Blog – Page 8 – OverLand Rover

Getting Ready to Paint 2: Picking a Sprayer

Getting my 15-year old Land Rover Defender painted is proving to be full of challenges, one of them is identifying a “sprayer”. Identifying and contacting a painter has been more difficult than for any of the other specialists that I have dealt with. Opere has been my first reference for specialists ranging from mechanics, bodywork and electrical , but the painting is in a different order because, obviously, there is no paint oven under Opere’s tree. Over the course of the past few months whenever I have broached the subject of painting with him to try to nail down that phase of the project he never seemed very interested. Strange because there are frequently one or two Defenders in his yard that look like they are just about to go for painting or have just come back from painting. It was only when he realized I had found the Sikkens shop and had gotten a price he focussed. As he always does, he stressed the importance of ensuring I was going somewhere that would do a good job, but did not promote anyone he knew. When I told him who I was talking to and how much they had quoted he seemed to relax, either because he was satisfied that this was a good place, or that he could not beat the price and still take a cut that would make it worth his effort.

My former colleague Stephan had recommended Sikkens, a name which is well-known for paint around the world, as a place that had done a very good job for him at a reasonable price. He said he had his Defender painted “at Sikkens”, so assumed was a business somewhere in Accra. I saw his Defender and it looked great. Since then everyone, including Opere, has recommended that I use Sikkens Autobase paint, but is clear they are not recommending any one place. Rather they each seemed to have their own favourite “sprayer”, all of whom may use Sikkens paint. I was left wondering if “Sikkens” was a place in Accra as Stephane has led me to believe, or just a brand of paint.

To enlighten myself I turned to Google and searched “Sikkens in Ghana” – there were about a dozen auto paint shops that come up. I noticed that one of these, “Kolours”, was located not too far away from where I live so I went by to have a look and talk to them. The first thing I noticed when I pulled up was that the name “Kolours” did not appear anywhere on the front of the seemingly small storefront operation, rather it featured “SIKKENS”, as if that was the name of the shop. I sent an email to Stephane with description of the location and he confirmed that this was in fact where he had had his vehicle painted. So there is no one “Sikkens” it is rather a network of places that happen to distribute Sikkens paint, and which probably have to undergo certain training and maintain certain quality standards in exchange for the name.

The manager of “Kolours” is Bernard, a personable Ghanaian who each time I go back to look at colours, or ask questions, he says, “I’m ready”, his subtle way of reminding me that it has been well over a month since I first spoke to him and said I was going to bring it in for the paint. The problem is I keep finding reasons to delay, I am not really ready to paint yet.

I have had three informal quotes on painting, Opere and Francis have cited numbers, but without the benefit of any close look at the details of what it is I want to do (Iie. everything has to come off before painting, two colours outside, one inside and bottom paint). I have only given those details to Bernard, and his price is the same or only marginally higher than the quick quotes I got from Francis and Opere. What also swings it in Bernard’s favour is that I know one satisfied customer, and the Kolours shop looks very clean and well run. I will use them, but follow Stephane’s advice to monitor the work closely myself. But we are not ready to paint yet, there is still an undercarriage to clean up, and a few niggly pre-paint details.

Ghana Customs Shock

To date, apart from a few things procured locally, the primary source of parts to rebuild our 1995 Landrover Defender has been two shipments from Famous Four http://www.famousfour.co.uk/ in England. This is how we got almost all the brakes and clutch parts, the rear half axles, the wheel bearings, the tie rod ends, the door seals, the aluminum chequerplate panels, the heavy duty shocks, etc. Those shipments came into Ghana with greater ease and speed than I had expected in March and April, delivered to the front door of the embassy within two weeks of sending from the source.

I started compiling a list of things for a third shipment in June to cover a few mechanical pieces that I had missed in the earlier shipments, as well as some interior and exterior finishing pieces. The third shipment is relatively small and includes relatively inexpensive, yet vital pieces that are not available or are very expensive locally. It includes: the fuel sender (the piece in the tank which which measures the fuel level for the fuel gauge which I discovered had been removed from this vehicle at some point); the bonnet release cable and device; a handbrake cable that is too expensive here; a new set of floor screws, tie rod ends (that I should have ordered the first time); and some mechanical pieces like bushings for the rear A-frame that were not part of the bushing kit I got in the first shipment. more body pieces (aluminum chequerplate for the hood, screws to tighten up some of the body plates, new exterior lights to replace the old ones that might work and look OK now but will look really old when we repaint the body. I also bought new front seat foams and covers from Exmoor Trim in England (www.exmoortrim.co.uk) . One of the reasons why I wanted to do our own vehicle is that I did not like the way they did the interiors here, the seats were particularly frightening. However, this shipment did not include any soundproofing even though much of the delay in finalizing the order resulted from my own indecision about the various options for the stuff. In the end I concluded that all things considered England would not be the optimal choice for soundproofing for us(see separate “sound reduction puzzle” post).

