Workshop performs miracles! Next level Land Rover rebuild!!! Ep264

Welcome back to the workshop as we continue with our massive Land Rover Defender rebuild in Cape Town South Africa. We are so happy with all that has happened so far at Victitec. We really believe that we've found ourselves a one of a kind company to help us build our dream overland vehicle. The passion, professionalism and dedication from the team is absolutely next level.
Join us as we travel the world overland, exploring the cultures and traditions of all the countries we visit.
In our Land Rover Defender camper which is our full time home we will take you rock climbing, hiking and exploring across all the continents on this planet.
#dreamtruck #landrover #africa #southafrica #overland

[@GrizzlyNbearOverland]

I just would like to clarify Mandell’s role at Victitec. He is a qualified FABRICATOR and FITTER. As well as always being there to check if I (Stephy) need help in whatever I am working on. 😊

[@alwynvanwyk1851]

No matter what comments you receive from all the Armchair Overlanders, positive, negative, stupid or informative, you guys chose the right people for the job, completing you little butch house on wheels to your own requirements... Can't wait to see you on the road again. We will see each other again on the first weekend of November at the Landy /Outdoor Expo in Grabouw, Western Province... Remember, everybody is welcome, whether you drive an Uno or an Unimog... 🇿🇦🚙🚚🚜

[@anelnel4752]

Took my daughter to Cape town airport and visiting friends and family in Somerset West yesterday and back on the road heading home just before Sir Lowry's pass and there on the left-hand side Ponsteyn whoa how exciting for them being on u-tube . Mosselbay fan

[@claudelabagnere3801]

Cette "belle" française, sait tout faire, quelle chance de vivre avec une telle femme et son mari la mérite bien !. Bravo à vous deux, adorable couple. Papy.

[@anelnel4752]

Watching from Mosselbay South Africa. Love your story

[@fahmiewaggie6395]

HI GUYS...it was nice meeting you at the sea point pavilion....love your videos...

[@GrizzlyNbearOverland]

Thanks so much for saying hello. Good to meet you also 😊

[@goodbye4742]

1:54 So proud of my uncle and his crew helping them❤❤❤

[@arjuckes]

Keeping it interesting well done :)

[@robertlewis7237]

THANK YOU FOR VIDEO

[@sabdam2629]

Il va être beau ce defender.... enfin ce grizzly. Le jour où vous revenez en France je serais très heureux de le voir en vrai (vous aussi). Merci pour ces bons passés.

[@sayamasihprapto5195]

Good luck

[@martinhogan5970]

Good stuff!!

[@jacqueshickley]

Vulcan steel did all the laser cutting for my Gull wing project during COVID. Amazing quality and customer service.

[@GrizzlyNbearOverland]

We are so lucky that Victitec has a very good relation with Vulcan Steel. 😊

[@chrisbull3838]

I can’t begin to think of how much all this is costing…and this is the second time you’ve rebuilt the 130! Polish forestry truck to grizzly then duel cab to big cab. I had Big Cab 130, ex NSW National Parks.

[@JK-oo8kp]

What a great work! 👌🏼

[@stephen6378]

Like the progress!

[@jdenmark1287]

I’m so glad your build is going well, and love the addition of all the craftsmen’s names. These videos your travels are all about making human connections.

[@stevesmith3556]

Looking good guys!!

[@TerryT007]

So proud of Tauriq , my friend at Vulcan Steel that helped you guys. Enjoy your stay in beautiful Cape Town. Hoping to walk into you guys soon. 😂

[@DavidMSA]

Wow, your vehicle looks better than everything else I saw before in my whole life! Happy Land Rovering!

[@tonymurphy9112]

Great video, I really enjoyed watching the team

[@grahameroberts8109]

Craftsmen (and at times woman) at work. Looking good! 👍🏻🙏👍🏻

[@TheLandyExpedition]

Awesome work guys! Loving watching this rebuild 😀👍🏻 H x

[@EXPEDITIONROVE]

It’s looking sooooo good!!!

[@ulmontgalbertville3032]

Bonjour stephi, je suis Ulrich, et je vous suis depuis le début de vos aventures. Félicitations pour la transformation de Bear. Je suis cette transformation avec attention car je dispose aussi d'un déf 130 en France. Peux pouvons nous correspondre en MP pour connaître plus de précisions. Amitié déf.

