Land Rover Defender 90 - The Team

I drafted a short list of vendors in Denver, Colorado who have solid reputations and proceeded to tell each one of my plans restore Emma, the D90. I made my decisions based upon who had the knowledge, time, and people to get the project done in a timely manner.

For the motor replacement, I decided to use Land Rover Flatirons. I've known Ed Dobbs, the General Manager since he was a Land Rover Service Advisor and before he became a grand dad. It's been great knowing Ed all these years and I trust him and his team to make Emma purr.

In addition to the new motor, Land Rover Flatirons will deal with any leaking seals, and overhaul the air conditioning system. I anticipate there will be a bunch of little things like light bulbs, sensors, and hoses that will be replaced as needed.

The body repair and painting will be done by SVE Auto Body. Butch Powers, the owner, and his team have a reputation for meticulous workmanship and a deep knowledge of Land Rovers. It was also encouraging to see a Defender 110 in the shop going through a major overhaul. Butch and his team will be changing Emma's color from Alpine White to Zambezi Silver. They'll also be subletting work to Line-X Of Boulder for coatings on the tub, firewall, cabin, roof, and doors.

Emma's interior is getting a major face lift from Rich Lawrence at Award Auto Trim. Rich came highly recommended and his work is absolutely first rate. The interior treatment will include newly upholstered seats front and rear. The cushions will be recontoured to provide more bolstering in the seat and back. The carpet, padding, and headliner will also be replaced with upgraded materials. All interior door surfaces and roof line will be further insolated with Dynamat prior to the installation of a new sound system.

Fabrication and plating of parts will be done by Kip Valdez at Metalworks Performance. SVE recommended Kip as one of the best craftsmen they'd ever worked with and in my initial consultation it was clear he has a passion for this kind of project.  Metalworks will fabricate numerous pieces of protective plates as well as aftermarket accessories to enhance the off road capabilities of Emma.