This shipment has demonstrated how the reliance on externally-sourced parts makes my schedule vulnerable to delays beyond my control. There were already delays due to my own indecision and effort to include as much as possible in this shipment before finally finalizing the order in late July. When mid-August came and I had not heard anything I went back to Famous Four to ask for a sitrep. The next day I received a phone call from TNT in Ghana to say the shipment had arrived in Ghana but was being held in at the airport by the Customs and Excise and Preventive Service (CEPS) and that I would need to present myself at the airport in order to clear it. This had not part of the process in any of the previous shpments, neither of the two Famous Four shipments or the early investment in outfitting gear we had shipped back from South Africa last December incl. a mobile fridge before we even owned the vehicle. I have to wonder how long the things had been in Ghana before TNT deemed to phone me, perhaps prompted by a call from Famous Four. As it turns out this was just the beginning of series of problems with both TNT and CEPS that would combine to seriously delay the delivery of this shipment.

I took a morning off work to go to the airport cargo area and on arrival at the entrance was besieged by people asking where I was going, one fellow just got into my front seat uninvited and said he would show me where TNT was. It turns out everyone there is looking for a cut in the process. When I got to the TNT office I was informed that I had to pay a “handling charges”, even though my shipping fees with Famous Four were to take it to the door. DHL, who had handled the two previous shipments, had on both occasions delivered the goods no problem to the High Commission without delay. I declined paying the handling fees and left the airport and sent a message to Famous Four to seek clarification about shipping/handling costs. The next day I got a phone call from a manager at the local TNT office (with a strong British accent) to apologize for the confusion, there would be no handling fee, but I still needed to clear Customs.

A couple of days later I went back to the airport and went through the same process of having someone jump into the front seat. This time I was well received at TNT by the same person who had asked me for the handling fee the previous occasion, who this time just escorted me to the small office of a CEPS officer at the end of the warehouse. Despite the modest office the CEPs officer had an air of assurance and authority and people around certainly deferred to him. After we were introduced he looked at the documents the TNT person had given him and asked if these car parts were for official purposes or my personal use. I decided it would be tough to convince him these were official auto parts and indicated it was for my personal vehicle. He said that even though I was a diplomat entitled to duty-free import of personal possessions, how did he know I did not have a Ghanaian girlfriend I was bringing in car parts for? I said I did not appreciate being accussed of abusing my diplomatic privilege, that I was obliged to respect laws and protocol, just CEPS was obliged to respect the Geneva Convention. He said that since this was for personal not official use I would have seek the approval of Ghana’s the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. I was not sure that was true but it did not seem totally improbable and I decided there was nothing to be gained from challenging him and said I would be pleased of course to follow any required procedures. While he was telling me about the procedure I had to follow, he also wanted to impress upon me how long the procedure could take, as if I had some choice.

The reason for his making the point about how long the process could take became clear only after I had agreed to go for MFA clearance and left his small office at the end of a warehouse and was walking acrosss the yard. As I neared my car I was approached by a fellow I had noticed in the warehouse when I first came in. He repeated the Customs agent’s refrain that it could take a long time to obtain the clearance, but that he thought I could get the goods that day if I was prepared to pay the duty. I asked if he knew how much the duty would be. He said 250 cedis, the equivalent of about $170. I don’t think my shipment was worth that much, and the fact that I was having this conversation in the parking lot with a fellow in jeans and T-shirt, who also asked me how much I wantd for my Subaru Legacy that we were standing beside, helped me realize that I had just been asked for a bribe.

For better or worse, I have had a long-standing personal and professional commitment against paying bribes. In my experience this has been the position of Canada’s Department of Foreign Affairs (DFAIT) and of CIDA where I work, and I am no stranger to waiting out delays required to clear our personal effects upon arrival in other postings because we don’t pay bribes. I declined the offer of paying the “duty”, saying I preferred to do it properly. Interestingly, about the same time as we were trying to clear this shipment newly-arrived diplomatic staff at the High Commission were also being subjected by CEPS to unusually long delays in processing their personal effects at the Tema Port, in at least one instance there had been an approach that sounded like a request for a special payment. Despite Ghana’s relatively positive governance image when compared to other African countries, corruption remains a significant development challenge. Certainly corruption persists within CEPS.

