When this right hand drive, 1992 200TDI Defender 130 high capacity pickup came to us, it had a solid frame, but the body needed some work and it was incredibly bare-bones. It also had 260k original miles on it. We stripped it, pulled the bed, fixed some body rust issues, rebuilt the B pillars and seat boxes and did a full underbody cleaning and coating. The engine was strong, but had a few leaks here and there, so we put in a new rebuilt fuel pump, belts, hoses and gaskets. The engine got an upgraded radiator and larger intercooler, as well as a variable vane turbocharger upgrade.
We wanted to build this truck into a no compromise outdoor sports truck, so we added a fully custom exo-cage, front and rear custom winch bumpers, custom slider and wheel arch protection, all from DOM steel tubing. We then built an all aluminum rear rack/cage and integrated some fuel storage and recovery gear. The truck was originally a dark gray, so we matched the original color and rhino lined the entire exterior of the truck to be extra tough.
But just making it look cool was not enough for us, so we added a roof-mounted M1919 30 cal machine gun on custom mount, as well as a custom winch-powered canoe lift system, so the owner of the truck would be able to load the canoe to the top of the truck with the push of a button. From there, we outfitted the rear bed with custom storage and a dirt bike mount. Locking drawers for the 30cal machine gun slide out toward the rear, and the custom aluminum sealed boxes fit the dirt bike gear and helmets. The areas near the wheel wells were also built into storage for tools, straps and additional recovery gear.
For exterior accessories, we added an awning, lighting all around the truck and two 9k lb winches. We removed and rebuilt the trailer hitch to improve departure angle, and fitted some underbody protection, ARB onboard air system and a rear locking differential.
On the interior, we put in a raptor engineering full aluminum sash, an integrated heater/A/C unit from UK, recovered the seats, added a sweet stereo with sub and some of the creature comforts that the truck was lacking. The owner didn't want to go too flashy, he just wanted a functional, usable truck for some wicked outdoor adventures!
