1991 Land Rover Defender 90

Danny is the owner of this stunning 1991 Land Rover Defender 90, and he has owned the vehicle for just over six months. After purchasing the Defender as a project, the plan was to build it as his forever Land Rover. He got straight to work, and knew exactly what direction he would be taking to achieve the final look of his take on a tribute to the Hue 166 first model Land Rover.

Nothing on the vehicle has been left untouched, and we will go into more detail shortly. The Defender had already been fitted with the well known, and pretty bullet proof, 300TDI engine by a previous keeper, so the power side of things was taken care of. The next step was to set the 4x4 up on a new and fully poly-bushed chassis, also set up for the later 300TDI engine. With the chassis sorted, efforts were then concentrated on the body, which was repainted in Land Rover Atlantic Green, before the final finishing touches were added.

Impressively, the project has been completed in just 6 months, but a change in circumstances means that Danny is parting company with his special tribute to HUE 166 Defender.

The body of the Defender has been fully stripped, with any areas needing attention addressed. It is worth mentioning here that the doors do have a galvanised outer skin which futureproofs them for a while longer. With the correct preparation and treatment of the galvanised body parts, the Land Rover received Atlantic Green for the main body colour, and Mercedes Arctic White to the roof.

Starting at the front of the Defender, and you will notice colour coded light guards held in place with stainless steel bolts. The indicators have been replaced with clear items to give a clean fresh look. The grille has also been colour coded, and the bumper has been replaced for a new and galvanized one to match the chassis. Moving up, the bonnet aligns as it should with the front panel and wings. These have also got chequer plate tops fitted to them, and again are colour coded.

Looking at the sides, the door gaps look to align as they should. They have had new door seals, window seals and door mirrors fitted. The doors open nicely and close with a firm touch. You will also notice the door hinges that have a zinc plated finish for a corrosion free finish. The windows are the originals and do show some light age related scratches, as you would expect. A nice addition is the windscreen, which has been replaced with a top quality Pilkington heated windscreen, which is worth its weight in gold if you know Defender demisters. The standard 90 arch trims have been colour coded to match the body, and matching the front bumper are a set of galvanized rock sliders.

On to the rear, which has also received the clear light set-up. There are two roof mounted LED spot lights which are connected to come on in reverse, or operated via a switch inside the rear door, which is handy when you are hitching up a trailer to the newly installed towbar, drop plate and electrics. The door hinges, like the fronts, are zinc plated and there is a new heated window fitted. Another nice and useful touch is the gas strut fitted to the door, allowing it to open with ease and more importantly stay open.

The 5 commercial style wheels have been finished inside and out with Atlantic Green, and shod with top quality Michelin tyres which are in excellent condition. There are 1” aluminum spacers fitted, just to push them out a little further, so they are not lost inside the Defender wheel arches.

Danny wanted to make the Defender as comfortable as possible, and what better way to start this off, than by fitting a set of Puma front heated seats, with variable heating controls. There is a twin USB charging socket fitted to enable the easy connection of your phone, whilst it's held in place by the custom 3d printed mobile phone holder, which cleverly uses the redundant ashtray location for its mounting.

The standard instruments are fitted, with the odometer reading 131,830 miles, and there are no warning lights displayed when the engine is running. The other gauges are also reported to be working as they should. There are a couple of small splits to the plastic instrument binnacle, but nothing that couldn't quite easily be swapped. Steering you in the right direction is a three spoke, wooden rimmed, Motolita steering wheel which is in nice condition.

The floor area has all been painted when the body was removed and so is in really nice condition. New handbrake and gear lever gaiters have also been fitted, and between the front seats is a storage area with cup holders, heated seat control and a battery isolator. Up above, the headlining has been replaced and the rear load area has been ply lined and covered with carpet to finish it off.

With the 300TDI already installed, the engine and gearbox have still been given some maintenance, which has included the timing belt, oil and filters being replaced, a new clutch, pressure plate, release bearing and a heavy duty arm fitted. The oil and seals in the transfer box have been replaced, and there are now diff guards fitted to the front and rear differentials. Four worn drive flanges have been replaced along with 2 rear half shafts. With the engine and transmission mechanically sound, this was then bolted to the new galvanised chassis which was ordered with the upgraded poly-bush kit.

With a new chassis it would be rude not to also replace the shock absorbers, which have been fitted with a 2” lift kit and dislocation cones. Doing the job right, the brake pipes were also extended with braided lines, and the solid lines have all been replaced with copper, and new front discs and pads ensure the Defender stops as it should. Heavy duty steering arms keep the Land rover on the straight and narrow, giving a firm and precise feel, and should you be taking it off-road you can have the trust in nothing bending.

There's definitely a lot to be said for a full body-off rebuild on a new galvanised chassis. It’s a project that most would like to do at some point, but either funds or know-how can sometimes stop this from happening.

Luckily, Danny built this one to keep, and is only parting with it due to a change in circumstances, otherwise it would definitely be staying.

As mentioned, nothing has been left untouched apart from internals of the engine and gearbox. If it could be removed from the chassis and body, it was. There are some nice touches such as the heated windscreen and seats, making daily driving that little bit easier, especially in the winter months.

Fully serviced and ready to go, there is an MoT valid until the 27th November 2022, which it passed with no advisories. Also present is the receipts and paperwork for all of the items Danny has purchased, including the chassis and respray, which can be seen in the documents section of the gallery.

What a perfect opportunity to step into the Land Rover world, with a Defender that has been completed by an owner who was building it to keep forever. It has seen a number of owners in it’s time, but that was in it’s previous life before Danny went to town on this 90’s classic Land Rover, and brought it back to how it should be with a few subtle tweaks here and there.

We estimate that this Land Rover Defender 90 will bring in the region of £16,000 - £23,000.

Viewing is always encouraged, and this car is located with the vendor in Corwen, Denbighshire; so to arrange an appointment please use the ‘Contact Seller’ button at the top of the listing to make an appointment. Feel free to ask any questions or make observations in the comments section below or try our ‘Frequently Asked Questions’.