Later that day when I spoke to CHC Admin they said indeed it was not out of order for CEPS to ask for MFA clearance and this was part of CHC Admin’s duties. It would take a couple of weeks to get it. Fortunately CHC has the knowledge of the process and people to facilitate this and I was hoping to get my hands on the goods just before Laura and I were scheduled to depart for a two-week Egyptian vacation. We got the clearance about three weeks later and TNT came to the CHC to pick up the formal approval MFA and presented it to the CEPS officer at the agent. By 7PM on the Friday of the weekend we were scheduled to leave it was delivered to our house. On Saturday I was able to get the parts and vehicle to Opere’s shop under the tree where he, Paani the “welder”, and Eric the electrician were able to work on their respective pieces while we were out of the country.

The implications of the problems that I had with this shipment are not limited to the delay of more than a month. I now have a much more cautious attitude toward any future shipments and will be more willing to source second hand or more expensive new parts locally rather than importing and risking having to deal with CEPS again. Fortunately the only offshore things we still need are a few items for expedition outfitting. I was able to get some from Offroad Egypt(separate post coming), and we should be able to pick up most of the rest of what we need on a shopping trip planned to South Africa at Christmas and bring it back with us.

As I write all the mechanical parts have now finally been installed, Phase I of the electrical work is underway (separate post coming) and Paani has finished the pre-paint body work.

Getting Ready to Paint 1 Picking a Colour

Defenders are basically trucks and usually coloured appropriately truckish. Maybe it is the military origins honed by years of utilitarian uses. That is reflected in the LRs one sees around Accra. Dark Grey, Dark Blue. Dark Green.

However, in Ghana lately the most popular colour for the rebuilds coming out of Opere’s shop seems to be white. That may well have been inspired by my colleague Stephane who had his Defender done that colour last year and it generated a great deal of positive comment. It makes for a very pretty truck. However, we are looking for something a bit less pretty, more truckish. Somehow the idea of touring the Sahel region of Africa in a bright white truck that stands out from everything else does not quite seem appropriate.

A great many of Opere’s rebuilds end up white

After looking at lots of choices, reviewing colours on-line and going by paint shops to see what they offer we shifted our preference a few times. We hovered on white for a fair bit, shifted to burgundy for a short bit, and then finally settled on what the Land Rover official colour scheme calls NATO Lightstone. Right in the military tradition. In more common terms one might call it Tan, or Caramel. Some chips we have seen call this Sand, but that is misleading. The vehicle already seems pretty sand-coloured. We have chosen, or at least we hope we have chosen, something darker and more vivid. This choice was inspired because we saw one drive by (without our camera in hand). With a white roof and white wheels it will look very sharp, but not so sharp it will look terribly out of place in Ougaudougou or Timbuctu. We have no photos yet, but here is a neat site that we used to test colours. Try the Desert Sands in the bottom left-hand corner of the chart, on the 90/110. https://paintman.co.uk/shop/nato-light-stone-satin/ That is the only way you get to see the colour now because we do not have any examples

Every tow truck one sees in Ghana is an old Series Land Rover

Picking a colour is the easy part. In Ghana even getting a vehicle painted comes equiped with its own socio-cultural nuances. I have a “welder” who does the body work and who is responsible for getting the vehicle ready, but only up to a point. The “sprayer” does more than just paint, but it is really tricky to figure out where the welder’s responsibility ends and the “sprayer’s” responsibility begins. During the bodywork the welder (Paani – see separate post) went through the vehicle and straightened crooked pieces, replaced rusted parts, punched out and filled dents and sealed any unwanted screw holes. But when he finished he left the fill sections a bit rough on purpose. That, I learn has to be done by the sprayer just before the paint goes on, so it is clean and there is no water that has penetrated the filler. That makes sense once you learn it, but you have to learn it. There is a lot to learn, I have never had a vehicle fully painted before and that fact that it is a fixer-upper truck that I want to convert to something comfortable and attractive means I cannot count on everyone else to bring the attention to detail, I have to do that myself.

Air Conditioning

Ghana is a hot humid country in the tropics, so air conditioning is not an optional feature, we have to have it. The EPA Land Rover is equipped for air conditioning, but after 15 years it is not in great shape. Opere does not do A/C and does not seem to want to recommend someone. I got Francis to put me in touch with someone, Ben from Big-Ben Air Conditioning.

