# Obsidian Detailing: Landrover Defender OverLand



## stangalang (Nov 27, 2009)

So this was an epic car. I still believe that the defender is probably the coolest car ever made, why they are changing it, and not just improving it i don't understand

The car in question

P1050397 by Matt Rowe, on Flickr

P1050395 by Matt Rowe, on Flickr

A beast for sure. It was in for multiple jobs doing
Wheels needed polishing and sealing front to back, and nuts painting

P1050398 by Matt Rowe, on Flickr

All aluminium plates needed cleaning and machining up

P1050399 by Matt Rowe, on Flickr

Copious amounts of tar needed removing (i used 2.5 litres of tar remover in total)

P1050378 by Matt Rowe, on Flickr

P1050379 by Matt Rowe, on Flickr

P1050380 by Matt Rowe, on Flickr

And of course a bunch of polishing to do, but………

P1050405 by Matt Rowe, on Flickr

So given the state of the paint, but the incredibly low readings, i opted for a single stage approach, refined with blue lotion and protected with kotsos wax.

***Again, you all know the score by now, the following pictures are all similar, or exactly the same angles and lighting. I save the glossy side shots until the end, they show absolutely nothing about swirl removal and can be used to hide a lot :thumb:***

P1050381 by Matt Rowe, on Flickr

P1050383 by Matt Rowe, on Flickr

P1050382 by Matt Rowe, on Flickr

P1050385 by Matt Rowe, on Flickr

Not perfect, but LOADS better

P1050386 by Matt Rowe, on Flickr

Continuing along

P1050388 by Matt Rowe, on Flickr

P1050390 by Matt Rowe, on Flickr

P1050391 by Matt Rowe, on Flickr

Honest panel/panel

P1050406 by Matt Rowe, on Flickr

P1050407 by Matt Rowe, on Flickr

P1050413 by Matt Rowe, on Flickr

P1050414 by Matt Rowe, on Flickr

Big old bonnet

P1050439 by Matt Rowe, on Flickr

P1050440 by Matt Rowe, on Flickr

P1050444 by Matt Rowe, on Flickr

P1050445 by Matt Rowe, on Flickr

Bad wing scuff

P1050446 by Matt Rowe, on Flickr

Loads better

P1050447 by Matt Rowe, on Flickr

Different lighting

P1050455 by Matt Rowe, on Flickr

P1050461 by Matt Rowe, on Flickr

Exhaust and back box were polished and sealed as they are pretty visible

P1050473 by Matt Rowe, on Flickr

P1050475 by Matt Rowe, on Flickr

Rusty nuts removed and dealt with

P1050495 by Matt Rowe, on Flickr

P1050498 by Matt Rowe, on Flickr

All the grubby ali was dealt with

P1050502 by Matt Rowe, on Flickr

P1050504 by Matt Rowe, on Flickr

P1050505 by Matt Rowe, on Flickr

P1050506 by Matt Rowe, on Flickr

All wheels (including spare) were cleansed with blackfire GEP, and sealed with 3 coats of wet diamond metal, tyres dressed with Espuma RD50 so i could brush it into all the writing and wrap around tread

P1050507 by Matt Rowe, on Flickr

P1050515 by Matt Rowe, on Flickr

And the little bits were taken car of, along with sealing the glass and some interior work

P1050509 by Matt Rowe, on Flickr

P1050511 by Matt Rowe, on Flickr

And on to the afters, or rather lack of them. As this went to one side for a few days and the owner kind of turned up all of a sudden, i totally foot until we watched it drive away :wall: Below is literally all i have, but you get the idea

P1050512 by Matt Rowe, on Flickr

P1050513 by Matt Rowe, on Flickr

P1050514 by Matt Rowe, on Flickr

Fingers crossed he comes back for maintenance to avoid the horror story it was, if so, i will grab some afters and maybe beading shots too :thumb:


----------



## moono16v (Oct 12, 2010)

Great as always Matt! Love them lights I really do!


