This week on Project Purdey, the focus has been on making big strides toward completing the bodywork and getting ready for a key step: installing the roll cage. Along the way, we tackled intricate details, enjoyed some exciting deliveries, and hit the road to gather essential parts.
Seat Delivery: Comfort Meets Functionality
The week kicked off with a special delivery: Purdey’s seats! The seats, chosen carefully, are not just about style—they’re critical for the roll cage positioning. Ensuring the seat placement is perfect means better ergonomics and maximum comfort when driving.
After unboxing and testing, it’s clear the seats are just right—not too large and designed to accommodate long hours behind the wheel. Of course, some tweaking is needed to adjust their angle and height, but that’s all part of the process.
Bodywork Madness: Doors, Doors, and More Doors
The focus quickly shifted to the doors. Since Purdey’s build emphasizes originality, we’re working with secondhand doors where possible. This includes prepping the driver’s side, passenger’s side, and rear doors for painting.
- Front doors:
- Stripped down and fitted with new anti-burst locks (courtesy of our amazing partners at eurospare).
- Adjustments were necessary to make the locks and handles fit seamlessly—cue some creative bending and hole cutting.
- Rear door:
- Purchased at a Land Rover show earlier this year, this door had seen better days, with spare wheel carrier holes and some scuffs. Chris worked his magic with fiberglass reinforcement and filler to restore it to glory.
- While we originally planned for a solid rear panel, we’ve opted for a polycarbonate window instead to allow for better visibility—stay tuned for how that integrates with the vehicle wrap.
Tackling the Bonnet
Purdey’s original bonnet required significant restoration. It had dents and rusted areas from its days as a spare wheel carrier. After a day and a half of sanding, priming, and using rust killer, the bonnet looks brand new. Authenticity remains a priority, so we’re considering reattaching the original spare wheel mounts for that extra vintage touch.
Back to the Seat Box
With the seat box freshly painted, it’s finally ready to go back into Purdey. Mounting the seat box also allowed us to test-fit one of the seats. While adjustments are still needed for seating position and angle, this marked a huge milestone—Purdey is starting to look like a functional vehicle!
On the Road to England
As the week progressed, we realized we needed to gather a few more parts for the build, including the front wings and inner wings. This meant a quick trip to the UK in Lulu the Discovery.
The journey provided a nice change of pace, with calm seas for the ferry crossing and even a few Land Rover sightings along the way. While in the UK, we’ll also be visiting Safety Devices to discuss Purdey’s roll cage installation.
What’s Next?
As we wrap up Week 9, it’s clear that every step forward brings Purdey closer to completion. The coming weeks will focus on assembling the body, refining the wiring, and preparing for the roll cage installation.
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