In the process of getting a quote I encouraged Ben to re-use any of the parts, but both he and Francis were quite insistent that to work properly and last the compressor, condenser, evaporator, and hoses should all be replaced. Opere also confirmed that much, so I will bite the bullet. In this case I did not even go to the trouble of getting two quotes; instead I perused the web as a source of wisdom and prices for parts. Ben’s quote was really only a fraction of the price of bringing in new parts: GHC 550 (CAD 300) for a reconditioned air conditioning system – new hoses all round, a new fan belt and the reconditioned compressor, condenser and evaporator – gassed up and ready to go. At that price, we signed a contract with 50% down and 50% on delivery, with a 3 month guarantee. I tried for a hold-back but Ben was not buying that.

When delivered a week later the system seemed to work well, but there were a couple of problems. There was a fair bit of condensation on distribution system in the cabin, and I also noticed that the belt seemed to be fraying on one edge. Then when I was out to see Opere on something else he pointed out that the thermostat had been mounted in the wrong place under the bonnet, up high in front of the fuel filter so that it would not be possible to change the filter without removing the whole housing from the frame.

With those problems obviously I had to call Ben to test the worth of the guarantee I had secured without the benefit of the holdback. It took him a few days to return my call, and when he did finally come by he was not easily convinced the thermostat had been misplaced. However, when I explained the placement Opere had shown me he agreed to relocate it. On the condensation he said that was normal, but could be reduced by the installation of some foam around the interior distribution system for another GHC 30. I offered to deliver the vehicle to his shop, which is located near Kaneshie market. It was interesting to see that this is not a “shop-under-a-tree, he has a whole fenced yard with a gate and a building. I drop it off on a Saturday and grab one of Accra’s dilapidated but affordable taxis back across town through the late Saturday afternoon traffic.

Ben brought the Defender back to me on Tuesday. It is working quite well and the drive is much more comfortable. In addition to re-situating the thermostat and replacing one of the interior vent housings that had been broken before I gave it to him, , he also also insulated the simple, rather bulky interior A/C distribution system for the GHC30 (CDN 20) cost of the foam. We really appreciate the greater comfort this offers, although the effectiveness of the new A/C is temporarily limited by the fact that all the door seals and panels are all off because of the body work in progress so the cool air does not stay in for too long. That will be corrected after we paint and can finish the interior. I do not have unlimited confidence in the reconditioned parts that were sourced from god-only-knows-where, but at least the cost was low enough we can replace a few parts before we get close to the cost of new parts. The additional work of the belt-driven compressor seems to make the engine run hotter, which is no great surprise, and suggests I should also look carefully at the cooling system to mitigate the risk of overheating. But in addition to being more comfortable, the whole vehicle seems to run more quietly, even when the A/C is not activated. Need to get focused on painting, soundproofing and interior upholstery next.

Completion of Phase I of the Body Work

After reviewing a couple of other options I signed a GHC 300 contract with Paani the “welder” for the body work,which included removal and replacement of all the rusted door and floor pieces, removal of the electrical plugs along the roof gutter, repair of the door hinges and loose windows, and straightening/filling/adjusting of the body dents. It was a big job and the contract I did up gave him 3 weeks to complete the work but he had it done in less than two.

Stripped down to gain access to bulkhead and footwells

New footwell on passenger side, note A/C distributor is out

Some before and after pictures are particularly instructive in this case. The one immediately below is of the footwell on the passenger side which was so rusted I could see the road through the left hand side under my feet as I drove. When it rained my feet got wet. I had purchased replacements for both the right and left had side footwells from Famous Four in the UK and had Paani install these. I learned after I had imported mine that Paani also makes these, but the material cost would have been about the same. I think Paani would have preferred I not buy my own because they are harder to install, but they fit well and are a heavier grade of galvanized aluminum than what he has.

New driver's side footwell, in the proces of being installed

Drivers side footwell, rust and all — Driver side footwell, before

A big part of what Paani had to do was restore the bottom of the door frames. A classic issue with Land Rovers is rust that appears where the aluminum body sheets come into contact with the steel door frames, especially at the bottom because that is more exposed to wet conditions. He cut out the entire bottom of all the door frames and replaced this with galvanized pieces he makes.

Paani the welder with a restored door, note the new metal at the bottom

The rear “safari door” got special treatment. Paani advised me that where the spare tire is mounted on the rear door it is not uncommon for the door frame to bend or break, particularly if the vehicle has been driven on lots of bad roads. Ours is a good example of this, when the rear door closed with the tire on it shook as if it were going to fall off. Not any more, Paani repaired and re-inforced the door and it now closes very smoothly.

Repaired and reinforced rear safari door

The door work included taking all the doors off and remounting them. Paani showed me if you open a door and stand at the end and move the door up and down you can notice a bit of wiggle, which indicates wear in the hings and mountings. That wiggle is now gone. He also replaced all the exterior door hinge screws, using a replacement set I had imported with my second shipment from Famous Four in the UK. This is as much appearance as anything, it will pay off when it comes time for repainting as many of the screw heads were showing signs of rust.

