Piston Broke Posted July 13, 2023 Share Posted July 13, 2023 Apologies if this subject has already been done to death, but my ex-military 1969 SIIA 109" needs a new chassis. Many people recommend Richards chassis, but a friend of mine bought one for his Series I and found brackets and holes in the wrong places, plus the the gearbox cross member not square with the side rails. When this was pointed out to the manufacturer the attitude was basically "there's nothing wrong with our chassis, mate". This was however about ten years ago and I accept that things may well have improved. With all that said, where's the best place to go for a replacement chassis to the military spec for UK delivery? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paul connor Posted July 14, 2023 Share Posted July 14, 2023 I would also be interested in peoples experiences. My 110 requires a new chassis and bulkhead at some stage in the future (1989 110) as for many years I have been chasing the rust around and replacing parts and it has come to the reality that if I want to use and preserve it a new chassis is the better option. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mtskull Posted July 14, 2023 Share Posted July 14, 2023 I’m currently involved in rebuilding a Defender 90 on to a Maer galvanised chassis and initial impressions are very favourable. I’ll give an update as the job progresses. I haven’t done one before but the people who I am helping have done lots of them and they reckon Maer are the best. This has probably been raised before but, a word of warning: Don’t fit a galvanised chassis if there is any possibility that you might one day wish to export the vehicle to the USA. There are exemptions to their regulations which apply to vehicles over 25 years old but if it is obvious that the chassis has been replaced, they no longer regard it as a 25 year old vehicle. Tales abound of Land Rovers being seized and crushed… Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MatchFuzee Posted July 14, 2023 Share Posted July 14, 2023 From 2021:- https://forums.lr4x4.com/topic/110195-new-owner-chassis-bulkhead-question/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ruxy Posted July 14, 2023 Share Posted July 14, 2023 12 hours ago, Piston Broke said: Apologies if this subject has already been done to death, but my ex-military 1969 SIIA 109" needs a new chassis. Many people recommend Richards chassis, but a friend of mine bought one for his Series I and found brackets and holes in the wrong places, plus the the gearbox cross member not square with the side rails. When this was pointed out to the manufacturer the attitude was basically "there's nothing wrong with our chassis, mate". This was however about ten years ago and I accept that things may well have improved. With all that said, where's the best place to go for a replacement chassis to the military spec for UK delivery? Have you tried Marsland ? I understand their intention was to again get more involved with Series chassis. However - you are probably limited to Richards , they seem the only makers in recent years to get involved with S2A inc. military (and there are quite a few variations to civvy basic) - they should by now have a thorough list & yours is probably a Rover 11 (I only know of one person - this is Gavin Fozard & is now in self-employed LR business , somewhere near Ilkley) , who has been involved with a 11 & should know any detail differences to a Mk.9). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Piston Broke Posted July 17, 2023 Author Share Posted July 17, 2023 I've read a number of reviews on Richards, and they are varied to say the least. Some people swear by them, but others list a shedload of fit problems. Seems to be luck of the draw! I spoke to Marsland today and they are apparently getting their SII chassis back up and running in about a year's time, which will include the military spec. As this project is in the queue along with the Jeep and K6, I may well wait until then. Most Marsland reviews seem positive, but does anyone have a different experience? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
10FM68 Posted July 17, 2023 Share Posted July 17, 2023 I used a Richards chassis for my rebuild of a Lightweight. i am certainly not an expert mechanic (or anything else for that matter) but I found it was a perfect match for the old one, was well galvanised, delivered within a very short time and served as a perfect foundation for everything to be bolted back on. They company were easy to deal with, straightforward and pleasant. The thing is, the vast majority of us only ever buy one, so we have no ability to make comparisons. My experience was absolutely fine and I'm sure yours would be too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ruxy Posted July 17, 2023 Share Posted July 17, 2023 With S3 109" - GKN made the chassis for Solihull , when 88" were in production Land Rover made the 88" chassis , when production ceased Marsland received the welding fixtures as they supplied new replacement chassis to Unipart & then LRP&E. Even with S3 chassis for Lightweight odd unrequired bits sometimes were welded on to genuine new chassis - ISTR these were in fact related to some S2A diesels when a battery was mounted at both Port & Starboard. Richards may lack a little history & so getting all perfect will not be easy for them , but they seem to know what they are doing , the ones I have persused looked fine. Some grump because Richards fit Polybush as standard - probably less £ labour involved fitting OEM rubber 'silentbloc' to a chassis that has been galvanised. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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