OSKAR, My 1962 Land Rover
90% of the work was carried out by ourselves, the only part that was not done was the
welding in of new footwells, this was done by a mobile welder and saved a lot of worry on
my behalf. Someone else also did the paint spraying. We done all of the
preparation work including chemically removing layer upon layer of paint and flattened it
down to provide a good key for the paint. The panels were taken and sprayed one-by-one
and when everything was finally coated, we bolted everything back together again with
stainless steel fastener's wherever possible along with lashings of Waxoil.
Gradually OSKAR started to look like a Land Rover again but now she was in a little bit
better shape compared to how we bought her.
It was not only the body work that received attention, the running gear did as well. All of the axles were completely over hauled with new steering swivel's, bearings and seals. The brakes also received attention with new shoes, pipes and cylinders. The engine was in good condition therefore a rebuild was not necessary but it did get a new starter motor, Weber carb, fuel pump, timing chain and gears, distributor, HT leads, plugs and a stainless steel exhaust system. New lights were also put on including the upgrading of the head lights to Halogen units for safer driving at night.
One of the biggest jobs that I undertook was the complete strip down and rebuild of the
gearbox. I took the winter of '98 to remove the gearbox from the Landy, strip it down
into three separate boxes and rebuild each one one at a time in the shed. Every shaft
was removed, stripped of gears, shims etc and inspected for signs of wear and damage.
All of the bearings were replaced no matter what condition the old ones were in along
with any seals and shims. Gradually the three boxes started to get rebuilt again
until I ended up with one finished gearbox ready for bolting back into the Landy.
While the gearbox was out, the two propshaft's were also over hauled with new UJ's, a
coat of paint and new bellows over the expansion joints. Any part of the gearbox that
was steal was also sent away to be anodized and painted to help prolong it from the
dreaded rust.
Eventually OSKAR was back on the road again and it was time to send her off to some
shows. Several local steam fairs and country shows were attended but the big one that
all Land Rover owners know about and go to is the LRE Billing show at the Billing
Aquadrome near Northampton. The show is always held in the middle of July over three
days (although most people who have stands or clubs get there for Thursday and go home
on Monday).
Land Rovers from all over the world turn up for the show, usually in the
hottest weather of the summer. In 1999, I took OSKAR along for the three days and
stayed with the Series 2 Club throughout. During the show, the LRO organises a chance
for each club to gather its members (and Landy's) in the grand ring, interview the owners
and at the end, award one member the 'Best in Class' Trophy. 1999 saw OSKAR win this
coveted trophy, much to the delight of myself I must add!
Life After Rust
After Oskar was back on the road, my hands were getting to the stage where all the EP90 had been washed out of them and they were looking too clean. A new project was needed and what better than to restore a friend for Oskar, a trailer. My ideal trailer would of been a Brockhouse trailer but do you think I could find one, never. I then was told about an old 1950's Rice trailer that had been sitting in a barn for the past twenty years and was for sale. I took a look at it one evening and saw the potential of the wood worm eaten body work and dropped axle (that had sunk into the ground) chassis and decided to buy it. Over the winter of 2001/2, I spent many a frosty night stripping off parts of powdery wood and seized bolts until what was left was boxes of metal and brackets waiting to be brought back to life. The chassis was galvanised, mud guards and axle components were rubbed down, zinc plated and sprayed in two-pack black. New wood was bought and painted (in the house) and eventually things started to go back together again. Come the spring of 2002, all the parts were bolted back on again and she was ready for use.
I had decided from the moment that I saw it that I would use the trailer to help carry the food and cooking accessories needed for days out to shows. A small cupboard was built into the front of the trailer that would house the gas container, BBQ's, gas cookers etc. All the chairs and tables can be put in the trailer instead of in the back of the landy as well as the awning needed to provide shelter from the sun (and rain).
All in all, the trailer was an interesting project, not least because of the limited information out there about parts and specifications of the rare 1950's cattle carrier. Some parts I had to re-make from scratch, others had to be guessed at. Several people have commented on her since she's 'been public'. Mainly from people who used to use one or who have still got one and use it for everyday needs. Towing her is easy, you don't know she's there and it finishes off Oskar just perfectly. Now, what can I do up next, I do know of a derelict steam roller???
Land Rover Enthusiast Magazine
Paul Hannaford - good place of second hand parts
John Craddock parts online
DLS Parts
