Series IIa mechanic wanted near Westford, MA.

[drinkpaddles]

Hi All, does anyone have a recommendation for a good mechanic that knows Land Rovers in Eastern MA (hopefully near Westford, MA). I have a 1971 IIa that needs basic loving (oil leaks, brakes, exhaust, wiring?, etc). I would love to find a small shop or private guy that has the time I do not have to to work on the truck. Any recommendations would be greatly appreciated. Thank you, Joe (617) 817-4112.

[lumpydog]

Cityside Garage (http://www.citysidegarage.com)
Whites Automotive (http://www.jwhitesautomotive.com)
Reimels (http://www.reimelsautomotive.com/Automotive-Repairs-Plymouth-MA.html)

Caveat - I've never used any of these. In my opinion, the best place to bring your Rover within driving distance of where you are located is Lanny Clark (http://www.lannyclark.com). He does restorations and can cover the work you list - 3 hour drive north for you. In our area of the world, he is the best there is. He's worked on my truck (partial restoration) and his work is nothing short of amazing.

Good luck!

if you're up to it, post some pictures of your truck and give us the background story on how you came to own her! Also, welcome to the forum - you're in the right place :-)

[Partsman]

I've used 2 out of the three of the above listed garages, I highly recommend both City Side and White's, that said, if I had to choose one over the other, for Seires rather than Defender, I'd go with J. White's. But Allen at City Side is a real stand up guy, and will tell you up front if the job is something he can or cannot handle. My advice is to bring the truck to both, and ask for an estimate, Shirley is the boss over at J. White, Allen at Cityside. Good luck, and post your feed-back of the two garages here when you're done. Be forewarned, neither garage is "cheap," but you get what you pay for. Most small mom & pop garages won't know what to do about a 50 year old Land Rover, so I wouldn't go to anyone but a specialist.

[jac04]

Hi Joe-
Do you have a list of work needed or things that need to be fixed?
Do you have the parts, or are you looking for someone to do it all?
Are you looking for more of a full-blown restoration, or basic mechanical work?
What kind of time frame are you thinking of?

How is the chassis? If it needs to be done, now's the time!!

I'm trying to get a feel for how involved the work is, the general condition of the vehicle, and your expectations. I'm about 2 hours from you, and I have been known to tinker with Series Land Rovers from time to time (if you search through my posts here, you'll find a few pictures of my work). I just don't know if I'm ready to really "get into" another Land Rover, but I'm thinking about it.

-Jeff

[I Leak Oil]

Matt Brown, Overland Engineering, Eliot ME. Works on lots of series trucks.

[lumpydog]

Matt Brown, Overland Engineering, Eliot ME. Works on lots of series trucks.

Good to know - that's an hour drive for me - does he have a business name/garage that he works out of?

[SafeAirOne]

Good to know - that's an hour drive for me - does he have a business name/garage that he works out of?

Overland Engineering is the name of his business.

[ignotus]

Joe,

I don't know any shops out there but I would like to possibly help with some questions. What is the intended use of this vehicle, daily driver or vacationmobile, overland travel? If it is anything other than a daily driver I would take Jeff up on his offer as there will be breakdowns in your future, and if you help him you can learn to fix stuff, some of which with rudementary skills and knowledge you can solve and drive home. These are simples vehicles but need to be driven to stay in shape or things stop functioning.
The caveats; I don't know Jeff or his work, if a daily driver make sure you have 1 or 200mile free towing.

HTH,
gene

[Les Parker]

You could try Aaron Tufley at Sprockets N. E. Tel # 978-387-7600. He is in Gloucester, MA.

[stomper]

Jac04 is very qualified, all you need to do it search for his thread on the lightweight he restored. He may charge you more if you try to help and you are all thumbs though! :)

[Jim-ME]

I'll vouch for Matt Browne. He is a stand up guy and has done almost all the work on my Rover when I was over my head.
Jim

[REDrum]

I'll vouch for Matt Browne. He is a stand up guy and has done almost all the work on my Rover when I was over my head. Jim

Well I won't vouch for the guy, no way ;)

But I will say he knows his Land Rover pooh, is very thorough and I keep giving him lots of cash to wrench on my trucks. And strangely he returns my trailer in better condition than I loan it to him in... go figure....

[RoverKid_1972]

I've used 2 out of the three of the above listed garages, I highly recommend both City Side and White's, that said, if I had to choose one over the other, for Seires rather than Defender, I'd go with J. White's. But Allen at City Side is a real stand up guy, and will tell you up front if the job is something he can or cannot handle. My advice is to bring the truck to both, and ask for an estimate, Shirley is the boss over at J. White, Allen at Cityside. Good luck, and post your feed-back of the two garages here when you're done. Be forewarned, neither garage is "cheap," but you get what you pay for. Most small mom & pop garages won't know what to do about a 50 year old Land Rover, so I wouldn't go to anyone but a specialist.

I have used Allen at Cityside before and he did a fantastic job reconstructing my bulkhead. There were some issues refitting it around the transmission but he was very good about it and drove out to my home and did a spot repair for nothing more than a beer. 10/10 rating for him and his crew.

[drinkpaddles]

Hi All, thank you for all the responses! I have the truck over at Cityside in Holliston. Alan and his crew know what they are doing and have been great to work with. Bringing old series trucks to a shop that works on them all the time really does make sense - after the crew took an initial look I went down and they spent almost an hour with me figuring out the best plan for the truck, my expectations and my budget.