I’ve complted the entire interior and engine refurbishment of my Linley. I wanted to post here the work that has been completed on it so as to allow those interested to see its status.
I did all of the electrical and mechanical work myself in the garage attached to the side of my house. Certainly was a labor of love but there is nothing on a P38 that anyone with a small modicum of mechanical knowledge couldn’t do themselves. I am testament to that. Just takes patience. Biggest piece of advice I would have is to know when to walk away from the job and attack it a different day. And never, ever use the wrong tool for the job.... Patience!
I’m pretty sure that the previous owner had no idea what they were in possession of but having said that the vehicle was a disaster when I bought it. The only thing that motivated me when I saw it for the first time was the LINLEY badge and knowing I had to rescue it.....
The post below is a summary from the day I bought it to about 6 months ago. I’m now waiting to paint it and then she is ready for show. I will post photos once I figure out how to....
Initial quick scan of vehicle shows the following
- Coils put on it without proper wiring harness and as a result all warning light on
- Air lines for suspension were not capped
- Front two seat bases are torn badly
- Front drivers door was replaced. Inside door trim is still with the vehicle
- Key Fobs not working
- Heavy battery drain somewhere
- Original wheels were removed and replaced with 2004 RR wheels. Thankfully the original spare is there so I can color match it when I get replacement Hurricane wheels
- Central locking inop.
- All wiperblades worn to almost nothing
- Rear windows have full black tint that needs to be removed.
- Vehicle has had a Yakahoma roof rack installed that look as out of place as set of Texas steer horns on a Corolla
- Car will have to be fully repainted
- Fluids are black. No metal shavings
- All bushings perished..... all of them
- Rear bumper needs to be replaces. Black tape holding parts of it together. No front damage.
It will be a work project but I hope to have it back to like new within a year. Unbelievable why someone would let a vehicle like this go to ruin....
The right rear sunroof drain plug was blocked causing the runoff to leak on the rear carpeting. This had to be like this for number of years because the carpet foam was soaked through and minging with the scent of old wet socks. Entire car smelt awful. Thankfully the wool carpet was not affected because of a plastic sheeting the factory had between the carpet and undercover. The front pax floor was floating with anti freeze and this was chased back to the Heater Core seals. Previous owner had attempted to get at these but was not successful. Whoever went at it did a great job tearing the plastic trim under the leather covering apart as well as disconnecting the air conditioning vents but did not get to the seals. When i removed them they were hard as stone and so brittle that they ended up in 4 pieces. Found 2 seals for $2 but I can see how a dealership would charge you $$$$ labor. The Forum had a good writeup on changing these seals but for some reason the explanation as to how to get to the screw holding the pipes to the heater core is not ideal. I think that each person must have a different method.... I found that a 260mm long Philips head screwdriver worked well and I made sure not to back the screw out fully. Also I went to engine bay and gave a slight tug on the pipes to help separate them from the heater core. I sanded the connections and reinserted the seals. I also replaced the Heater Core Temperature Sensor while everything was apart. Thats a simple fix and worth the $25 part.
I am starting to redo all the wood trim in the piano black finish and this is a labor of love as it is very time consuming. Also the interior trim panels all needed to have various chips or dings filled in, primed and resprayed in a plastic matt type finish. Fortunately I was able to contact Landcover Special Vehicles in the UK and they have been a big help with matching of finishes etc.
The floor will have any corrosion sanded and primed and I then plan on putting a rust proofing spray on it. All the seat mounts and seat tracks will be sanded, primed and painted to refresh them and even though these parts will be out of sight, I would rather attend to them and make them as like new as possible as I don't plan on removing them again plus its been 16 years since they saw the light of day.
The drivers seat was badly torn and I had a new one made to match the original. I was able to repair the broken wire in the heated seat circuit and this tests as working now.
All electrical contacts on the interior have been removed and points cleaned and sprayed with electrical contact cleaner then refitted. All interior dash lights plus courtesy lights replaced. Once I have the flooring complete I will put a new soundproof carpet pad down and then the refreshed black carpet. I had the carpet redyed after removing and cleaning it and it looks and smells like new again. I have four sets of black lambswool rugs ordered from Scotland at a very reasonable price. These will match the original lambswool rugs that came with the vehicle.