[@sylviemartineau]

Bonjour à vous deux. Toujours aussi plaisant de voir la transformation de votre Defender. Bravo de réaliser votre projet jusqu’au bout malgré les embûches. Vous trouvez toujours des solutions à tout. Bravo je vous admire car vous êtes une source d’inspiration. Merci à vous pour ces excellentes vidéos. 🙏🌺👍🌈🌞

[@GrizzlyNbearOverland]

Merci pour ce gentil message bienveillant. Amicalement

[@kiplambel4052]

That flatbed is a work of art!

[@thierryfabre424]

C'est vraiment un superbe projet, bravo à vous deux d'avoir toutes ces idées et cette motivation pour aller au bout!!👍👍

[@erichjacobs809]

It looks stunning, love all that metal work!

[@seanoreilly6551]

If the wheel door opened downwards it would help lowering and putting back the wheels. Like a ramp.

[@jdenmark1287]

And in tropical downpours would fill with mud and water to be dumped into the storage area.

[@alwynvanwyk1851]

​ Ever heard of draining plugs or wading plugs or the on board hosepipe. How many times did you have to change a wheel in a torrential downpour, huh??? 😂😂😂😂

[@jdenmark1287]

@@alwynvanwyk1851 they store their climbing gear in there. Now I understand you are probably not the brightest leaf 🍁 on your family tree, but surely even you could try a little harder. And to answer your question we get over 165” of rain a year and have received over 40”s in 24 hours where I live. So yeah, plenty of people have to change tires in the rain.

[@tikit033]

super

[@princeangel3580]

Sorry for the so beautiful smile away in yhe sky

[@stevestott1514]

Wow what a spectacular job they are doing on this new setup . Looking so great . Thanks again for sharing your wonderful new build with us all your over landing friends . Cheers from Steve Stott in Sutherlin Oregon U.S.A.:) :) 🌍👊🏼🍻👍🏼😁

[@sinastbarth7563]

Que c'est beau tout ça ! Dommage d'avoir du couper le châssis ... mais c'est pour la bonne cause ... Très pro Victi i tec

[@MyDamnWell]

Looking great dude I really dig that storage locker. I hope they fix that big dent in the left door though. Maybe the camera makes it look worse than it is but that panel should be fixed up without harming the paint.

[@alwynvanwyk1851]

Battle scars must always be removed 😂 Patina and history gives some character... Landy so pretty, i didn't even see the dent 😢😢 But then again, REAL Series Landies and Defenders did come off the showroom with wobbly dents on about every panel 😂😂😂😜 Love them, not the new Pretender.

[@GrizzlyNbearOverland]

No dents in that vehicle mate 😊

[@derJackistweg]

13:13 this means you have 3 different metals which will all have galvanic corrosion, if any paint will fail. Alu + stainless will destroy the alu and so as well to steel. Stainless is also not ideal for anything that flexes. #fatigue life.

[@enidpuceflange]

Absolutely stunning craftsmanship going on here! To watch this being crafted and fabricated is pure pleasure. You guys must be thrilled to bits with Bear’s transformation and buzzing to continue your adventures!! Been watching and following you from the start, long may it continue. Stay safe on your travels guys 🙏 And keep up the great content. I think I can safely say, you are living the dream of a lot of your subscribers

[@badgerpa9]

Very glad you guys are doing well and the truck looks great.

[@danielwindley7261]

Great progress and enjoying the journey with you guys. Keep the good work up

[@geoffsperring4372]

Beautiful welding

[@partirencellule3041]

Amazing transformation and job done! Quel boulot !! Ok la carte grise ne va plus tout a fait correspondre mais bon !!! Ca me donne des idées mais pas simple en France !!! Bravo !!!

[@Munk-v9c]

I am deeply impressed by the craftsmanship of the people !!! I'm a blacksmith myself ;-)

[@unimog404]

Very nice to see it coming along. I love unique and custom builds!

[@donewhiskey]

LOVING this build! I am so stoked for you both!