One of the delights of this phase of the restoration has been working with Paani He fulfilled all the terms of his contract and surpassed these in several ways. Our contract did say he had to replace all rusted metal, but when I wrote that I did not realize how much there was to replace and which I only notice as I go around and see all the new metal in the bulkhead, doors and elsewhere he has put in. He also straightened a bend in the front bumper that I had not even noticed until he showed me he had straightened it. He also reseated the side door sills that 15 years of abuse had left a bit loose and off-kilter. Not in the contract at all was the removal of all the door panels and roof lining that he had to do to complete the work. He has all the pieces neatly stored in a corner of a shed at Opere’s Shop under the tree; perhaps I should be nervous something is going to get lost, but I’m not. Paani is a charming, consientious young man who takes great pride in his work. It is a pleasure to work with him and he is certainly going to benefit from a good “dash” for the work he has done for me.

The fender the elephant must have sat on

Dent hammered out and filled, before sanding

So all the basic metal work and external body work is done. The reference in the title of this post to “Phase I” of the body work is less a reflection of a pre-conceived multi-phase plan than it is the simple recognition that there is still more body work to do. Paani still has to fill the holes in the cargo bay as per contract before I can pay him his holdback, and there is also the not-so-minor matter of cutting out the rear wheel wells to allow installation of rear seats from a Land Rover Discovery to make the back seat more comfortable (I hope to do a separate post on this). I am also discussing with Paani the options for the door “steps” which also deserve a separate post. Then there are a few other details that will come back after painting, like the installation of the 3mm aluminum chequerplate on the fenders and bonnet, and perhaps a few 2mm decorative sheets in places like the sills and bumper tops. But that all needs to be kept on the back burner for now, first I have to organize a few electrical touches and the painting of course.

Pre-Restoration Condition of the Body

Now that the basic mechanical work is done it is time to shift attention to the body. I have now had plenty of time to sit in, climb over and think about the vehicle to develop some ideas of what to do and how to do it.

The body is certainly in worse-than-average- condition for a Land Rover this age. There is a terrific amount of rust on the driver side footwell, and at the bottom of a couple of the doors. There are dents in most of the doors and panels that need to be knocked out and/or filled, although these are not serious. All the doors and windows are functional, if a bit sticky. The front fenders look like an elephant sat on them, after taking a roll in the mud.

The interior is pretty trashed, the front seats have little or no cover left, the rear cargo space seats are bent and soiled, there are seemingly random holes drilled in the floor that no doubt served some purpose in support of the public education/awareness-raising that this purpose-built vehicle was supporting. The windows rattle. What really impresses me is how much dirt there is. In every nook and cranny of the body, the dash the engine compartment, there seems to be 15 years of accumulated dust and grime. I have started to clean the dash but the dirt just keeps on coming.

Cargo Bay Will Become Focal Point for Outfitting for the overland trip

Opere refers to his body person as “the welder”, which led to some misunderstanding at first. He kept saying I had to come back when the welder was there to talk about the body work. Not the first application I associate with that trade, but of course Defender bodies are (were) all aluminum, there is absolutely no fibreglass in this vehicle at all.

The idea is now to strip the body completely inside and out, remove or cut away all parts that show any rust (lower portions of the metal door frames and the footwells) and replace these with new galvanized metal, then straightening and filling dents, before priming and repainting. This is work that in North America or Europe would be too expensive for me to even contemplate, if I could find someone who could do the work. In Ghana they are so accustomed to keeping old vehicles on the road that the skills are in abundance, and they are affordable. I have quotes on the body that are so low I am embarrased to repeat them.

Here is a first general list of the things that need to be done to the body, exclusive of any soundproofing/cosmetics/expedition prep:

Removal of all seats and interior fittings
Removal of exterior fittings
Removal and replacement of rusted metal (doors, footwells, bulkhead)
Removal of most of the six electrical outlets located along the side of the roof
Removal and/or Fill of all dents and scratches
Filling of all drill holes left in cargo bay by previous owner
Primer, interior and exterior
Painting, interior and exterior
Re-installation of interior and exterior fittings
Replacement of all door hinge screws
Installation of aluminum chequerplate on fender tops and bonnet
Installation of new door seals
Removal of electrical box in rear wheel well. This was a feature I initially found potentially useful, but all we will need is a couple of good lights on the roof rack, I can better use the wheel well space for additional fuel and water storage.
Replacement of all interior and exterior fittings

