As a premier Defender builder, we often get asked how you can tell if a Defender restoration was done right? Well, luckily for you lot, earlier this year, we received a Defender 90 that had been poorly “rebuilt” by an Auto shop and, as a result, sent to us for a complete overhaul. As soon as the D90 rolled off the delivery truck, the mistakes were evident, and we sought out how to help future Defender buyers be aware of the same poor quality restoration. We’re going to break down exactly what was done wrong with this build with the before and after slides.

We could say that ultimately the first error made was having the custom Defender rebuilt at a regular auto-shop instead of a custom shop dedicated to restoring Defenders specifically. The Defender is a fairly old vehicle, and having the knowledge of ensuring every bolt is properly in place takes years of experience. That being said, E.C.D. does offer an overhaul service for those looking to restore their Defender. If you want your build done right, shipping it to us is your first step in the right direction.

A ‘little’ alignment goes a long way

As old as Defenders are, when they are rebuilt, the seams should still match up around the build to prevent leaks, rust, and other damage done to the build. By looking at the first ‘before’ slide, you can see that this build’s door jambs and rubber sealing were completely misaligned. This means when it rains, the client is also going to feel the rain, and not from an open window. The doors should be able to close properly, be level without gaps, and be aligned with the rest of the build’s body. 

Great alignment doesn’t just apply to doors and windows when circling your restored custom build, the bolts and rivets should match up as well. Looking at the before on this build, you can see some of the bolts have simply been screwed into place with no care whether the bolt holes and the bolt itself are lined up correctly. This is another way for water and rust to sneak into your build and destroy it over time. These small details tend to have the most significant impact, and they are one of the main reasons we have so many quality control checks in place as a build moves through the line at E.C.D.

Paint like a professional

As the build came off the truck for delivery, we could see that the paint had already begun to warp, crack, and peel due to both the poorly aligned body and a poor paint job. Since the installed wide-body kit wasn’t bolted properly, water got into the tight spots and started peeling up the already poorly laid paint. Re-painting a custom Defender is a painstaking process. So much so that we built our own custom state-of-the-art paint facility (affectionately known as The Lab) so that we could handle all of our paint in-house. The process of stripping and prepping for the paint itself holds the brunt of the work. Without a proper foundation and surface, the paint has nothing to stick to, and warping, running, and peeling are soon to follow. We also take the time to paint each part of the build individually, ensuring they all have an even smooth coating before we paint the build’s body. With this particular build, the client chose a rather bold and bright paint color, which we tackled successfully (see the after).

Everything has a place, but not everyone can ‘custom fit’

At E.C.D. doing custom Defenders right is something we pride ourselves on. When we restore a build, we ensure every part fits the build like it was always meant to be there from the beginning. We don’t just blindly install bolt A into hole A and call it a day, we look at the build’s fit as a whole and work to that. At the auto-shop, this build got the Ikea directions style of fitting, and it shows. Misshapen holes were cut to fit random parts for reasons unknown. At the rear of the truck, you can see two rectangular holes were cut to fit two rear spotlights. 

While rear lights are a popular feature for custom Defenders, there’s a proper way to install them. With this build, the lights were set into the wonky body cuts like an inlay. Not only did the vehicle’s body get mangled in this process, embedding the lights ensures that water and leaks are bound to happen. This not only looks terrible, but it’s terrible for the build overall. This same style of “install” was also done for the build’s back-up camera. A hole was cut, that we later had to outfit properly, and the camera was in-set into that hole, without proper paint surrounding it, so the surrounding for the camera began to rust. We properly fitted the new back-up camera in a more discrete spot location on the build, with the right accessories. 

Inside this build, the headliner was a one-size-fits-all. It was simply bolted in with no concern for looks or proper installation. The headliner unevenly wraps the upper windows and the sunroof, so much so you can see the metal of the build’s body in certain places where the headliner doesn’t reach. E.C.D. having its own upholstery team in-house, means we take the time to make sure everything within the build fits it perfectly as if it just came off the line. We then make sure everything is even and covered, because to us, looks matter quite a bit when you’re getting a restored custom build. 

Under the Hood

Under the hood and in other places, unseen, messy wiring and problematic installs ran amok on this build. We believe in quality throughout; whether or not it’s a facet of the build, the client may never even look at. Having a clean engine, transmission, and electrical wiring install makes it easier for the owner to get any service or upgrades done to their vehicle in the future. With its new LS3 engine, this build is free to drive to any GM dealership nationwide for service as needed, so we like to make sure anyone working on the truck can tell what is what, and wires don’t just fall out in a spider web of a mess. 

We aren’t an Auto-Shop

At any point in the day, one thing about E.C.D. is clear: we aren’t the Auto Shop down the street. We value the quality of the details. Clients from all over the US have sent us their builds in hopes of turning it into the custom luxury SUV they’ve always wanted to share with their friends and families. This isn’t just a “whatever works” vehicle for them, it’s a vehicle that was custom built to fit their lifestyle and bring new adventures to their driveways. We’re excited for this lovely little Defender 90 as it comes off the line and is a custom done right, as the client always imagined it would be.

Ready to get your restored custom build done right? Email [email protected], and we can show you around some of our best custom Defender restorations, and we challenge you to take a close look at the details.