[@darrencoyle3290]

The quality of the work looks amazing, design and build looks like it going to be a good one.

[@MagnumJack]

I am loving the new build videos, thank you..

[@defendermodsandtravels]

Fantastic rebuild but please don't fall into the trap where the fancy vehicle becomes more important than the journey. My 32 year old Defender has just had its own makeover at Duncan's place. 13 hours at $22 US ph by an excellent mechanic (Danie). All of the damage fom the earlier trip now repaired and ready to contine my SA adventure. My point is that whilst the vehicle looks scruffy it is very ready and the money saved will be spent on travel.

[@GrizzlyNbearOverland]

This is our full time home of 7 years and we want a nice new house 😉 We both work full time so we can have the luxury of the vehicle of our dreams whilst still continuing the travels for many years to come 😊

[@defendermodsandtravels]

@@GrizzlyNbearOverland Point taken. My old bus will take me anywhere but I couldn't live out of it for sure.

[@PeterPanPhil]

That’s some incredibly beautiful craftsmanship right there. And what a fantastic video Stephy. So nice to watch :-)

[@GrizzlyNbearOverland]

Thank you so much 😊

[@alwynvanwyk1851]

Stephi is as soft on the eye as the Landy...

[@husq2100]

Lots of work going into this and it’s looking great 👍. My only concern is the amount of attachments to the chassis, that is, too many. LR do not fix trays to all those load points, only the rear cross member and the forward outriggers, the rest are load bearing only, ideally with rubber isolation. Hopefully it won’t be an issue with torsional differences and fatiguing the aluminium/welds.

[@alwynvanwyk1851]

Was hoping to see some thin Teflon or rubber mounting points/pads between aluminium and steel... Metal fatigue is also caused by ultrasonic sound, not only friction/movement.

[@GrizzlyNbearOverland]

This was only a dry fit before sending for painting. There will be rubber dampeners between all attachment points.

[@sibhs66]

Incredible build quality. Marty from Perth

[@MeetOnTheRoad]

Quelle qualité de travail autour de Grizzly ! Vous êtes bien entourés pour ce projet d'envergure 👍 Une sacrée aventure de réaliser les rêves de Leigh 😉 Prenez soin de vous. Amitiés de Corse, où,à l'occasion le GR20 vous attend 😉

[@GrizzlyNbearOverland]

Merci beaucoup.

[@GrizzlyNbearOverland]

Oui oui le GR 20. 😊 maintenant il faut attendre juin 24 .

[@Ngunirovers7481]

Love these build videos guys, we’ll done. Looks like your water will be heated by the exhaust as well

[@alwynvanwyk1851]

Leigh, just a point from my side, obviously a bit late now... When the Land was fairly stripped down, why didn't you treated it for rust at the same time... Check the rear cross member on top @14:50 with the visible surfaces rust showing, or is it red mud 🤔 Anyway, hope to see you guys at the *SA Land Rover Expo at Elgin/Grabouw*, first weekend of November.

[@GrizzlyNbearOverland]

Wait for next video 😉 and we really hope to have the car ready for Elgin 🤞

[@1967CraigE]

Great stuff guys.

[@AntonioCarlos-jp6lf]

The project it will be fantástic.

[@WannabeOverlander]

👋🏻🤠🇫🇮

[@TheSnoopy093]

What a excellent job Guys, I hope you come trough Namibia once the build is done.

[@rhyswilliams695]

You should solid mount the rock sliders to the chassis, rather than the body. That alloy cab will buckle if your entire vehicle weight ends up on the slider.

[@husq2100]

I think you’ll find they are mounted to the chassis outriggers.

[@GrizzlyNbearOverland]

They are mounted directly to the chassis outriggers.

[@GrizzlyNbearOverland]

​@@husq2100exactly 😉

[@jdenmark1287]

@@GrizzlyNbearOverlandstill, you should probably follow the commands of people watching from the internet as they obviously know more about building a truck than the guys actually doing it professionally.🙂

[@alwynvanwyk1851]

​ Come on now !!! Commands 😂 Spelling check... Comments sounds better. So, you think the sofa off roaders knows more than the professionals... Funny you. 😂😂

[@ulihusky]

Very 😊nics Project

[@turnbull321]

This is awesome

[@canadiandiyguy4100]

most excellent!

