sourced a galvy frame for it...has a rotten bulkhead but I've sourced a good clean one for it..still RHD.. The engine is suppose to run like a top and is one of the best engines to shove in these trucks., not sure on the tranny condition but I have a spare r380 laying around for it also...also slated for this is a 2 inch lift kit springs and shock, have a brand new set sitting here, heavy duty cranked RTE front and rear control arms, heavy duty steering rods, front and read diff protectors , terrafirma Rock sliders with tree guards and a sweet fully welded external roll cage, have all of this stuff ready to go onto it so hopefully it will be a quick in and out job, not looking for showroom pretty on this one as we intend to use it on trails and for work etc..
I told the wifey it was going to be hers...(happy wife happy life....) so I let her decide what color she wants... She chose chawton white so chawton white it is... All panels will be painted off the truck before reassembly

Here is the projected finished product,.. But in white..

 

[harbinger808]

find me a DCPU for $1200 like yours and ill buy it from you!

 

[SportsmanJake]

What year is that defender?

Looks like a great project!

 

[The Rover Shop]

I only paid $1200 for shipping.. The truck itself cost me $4250.... And I'll probably have $25k in it when done.. And it's a 1988..

 

[ZG]

Put a swing away on it, the bed is already mostly useless in a DCPU. Best to gain as much room as you can. The DCPU with the cage on it was just up at RN Friday to show off the final product. It's a very cool truck

 

[harbinger808]

I only paid $1200 for shipping.. The truck itself cost me $4250.... And I'll probably have $25k in it when done.. And it's a 1988..

if i could build a 110DCPU for about 30K i would and it would have this type of rack system

 

[The Rover Shop]

Problem with that is that with no canopy on the rear the cage looks funky, and the cage I am installing is a roll age more than a rack system, also I want to be able to load a motorcycle into the back bed, I will be making a special frame that sits in the bed with an extension out the back supported by the tow hitch for the rear wheel of the bike.. This way I can take a trail bike camping with us... The cage I got is for a 110 wagon so I will be modifying the rear of the cage to provide the diagonals down into the bed, but I will b making it so that the rear of the cage section can be bolted back on to give me the complete length cage, this way I can mount a roof top tent on it when we go camping.. When not in camper mode it leaves the back bed completely open to use as a work truck..having a cage allows me to mount a rack to that when needed..

 

[harbinger808]

forgot to say minus the the rear hardtop... I see a lot of those type or full "roof" racks on 130s in South Africa. A friend mine uses it exactly the way you are intending to and usually just keeps his surf boards on the rack

on aside note... how much would you charge to someone for that white 110 DCPU?...

 

[The Rover Shop]

The white one is a generic pic, not my truck... But a lot depends on the interior and engine configuration.. If I was to do mine like that I would probably ask about $60k for it..

 

[Defenderjohn]

I'm really loving the Double cab 110's lately... I think it will be my next Landy project! Looking forward to following this build! Best of luck with it!

 

[harbinger808]

60K?.... so what would be in yours for about 25K put into it as you mentioned?...

The white one is a generic pic, not my truck... But a lot depends on the interior and engine configuration.. If I was to do mine like that I would probably ask about $60k for it..

 

[thethePete]

^ Would ask 60K. You have to remember, the $25K he's putting in doesn't include labour. It's the blessing of being a tradesman. We can't afford to buy cool stuff, but we have the skills to build it. At least that's my interpretation.

Subb'd.

 

[The Rover Shop]

That's right Pete.. Glad some people understand labor ain't free..lol.. And not to mention that's not even including the stuff that I have laying around for it, all the stainless hardware I will use etc etc.. And the stuff I do have to buy that calculation is at My cost...anyone who has done a house renovation or a vehicle rebuild...take the price you think it's going to cost you, double it and add a little more and that's about what it's actually going to cost you....and the same can be said for the time frame..lol...
I'll give quick prices...remember this is what it's costing me...some of the stuff I am buying I am using some big favors from friends who have this stuff..
$4250.... Vehicle.
$1200.. Shipping..and this needs to be heavily modded to suit
$3500 galvy frame shipped..
$5000.. Paint job..and body work..and that's my cost on not a fantastic paint job...roof is badly damaged.
$1350 roll cage..shipped.
$1500 bulkhead shipped.
$2000 interior seats etc.
$1500 Tyres
$500 spring and shock set
$400 neoprene bushing kit
$1000 front brush bar
$400 electric window kit (front only)
$800 front winch..(may use one of my husky superwinches I have laying around )
$300 terrafirma Rock sliders

These don't include the r-380 Trans I have , the new seat box to allow new Trans, the RTE control arms the heavy duty steering components, the underbody protection plates, the front bash plates, the overhauled driveshafts, and whatever I need to do to the engine while its out, new clutch, stainless hardware, new bolts etc I have to buy from Land Rover, new front windshield, complete LeD lights all round, driving lights etc etc..while as I mentioned I have a lot of this stuff laying around, but it cost me something at some point in time (and a bit more than I told my wife I paid for it when I bought it..lol.) and everything has some sort of market value..so as you can see, the prices of these things add up really quickly when you start to add it up, there's a reason these trucks get so much money when rebuilt, it's because they cost a lot in parts..and when you do it for a customer there is always a lot more attention needed to the cosmetic side of things as well as not leaving something and thinking, I'll replace that later when I get around to it..or when I find it....coz I know I have one of those laying around..

 

[harbinger808]

please don't get me wrong RoverShop... i understand and can appreciate solid labor and ethics. i would be willing to pay 60K if i still had those funds. i only asked because i was already told such a vehicle could be built for me and nothing came about of it. if and when i'm ready to buy a 110, i want to find a truly reputable shop.

 

[The Rover Shop]

No problem at all, and no offense taken....its just one of those things where we don't realize just how much things cost until you actually sit down and add them up...id be too scared to add up either one of my other builds that I've written up on here...I think I'd poop myself..
I used to get people coming into my shop all the time saying "I want you to build me one of those cool looking defender things "... How much is it gonna cost... You can almost see their jaw hit the ground when I say it's gonna be about $60k for a pretty basic one in nice shape...with a decent engine..and done to the color etc that they want... First of all it hard to find a good quality vehicle to start off on, and now there has been so much interest in these trucks it has driven the prices of good used parts through the roof, it's that whole price and demand thing....they just about always need all 4 doors..a good used set can cost you $3-4K....I see prices of trucks have come down somewhat lately as there has been a influx of new people getting into the importing of them and I see more coming from countries like Spain and Greece etc where they don't have the rust problems and they are already LHD.. Just being LHD will save you about $7000 in conversion..(bulkhead, steering box, front axle or swivels at least, dash) and for a while some of these parts were totally out of stock... There is some good deals on standard 110's available, but if you want a double cab it's gonna take a lot of hard to find (in the USA) parts to convert...