NY Times text:
>"At least 85 percent of all old Land Rovers on the road today are patched
back together with odd parts, just like the American cars in Cuba," said
Charles Kellog, owner of British Northwest Land Rovers in Olympia, Wash.,
which does restorations rather than patch-ups. "They are owned by people
who don't have a clue how beautifully and magnificently a properly turned
out Land Rover can run."
TeriAnn wrote:
>Reading many of the brags on this list about things used to keep many
lister's Rovers moving (I'm not considering field repairs) I almost
think he is right. Many people on the list seem to have, with great
pride, taken bodging to a high art form. There seem to be a lot of
people who go way out of their way to keep from using Land Rover parts
to fix things. Not everyone of course but a very noticeable number.
I have never met Mr. Kellog, so I have no idea how he regards
unrestored vehicles. I don't know if he's a purist and shudders
at the thought of parabolic springs, disk brake conversions, etc. If
he is, then I can see how he could make the first part of his comment,
as there are probably very few totally stock Series left in the world,
let alone the US. However, this "patching" is not unique to current
owners. I had changed the dash, built a storage box in place of the
right rear seat, installed a hinged access panel in the wing over the
clutch master, added instruments, etc. to my SIII within the first four
years of owning it from new. I suspect most Series have been "altered"
at least a little by their owners, even when the vehicles were relatively
new.
It is the second part of his comment that I take issue with. First of
all, I would never use the word "magnificent" in describing how a
Series runs, even a brand new one. Certainly not one with a
stock Rover engine, be it diesel or petrol. These engines can
run very well and very reliably, but they sure weren't magnificent
even in their heyday. The brake design isn't any worse today
than it was thirty years ago. It's adequate now, and it was
adequate then. But that's all. His implication that Series
Land Rovers were noble steeds until the current crop of
owners got their hands on them is bullshit. They were
okay vehicles to start with, but nothing more than that.
As to his "owners without a
clue" comment, I'm sure there are Series owners who fit
that description. The ones who pay inflated prices for the
vehicles certainly do. But I have a feeling there
are people on this list alone- TeriAnn, Alan Richer, Frank Elson, and Peter
Hope come to mind- who's knowledge of Land Rovers at least
equals Mr. Kellog's, if not exceeds it by a considerable margin.
Rebuilding them for a couple of decades does not automatically
mean you know everything there is to know about them. I've never
heard if Mr. Kellog's interest in Land Rovers extends to using them,
or if his primary interest is in the restoration. You can learn a lot from
taking them apart and putting them back together again, but you probably
learn more by using them and dealing with them in the real world outside
the shop.
I had heard as far back as the late 1970s-early '80s about Mr.
Kellog's operation in Olympia. Even that far back, his reputation among
other US parts suppliers and LR mechanics was that while
his work was extremely good, his prices, even parts prices, were
considerably out of line. So that aspect of his business does not seem to
have
changed. But he's been in business a long time, so unless he's
independently wealthy, he's obviously read his segment of the
market correctly.
>Check the prices at East Cost Rovers. A full restoration takes a LOT
of labour and new parts.
TeriAnn is certainly correct about this, particularly for a vehicle or
machine
where some things are very difficult or impossible to obtain new. I would
not be surprised if the cost of replacing all the moving parts on a Series
with
new or rebuilt units approaches or even exceeds $10,000. I don't know what
Mr. Kellog uses for a shop labor rate. At most of the car dealerships
around
here, the rate runs from $65-$100, depending on the status of the car. So
a week's worth of work is going to amount to $2,600 to $4,000. How long
does it take to dismantle, clean, strip, replace all bad parts and
fasteners, prime,
repaint, rewire, and reassemble a Series? More than a week, I think. Work
on it
two or three or four weeks, and you're looking a pretty fair labor charge.
So I can see how
the cost of a total restoration to create a virtually new vehicle can get up
there
in the $20,000-plus range. Whether or not a Series Land Rover is actually
worth
this is not the issue. It's simply a matter of doing the math- parts costs
plus labor costs.
Roll in a profit, and I can see how you could get up to $30,000 for a full,
like-new
restoration with zero time on all the moving components. But I have a tough
time seeing
that value attached to what is, in essence, a tool box with wheels. We're
not talking
a Jaguar E-type here, or a '57 Chevy. On the other hand, I've owned one
since
you could buy them new off the lot, so perhaps it's impossible for me to
identify with
the desire among today's non-owners to want one. After almost 30 years,
there's certainly nothing magic or romantic about the vehicle to me
It would be interesting to know
how today's wealthy purchasers of Mr. Kellog's vehicles react when their
"new"
Land Rovers start leaking oil, needing tuneups, blow hub seals, burn valves,
and so
forth after a few years. My new SIII went four years before the first oil
leak.
But once they started, they never stopped coming. It would also be
interesting to
know how Mr. Kellog's immaculate restorations hold up under the pressure of
modern buyers to keep up with traffic. Or maybe the people who pay
$30,000-plus
for a restored Series never intend to drive it much at all.
___________________________
C. Marin Faure
(original owner)
1973 Land Rover Series III-88
1991 Range Rover Vogue SE
Seattle
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