Sarah CrabtreeWhen I speak with anyone about my life story and career choices, I surprise inquiring minds which ask,
“What do you do?”
“I work on old Land Rovers.”
“Really, how do you get into that?”
That leads to a complex web of trials and tribulations. It did not arise out of a family connection, nor my first foray into a professional life. I had envisioned my life as a budding jurist; thus, I majored in pre-law, and once graduated, enrolled in the Widener Commonwealth Law School in Harrisburg, PA. One semester convinced me that I had made the wrong choice. Now what?
A high school memory returned when I thought of my friend and classmate, Mike, and his dilapidated ’73 Series III. My eventual life choice would not arise out of desperation or disappointment, but out of the spark that Mike lit within me.
In high school, I’d go over to Mike’s house in the evenings, at first to shoot the breeze and socialize, and then found myself intrigued by his work on his Land Rover. He had stripped it down to a bare chassis and made it into a show-worthy piece all by himself. I was astounded—he had poured his blood, sweat, and tears into this beast of burden and it gleamed with pride. We’d ride around on his property conquering any obstacle in our way. Now I wasn’t just impressed; I was obsessed. I knew I had to get one of these for myself one day.
Yet for the rest of high school and college I had to push that fantasy to the back of my mind as I pursued the study of law. However, at age 22, I purchased a ‘92 Defender 110 just to prove to myself the spark of interest remained alive. At Mike’s recommendation, I took the Defender to Trevor Griffith’s British 4×4 Specialist in Elizabethtown, PA. There, I found myself in awe at the operation. I saw old Land Rovers of all years, models, body styles, and conditions lined the property waiting for repairs or restorations. Not only did owning an old Rover seem to be a romantic notion that took center stage in my imagination, but now working on them did, too.
Little did I know what fate had for me. I left law school after one semester. Following my passion, I begged Trevor for an apprenticeship position. Likely feeling sorry for me, he complied. I started doing mainly custodial work but moved into tasks of basic electrical repairs and oil changes. I loved every single minute of it, gaining immense pride when I completed a task (any task) and felt better about myself in those moments then I ever did about completing any law assignment.
I soon heard of Land Rover owners’ clubs and quickly joined in any off-road driving event on their calendars. I even took a leadership role in my local Land Rover owner’s club. I was hooked, in love, where I wanted to be and felt I belonged.
I worked at British 4×4 Specialist for three years. During that time, I went from an oil change jockey to completing engine and transmission overhauls, axle rebuilds, and so many more tasks expected of a trained technician. I also gained many friendships through the owner’s community, ones which I still cherish to this day.
The support of myself and my goals allowed me to compete in the 2022 Rebelle Rally. I drove my Defender over 1,000 miles off-road through the American southwest, with the help of my navigation partner Regina Recifo, another Land Rover owner/enthusiast. My entry became possible only with the support of the Land Rover community; my shop replaced the motor, area clubs helped raise funds, and enthusiasts inspired and encouraged me in countless ways.
While I had learned so much at British 4×4, I wanted to learn the “why” behind my technical work. In the Fall 2023, I enrolled at the Pennsylvania College of Technology to study automotive technology and restoration. For this academic year, my college permitted me to restore my ‘71 Series IIA 88”. This project will be the crown jewel not only in my professional resume, but in my list of current life achievements. Everything I have ever done has lead to this; every automotive position I’ve held and skills I’ve gained will be utilized and further honed as I finish the rebuild of my Land Rover, it will be a testament to the deep love I have for this marque.
While working part-time and performing as the lead vocalist in the band Manticore, I’m working overtime to complete this project. The “Little Red Devil” came to me courtesy of my father, Thomas, who lives in White Sulfur Springs, WV (the previous site of the Land Rover Experience Center). In 2023, he found a Land Rover owned by Keith Arnold (a contact of Rovers Magazine’s Dave Sweetapple). We took the vehicle home in February 2024 and enjoyed it during the spring and summer months.
My father wondered what it would take to return the Rover to a factory specification. “Well,” I said, “I could probably do it at my school as a senior project for my final year. I’ve worked on them for so long that I’m sure I could do it”. We sat down to talk about cost and logistics and decided this to be the best route. I trailered the Rover to college on move-in weekend, and in mid-August 2024, I undertook preliminary check of the vehicle to see what challenges I would face and planned out the project.
I began with the engine. The odometer reading claimed that the vehicle had run just over 50,000 miles and the engine innards confirmed it. The cylinder bores required only a light honing to smooth out the surfaces; new stock pistons replaced the existing ones. Rovers North supplied many replacement parts, such as hoses, spark plugs, wires and gaskets. I treated the block and head in the original “Rover Engine Green.” Carefully following all procedures as outlined in the “Green Bible,” I replaced pistons, bearings, all timing components, and followed procedures to check throw out, clearances, timing, etc.
The original distributor, generator and started motor were sublet to rebuilders. I sandblasted all the accessories such as the fan, mounting brackets, and oil dipstick tube, and painted them in their original colors. After finishing the engine, I separated the body and the chassis. Axles, shocks, springs, transmission, exhaust, drive shafts, wiring harness, and all other ancillaries came off; I sanded the chassis and painted it the same color as the engine accessories. Similarly, the axles and suspension components were stripped, cleaned, sandblasted, painted, and then reassembled with new parts where necessary.
The Little Red Devil played a very funny trick by hiding the use of BSF instead of SAE Standard nuts and bolts. I suppose Land Rover thought “if we still had some left, let’s use them up!” Thankfully Rovers North had everything I needed in BSF hardware in stock and could ship it tout suite. By January I had reassembled the painted suspension and engine components and had a rolling chassis by January. (To stay on schedule, I purchased a rebuilt transmission instead of stripping and rebuilding the one of the Rover.) If I focused on mechanical rebuilding during the Fall semester, body work has taken up most of my Spring semester.
A few weeks into the second semester I went to work on disassembling the entire body: all panels removed, all accessories and trim stripped, all damaged components noted, all hardware accounted for and labeled. I found both the rear quarter panels were heavily filled with Bondo, and being on such a strict timeline, I decided to replace the entire tub as well as the seat box and doors. All these panels either showed dent damage, owner modifications, rot, or a combination of these problems. This might be wrong for a concours restoration, but I had to make an executive decision to keep the project on track. I had the entire body apart in a week and ordered parts and paint.
At press time, I’ll be ready to prep all body panels for the various stages of paint. As soon as painting is done, assembly can begin. I know I can take a breather once assembly begins but then again that perhaps will be the most challenging part. Being careful of fresh paint, ensuring everything is reassembled correctly, and worst of all making sure it runs and drives! And correctly at that!
It’s been an exciting journey so far, and I know more challenges lie ahead. Yet I know I have the capability and support to conquer this final stretch. Despite the problems I came across, my hard work and optimism have been the best tools in solving them. Each little hiccup will only make for a better story and reward.
I owe everything to this brand: who I am, what I hope to become, my friendships, my greatest memories and accomplishments. I want to return the favor by preserving the history of this bespoke brand at the heart of where it all started. I want to prove I am a person of “above and beyond” character. It’s the Land Rover community that has inspired and encouraged me countless times to achieve my goals, including my most significant one yet — a position as a technician at Land Rover Classic Works in Coventry, England. Land Rover, I’m ready!
[Scan this QR code to see an article on Sarah’s work from her college -ed.]
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