Opere has a bodywork person (the “welder”) within his stable of specialists (Paani) that I have a quote from on the above that is so reasonable as to beggar belief. GHC 550, or about CAD 363. I have obtained a quote from another fellow who seems quite professional but is a much more costly (GHC 1200). I have seen a lot of the work that Paani has done and it is seems a good result, and I have watched him work. He is very good, why risk a higher price on an unknown bidder, when I know the low bidder does quality work? Of course these quotes do not include painting, that is done by someone else. It is typical of Ghana (of Africa?) that everyone specializes and it is difficult to find people who will quote you a price on a multi-component task. At one point I thought Opere would play this role because he hires these people to do work for him, but he seems to prefer that I deal with them directly. At least this cuts out the middleman, but I have to be careful I am not being given inflated quotes because I am percieved as a dumb foreigner that does not know the market. (a rather accurate perception, actually). I am obtaining two or more quotes for just about everything – painting, body work, interior upholstery, etc) and when the suppliers see me responding to good prices that will help to encourage reasonable pricing for future things.

I am gradually accumulating some body parts for this part of the restoration. I brought in new galvanized aluminum footwells from Famous Four, and as a first investment in the soundproofing I purchased new seals for all the doors. Looking ahead to the expedition prep I have ordered galvanized aluminum fender tops, knowing from our South Africa experience we will spend a fair bit of time clambering up to gain access to the roof rack. Installation of all these latter pieces will come later, after all the other body work is done.

Hey, it works!

On Saturday my daughter Kat and I picked up the Land Rover and brought it home from the shop after Opere had it for over a month for the initial mechanical repairs. Kat drove the Subaru home, I asked her to follow me to watch for smoke from the Land Rover….we even had a race out of a stoplight on Independence Ave…….Kat won.

It feels great to be able to finally drive the Defender after owning it for more than three months and I am already using it for errands. And it drives very well. The clutch works marvelously, the gears almost change themselves from second to third. I am particularly pleased with the smooth ride, in part thanks to the new poly bushings all around (rubberlike cushions that go between any metal parts between the, springs, shock absorbers and chassis). The Bilstein heavy duty shock absorbers that I decided to invest in make for a good ride, a bit stiff but that is fine, the vehicle is lighter now than it ever will be. By the time we add the soundproofing, carpet, roofrack with roof tent and all the expedition gear the heavy duty shock absorbers will pay off in spades. Best of all the motor does not smoke and it has a surprising amount of pickup, which indicates the compression is good. A good run on the highway, and some servicing should help clean up the bit of smoke that blows at take-off. Before I can do that though I have to get it legalized. Gomez the shady vendor has yet to produce the papers that I have to present to the Department of Motor Vehicles to get it licensed. Why do I think this is going to cost me more money?

Of course it is still not quite roadworthy. The signal lights do seem to work, but the brake lights do not, nor do the headlights. It is also very noisy, the body is full of holes and everything rattles and clangs. But this week for the first time since we got it I realize that the whole project just might be feasible, and that is a satisfying feeling.

Opere’s “Shop” Under the Tree

A large part of the inspiration for this project came from my colleagues Stephane and Brian who had each purchased Land Rover Defenders in Accra to restore to take home to Canada at the end of their Ghana postings. Of course the whole idea is only feasible if there is a source of qualified, affordable expertise to do the restoration work, and this is available from Opere and his Land Rover “shop”. He will figure prominently in my own story and provides a wonderful example of African micro-enterpreneurial genius.

Located in East Legon, between the Accra mall where we do a lot of our shopping and the University of Ghana a mile to

Some old Ghana Police Defenders Await Their Turn for Restoration

the north, like many micro-enterprises in Ghana Opere’s “shop” is situated under a large tree, in this case a mango tree. It is just a tract of land about 1000 square metres or a quarter acre, under a power line. The term “shop” suggests a building with a door, roof, maybe some windows, but you can’t find any of those at this shop. There is a table and a bench under the tree, a nearby space where three or four vehicles can be driven up from the road to work on and a very rudimentary hoist arrangement for pulling motors. There is a small shed for storing tools and parts, but all the work is done out in the open. The rest of the area is filled with Land Rover Defenders. ranging from dilapidated hulks that are scavenged for parts to very pretty restorations and everything in between, representing various stages of repair or restoration. There are some that are completely stripped but have just been painted (usually white), others that are having the interiors redone.

