trickster5000 wrote:

Got the car back now, predictable damage to the ignition barrel, steering column surround and brake pedal. Some additional damage to some wiring looms as no power to radio and charging ports etc

The more surprising/concerning discovery was a small dent/scuff in the front diff casing and a chip in the paint on the front offside wheel rim with hefty scuff marks in the tyre so it seems like it's had a couple of whacks in it's stolen journey Only found these marks while investigating a new squeal on that same wheel which sounds distinctly like an unhappy wheel bearing presumably as a result of that whack.


Click image to enlarge


Click image to enlarge

Will take it off the road for a bit now while I strip that hub down and give everything else a good check over and then figure out what I do next...

I can't deny the whole ordeal has taken a lot of the pleasure out of owning the car and I'm going to need to take some time to think about what I want to do with it now

from the looks of that, it sounds like they just stole it to feed they little jollies, Like they did with mine.
Please do not be disheartened about what's happened, After all you have blew a lot of time and hard work into rebuilding this into that Landy you wanted. I lost one, and i have come back a lot stronger. Also i know what its like to lose pleasure out of a project too, to the point i nearly chucked it all in.
12 years ago me and my dad did something very similar, but dropped a VVC engine into a rover metro, We had did some extensive welding to the body, and i had to replace the full cars electrical system and salvage parts from scrappies, and fork out a on donor car and an engine. We had put it all together, and my parents had gone a way on holiday, i managed to buy the last piece of the puzzle and that was £200 on a recore on a radiator. Anyway not long after the system was bled through, and i did some final touches etc. The engine died on me on tick over, turned out i was sold a bad one, that had the headgasket failure, and the head was tightened down to hide it, to the point they had damaged the vvc pickup ( £500 part) and chewed a head bolt, making the engine worthless to sort out. VVC engine was the same price as a VVC pickup cam. Me and my dad were that winded after all that, he just sat watching TV in disgust, i was highly wound up. I was practically on the verge of just saying to my dad sod it, drag it to the scrapyard and weigh it in. When i told the forum i was on, what had happened. Not one of them said Procta chuck the car etc. They said you have got this far with it and we have followed you with this, so you cannot back out of it now!! The lad who helped me diagnose it, managed to sort me out a replacement engine. Which was more powerful unit, So with in a week. Me and my dad managed to pull the project back online. Took another year of putting it back on the road. But we made a belter of a car. After what happened did put me off the car, but as soon as it passed its MOT and road worthy, that went away. We enjoyed every bit of it, and laughs we had. So basically you will come back stronger, just put it down as bit of bad luck sadly like i did. with mine  Defender TD5 90 ---/--- Peugeot 306 HDI hatch back

Success is 90% Inspiration and 4 minutes Preparation # you can make it!

Cragster69 wrote:

Sad news, but really glad you've got her home.

I wonder if the damage to the wheel and axle are a result of them cutting the brake pedal and using a kerb or something to slow them down?

Did the forensics manage to find anything?