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1993 NAS Defender 110 Station Wagon #151/500 Restoration
How would you like to step back in time to the Fall of 1992 and be able to buy a new 1993 NAS Defender 110 Wagon? That might not be possible, but we have something even better!
Copley Motor Cars laid down the challenge to ECR and we met it! We built what we consider to be one of the best, if not the best, NAS Defender 110 in the USA. To see the final result of that project, NAS Defender #132/500 go here.
If you followed "Project: No Apologies" you'll know the basic story of these amazing one of a kind vehicles. If you are just tuning in, here is the background. Some time ago our friends at Copley Motor Cars called us with a challenge that was based on what their customers routinely ask for. "I would like a Defender 110 with no apologies" (meaning no flaws, no issues, no rust, no corrosion), their customers would say, but as all 1993 NAS Defender 110s are all getting on in years that is hardly possible today. They all have flaws, or corrosion, or rust, or poor paint work, so it isn't possible to get a "no apologies" NAS Defender 110... or is it?
We took #132/500 from a rusty mess to better than factory new and we fully updated it and made it better with every upgrade in the book.
Now it is time to do it again. This time it is #151/500 that is under the knife here at ECR. The 110 will be stripped down completely. Every nut, bolt and washer will be removed and replaced. Every bearing and every seal will be replaced with new. The tired old 3.9EFI engine will be tossed and a brand new factory fresh 4.6 V8 will be installed. The ratty old HVAC system (Heating Ventilation and Air Cond.) will be removed in favor of all new parts and so much more. Every part will be replaced or restored to better than new and we'll even update all the door hinges and upgrade the 110 to high performance ignition parts, as well as stainless steel oil cooler lines... the list is too long to detail. Basically everything we have learned about Defender 110s in the last 13 years is applied to make these ECR 110s better than any stock NAS 110 out there.
Here you can see the starting point for the restoration, NAS Defender 110 #151/500. It isn't a bad truck, it has just lived out its useful life and now needs to be fully restored. Unlike some shops that give things a new coat of paint, fix the obvious items and then slap on some new tires, we fully strip these vehicles and rebuild them with all new Genuine Land Rover parts.
If it is a steel body panel, it is replaced, not matter what its condition. We cut no corners in these vehicles and only 100% new steel pieces will do. The bulkhead rust in this 110 is pretty severe, but it is not patched or repaired, the entire bulkhead will be replaced with new. This isn't a refurbishment or a patch job, this is a full restoration to ECR standards, and that means like new or better.
The next step for this 110 is complete tear down to its smallest part. Each part will be evaluated and then restored or replaced as required to achieve "new" status. The cage will be removed, blasted, zinc coated and then powder coated in stain black, a new 4.6 engine will be installed and much more.
Speaking of new engine. Here is a shot of the brand new, not rebuilt, 4.6 that is being set up for 110 #151. The brand new engine has been taken apart, balanced and is now being set up to run with the 110's 14CUX fuel injection system. Some items that will make this 4.6 better than any factory 4.6 will be a new timing chain, without Land Rovers plastic gears, a better distributor and Jet-Hot coated exhaust manifolds to increase performance and reduce under hood temps. Everything we have learned about 4.6 engines over the years is built into these restored 110s and everything is new.
This image shows more "newness". The new steel wheels have been epoxy primed and painted and are ready for the new tires. In these build ups we don't mean the rims have been repainted, we mean we install new rims with new paint.
We install new body panels too. If the panel has steel in it, like the frame-work of the hood, it is replaced with new. Here you can see the new hood is primed and painted on both sides. The under side needs paint and primer too so that is won't rust out quickly, the exterior paint is the pretty part, but paint underneath is what helps keep rust away. Sadly, this 110 was being built during the move to our new shop, so we didn't have much time for detail pictures, sorry. The next project we'll show more build up images.
This image shows the safari cage just back from powder coating. All the threads will now be cleaned in preparation for installing the cage onto the 110.
The new owner of 110 #151, yes it was pre-sold before it was completed, also wanted a few upgrades so we are taking care of that in the build up as well. In the image above you can see we have made some alloy rear speaker mounts that will house bigger Alpine speakers than the factory parts allowed. We have primed and painted this in white for a nice clean finished look. To make the sound system sound as nice as possible we have installed as much sound deadening material as we could throughout the 110.
This 110 is getting a new 4.6 V8 with an automatic gearbox. Here you can see we have finished all the detail work in the engine bay and we are ready to drop in the new 4.6 engine. The new ZF automatic has already been installed and wired up. So not only is this 110 restored to like new, it is being built in a combination that Land Rover never offered... a V8 EFI automatic. Land Rover never built one, but we do. Go here for more details on automatic conversions.
The safari cage has now been re-installed, the sunroof has been added, new headliners installed and we are getting the customer's upgrades installed. A raised air intake, a rear work/reverse lamp, running boards and a great sound system are just a few of the things in store for this ECR restored 110.
Keep watching as NAS 110 #151 gets a new lease on life.
You can search for one of the 13 year old models out there, and hope you find one without problems, or you can buy one of our as new, restored 110s from Copley Motor Cars. Our restored versions being far superior in many ways to a stock NAS Defender, even if that stock Defender had only 5 miles on the clock, the ECR 110 has all the updates and is built better in all respects.
The ECR restoration of NAS 110 #151 is already sold, but if you are looking for a "no apologies" Defender 110 contact Copley Motor Cars to purchase what ECR might restore next.
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