Converted Landrover Defender set to travel the world using Witham paints

We’ve recently been in touch with Matt Gault, who along with his wife Connie and their three children, are converting a Landrover Defender 130 into a custom camper to travel throughout the UK and beyond.

We caught up with Matt a year into the project to talk about the progress so far and their experience of using Witham Group products.

How did this project all start?

We started the project in January 2019.

We bought the base vehicle for a good price but it did need some work doing to it. The chassis was rotten, so we’ve rebuilt the vehicle on a galvanised chassis as a solid base for the camper conversion. We needed to use a primer on parts of the chassis that were grinded back to re-apply some anti corrosion, and we also hope to use an underbody wax oil product as a final coat on the chassis.

The project has been vast! Not only has the chassis has been swapped, the engine has been taken out and given a once over, and all the body work that was part of the ‘new’ truck was transferred over. The build also included a custom designed camper box made out of composite board.

What made you choose Witham Group products?

We have known about you and used you for years, and it’s so handy having a trusted superior paint and oil supplier on your doorstep. The big oil can at the front has always been good advertising – I remember asking my parents what it was! We used to live on narrow boats and have always used your paints for them. In fact, I remember one time using your paint and another company’s side by side, and we just watched the other paint slowly chip off while your product looked the same as the day it was painted.

I often have questions about the application or what product to use and I am always surprised at how knowledgeable the staff are, and they’re always happy to offer advice over the phone.

Which products have you used so far?

We’ve used 90% Zinc Rich Primer, Etch Primer, Supercote Primer Undercoat, Supercote Enamel Gloss Paint and Metal Preservative Paint.

As always, these are fantastic products that far exceed expectations and have proven to be far superior than anything else.

We also hope to use Witham products for the under seal and obviously all the oils and things once we’re further into the project.

What’s the end goal?

The plan for the finished vehicle is to travel the world in with my wife and our three children Beaux, Roux and Abney. We plan to sell everything and move into the vehicle full time as we have always lived a fairly nomadic lifestyle.

The plans have changed a fair bit over the years! Hopefully, once the obvious difficulties of travelling at the moment are over, I think that our first trips will be Scotland and Cornwall to give the old girl a test before going too far. The first long trip will be to Europe and to visit friends in Norway, but we also have plans to drive to Africa – then at some point to ship it over to South America.

You can follow the Gault family’s progress on Instagram: @130defenderoverload

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