Stoffregen Motorsports
Explorer
I've had my 1957 Series I for about 20 years now, and I think it's almost time for some restoration work.
The story of this Rover, at least how it came into my possession, starts back in the early 2000's. A friend of my dad's came across two of them while roaming the remote Northern California foothills. The story of their rescue is exciting in itself, as the roads were slick with mud causing the driver to loose control of his truck and trailer and almost took a tumble down a mountainside. We were lucky to get both of them, and work quickly began transforming the '57 from a frame and body into a small and nimble trail rig. Since we were starting with zero drivetrain, carte blanche was given to repower the rig with something more powerful and easy to source. I don't normally feel bad tearing into a car or truck, but I do have some scruples. Example - if a vehicle is in original condition with all parts present, and is restorable, it should probably be restored to original condition, or at least brought back to life in that form. But starting with a body and frame? Game on!
Ours is powered by a Toyota 22RE from a 1991 truck, and backed by a short iron-case 5 speed manual out of a '79 Toyota 4x4, which was built by Marlin Czajkowski as a favor to me. Behind that is an RF1A t-case with 5:1 reduction gears. The axles are 1985 Toyota and have 5.29 gears installed in TRD electric lockers. The front axle has been upgraded with Longfield axle shafts and CVs and topped with high steer via OTT, who are no longer in business. The frame side of the steering includes a Toyota mini truck power steering box mounted almost on the front bumper, poking its nose through the driver side fender. Wheels and tires are stock 15x6 Toyota steelies and 34x9.50 Interco Swampers.
So that's the basic build. Reliable enough to have hit the trail for the past two decades, having never once let me down (except the one time I blew a power steering hose). Reliability has its drawbacks though. Why wrench on a rig that never fails you? Don't fix what ain't broke.
Over the years, trail runs have become far less frequent, with the past two years showing only two trips to the Rubicon. So last year, with kids young enough to enjoy it, I decided to remove the spare tire and the hinged shelf from the cargo area, along with all the other stuff that I normally carried, like a shovel, an axe, jumper cables, etc, and a rear seat was installed in its place. I now drive it almost daily, and am comfortable calling it a daily driver. Other mods have been made in the name of comfort, like full sound deadening on the firewall and under the floor, a new (quieter) exhaust system, high AND low beams in the headlights, reupholstery on the front seats, etc. But...the more and more I drive it, the urge to do some light restoration work keeps nagging at me. Should I? Probably not, but I really want to.
First up, the windshield has cracked glass that really should be replaced. Which brings me to my first question - galvanized body parts. The windshield frame was galvanized, along with many of the other body pieces. While the glass is out, I'd like to restore the frame, but I don't think it necessary to send it out for galvanizing. Getting to the question here: have any of you Rover guys found either a paint color or a powder coat color that closely matches the original galvanizing? I'd prefer a finish not too glossy, and would love to have that muddled appearance of galvanizing, but without any texture. Any tips here would be appreciated.
Let's attach some pics.
This is one of my oldest pics, taken on the Rubicon in 2004 (I think).
The story of this Rover, at least how it came into my possession, starts back in the early 2000's. A friend of my dad's came across two of them while roaming the remote Northern California foothills. The story of their rescue is exciting in itself, as the roads were slick with mud causing the driver to loose control of his truck and trailer and almost took a tumble down a mountainside. We were lucky to get both of them, and work quickly began transforming the '57 from a frame and body into a small and nimble trail rig. Since we were starting with zero drivetrain, carte blanche was given to repower the rig with something more powerful and easy to source. I don't normally feel bad tearing into a car or truck, but I do have some scruples. Example - if a vehicle is in original condition with all parts present, and is restorable, it should probably be restored to original condition, or at least brought back to life in that form. But starting with a body and frame? Game on!
Ours is powered by a Toyota 22RE from a 1991 truck, and backed by a short iron-case 5 speed manual out of a '79 Toyota 4x4, which was built by Marlin Czajkowski as a favor to me. Behind that is an RF1A t-case with 5:1 reduction gears. The axles are 1985 Toyota and have 5.29 gears installed in TRD electric lockers. The front axle has been upgraded with Longfield axle shafts and CVs and topped with high steer via OTT, who are no longer in business. The frame side of the steering includes a Toyota mini truck power steering box mounted almost on the front bumper, poking its nose through the driver side fender. Wheels and tires are stock 15x6 Toyota steelies and 34x9.50 Interco Swampers.
So that's the basic build. Reliable enough to have hit the trail for the past two decades, having never once let me down (except the one time I blew a power steering hose). Reliability has its drawbacks though. Why wrench on a rig that never fails you? Don't fix what ain't broke.
Over the years, trail runs have become far less frequent, with the past two years showing only two trips to the Rubicon. So last year, with kids young enough to enjoy it, I decided to remove the spare tire and the hinged shelf from the cargo area, along with all the other stuff that I normally carried, like a shovel, an axe, jumper cables, etc, and a rear seat was installed in its place. I now drive it almost daily, and am comfortable calling it a daily driver. Other mods have been made in the name of comfort, like full sound deadening on the firewall and under the floor, a new (quieter) exhaust system, high AND low beams in the headlights, reupholstery on the front seats, etc. But...the more and more I drive it, the urge to do some light restoration work keeps nagging at me. Should I? Probably not, but I really want to.
First up, the windshield has cracked glass that really should be replaced. Which brings me to my first question - galvanized body parts. The windshield frame was galvanized, along with many of the other body pieces. While the glass is out, I'd like to restore the frame, but I don't think it necessary to send it out for galvanizing. Getting to the question here: have any of you Rover guys found either a paint color or a powder coat color that closely matches the original galvanizing? I'd prefer a finish not too glossy, and would love to have that muddled appearance of galvanizing, but without any texture. Any tips here would be appreciated.
Let's attach some pics.
This is one of my oldest pics, taken on the Rubicon in 2004 (I think).
