Land Rover Series 1 Restoration

By: Practical Classics .

Our Series One Land Rover restoration is really a story in two parts, because it started off as a 'Rolling Rebuild' and ended up as a full scale 'Total Restoration' project.

The original intention was to take a poor example of an early Land Rover and with the least amount of expense return it to the road armed with an MoT certificate. With this is mind the opening episodes show what can be done with a minimum amount of cost and we feel that these chapters will be of value to those not wishing to undertake a full restoration.

However our Land Rover "Katie K" had been virtually rescued from a 'scrap-yard end' and she eventually developed so many problems that we were forced into embarking on a 'Total Restoration' programme. From that point on the work was taken over by John Craddock of Cannock and his able team Peter Ralph, Ivan Colley and David McCloin, who carried out a very thorough programme which included re-doing some of our own earlier 'Rolling Rebuild' work to bring it up to their own high standards.

The outcome, as can be seen on our front cover, is a very fine specimen of a 1957 Series One Land Rover, which is probably good for another 30 years hard work. We were delighted and surprised by the following that "Katie K" attracted during the course of the restoration, there were certainly far more Land Rover enthusiasts around than we had ever dreamt possible. We hope that this book — by putting together the complete story — will be of value to anyone intending to undertake a Land Rover restoration and that it will prove entertaining and instructive to all those interested in the marque.

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