Rust in MOT history?

[ti325]

Love the look of this on eBay but a quick trawl through the MOT history shows it has had some fairly major rust issues in the last 10 years. Clear MOT now so someone has put the work in, but is that history worth walking away over or just one of those things?

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/114305112791

Never had one of these before, not wanting to buy a complete lemon.

[drmike37]

There’s a pretty good vid on YouTube by Britannia restorations showing you what to look for.
From the pics the doors don’t look as solid as the description says....
I’m also suspicious that there are repair panels in the bulkhead.

And just a personal hate, it’s not a defender!

[Turn7]

Thats a right old mish mash of bits......

B plate would have had 2.25 Petrol or Diesel or maybe 2.5 TD, CERTAINLY not 200 TDI.

Rear X member
Chassis outriggers
Bulkhead
Footwells
Door bottoms
Fuel tank

All well known issues with old LR;sm especially Off roaders.......

LR bits are generally quite cheap, but offroaders will eat Propshaft UJ's. brakeshoes (cant see a rear disc conversion) and steering components.

I bet the whole chassis is slowly rusting away internally, as it really doesnt look like its been loved.
.
Proceed with extreme caution.

Edited by Turn7 on Thursday 16th July 22:03

[The Wookie]

If you know what you're looking for I wouldn't fear rust in an MOT history.

That said, I know you can't judge a book by its cover with Landys and that there are plenty of lovely looking trucks snotted together with filler and newpaper, but the overspray on the side of the instrument binnacle would be enough to put me off!

Plus the bulkhead looks a bit crusty on the outside and they've avoided getting an angle on the inside where you can see it below the A-pillar which where it usually disappears.

It might be an honest truck worked on by a competent owner who didn't have the kit to paint it well, but alternatively it might be a big green layer of adhesive to hold a large, square pile of brown powder together.

Edited by The Wookie on Friday 17th July 09:18

[ti325]

Thanks all for your sage advice. I feel like I probably have a lot more to learn before taking the plunge with any degree of confidence!

[chrisch77]

Unless there is evidence that a 35+ year old Defender has had a recent (pref galvanised) chassis replacement then I would run a mile. All the other typical rust areas can be fixed but if the chassis is crusty then there's a major project coming.

[drmike37]

My dad and I bought a project series 3 many years ago. The middle part of the chassis was made of chicken wire and polyfilla. From the outside it looked OK!!!!

Learning to weld was always part of the plan, luckily.

This particular truck doesn't strike me as a great 1st Land Rover, unless you want a project.