As the UK’s only manufacturer of top tailgates for Range Rover Classics we are asked repeatedly by our customers to supply many of the items which bolt on to the tailgate frames. Most of these, such as the tailgate side catches, handles and hinges are available from our stocks. Some items have been discontinued and are incredibly difficult to source.

In response to customer demand, we have successfully re-manufactured two previously obsolete parts;

FF007593 corresponds to Land Rover part number 390345 and is the rubber seal which fits to the bottom horizontal edge of the top tailgate. This was fitted to Range Rovers pre-1982 and is the earlier, thin type seal correct for the early 2 door vehicles.

FF009306 is the lever arm section of the link rod for the central locking actuator which forms part of Land Rover part number MXC1391. As it is usually just this arm that breaks, we have re-manufactured this piece as a method of repairing the link rod assembly.

Check out our online ordering webpages for details of how to order.

An auspicious day for our Range Rover restoration project ELA 830J as her bodyshell is now fully prepared and in primer. Top coat of Sahara Dust will be applied next week, and further pictures will follow. Watch this space….!

This is an example not so much of a ‘barn find’ but more of a ‘field find’. A super-early 2 door 1970 Range Rover ‘Classic’ from the very first few weeks of production, chassis number 142 is the latest addition to Famous Four’s collection.

Many original features such as the Bendix brake servo and master cylinder are present. It certainly requires a full restoration but, with the original matching numbered engine and gearbox still intact, represents a challenge well worth undertaking.

The chassis is in need of repair, and the body shell is in a very sorry state of disrepair, but nothing is beyond redemption when it comes to these historically important early Range Rovers. We will either sell it on as a project for a brave enthusiast, or store it in preparation for future in-house restoration.

Pictured is our recovery of the Range Rover by our faithful 110 Utility Land Rover, in the safe hands of Richard Spence, earlier this week.

Not content with a comprehensive and highly detailed restoration of Velar chassis number 10, Famous Four have recently taken on another very early ‘Classic’ Range Rover restoration; chassis number 48, registration ELA 830J.

ELA 830J was the third vehicle to leave the production line in Solihull, and was supplied directly to the Ministry of Technology along with two other Range Rovers, chassis numbered 53 and 54, which were consecutively registered as ELA 831J and ELA 832J. The former was painted in Sahara Dust and the two latter were Masai Red. All three vehicles are extremely important in the history of the Range Rover development.

ELA 830J subsequently became the first ever Range Rover to be evaluated as an ambulance, was displayed as such at Farnborough airshow in 1970, and served for many years with the MoD at Boscombe Down, having been lightly modified by Wadham Stringer to accommodate a single personnel stretcher.

Released by the Ministry in 1985, ELA 830J passed through the Bristol & West Motor Auction group to its new owner, Burnworthy Manor in the Blackdown Hills in Somerset; within 10 days of purchase it was painted in military camouflage colours and was used as part of a high octane military style leisure sport business named ‘Combat Zone’ which operated in the country estate in the 1980s and 1990s. Occasionally it was used to ferry wounded combat players to Musgrove Park Hospital in Taunton suffering severe cuts that needed stitches!

Burnworthy Manor sold ELA 830J on in 1991, and by 1998 it had fallen in to a rather sad (but not unusual for a Classic Range Rover) state of disrepair; body corrosion had worked its way into the frame, and its future hung in the balance. Luckily, its historical importance was recognised, and Brian and Phil Bashall of Dunsfold Land Rovers bought the wreck, with to a view to either save it or as a donor of many rare and unobtainable super-early Suffix A parts.

It was during a trip to DLR’s Surrey premises that Dr. Julian Lamb, now of Aston University, spotted the vehicle’s potential, and bravely undertook its restoration back to a fully road-going vehicle, whilst diligently preserving its originality and painstakingly researching its past life. He and his wife used ELA 830J as a ‘daily driver’ for some years, exhibiting it at the NEC Classic Car Show in 2000. During their ownership ELA 830J was reunited with Charles Spencer ‘Spen’ King, the original designer of the Range Rover, and unique and previously unseen video footage now exists of CSK himself driving the vehicle.

The vehicle has not been on the road since the late 2000s as Dr. Lamb began a full strip down with a view to complete restoration, before deciding that time constraints meant he could not dedicate the effort required to complete the project to the level he felt it deserved an required.

Famous Four were delighted to have the opportunity to acquire the Range Rover from Dr. Lamb early in 2015 and immediately have begun the process of thorough restoration; the body has been removed from the chassis; the chassis has been shot blasted and powder coated; the running gear has been overhauled and re-fitted to the now rolling chassis, and the bodywork is being professionally restored prior to a full refit.

Further updates will appear on our website blog, and we very much hope to be exhibiting ELA 830J on our stand at the 2015 NEC Classic Car Show.

It is hoped that by 2016 chassis number 48 will be re-built to a high standard ready for the next chapter in its colourful life, and will take its place as one of the most historically important ‘Classic’ Range Rovers in the long and successful lineage of the model stretching back over 45 years.

