As some of you know, I am in the middle of rebuilding a series 3 88. The strip down has gone well, although it did reveal some nastier surprised along the way. As such, while at Land Rover Monthly’s show at Malvern, I ordered a new chassis from Richards Chassis. I also managed to talk our way into a tour around their facility.

A month later, Spare Dave and I showed up at the industrial estate in Mexborough and found our way to the workshop. We were welcomed as though we belonged there, which was lovely, and handed a brew before we got into the tour of the facility

What struck me was the level of organisation. I had no idea how many small bits were needed to create a much larger structure. Sheet steel is brought in and a huge laser cutter is used to cut out the required pieces. We spent a good ten minutes just watching the machine at work, it was mesmerizing to see the laser at work!

The pieces are then welded into the required shape and stored in many bins until they are required. When a chassis is ready to be constructed, the right amount of pieces are gathered into a larger container and then taken through to the other workshop.

Another amazing piece of equipment is the welding device that welds the sides of the chassis legs together at the same time. I’m not technically minded enough to explain or know how this piece of equipment works, only that it cost a small fortune and does an amazing job. This side of the workshop is where the magic truly happens. All the small pieces are set on a jig and welded up to become the much more familiar shape.

The chassis, once complete, is then moved to another warehouse to be stored until it is sent to be galvanised. Each chassis is stamped with a manufactures number, which means if anything goes wrong, it can be traced back to when it was made, who made it and when.

We then got to see the chassis stored awaiting dispatch. There were so many shiny frames on the racking units, each and every one waiting to go to a new owner. Some of them go as far afield as Australia! I did look for mine, but I couldn’t see it.

The next part of the tour involved a project that Richards Chassis are currently working on. Bulkheads. It has been a long time coming, and the one subject that we kept coming back to through the tour was safety. Many of our Land Rovers are not new vehicles. Mine is 50 next year, and there have been major developments in passenger safety since then. When it comes to manufacturing replacement parts, Richards are passionate about ensuring their bulkheads are as strong internally as the original ones. We saw brackets and fixings that were made for the sole purpose of reinforcing the internal structure of the bulkheads. All to make sure that structurally integral part of the car does not fold up like tinfoil in the unfortunate event of an accident. It may not make them the cheapest product on the market, but when it comes to safety, it’s a worthwhile investment.

The last part of the tour was meeting a fellow who had a workshop just opposite Richard’s Chassis warehouses. His name is Paul, the company is Marsden Auto Developments, and he specialises in Chassis swaps. He was working on a lovely looking Defender 90, had a Range Rover Classis next to it and was eager to talk Land Rover. We spent a long time talking about the different aspects of Land Rover ownership and will most likely be sending Larry to have his Chassis swapped over in a year or two when I’ve saved up enough money for the job!

All in all, it was an interesting insight into the manufacturing of Chassis. We were made to feel very welcome by everyone we met; apprentices and owners alike. I cannot recommend Richard’s Chassis enough. The quality of the build, the helpfulness of the staff and their dedication to the work is top notch. Next time you see them at a show, go and talk to them, they know their stuff!