Under the tree, looking for parts on-line — Opere and Jonathon under the tree, looking for Landy parts on-line on the laptop

Focussed almost exclusively on Land Rovers and in particular on Defenders, Opere provides a service that is recognized as the place in Accra for the best Land Rover repair and restoration work. A mechanic by training, he is now offering a full service model using specialists in different fields. There is Eric the electrician, Paani the “welder (an important function as the Defender bodies are all aluminum) someone else who does the interiors, etc. There are a few people who work for Opere, mostly mechanics. The other specialists do not appear to be actually employed by him, rather they provide their services to him or his clients on a fee-for-service basis. Opere is the real entrepreneur, he has a valuable sense of customer service and plays the role of guarantor – whenever I seem dubious about something he reminds me that it his reputation that is at stake so I should relax. It is difficult to estimate how many people earn their living there, it may be as many as fifteen or as few as five.

There are two lines of business, one where Opere buys a vehicle and restores it for resale, another for maintenance and repair for Land Rover owners around town. The vast majority of the business seems to be older Defenders like mine, although there are also a few Discoverys (ies?) and Range Rovers that come in as well. It is all very informal, there is no paper, no receipts. If he needs to buy parts to do your job he tells you how much he needs and you front him the money. He has never given me change for anything.

The clients are both expat and Ghanain, but mostly Ghanaian. Ghanaians love Land Rovers, our guard, staff in the High Commission, another mechanic I know, have all separately described them as “very strong vehicles”. The strong chassis and alumimum body have stood the test of time on Ghanain roads, and Ghana still imports a great number of new Land Rovers, although these days they are probably no “stronger” than their Japanese counterparts.

Land Rovers on Laundry Day — Defender Hulks on Laundry Day

Some of the boys that make their living at the shop — Some of the boys that make their living, and perhaps live, at the “shop”

The workspace is typical of informal economy micro-enterprises we have seen in Accra. The heavy-duty tailor who made our sailboat cover last year, or the welder who repaired our barbecue grill, or the furniture maker who did our rattan for the backyard all had similar work areas. Trees constitute an important part of the establishment because they provide shade and shelter, albeit porous, from the elements, and they do so at no cost. Actually, there probably is a cost, each of the prime spots may well have been rented or leased from a traditional Ghanaian chief for a fee, perhaps based on the size of the tree.

Mechanical Condition pre-restoration

Opere and one of his helpers came by shortly after I got the vehicle to look it over closely and after poking around the vehicle for a bit he comes up with a list of parts I need. Before I bought it Opere said it would take about GHC 4,000 to get it into good running order. Much of what is needed he knows without having to look at the vehicle, many of the items he just rattles off from experience that tells him what a 15 year-old Defender that has not been well taken care of is going to need. Brake and clutch parts and wheel bearings fall into this category.

Land Rover_006 — Opere and helper at the house looking it over. Jonathon (wearing a tie because he just popped home from the office for the occasion) has a book to list the needed parts. Does the book have enough pages?

Many of the parts are available locally but they are expensive here and Opere recommends I import them. One of the things I like about this approach is that my mechanic is not recommending something just to sell the parts, and can also tell me when something can be obtained locally. He does not seem to sell any parts This was a tip I initially received from Stephane, my Canadian High Commission colleague who was the original inspiration behind this project who was restoring a Defender when I first arrived in Ghana and is now back in Quebec with his Defender, he put me on to Famous Four, a parts depot based in the UK that specializes in Land Rovers and has a well-tuned mail order operation.

Using the Famous Four website www.famousfour.co.uk I am able to find everything on the list, and in the process familiarize myself with the range of parts that I might want. It is really a great site for Landy parts Some of them are genuine Land Rover parts but most are Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM), from the regular supplier to Land Rover or “after market “ parts made by someone else as a copy of the original part. The prices are not bad, much less than I would pay here and they do not charge VAT on anything exported from the UK. The shipping costs are hefty but the per pound cost declines the heavier the order is, and the weight adds up when you start adding axles and drive shafts.

Opere and I have some interesting communication problems in the process of deriving the list of needed parts. We both speak English, but issues of accent, culture and jargon enter to pose some surprising challenges to my comprehension. Of course a big part of the problem is my less-than-complete mechanical knowledge. I never heard of a “servo” before, or a “slave cylinder”. If I don’t catch something the first time I don’t mind asking Opere to repeat it once or twice but after three times if I still am not sure of what part he is talking about I resort to pretending to understand and then writing down what I think I have heard and searching for it on parts sites on the internet. The best one was “axle”, which I had a hard time with in part because of his accent and in part because it not something I expected to hear that I would need. Apparently the “half-shaft” rear axles had been welded to the drive members, the pieces at the end of the axles that the wheels bolt onto. This left us both shaking our heads in disbelief.