[@mishaguevara]

All coming along nicely 😊

[@yuglesstube]

Hi again from Cairns!

[@tomjones8790]

Hi Steph and Leigh, VicTiTec is a Great Company and they do a great Work. They use top quality tools as well. 👍

[@thierrybayle4338]

super, tres belle aventure mecanique.

[@unpluggedkiwi1063]

This is going to end up being one very expensive 130. But sometimes you have to pay to get what you want.

[@iambueno]

Those were some nice, strong mig welds on that rear cross beam 👍

[@nigelmorgan3449]

Ya it looks fantastic coming on nicely

[@pauldent3059]

Wow, that flat bed looks like it could carry 40 tons

[@brunodupuis417]

C'est du super boulot et pleins de bonnes idées. Ça doit coûter très cher toutes ces transformations....

[@GrizzlyNbearOverland]

Le taux d’échange de la devise sud-africaine est en notre faveur.

[@perrygauthier1174]

How exciting to see youneig after 8 weeks! You two must be exited to hitnthe road with your brand new home. Your vision is finaly here💯

[@pascallaval2083]

Super travail de cette équipe. J'ai hâte de voir la suite. Biz à tous les deux. 😚 😘😍

[@paramount10987]

I’m so excited to see the final result as if it was for me. This will be an awesome vehicle. I hope you come to the US so I can see it in person. You guys are awesome!!

[@nebeska_medja]

this has been a lot of hard work for you and the team :D amazing

[@grahames9228]

Looking good.

[@jamesredgrove6141]

So good, really enjoying the transformation! I'm on electrickery this week, hopefully back on the road in a couple months 🤞🏻

[@p.ashukkur4613]

excellent job

[@BobvanT]

fab episode - what a tremendous amont of hard graft both of you are putting in ! Kudos from Aix en Provence 😊

[@lucysoutdoors]

awesome guys 👍👍👍

[@johnhart9094]

Hi are you both still in Cape Town?

[@norkisserrano]

They’re good fabricator and builder.

[@tomassanesson902]

awesome

[@kenghock68]

How are you protecting against galvanic corrosion ie when steel and aluminum come in contact?

[@davebarton9301]

Love watching the build, would be great to know the costs at the end

[@johnog8358]

With such a mix of metals could Galvanic corrosion be an issue on this build?

[@WeekendWanderersOverland]

Where can we contribute to Stephi's shoe fund? LOL Love this build!!

[@GrizzlyNbearOverland]

Leigh might have more shoes than Stephy at the moment 😆

[@IarthoI]

le boulot accompli est impressionnant!!!! hate de voir la fin!!! avez vous une idée du cout total du projet?

[@GrizzlyNbearOverland]

On ne veut pas additionner 😝 mais le coût est moindre qu’en France. Aussi le taux de conversion de la devise Sud Africaine joue en notre faveur.

[@Pixx4you]

When money is no object, the possibilibies are almost endless.

[@GrizzlyNbearOverland]

Money is always an object we just work hard and save like everyone else to pay for anything we do 😉

[@ralphvanthoff]

Great progress, looking good!! One thing I’m not convinced about are the chevron shaped cutouts in the main beams. They are meant for weight saving in low stress areas but I fear that the accumulated dust, dirt water and mud will offset any gains made. On top of that they don’t appear to have any access or drains fitted. I’d use full beams.

[@SiCrewe]

Did you check for legal issues related to modifying the chassis? Bear is registered in France, IIRC, so I guess French laws would apply. In the UK, for example, it's illegal (without inspecting and re-registering the vehicle) to modify a chassis. Many enthusiasts DO modify LR chassis' and it won't be a problem unless the vehicle is in an accident, or comes to the attention of the cops, and then the owner might find they're in trouble. I understand that the mod's to the rear crossmember won't undermine the chassis in any way but they ARE an easily visible part of the chassis so a pedantic cop, in any country where chassis mod's aren't permitted, might take issue with it. Sorry to make a negative comment but, if you weren't aware of the issue, hopefully it'll allow you to verify it IS legal in France, where the vehicle is registered. The conversion looks amazing and the quality of work is the best I've ever seen. You guys have one of the best overland vehicles on the planet and you're using it the way it should be used. If there was any justice in this world, you'd be "brand ambassadors" for Land Rover and they'd be arranging for red-carpet treatment in every country you visit.

