One of my favourite photos of Dorothy is of her and “Ol’ Blue” (Dick’s 1988 One-ten V8 County) in a Tesco car park, in Gliwice, Poland.
It’s February and it’s cold.
And if you look carefully, you’ll spot the gaffer tape around the front vents.
This isn’t to cover any rust. It’s a futile attempt at keeping out the cold.
When you’ve got interior heating measured in ‘candles’ and you’re in a country that lives in sub-zero temp’s during Winter, it really is futile to try and keep a Land Rover Series 3 heated. And you want to do EVERYTHING you can.
Fast forward to today and Dorothy’s still got gaffer tape around her front vents, but for different reasons this time.
Her bulkhead already needed a spot of working on when we went to Poland – the inevitable rust creeping in. And that was before she was laid up, outside, uncovered, and exposed to the crappy British weather for 2 decades.
These days, the gaffer tape’s there to stop the bulkhead from falling out (while sealing her to the elements).
Sadly, it’s 20 years too late.
I thought I’d get away with patch panels. But a brief investigation reveals there’s little, below the windscreen, for those panels to weld on to.
Ironically, the original places that needed welding are pretty much the same.
Her bulkhead’s like the proverbial Swiss Cheese.
Except more holes than rust, or metal. Or cheese.
Last thing I want right now is a bulkhead swap. The original idea being: get Dorothy back on the road ASAP.
But… she’s in such a sorry state I can’t see any other option.
I do have one idea, but need to let it percolate in my grey matter a bit more…
… create one, giant, blanking plate for the top half of the bulkhead and weld it in place.
I’ll lose the vents and it wont look great. And it’s not a long term solution.
But is it enough to seal her to the elements, keep her structural integrity, and get her back on the road again? (then carry out bulkhead-swap surgery later down the line)
I dunno.
But here’s a couple more photos of what I’m up against…
This one’s DEFINITELY not for the feint hearted.
Old Landys Rule!
Cheers, Phil.
PS. If Dorothy’s bulkhead IS going to be swapped, it’s not going to be cheap. Galvanised bulkheads are £2k upwards. And sadly they’re not something we sell at the Old Landys Rule! shop. But we do sell some pretty nice swag for those who love Old Landys! Unlike the in-yer-face brashness of modern Defender drivers, we like to keep things subtle yet stylish – just like our Old Landys! See what we mean here: https://shop.oldlandysrule.com