I’m Andy, part-time stress engineer, part-time maker/fixer of cool stuff, full-time nerd.
Oh, and I like messing about with Land-Rovers.
While the stress engineering side of my work life is very interesting (for an engineering nerd, at least) it’s not exactly hands-on. Which is a shame. I’m not complaining in the slightest – I like it, it’s just a bit lacking in the more practical side of things which got me interested in engineering in the first place.
Rustylandrovers keeps me honest with just that – the practical side of engineering.
What started off as my hobby has evolved somewhat over the last few years. I’m still working on my own projects, but I’m also completing work for customers (see the ‘services’ tab up top for more info).
So. Why Land Rovers?
For me, I think it’s the combination of simplicity and versatility. With a basic utility-bodied land rover, I can do just about anything vehicle-based that I want to do – tow trailers, go camping, cart machinery around… All this while being almost brutally simple. I’m a simple guy, and I like simple machines. Ok, it won’t go anywhere fast, or be especially comfortable, but that’s a compromise I’m prepared to make.
I bought my first Land Rover, a 300tdi ’96 Discovery, when I was a student. The Discovery was perfect for taking me and a couple of mates to the top of downhill tracks all over the country, or up to Glenshee for a spot of snowboarding in the winter. That Discovery is now off the road and has been scavenged for parts, but in hindsight I should have kept it going – it was brilliant. It’ll do 95% of what a 90/110/Defender will do, but with all the comfort of a Range Rover classic (which it basically is). I also paid £800 for mine, which is a lot cheaper than an equivalent example of the more popular ‘proper’ Land Rovers. As I was a student at the time, I had very little cash to keep it going. That wasn’t a problem, as it was simple enough and reliable enough that I could keep it healthy with minimal resources.
Older Land Rovers in particular encourage a different driving style, which in turn causes a change of attitude. They’re slow, which means you know you’re not going anywhere quickly in one. Because you know this, you don’t rush around in them – you just settle back and enjoy the journey for what it is.