Why choose The 4x4 Center / How do I choose a Land Rover Restoration shop?

• Experience. Whether it is knowing how to rebuild a differential or knowing where to get Land Rover Parts, experience counts! The 4x4 Center has been in business since 1993 and Mike, the Owner, has been working on Land Rovers for over 30 years.
• Dedication. Does your shop dedicate technicians to Land Rover Restorations or is this just a "fill in" when regular service is slow? Jumping on and off restoration projects often means the project will take longer to get done, that there will be back tracking, and inefficiency will arise.
• Facility. Do the technicians have the right tools, manuals, etc to do the job well and efficiently?
• Stability. Restoration shops are well known for popping up, making a big splash, and then disappearing. If you've given a deposit and your Land Rover is taken apart you want to know that it is going to get finished..
• Resources. Just like any other business, things run smoothly if there are processes. Using industry standards, having the right staff, a dedicated service manager, a knowlegable parts staff, and well trained techs means your job is more likely to stay on track and to be done effectively.

Does The 4x4 Center sell fully restored Land Rovers?

• Occasionally, but we primarily focus on the restoration of our customers Land Rover Defenders.
• There are times when we can souce a candidate vehicle for a build, if you're in the market, it's worth asking!

Does The 4x4 Center only do restorations for Land Rover Defenders?

• While The 4x4 Center has the ability and knowledge to restore practically any Land Rover the biggest challenge becomes sourcing the correct parts for these restorations. At this time The 4x4 Center is committed to taking on new Defender Restorations because we have the parts and inventory to do so. If you have a different vehicle that you are looking to restore let us know and we'll see if we can source the parts to do it.

What is the most important part of the Land Rover Restoration process?

• Having a Land Rover Restoration Plan for your project is the single most important step of the restoration process. Talking about a gearbox swap half way through could stop the project as that decision could impact other decisions that have already been made, parts ordered, or worked done. The 4x4 Center has been through this before and will ask all the right questions we need in order to craft a plan that will work for you! See some of the most important details
• Understanding where you live, the conditions you drive the vehicle in, have a profound impact on which shop you want to choose to restore your vehicle. If you live in an area that is prone to corrosion, you want a shop from the North East working on it as they will Rust Proof it very well, where as a California shop may not adequately prepare your vehicle for rust since corrosion protection isn't common for their business. While selecting a shop that is further away may require a bit more consideration, consider how you might feel if your newly restored Land Rover begins to corrode just a few years after it's restoration?
• Open and regular communication, with a transparent process is the key to all of our successful projects.

Who is doing the restoration and how long have they been doing it for?

• A lot of time and money gets tied up in these projects and you need to ask, do they have the manpower and space to accommodate these projects? At The 4x4 Center every restoration is a team effort that draws from the collective experience of our team. Mike, The Owner of The 4x4 Center, has been restoring Land Rovers since the early 90's and with his experience he has assembeled a team that includes a Restoration Project Manager, Estimator, Restoration Technicians, Parts & Research, and Painting personell. By having all these different people involved, we're able to serve you faster and get your work done in a timely manner.

How much will it cost to restore my Land Rover Defender?

• It really depends on what you start with, how you choose to build it, what you put into it, and a multitude of other factors. The best way to figure out what this cost will be is to get started with the Land Rover Restoration Planning and from there, we will find out what that price range will be. If the number gets too high but you are committed to doing the restoration, we will help you figure out the best way to do the restoration in phases, so that you don't waste money doing the same thing twice.

How long does it take to restore a Land Rover Defender?

• This depends on what you choose to do. We restore Land Rover Defenders in the order that they arrive here for work. We always get them in and estimate them quickly so that you know what the cost and time frame to expect. From there, most projects can be completed within 12 months at the very most for an in depth, restoration.

Does The 4x4 Center ship and sell engines?

• Any engine related work will be performed at The 4x4 Center by a 4x4 Center Technician. We do not ship, or sell replacement engines.

I would like to perform a Land Rover Diesel Engine Conversion; can The 4x4 Center do that?

• Yes, please contact us to discuss.

How do I import a Land Rover Defender?

• The 4x4 Center does not import vehicles but, Land Rover Defenders that are generally 25 years old or older can be imported. BUYER BEWARE there are unscroupulous dealers on both sides of The Atlantic waiting for an unsuspecting buyer. Be careful! As such, we work on a lot of non-NAS Defenders.

I found a Land Rover Defender that has import paperwork from a different year or series vehicle, is this ok?

• No, it's not ok. Our suggestion would be to avoid any purchase for a vehicle where the paperwork does not line up. Could you imagine buying a house but, the address was listed incorrectly on the paperwork? It's a very big deal, it's against the law, and we do not wish to be involved.

I would like to sound like I know what I'm talking about when I talk about Land Rovers. There are so many abbreviations for Land Rover terms; do you have a decoder ring? We do!

• NAS = Often seen on the rear ID plate or preceding a numerical value, this stands for North American Specification (NAS). It means the vehicle was built for legal for use in North America and then imported by Land Rover North America. The numerical value denotes the vehicles import number. So, #1 means the first Land Rover Imported. The lower the numerical value, often the higher the cash value.
• ROW = Rest of World
• D90 = Land Rover Defender 90 Model
• D110 = Land Rover Defender 110 Model
• Disco = Land Rover Discovery
• D2 (or DII) = Land Rover Discovery II
• RR = Range Rover
• SW or Wagon = Often refers to the vehicle being fitted with a metal hard top from the factory.
• RHD - Right Hand Drive
• LHD - Left Hand Drive
• TDI - Turbo Diesel
• TD5 - 5 cylinder Turbo Diesel Engin
• LT77 - Land Rover Transmission/Gearbox
• R380 - Ashcroft Transmission/Gearbox (often an upgrade from the LT77)