----------



## sm81 (May 14, 2011)

Very nice! So you used only Bluelotion+wax? No any real correction...


----------



## stangalang (Nov 27, 2009)

sm81 said:


> Very nice! So you used only Bluelotion+wax? No any real correction...


no saul, i completed a single stage and refined with blue lotion to a degree. Used as a gloss enhancer and paint prep really


----------



## Andrew Goacher (Dec 27, 2012)

Very nice, great work!!


----------



## camerashy (Feb 9, 2014)

Great job Matt, that's some tar build up. 
Dave


----------



## Neno330 (Dec 19, 2013)

Great job and beautiful defender


----------



## neil b (Aug 30, 2006)

Can't beat the defender for off-road work was out in one last nite chasing some bunnies , cracking job Matt a lot of hard graft went into that , just goes to show what can be achive with just a single stage correction :thumb:. I better not let my mate see this thread or I guess I will be machine polishing his defender soon lol


----------



## MDC250 (Jan 4, 2014)

Awesome, does look good 

You liking the BL Matt? Will it be a featured product at some point?


----------



## Ross (Apr 25, 2007)

Super job looks great now.


----------



## WHIZZER (Oct 25, 2005)

Looks fantastic


----------



## JBirchy (Oct 9, 2010)

Superb Matt. Nice honest work! Just goes to show that you don't need 100% correction to make a car look stunning.

Great job.


----------



## sm81 (May 14, 2011)

stangalang said:


> no saul, i completed a single stage and refined with blue lotion to a degree. Used as a gloss enhancer and paint prep really


What polish/pad combo you used and what was removal rate? 2-3microns?
Did you polished also those areas where was only 61microns left if so what is your limit when you decide that you will not polish anymore?


----------



## torkertony (Jan 9, 2013)

Awesome Matt. One of my fave motors too, which looked like it had been washed with a brilo pad! Nice results mate, cheers for posting :thumb:


----------



## Jwalker84 (Jan 20, 2012)

Refreshing to see the honesty in the pictures. I spent 3 months of amateur detailing wondering why i couldn't remove 100% of defects like the pro's seem to then you realise a tricky camera angle can work wonders! Excellent job there, looks awesome when finished


----------



## zippo (Mar 26, 2008)

outstanding job Matt You know I used to worship the ground Land Rover All Terrains sat on . I'm just losing faith in the new designs their bringing out . They seem to be losing the workhorse to the upper classes & losing a great heritage in the process. I read the Defender will be made in India because its so labour intensive .Time will tell .
Back on topic . The owner must have been chuffed to see the flanks of the 90 A beautiful canvass to stare into and see yourself and probably most of the surrounding area. Even a 90's not small
Daz


----------



## stangalang (Nov 27, 2009)

zippo said:


> outstanding job Matt You know I used to worship the ground Land Rover All Terrains sat on . I'm just losing faith in the new designs their bringing out . They seem to be losing the workhorse to the upper classes & losing a great heritage in the process. I read the Defender will be made in India because its so labour intensive .Time will tell .
> Back on topic . The owner must have been chuffed to see the flanks of the 90 A beautiful canvass to stare into and see yourself and probably most of the surrounding area. Even a 90's not small
> Daz


Daz I'm with you, we live quite rurally and the defender and the range rover is the vehicle of choice. Soon, it will be difficult to distinguish between he 2 and that makes me sad. I spent the entire detail explaining to everyone how gutted i am, and how much i wish they just improved the original, instead of completely changing it! Just make some wipers that clear the windscreen, some heaters that actually warm the cab and clear the windscreen, and stop the water ingress. Job done!


----------



## zippo (Mar 26, 2008)

stangalang said:


> Daz I'm with you, we live quite rurally and the defender and the range rover is the vehicle of choice. Soon, it will be difficult to distinguish between he 2 and that makes me sad. I spent the entire detail explaining to everyone how gutted i am, and how much i wish they just improved the original, instead of completely changing it! Just make some wipers that clear the windscreen, some heaters that actually warm the cab and clear the windscreen, and stop the water ingress. Job done!