We will be updating you with the progress of our thorough Range Rover restorations over the coming months and years, as we return it to its original incarnation as one of the most historically important Range Rovers still in existence, and as such a hugely important vehicle in the long and successful history of the Range Rover marque.

As Lincolnshire’s leading Independent Land Rover Specialist, Famous Four are constantly in demand for service, repair & restoration work on Land Rover & Range Rover models old and new. With our dedicated and experienced staff of trained technicians constantly busy handling jobs of all shapes and sizes we have had to expand our facilities to accommodate the work load. Expanding on our already comprehensive, state-of-the-art workshop facilities, we have added a third 2-post lift to our existing pair of 2-post lifts and our 4-post lift. More lifts means more work bays are available to carry out service and repair work, which results in us being able to serve our workshop customers faster.

Engineers from our dedicated heavy equipment service company arrived early this morning to get the ramp in and working. They wasted no time in unpacking, checking, marking out and installing the lift which has the capacity to lift most Land Rover and Range Rover vehicles. Once installed, a safety check and lift test was carried out and the lift was declared ready to use. Not bad for a morning’s work.

If you’d like further information on our Independent Land Rover service, repair and restoration services, see our Workshop page on the main website.

2015 marks the 45^th anniversary of the launch of the evergreen Range Rover. To mark this milestone, Chris Elliott of the Range Rover Register (RRR) organised a gathering of a good number of the pre-production Range Rover VELAR vehicles at the British Heritage Motor Centre in Gaydon, Warwickshire on June 28^th 2015.

Richard, our 2-Door Range Rover expert, was lucky enough to attend, albeit without our own VELAR, YVB 158H which is nearing completion in our workshops here at Famous Four. Highlights included meeting with many legendary figures instrumental in the history of the Range Rover story such as Geoff Miller. Phil Bashall and Gary Pusey of Dunsfold Land Rover Trust were there, along with around 12 pre-production Range Rover ‘YVB’ ‘AOY’ and ‘NXC’ registered vehicles.

The survival of so many of these incredibly rare vehicles is a testament to the enthusiasm and dedication of their original owners, and the loyalty and fanaticism of subsequent owners, all of whom joined together on Sunday in their tribute to the ‘Classic’ Range Rover car originally conceived by Spen King, Gordon Bashford, Roger Crathorne and others back in the late 1960s, before its launch in Cornwall in June 1970.

Richard got a chance to chat with other VELAR owners and to learn more of the history and current condition of these cars, some of which have been in the same ownership since their release from the Land Rover factory back in the 1970s. Some of the highlights of the day for him were meeting the owner of YVB 160H, the Masai Red vehicle used in Land Rover’s promotional brochures, Dunsfold’s Gary Pusey and his three remarkable pre-production vehicles, talking with Chris Elliott who rescued our own YVB 158H from an almost certain demise back in the 1990s, and following Geoff Miller’s Tuscan Blue Velar YVB 163H out of Gaydon. These vehicles and their owners are an inspiration to everybody who loves the Land Rover brand.

A joke was made a several years ago that I would like an old Land Rover (to join the family tradition – both my Husband and son have Land Rovers) made in 1963, the same year that I was born, to cherish and grow old gracefully together.

I came home one evening in February 2007 from work to a shout from my husband to come and look at something on the computer. There was my husband and son looking through eBay and they both said “We have found you a Land rover, what do you think?” It was perfect; it was a 1963 Series 2a SWB. I looked at it and said “Yes I would very much like that or one similar, shame it has ended”. Before I could say anything else my son said “Do you want it?” in which my reply was “Yes it would be nice, but…” and before I could finish my sentence he duly told me “ Good, glad you like it as I have just bought it for you, we need to go collect it”!

So there you have it, my first Land Rover was bought by my son as an early Mother’s Day Present. What I didn’t know was the fact that it was located on the west coast of Wales (and we live only few miles from Famous Four) and that it was a rolling shell and a large box of bits! On a very VERY early morning in February we made the trip over to Wales, the Land Rover was located down a track in the middle of the Welsh hills on a small farmstead (This property had had no road access until about 2 years previous) and there stood my Land Rover. At first glimpse I wondered what my son had bought me, a rolling shell with lots of bits in cardboard boxes, but I was assured by my Husband and son that this was a great little project and was very original. I spent some time looking around the Land Rover, and then noticed the number plate USU 215, and so there it was my Land Rover was named instantly as “SUZI”. A few hours later and the whole pile of “Suzi” and her associated parts was loaded onto our trailer and the 6 hour journey home was started, I couldn’t wait to get home and see what we had got!

Over the following months my husband and son made great progress rebuilding her and was desperate to get her ready for the first show of the season, EASTER WEEKEND! Many trips to Famous Four later and the basics were bought and she was up and running, a quick spray paint to get it through the first season was done, but a longer ongoing restoration was about to happen.

