This is not a frame off restoration project where every nut and bolt is replaced and the truck comes out better than when it was originally built. This is a high-end restomod. I think a little wear and patina fits this car better than it being a garage queen. With that said there are three things that have always driven me nuts and that I have spent countless hours trying to figure out and improve.
making the doors fit better with tight seals (let’s be clear a Land Rover is never waterproof but it should be highly water resistant)
the mystery non-OEM C pillar bar that is very functional but not the stock padded NAS bar
a soft top that is as quite as possible
I can’t explain why my doors did not fit well, but I finally have them nearly perfect. It took Exclusive British European 3-4 hours of bending, adjusting, rebending, and readjusting but they did it. My doors are tight, latch well, are mostly waterproof and nearly air tight. This is no small accomplishment for a 94 soft top Defender with 2 part doors. As it turns out the bottom half needed hinge adjustments and the top half needed bending (in) to match up to the door frame better. I could not be happier with the result. The paint was slightly damaged in the process on one door but it is an easy fix with a respray. Before the Defender watch dogs jump all over me….keep in mind my truck has already been resprayed.
BEFORE
AFTER
I have given up trying to figure out the C pillar. What I have is strong, works well, looks fine, and not worth chasing any further. The mystery gives the truck character. If I ever come across a NAS safari cage in good shape that I can pick up I will. And if my non-stock C pillar bothers me later I could always spend a ton of money and get the Rovers North remake. But like I said, this is not a frame off restoration project. This is about making the Defender a nice driver. This is an old picture as the rear jump seat have been replaced with an OEM rear bench. But as you can see my C pillar is all metal while all the other parts of my cage are padded…and no my C pillar is not simply missing the padding, it never came with any. I have even talked to Safety Devices who manufactured the cages for Land Rover and they claim this is not their product.
For the soft top I have a fix. I just need to work with an upholstery shop to add 6 straps and one flap which will turn this Exmoor top into an Exmoor / Badger hybrid design of my own making. It will be the best of both designs and make it as quite as possible. More on that later once I get the work done.