While I was so deep into the interior work I finally decided to completely remove the entire dashboard and trims. There was nothing left inside the car except a blank canvas. Everything was gutted and with nothing inside I was able to sand the entire floor, repaint it and seal it.
Thats the month of February done on the LINLEY.....
Update on restoration
I spoke with Landrover Special Vehicles about the restoration. I was about to be talked into removing the leather roof lining and having it replaced with a new leather lining by a leather tanner in CT but after speaking to LRSV in UK and being informed that the leather on roof was a one off special selection I had it cleaned, conditioned and let to sit in a humified room until it stretched back again and is now in like new condition.
Steering wheel with special silver inserts will be sent to Dallas for refurbishment As it had cracked and became unsightly. This item is the crown jewel of the vehicle in my opinion. The steering wheel came back and the job the refurbishment company did was amazing. I now have it installed and covered in a cloth so as to avoid scratches.
All the wood trim has been refinished back to piano black with all scratches and marks removed. The rear LINLEY badge was reconditioned and is perfect. All five wheels have been powder coated in Shadow Chrome. I had a second rear tailgate LINLEY badge manufactured and this second one will be the one I will place on the vehicle rather than risk the original being stolen.
I have removed and reinstalled a reconditioned complete EAS system that works like new. I removed all the corrosion from the chassis and frame. Four new shocks installed as well as the rotors and brakes. All electrical wires and looms were rechecked for wear and I retailed them all with electrical tape and cleaned all contacts plus replaced any corroded sockets or pins.
I completely overhauled the HVAC system and replaced all 5 Blend Motors plus both blower fans. System works flawlessly.
Heated leather seats have been repaired and all seat leather, along with the glove box, cubby box and rear cargo cover leather has been reconditioned and polished. After having the deep pile black wool carpeting removed, redhead and revealed earlier in the project I reinstalled it over replacement insulation foam. Hood and tailgate struts replaced as well as all interior lights from footwell to dash to HVAC to glovebox. A brand new windshield was fitted and the heated elements work fine.
I removed all the exterior body trim plus front and rear bumpers.
I replaced the drag link, stabilizer bar links, track rod and steering damper.
That's all work done from Feb to July. Majority I was able to do myself and have a good photo journal of the work.
Over next few months I will pressure test the engine and see what I have. Engine will be pulled from its resting place, engine bay cleaned and whatever work needed on engine will be completed.
I rebuilt the engine changing all gaskets etc. New oil and water pumps. New thermostat and all water hoses. Rebuilt EAS with new air hoses. Brand new radiator. New accumulator. The original piano black wooden steering wheel with stainless steel surround ring and inserts will be refurbished and back in the vehicle by the end of October. Engine fired up yesterday for the first time since rebuild with no fault codes and idled for 30 minutes perfectly. I need to remove the EAS cover and refurbish it as its a bit of an eyesore in its current condition. I was able to source a brand new unused jack kit including the foam box. Vehicle is as good as new now. I will need to buy a brand new set of headlamps for $$$ because used ones would not have the sheen and clarity of new ones and would take away from the vehicles overall appearance when its complete. Chasis was completely sanded and Waxoiled. New steering damper, new drag link and track rod assemblies. New brakes. All exterior wheel arch lining plastic clips replaced. All exterior light bulbs replaced. All external moving parts greased. Plugs and leads replaced as was the coil pack.
The paint job is scheduled for the Spring and then it's ready for the road..... I will post photos when it's painted.... parts so far have cost $2789. I'm guessing that the paint job will be about $3000 to $4000 as it will need several coats and sanding between each coat to create the original finish. Labor cost has been zero as I did all the work myself....
I would probably say that this is in all likeliness the most updated P38 in the USA. Almost everything mechanical and electrical has been replaced, cleaned or refurbished. I’m looking forward to the final paint job and to sharing the images with you guys and I’m glad to be here in this site away from the nonsense of the other place....