Front panel and radiator came off easily enough, to reveal their inner surfaces for the first time. The front panel ("Breakfast") is in as good a shape as I had hoped, just some very superficial surface rust. This will be cleaned, sanded, and primed, ready for painting at a later date.
The radiator appears to be in good shape, too, although I'll try to flush it tomorrow and see what come out. The drain tap performed flawlessly, which was good news. If all is well, the radiator will be cleaned up, stripped and repainted.
With the front panel off, the front axle is now easier to see (and do an initial cleaning of). Revealed were the numbers 7828. I assume for now that it the axle serial number. Once the front panel and radiator are put away, it'll be time to take this apart and see how things are inside.
Broad view of the area, showing the front panel mounting brackets (the middle one had a rubber 'shim'), steering relay, and engine front - note the small balance weight on the fan blade at right. At the very bottom it's just possible to see the remains of the snowplow mounts, which the previous owner had welded to the chassis and are thus difficult to remove at this stage. On the front of the crossmember is the steering damper bracket, which from its shape and welding technique I don't think is original to the vehicle. The rebuilt Land Rover will not have a steering damper, as it's not needed and most did not have one.