Here is the list of original parts I am ordering from Famous Four. This will get the clutch and brakes and wheels and axles back into good running order. This is not the list Opere gave me, I have augmented it with items suggested by the helpful people at Famous Four, or by Ndoria, a Land Rover mechanic friend in Nairobi that is advising via email.

Clutch Release Arm Fork
Release Arm Slipper Pad
Clutch Master Cylinder
Clutch Slave Cylinder
Clutch Kit, (Plate, cover, release bearing)
Release Bearing Staple
Push Rod Clip
Clutch Flexi-Hose
2 Rear Half Shaft axles
Stub Axle to Axle Case Gasket
2 Stub Axle Oil Seals
2 Drive Members
4 Wheel Bearing Kits
Brake Master Cylinder
2 Rear Brake Caliper Seal Kits
2 Rear Brake Pad Set
2 Front Caliper Seal Kit
Hose Bleed Assembly
Front Brake Pad Set
Bottom Water Hose
By-pass Water Hose
Top Water Hose
Front Drive shaft
4 Hub Dust Caps

The front drive shaft we have to add because there simply isn’t one, perhaps someone found a better use for it. I add a few cosmetic things and items I do not need right away but that I want as part of the restoration or for general service and getting them now will bring the shipping cost down. Including shipping this first parts order will set me back $1200, which sets my total investment to date at $6,300 (including the battery) . At the end of it, with a couple of hundred dollars labour to put it together, I should have a vehicle with a good clutch, brakes and drive train, but which will still require some motor work and many, many other restorations and upgrades, including electrical, interior, and bodywork. I have now obtained a set of Land Rover repair manuals and a restoration book to serve as reference materials, these are proving very handy to my learning process.

Land Rover_008 — There are enough mechanical problems that Opere has to have it pushed out of my yard to start it (the alternator is defective so the battery is dead) to take it off to the shop for the first stage in the mechanical re-build.

Of course the big mechanical item is the motor. It runs but smokes quite badly, which might indicate worn pistons, a cracked block, dodgy injectors, or a blown head gasket. I knew before I bought the vehicle this was going to be a big part of the rebuild. For the motor Opere suggests I consider two options. I can have it rebuilt or I can import a “reconditioned” replacement TDI 300 from Europe and have Opere install it. Opere rebuilds Land Rover motors regularly in his shop under the tree (see separate post), but also brings in reconditioned motors from time to time, he calls them “new”, but they are only new to him. Again, this is a Ghanaian practice, the age of things is really measured from when it comes into the country, a used car might be 20 years old, but it is “new” when it lands at Tema Port. While the “new” motor is a bit more expensive than the rebuild, it is surprisingly affordable and much simpler than the rebuild, where I would have to import all the parts which could involve delays.

I am also nervous about what the rebuild might end up costing if we discover some unknown problem that is not easily fixable and adds significantly to the cost. I am also somewhat apprehensive about a rebuild given that the shop under the tree is not the ideal environment for working with sensitive moving parts. The reconditioned motor also comes with a number of parts that I need, like A/C and an alternator. One of the first decisions I make is to go for the reconditioned motor.

Opere says he has 3 TDI 300s coming in shortly and could install one while I am waiting for the other parts to be delivered. We negotiate quite hard on the price, as the objectivity present in my other dealings with Opere is lacking here (he is selling what he is installing) and I do not have another source. We settle on the Ghanaian equivalent of $2,000, with $1500 up front and $500 payable in one month upon satisfactory performance. Sort of a guaranteed guarantee. When it is done I will be up to $8,300 on my investment, including all the other parts I am ordering. That is still well within budget, but there is still a lot left to do.

Getting Acquainted

Laura and I spent our first weekend just poking around to get to know the layout and condition. We washed off the layers of harmatan dust and took the roof rack and ladder off. Spending time with an older vehicle that you have had no prior knowledge of or experience with is great fun. This one must have been sitting for quite awhile because there is a great deal of dirt on it inside and out. There is also lot of loose pieces, old screws and bolts, cassete tape boxes, – in the battery box, in the glove box, under the seats. Incredibly, we actually found the original owners manual, still intact in its official Land Rover binder. We also found a book of usage tracking showing everywhere the vehicle had been driven between 2004 and 2007. I feel like an archeologist.

We cleaned the interior…..

and took the roof rack off as a first step to getting the body redone…..

There is a sheet of 5/8 inch plywood on the rack that may be as old as the vehicle, it is literally disintegrating.Nevertheless, our gardener and our guard were both standing by to take a piece home with them to support some project or other.

I took all the rear cargo bay bench seats out, I now have quite a pile of Land Rover debris in our carport.