S2C Forum Archives
Main Section => Welcome to our virtual Pub Meeting ... => Topic started by: dellyend1 on April 29, 2021, 03:25:54 PM
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Hi All,
Thank you for letting me join the forum. I have a 1959 Series 2 (ex military) that I am considering a chassis replacement. There is nothing wrong with the chassis other than it is wearing its scars from years of repairs, some plating and had a new rear Quarter chassis in the past. I kind of think of it as 'triggers broom effect!' However, I am in the position that I could afford to have a new chassis put on and I know that this would give me years of non anxiety ownership wondering about the 'rusting from the inside out' . But......... the other voice in my head says, why replace if it is still OK, will it reduce the value of my land rover ? I imagine it would not be worth that much more than it is now which means a non return on investment and am I sure it would all be put back together as it is now ?
Apologies, as I imagine this is an age old question and I have done my google research first , but can't find a clear answer relating to older series LRs. Any thoughts and advise / experiences gratefully received. With Thanks
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(http://www.series2club.co.uk/new_forum/forum_files/hello.gif) & (http://www.series2club.co.uk/new_forum/forum_files/welcome.gif) to the Forum.
No is the short answer.
You may not recover your costs - including your time, and more so if you pay someone to fit the new chassis.
However, you are protecting your vehicle from rusting out for many, many years.
If you did come to sell it on, a galvanised chassis won't necessarily guarantee you a better price, but it will be "attractive" to buyers and should sell quickly.
If your current chassis is sound and is likely to remain weld and rust free for some time - leave it be.
Once you start a swap, you'll end up refurbishing loads of parts (axles, brakes, electrics, etc. spending far more than the cost of the chassis).
To help prevent it rusting from the inside, spray/squirt in some waxy rust proofing fluid, even old engine oil (though not seen as environmentally sound these days) on a regular (annual) basis.
You generally don't undergo a chassis swap unless there's a really good reason - like an MoT fail.
:RHD
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If it has already had a quarter chassis then the originality has gone and probably indicates that much of the rest of the chassis could well do with replacing. Replacing the chassis could therefore be expected to add value rather than detract.
Alec
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Hi,
I would be reluctant to pay "collectors" prices for something that is obviously based on non-original patches. Patched originality is worth little to me, I want a truck that can be used, without worrying about future MOTs (or roadside checks).
If a truck has an interesting history that really does enhance it's value ... I will leave it to somebody else. Land Rovers are for fun, not investment (especially if the future is uncertain).
602
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All,
I'm afraid I just deleted a response as it was considerably confusing and contained a fair amount of duff information. There was too much of it to edit. Not a recourse we like to take but I felt it best.
Apologies.
Gene.
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Welcome to the forum (and hopefully the Club in due course)
Put yourself into the position of a purchaser
A 1959 is old - nearly as old as I am !
Would you prefer to buy something that has been , over it's life, undoubtably bodged, sometimes done properly, but no-one can tell you or, something with a replacement galv chassis that will give you trouble free from corrosion until you can't by new petrol powered cars any more ?
1959 land rovers aren't that rare
Go for it
5% discount for Series 2 Club members from Richard's CHassis and they do replica ones !
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My thought are that I would pay more for a re-chassis-ed vehicle than the same vehicle that had been multiply repaired and was likely to need a new chassis soon anyway, I'd factor in that the PO has spent £4k + cash or equivalent in his own time, aiming off for how long previously it had been done. I'd probably not go the whole £4k but certainly improve my offer considerably over something that was as you say, a "triggers broom".
If getting a new chassis keep the receipt, give your cheque-book some paracetamol when you get the bill from the garage, have the previous chassis number stamped into the dumb-iron, carry on motoring. Its as simple as that.
I'd also increase the insured value - again, the receipt will help that process.
G.
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Collectors and those who care about this sort of thing may avoid it with a new chassis.
Others will not.
If you buy a new chassis but wish to keep your vehicle as "original" as possible, consider going the extra mile with whoever you buy it from, to ensure it is a "detail-perfect" copy of the original, with no generic parts on it.
(Some chassis makers are not too fussy about this, so don't take their word for it. Specify in advance, then check everything - and if not correct do not accept it).
This is the best you can do if the original chassis is truly past it.
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Hi All,
Thank you for the thoughts and sound advice.
Best Wishes
Jeremy
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Interesting debate!
Seems pointless changing chassis of it’s ok.
Different story if you need to.
If you needed to you would probably find a lot more rot when the tub is off etc so would reinforce it was the right decision.
Generally when I restored mine it was important to remove the rot properly. Steel and alloy, however both start to rot if not protected and looked after.
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With a vehicle as un-rare as a LandRover it is only technically "historic" because of its age. It's not even the physical parts, which have probably all been replaced over time anyway.
In fact it's not really historic at all, unless it took part in some really momentous historical event, in which case the actual rotted chassis might just be more interesting than a replica with unoriginal galvanising.
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My point of view....
I like vehicles on the original chassis and I would pay more for a vehicle with the original chassis. Having said that though, the original chassis would have to be in good shape. If it was a rusty mess or made up of 90% new parts then no, not really the original and probably better to see a replacement chassis under there.
The quality of the repairs is important too. Plates welded on the outside over the rusty holes is not really my idea of a repair, more a cover up. It's fine for the MOT but it is very obvious when you look under the vehicle and see the plates on the outside.
I followed a thread on the series one club recently of Carl and Dale Radford rebuilding a chassis and they did exactly what I want to achieve with my series one chassis. All the repairs were made invisibly by cutting out the rust, letting in new steel and grinding the welds back so when it was finished it looked just like the original chassis.
If you have already had a 1/4 chassis then it's on that point of repair again in the future or replace. Unless the vehicle has some real historical significance to it then a galvanised, painted black chassis would be very attractive to anyone buying it in the future and if you intend to keep it for a while longer, you have the knowledge that you haven't got chassis rust to think about for a very long time.
In short, I don't think it would devalue it and is likely to add value if the current chassis is in need of repair again in the near future.
Craig.
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Hi
Why should it.
Everything was built to be serviced and maintained from day one.
So if a rivet counter is not happy tell then to move on.
I do not think any series unless bought new, and stored for the last 60 plus years, will still be 100% as it left the factory.
If it is then wow fair play!!!
:cheers
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So if a rivet counter is not happy tell then to move on.
A rivet counter will not need to be told to move on, they will do it voluntarily. :tiphat
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I added a 1/4 chassis to mine, and Mark told me I didn't need one, buy by then I had already bought it, so he kindly welded it on for me, and he kept the old bit, because it was good, I was going to put a new galv one on mine, but I know better now I know my way around a Landy a learnt a lot over the years, so I will try and keep it as is, but now its hard for me to drive, and I still want to drive it around as a daily drive, so needs must, power steering, front disk conversion, and a new paint job, and I think it will be a lot less of a struggle got me to use it, or I just have to sell it, and I don't want to do that.
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Hi,
What is the value of an S2, sitting on a properly repaired chassis, with everything else also "sorted".
Seeing as non-running rust buckets are being offered for £2,000+, are presumably sold for close to that .... ???
And how many "Complete Restorations" are started, but never finished?
Barbara's Reliant Sabre 6GT chassis required an estimated 100 hours of welding, at £15 per hour, nearly 40 years ago. I have read that it is now worth £40,000. But then, they only made about 70 Sabre 6s (plus a lot more Sabre 4s). Google RELIANT SABRE 361WYD IMAGES
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