Got My Lightweight!! Stay Tuned for Project Updates and Plenty of Questions!

[J.McKelvey]

Wow, one of the nicest lightweights I have seen. In fact one of the cleanest restorations I've seen.

[roverlandpark]

I like the chest. It looks very proper with the securing straps. On the other time, every time I see an update to this post, I start thinking of what I haven't done with my Lightweight... Seriously though, you just keep it getting it "right" on this vehicle. Nice Job!

[jac04]

^^ Thanks.

I received my custom-made decals today for the doors. The decals are matte finish vinyl. The 6" scale in the picture gives you a reference for size. I can't wait to put them on:

[LaneRover]

Nice Desert Rat!

[jac04]

Passenger side door is done:
(edit: I don't know why these pics don't look the greatest, but if you click on them you should get a better quality picture)

[Moose]

DAMN!!! That is one nice looking Ltwt.

Brett

[TJR]

Neat.. I went back to Page 1 and didn't see those logos on the original truck.

Where or what are they from or what do they represent?

Do you have an online album with all the pics in one place.. That would be a cool scrapbook to look at.
..Talbot

[J.McKelvey]

They look pretty sharp!!

[jac04]

Neat.. I went back to Page 1 and didn't see those logos on the original truck.

Where or what are they from or what do they represent?

Do you have an online album with all the pics in one place.. That would be a cool scrapbook to look at.
..Talbot

Talbot-
Correct about the logos. As a matter of fact, when stripping the paint I never found any tan paint or significant markings. I haven't put together an online album.

Here's the long version of the story about how the Lightweight ended up looking the way it does:
For the paint selection, I always liked the desert tan color, especially on a Lightweight. I asked my (then) 3-year-old daughter what color we should paint the vehicle and she picked tan. Not one to crush the dreams of a child, the vehicle was painted desert tan. However, the vehicle just looked too plain to me. It needed something to break up all the tan.

So, I started researching British military markings that would have been in use around the time that this vehicle would have been in service. The black chevron, or inverted V, was used in the Gulf War by coallition forces for identification and was located on the door. Then, a friend at work suggested the Desert Rat (technically a Jerboa), which is the insignia for the 7th Armoured Brigade. Through all my research, I wasn't able to find any pictures showing the red Desert Rat on the door of a Series 3 Lightweight, but I still thought it looked really cool.

Then, along can roverlandpark. What does he have to do with all this you ask? Well, he purchased Les's SIII Lightweight a while back. When he bought it, it was painted desert tan and it had the inverted V on the doors. The paint was military-applied. When he stripped the paint, he found a red Desert Rat under each inverted V. (Many thanks to roverlandpark for documenting the rats.)

Well, that was close enough for me! Although maybe not really technically correct, I finally decided on the combination of the inverted V and the Desert Rat on each door. Of course, I solicited feedback from the members of the Lightweight Land Rover Club. They all really helped me with the decision.

[TJR]

I agree the Graphics a touch of color.. Thanks for the explaination. I was partially afraid to ask assuming the answer should have been obvious to any LR buff worth their weight in gear-oil. That is one nice looking project you've compiled. I hope to see it up close someday. How's the paint holding up? ...Talbot

[jac04]

How's the paint holding up?

Great, but it hasn't left the garage since being painted.

[roverlandpark]

You're Lightweight is really looking sharp! I think the nicest touch is that you went with applied graphics. It's a nice way to have a crisp logo that you can reapply if it gets damaged or if you change your mind as to what you want. Again, you've set the high bar for us other owners.

[LaneRover]

A bit of other history - The Desert Rat symbol goes back to the 7th Armored Brigades service in North Africa during WWII.

[xsbowes]

Great, but it hasn't left the garage since being painted.

Are you going to paint the rivets and hinges, wouldn't want the reflection of the sun (or garage opener light) to give away your position.

Is the spacing around your doors fairly even. I lined up the top of the door(galvanized piece) with the top of the box and I still have uneven spacing on the front of the doors.

[greenmeanie]

A bit of other history - The Desert Rat symbol goes back to the 7th Armored Brigades service in North Africa during WWII.

It actually goes back to the 7th Armoured DIVISION exploits in North Africa. It was formed as a division in Egypt just prior to WWII, fought in North Africa, Italy and then finished up in NW Europe.

The 7th Armoured Brigade was detached from the division early on and fought in the far east against the Japanese only returning to the division later on after the North African campaign had finished.

The original division was disbanded post war. The modern 7th Armoured Brigade as applicable to JAC04s lightweight maintains the markings and traditions of the original desert rats .

I'm a geek. Now back to the original programming.