1958 Land Rover Series II and Defender 90 Rebuild Timelapse Videos – Two of the Best 4x4s Ever Getting Assembled
In case you didn’t know, I’m a classic Land Rover nut. Their rugged, no-frills style matches everything I like in life. Go-anywhere badassery, marching through deserts and over mountains. Or even better, desert mountains.
After my brother-in-law Steve got me bit by the LR bug, I found and bought a 1973 Series III in need of a little TLC and promptly dismantled it to get it back into “safe” running condition. That truck took me through the Baja desert, into the Arizona highlands, and on a very amazing slow-paced cross-country trek (a max range of less than 200 miles per tank combined with cruising speeds around 50mph kept me connected with small-town locals for a couple weeks).
Nowadays, my Land Rover is our beach vehicle in Rhode Island. Not being able to tinker on it regularly, I find myself watching videos of other people working on their trucks. Here are two batches of timelapse rebuilds and assemblies – the first, a 1958 Series II, the second, a Defender 90 built ground up, done by one dude alone! Enjoy.
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1958 Series II
Part 1 of 4 in a thrilling Series:
Watch as the Rear axle is dragged into place and bolted onto the springs. Enjoy the lights display from welding a patch in the passenger footwell. Remove a front brake
drum and MORE!!!
A spectacle light-years ahead of its time!
Watch and enjoy some parts being painted flat black, install the gas tank (later found out it had a leak), top up some fluids and screw around with something in the dash.
Jump right into fourth gear with some action packed brake bleeding! The rear tub is placed on and secured into place, followed by the front wings… Matilda is starting to look like herself again!
The end is near… Hold onto your seats as you watch the seatbox being fastened. Followed by the sill frames and doors. Reconnect the rear lights and give them a test. You will shed a tear as fuel will not reach the carburettor – what it the problem? An investigation is put in place and a cracked fuel pump sediment bowl is found. Luckily a spare was on the shelf…. That was close! To finish, leave the battery on charge and hope for the best!
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Defender 90 Assembly.
You have to love the guy’s commitment to keeping the camera moving to the areas he’s working on.
Hi, I'm Mike. I’m the executive editor of Make: magazine, and host of Discovery channel’s Punkin' Chunkin' and Catch It Keep It, TV shows where I build and explain crazy machines that crush stuff, blow things up, shoot fire, all in the name of science.
I've previously worked at Wired and ReadyMade magazines, writing about how to utilize new technology in our everyday lives.
This site is where I keep a list of instructions for fun projects I've done, am working on, or draw inspiration from. I encourage everyone to get involved — get up and do something!