Ripon Paint And Body Apprentice Takes On Impressive Land Rover Defender Restoration

Leading automotive coatings distributor and School of Thought Partner, Carlac had the pleasure of stopping by Ripon Paint and Body to peek at their apprentice's Land Rover Defender restoration project utilising Spies Hecker paint for its fantastic respray.

22-year-old, Ripon Paint and Body's paint technician apprentice, Declan Taylor, has spent the last 18 months restoring a 1998 Land Rover Defender he purchased in pieces from a farm in Somerset.

"The project has been slow but rewarding work. After three trips back and forth bringing parts of the Defender up to Yorkshire, the entire car has been rebuilt from the ground up. I approached the project by seeing what parts were salvageable, what I wanted to keep, and what I could sell to help fund the restoration, said Declan.

"It's been a complex job and far bigger task than I could've ever imagined, but I'm now 75% complete, and I'm so happy with the outcome. The respray is one part of the project I'm most happy with, and thankful for the support from Carlac with the paint. The Phoenix Orange on the body and Santorini Black on the roof and bonnet really make the Defender stand out.

"I’m starting work on the interior, and restoring the wheels, but my most important job is to get the clutch fixed so that it can go for its MOT. In the end I plan to keep it, travel around the UK camping in it and taking it to shows."

"For such a young apprentice, the scale of the restoration is something that only a high-skilled technician or petrolhead would ever consider, and the finish that Declan has achieved is outstanding, commented, Carlac's Business Development Manager, Helen Wesolowski.

"To get the restoration to where it is today, he's utilised every late night, weekend and annual leave day to make it a success, and that’s highly commendable. I'm sure the entire team at Carlac and Ripon Paint and Body are proud of what he's achieved in the time and excited to see the finished restoration. Many thanks to Declan Taylor and Matt Worsman."

Be sure to follow Declan’s restoration progress by following his Instagram page.