Many new parts was sourced by and bought from Famous Four over the next few years and gradually a build-up of correct and rare parts was collated. Many hours of time were spent researching and speaking to the historians and enthusiasts at Famous Four to make sure that “Suzi” was rebuilt to as near original as could be. Many more new parts including all the service items, carb rebuild kits Canvass Hood, tyres, paint, cooling system to name but a few were purchased, once again, from Famous four and in 2013 went under another rebuild including a full strip and repaint with new correct series 2 door bottoms and tops. I hope the pictures do the rebuild and the car justice.

On a final note I would like to thank Famous Four for all their help with this rebuild and restoration project (It has been a long time and many hours, blood, sweat and tears to complete), with the final encore being in November 2012 and 2014 at the Newark Vintage Tractor and Heritage Show, “Suzi”, won best Land Rover in Show.

A true story of a Land Rover in a box to a prize winning show vehicle.

We see a great many Discovery and Range Rover owners with worn out key fob cases. Sometimes they are unable to get into their vehicle as the buttons cease to work properly. Previously the only solution was to order a new, vehicle specific, remote fob for their vehicle from Land Rover at great cost.

Famous Four are now pleased to offer new ‘bare’ fob cases for the later models; Discovery 2, 3, Range Rover P38 and L322.

They have no internals at all but, for a very modest cost, enable owners to rejuvenate their existing worn out fob case by putting their old internals into these new cases.

Check them out on our website, part numbers:

• FF009026 –  Discovery Series 2
• FF009027  – Discovery 3
• FF009024 – Range Rover P38A
• FF009025 – Range Rover 3^rd generation L322

‘Collect a Non Driveable Discovery TD5 from Immingham docks’ they said. A nice easy job so I thought. Following a conversation with DFDS everything seemed to be in place, and a time was agreed for the collection from dockside, after the ship offloaded from Norway.

On arriving at the DFDS Nordic Gate at Immingham Docks I was very politely informed by the helpful chap on the gate that the Discovery could not be released as was being held by the “Agency” and could not clear customs as the paperwork was not complete. A slightly concerned call back to Famous Four HQ was made, asking them to speak to the relevant bodies. Following this call contact was established and the clearing agents assured us that customs clearance would be carried out quickly and they would ring us back. It transpired that UK customs needed an invoice from the Norwegian owner of the vehicle to Famous Four. Luckily, our admin guys had anticipated this and had one on file already.

Eventually I had the go ahead to get the car from dockside. A trip back to the DFDS Nordic Gate and another 10 minutes sorting out the paperwork and I was free to collect the Discovery from Lane 11 lot number 36.

As I drove down the dock lane there was the Discovery, just as I was told, in lot 36; however it was perched 6 feet up in the air on a loading skid. Luckily the dock lift came and lifted the Discovery to much better height, in fact perfect to just winch straight onto the trailer. Once loaded I had to then get off the docks, another 10 minutes waiting in a queue to get through the dock gates and get my release papers. Ruby (One of our Black Labradors) came for a ride and by this time had got bored and curled up and gone to sleep on the front seat!

With now finally cleared, loaded and got the correct release paperwork I was free to head back to HQ. A round journey from HQ to Docks and back that should have taken around 2.5 hours ended up being over 4 hours with the customs delay!!

We often have visits from Norwegian and Swedish Land Rover owners club members; sometimes customers choose not to travel with their vehicles and we have collected and delivered quite a few Land Rovers, Discoverys and Range Rovers over the years at Immingham. Correct paperwork for customs is vital, and experience teaches us to anticipate problems in advance.

Hopefully the TD5 Discovery will be fitted with a reconditioned automatic gearbox and returned back to Norway on the next sailing. I guess this means another trip to Immingham for me, Ruby and our trusty Land Rover 110 Utility next week.

For more information on Famous Four’s workshop services see our Workshop page online.

WARNING: Supplementary restraint airbags are installed within the seat assembly, proper precautions must be taken to ensure safe working in the vicinity of the seat airbags at all times. If you are in any doubt about undertaking the work refer the job to a qualified mechanic.

Symptoms:

The inflatable lumbar support pad in the driver’s seat stops operating when the button is pressed. Other seat adjustment functions may also stop working. Upon investigation, the fuse blows when the driver operates the lumbar adjustment switches.

Cause:

A poorly designed part with inadequate wiring protection results in the wiring to the actuator solenoids on the lumbar support pad fraying through due to abrasion on the seat frame. Subsequently, the wires contact the seat frame and short to ground, causing the fuse to fail.

Repair:

Recommended repair is replacement of the seat lumbar pad. This involves removing the seat from the vehicle and extensive dismantling of the seat backrest part to remove the plastic cover, armrest, seat covering and seat cushioning from the seat frame to expose the lumbar support assembly. Inspection of the replacement part reveals a protective cover is now included to prevent the problem recurring. Ensure this is in place when refitting the new part to protect the wiring from further abrasion issues.

Famous Four specialise in diagnosis and repair of issues with Land Rover and Range Rover vehicles old and new, more details are available via our Workshop page.