TATA LAND ROVER DEFENDER all that history heritage gone with a signature on a piece of paper. Progress of the money kind How do they sleep at night . Any land rover product stood out a mile anywhere on in any kind of environment . How many enthusiasts will have the cash to own a discovery .
An HSE is roughly 50k then comes the RR. So the people in semi and rural communities will have to turn to the jap brands and LR's downfall begins again .Never forget the little fella who wants a low range box Your everyday bread and butter punter not the company exec who just cares about the kudos associated with a brand based on off road prowess .Who won't even put m+s rubber on come winter .Who leans on it nonchalantly letting people think he can go off road any time he likes and knows what he's doing. So long as he doesn't have to shift a stick he'll look good . High /low range what's that. God may forgive JLR but I wont, neither will thousands of LR fans from around the world 
Daz 
Moan over. I hope you enjoyed this pleasant little interlude .If you didn't I'm sorry you don't concur WITH MY STATEMENT as a great man said "opinions are like armpits ,every one has 2 depending on what the wife tells them is right"


----------



## HEADPHONES (Jan 1, 2008)

Great job on a great example of a Defender.
It must bring you great pleasure in delivering the finished article to the owner.
Much like delivering a baby

and It must create a sensation similar to picking up a new car in the pit of your customer's stomaches when they collect.........except without the worry of bad dealer prep:lol:


----------



## isctony (Sep 24, 2008)

Fantastic job! As a Defender owner with chequer plate, is there any particular technique you have used? It seems to have come up brilliantly.


----------



## wylie coyote (Jul 15, 2007)

Another great turnaround Matt. You're a machine at the moment!:thumb:


----------



## stangalang (Nov 27, 2009)

isctony said:


> Fantastic job! As a Defender owner with chequer plate, is there any particular technique you have used? It seems to have come up brilliantly.


No, i used a toothbrush and a heavy grade metal polish, then the same polish with wire wool, THEN machined it with a metal finishing polish. Then sealed


----------



## Focusaddict (May 31, 2010)

:detailer::thumb:
What did you guys use on the bolts?


----------



## unique detail (Jan 26, 2012)

Great work as always Matt:thumb:


----------



## stangalang (Nov 27, 2009)

Focusaddict said:


> :detailer::thumb:
> What did you guys use on the bolts?


They were sanded through 2 grades to remove surface rust, treated then sprayed with aerosols



unique detail said:


> Great work as always Matt:thumb:


Thank you sir :thumb:


----------



## tonyy (Jul 26, 2008)

Superb job:thumb:


----------



## magpieV6 (Jul 29, 2008)

Great work Matt, I love these.


----------



## craigblues (Jul 24, 2011)

Top job! Got to love defenders! ;-)


----------



## Mumbles (Nov 7, 2011)

Love this! Really nice and an honest review.

Chris


----------



## sm81 (May 14, 2011)

How well bluelotion works together with other waxes? I have lost blue lotion thread...


----------



## Derek Mc (Jun 27, 2006)

Awesome Matt, these Land'ies really look eye popping with some love and TLC


----------



## muchoado (Dec 5, 2016)

what a beast


----------



## carlmu77 (Dec 2, 2016)

stangalang said:


> Daz I'm with you, we live quite rurally and the defender and the range rover is the vehicle of choice. Soon, it will be difficult to distinguish between he 2 and that makes me sad. I spent the entire detail explaining to everyone how gutted i am, and how much i wish they just improved the original, instead of completely changing it! Just make some wipers that clear the windscreen, some heaters that actually warm the cab and clear the windscreen, and stop the water ingress. Job done!


It is a shame it's gone but the problem was it needed too much to get it up to legislation. It Would have been cheaper to redesign it. I hope it's still a similar look to what was about

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------

