LAND ROVER RESTORATIONS

Just because it’s a restoration it doesn’t mean the vehicle in question has to be fifty years old. Land Rover owners become very attached their cars the World over. This attachment has led to a growing number of owners seeking to breathe new life into their beloved vehicle. Sadly, many much younger Land Rovers have succumbed to excessive wear, tear and a great deal of corrosion leading to some serious structural issues. ACH Classic are dedicated to preserving this icon of motoring history so generations get to enjoy its appeal.

Every ACH Classic restoration undergoes a comprehensive programme from start to finish.

Each component is removed, cleaned, assessed and either restored, repaired or replaced.

All of the fixings throughout are replaced to exacting standards.

Engines and drivetrains are rebuilt to better than original standards, implementing modern technologies to achieve lasting reliability.

Our team are in for the long haul, most restorations take anything up to 1000 hours of labour to complete and undergo hours of testing before delivery is arranged.

THE LAND ROVER RESTORATION PROCESS

We always aim to have at least two Land Rover restorations in build at any one time. No one restoration goes smoothly from start to finish, and there are always new surprises that will slow the process, so having two or three on the go allows us to jump from one to another to keep the ball rolling.

THE STRIP

All of our Land Rover restorations involve stripping the entire vehicle to the barest of bones. Once stripped, the chassis, if savable, is blasted, repaired, primed and painted before being treated internally to prevent further rusting. When chassis aren’t repairable they are replaced, normally with a galvanised reproduction, or in some cases with original parts when they have become available.

In the case of a new galvanised chassis we will flat and prepare the galvanised surface to remove all of the rough imperfections left by the galvanising treatment, then the surface is coated with a special etch primer before receiving several coats of semi-gloss black. When applying paintwork to a chassis we endeavour to create a far flatter and better finish than original. We can of course, should the customer require it, create a look that resembles the original, but just because that was what happened originally, doesn’t make it right.

THE DRIVELINE

With the body removed the engine is lifted out, along with the gearbox and the strip down process begins. Every part is assessed before being cleaned or replaced ready for reassembly. Our engines and gearboxes are built to the highest of standards using many years of experience to ensure long term reliability.

Axles undergo the same treatment along with the brakes. All items are stripped, blasted and reassembled with new parts and fresh paintwork leaving the underside of the vehicle looking as good as the top.

THE BODY

When it comes to the bodywork we try to reuse as many of the original panels as possible. The original Land Rover panels were made from Birmabright, which is an alloy of aluminium and magnesium which gives incredibly good rust-resistance, so much so that Land Rover didn’t paint under the wheel arches of a Series Land Rover because it wasn’t necessary. However, unfortunately, where aluminium meets steel an electrolysis effect can cause quite severe corrosion. Where this is found we will either replace the panels that are available, or we will remake, by hand, the panels to original specification. The body panels are all then stripped to the bare metal, repaired, etch primed and then painted to the highest quality.

Every electrical item, including the wiring loom is replaced with period wiring. The speedometer and gauges are completely overhauled, along with the steering wheel, using original techniques. Unless customers require otherwise, a restoration is trimmed to exacting original standards, in most cases this is of course black vinyl.

THE PAINT

The team at ACH Classic pride ourselves on the highest quality paintwork, second to none. You will not find a higher standard anywhere and if you don’t believe us then please come and check it out. We have a state-of-the-art spray booth at our workshop in Silverstone. We have painted many classic cars as well as Land Rovers and pride ourselves on the quality of our finish.

DELIVERY

Once all work is completed the vehicle is tested thoroughly out on the road to ensure everything is up to standard. Once we are satisfied your new restoration can be collected from our showroom in Silverstone or we can transport your Land Rover to your door.

 

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