[@alwynvanwyk1851]

SiCrewe, good point, good positive negative comment... There are so many different Land Rover models, from original ambulance chassis, fire trucks, missile launching platforms and and and, that no cop will know what he is looking at... The insurance, mmmm. With welding cerificates, engineering certificates, there will be not much arguments.

[@GrizzlyNbearOverland]

We will have an engineering certificate along with South African roadworthy inspection if we are ever questioned. As for insurance it's not very often an international overland vehicle has insurance other than maybe a 3rd party issued at the border.

[@SiCrewe]

@@GrizzlyNbearOverland Great stuff. Just didn't want you guys getting "caught out" over something so trivial. Obviously, it's not like you've moved suspension mounting points, removed bracing or done anything else that might make the vehicle unsafe... which is why there are laws related to this stuff. A shame that LR never saw fit to make the rear crossmember removeable, which would have avoided legal issues AND made it much easier to replace a rusty crossmember.

[@sharpsticksnz4112]

They appear to be hard bolting the flat deck directly to the chassis, no rubber or spring dampers... either the land rover chassis is extremely rigid and does not flex or someone made a mistake and the flexing of the chassis will flex the flat deck breaking the welds. 🤷‍♂️

[@GrizzlyNbearOverland]

That was a dry fit. There will be rubber dampeners between all fixing points.

[@sharpsticksnz4112]

@@GrizzlyNbearOverland thanks for the reply, safe travels team :)

[@annalinekennedy1027]

Good job. Can't wait to see end result. Hope SA doesn't disappoint you

[@alwynvanwyk1851]

Annalinekennedy, why would you think RSA and Southern Africa will disappoint any overland traveller ??

[@annalinekennedy1027]

@@alwynvanwyk1851 I am just afraid standards aren't up to your expectations

[@adiemitchell]

why is the flat bed so tall? seems like it's just raising your COG?

[@GrizzlyNbearOverland]

Not all all. The flat bed deck will be the exact same height as the bed of the factory load bin.

[@overlandsubaruinternationa2378]

C'est malade la transformation on veux toute savoir combien HOWWW MUCHHH plz

[@defland110]

Is the transformation cheaper than in France?

[@AndrewSparkfish]

Definitely thanks to the current exchange rate.

[@captbob1494]

But u dont have air condition like my lc78

[@RevN3]

As much as I am enjoying the welding porn, I can't wait to see everything back on the road again!

[@bertplank8011]

They should have sold the Landy and bought a second hand bimobil.Maybe theyre getting sponsored....trouble is they wont tell you even if they are..... perhaps understandable .

[@Gmaillorraine]

The land rover is a forever vechile and truly off road. I get why they did it but its very chanellging for most of us to find craftsman like this in USA that we could afford. My brother had a brand new defender and its impossible to do this nowadays with a new vechile

[@davidfuters7152]

You either get owning a Landrover or you don’t You obviously don’t , it’s not a criticism, they become a member of the family and you don’t want to let them go

[@AndrewSparkfish]

If they bought something we wouldn't have great build content to watch

[@alwynvanwyk1851]

bertplank8011 Seems you keep on watching GnB, but I don't understand why. You never have something good to say, is always sarcastic, negative and a pain in the ass... Are you watching just because you are jealous, or because of pretty Stephi....???? Maybe you and I need a coffee somewhere, as we are both grumpy old farts.. I'm the nice loyal Land Rover fart, and you are just the GOF... There is another saying for the F, and that suits you as well 😂😂😂😂 At least you make it fun to read, verbal diarrhea is good at times.

[@alwynvanwyk1851]

Another thing: Why do you speak "to them" in the third person.??? They, they, they 🤔🤔🤔

[@kellstat]

Just get a real truck. Why do you still keep on with these land rover junk. Do you just have that much money to spend? Just get a good truck/tool.

[@gail9906]

Looking good guys. Amazing transformation. ❤️🇦🇺🦘