ABOUT THE WORKSHOPAn independent Series Land Rover workshop in Melbourne, Australia
We service, repair and restore Series 1, Series 2 and Series 3 Land Rovers. Established 2021.
THE WORKSHOPWho we are, what we do
We’re a team of five, each with different strengths and areas of expertise.
Whether you’re new to Series or a long-term custodian, we’re here to help you get your Series back on the road and keep it on the road—or off-road, if that's where you take it.
We understand the joys, frustrations and pitfalls of Series ownership.
We know the Series quirks, faults and failure modes, and how to get the best out of them without turning them into something they're not.
We offer a wide range of workshop-based services for Series, from minor repairs through to vehicle restorations.
We also offer solutions, services and parts that can be purchased via our Shop and delivered anywhere in the world.
Marce Cameron, Founder and DirectorRESEARCH & DEVELOPMENTSeries Magic R&D
Working exclusively on Series, we’re often up against decades of deterioration, benign neglect, dodgy repairs, dubious modifications and poor-quality replacement parts.
This is not what Land Rover had in mind when they drafted the workshop manuals.
Sometimes, what you need to know isn’t in the manuals. Internet forums can be helpful, but they’re notoriously unreliable blends of fact, fiction, and anecdotes that can’t be generalised.
We’ve found that much of it can only be learned the hard way: working on Series every day, as we do, and seeing the statistical patterns that emerge from repetitive fault finding, fixing things, seeing if those fixes are durable and going back to the drawing board if they don’t last.
Many Genuine parts for Series are unobtainable, and most aftermarket parts are cheap and nasty—or expensive and nasty—replicas.
Given the dilapidated state of most Series and the poor quality of most replacement parts, we’ve had to come up with workshop-based solutions to recurring technical challenges.
We’re not just a workshop. We’re a Series applied research laboratory.
We’ve developed and refined a growing range of Series-specific workshop procedures, specialist tools and practical solutions, some of which are available from our Shop.
A specialist tool developed through our R&DRestorationsPatina restorations
We are increasingly focused on maintaining and restoring Series in a way that preserves the history, character and charm embodied in such things as faded, mottled paintwork—the patina—and minor panel damage.
These ‘defects’ are what makes every Series vehicle unique.
The paint that rubbed off the driver’s door under the sliding window? That’s where the farmer placed his elbow every day for thirty years.
The little dent in the mudguard? That’s from when his daughter ran into the gatepost during a driving lesson.
Once you erase that history you can’t get it back.
We offer ‘patina restorations’ rather than glossy or concours restorations.
It’s not about imposing our preferences on others. It’s about what we derive enjoyment and satisfaction from when working on other people’s Series.
It’s also about the practicalities and the astronomical cost of striving for factory originality or showroom cosmetic perfection.
Patina detail on a Series door Modifications and upgradesPreserving character
Given our preservation ethos, we do offer upgrades and modifications, but not drastic ones.
Our upgrades often involve installing something from a later Series model into an earlier model. But they are not limited to this.
For example, we can performance tune Series engines and exhaust systems without overpowering the gearbox or drastically altering the appearance of the engine bay.
We don’t offer power steering, disc brakes or coil spring conversions.
Felix CameronOUR APPROACHHow we work
We work methodically and with care, aiming to do the job properly rather than rushing it out of the workshop.
We set an uncompromisingly high workshop standard for work on safety-critical systems (brakes, steering, suspension, high-current electrical circuits) and structural repairs. We either do it properly or we don’t touch it.
Quality control, job documentation and standardised workshop procedures are an important part of how we work.
lenny hodgainsReplacement partsMaintaining quality
Sourcing quality parts for Series is often difficult, and it’s getting harder every year as dwindling stocks of Genuine parts are used up. Sometimes, Genuine parts arrive and we find they’ve deteriorated in storage over the decades.
Most aftermarket parts are inferior: they don’t work as well, don’t fit properly or don’t last as long as Genuine ones. We go to great lengths to procure New Old Stock Genuine and OEM parts, quality aftermarket parts and good-condition used Genuine parts.
If you have such parts that are surplus to your needs, please get in touch with us.
Sometimes, replacing a part would be cheaper and easier, but we opt for repair over replacement because it’s the only technically acceptable solution, or because the customer’s preference is that we repair it rather than replace it.
We’ve developed strict quality control procedures for safety-critical parts such as brake master cylinders and slave cylinders. Given the variable quality of even the good-brand ones, we disassemble, clean, inspect, regrease and reassemble each one prior to fitment, rejecting any with manufacturing defects and correcting any assembly errors.
Sometimes, modifying aftermarket parts or assemblies is a workable solution, and much of our R&D is dedicated to this. We have developed special tooling, equipment and procedures for some such modifications.
We insist on fitting only high-quality replacement parts, which typically cost more, where it matters most on your Series: safety-critical and reliability-critical systems and assemblies.
Elsewhere, we can fit cheaper replacement parts—if obtainable—at your request, provided they still meet our workshop’s minimum standards.
Seth DerrickTransparency and accountabilityWe keep you informed
Series are relatively simple vehicles, but working on them can be anything but straightforward.
Age, rust, neglect, poor-quality replacement parts, dubious farm or backyard fixes, and uninformed or dodgy repairs can make it hard for us to know what’s involved at the outset.
We often find more things that need doing as the work proceeds.
Unforeseeable complications are the rule rather than the exception.
We may insist on a stand-alone vehicle inspection before we put a spanner to your Series, so that we—and you—get an idea of its overall condition before we undertake the requested work.
Complex repair work is always documented, for our records and yours.
Documentation files may include references to complications we’ve encountered, and we often upload photos and videos to these files.
Some Series repair work is inherently exploratory in nature: what’s involved is only revealed as the work proceeds. If we make a big ‘dismal discovery’ (for example, we find that chassis rust is far more extensive that it appeared to be), we let you know immediately and give you the option of us either proceeding with the repair work or stopping right there.
For transparency and accountability, Series Magic invoices are more detailed than those of non-specialist automotive workshops, and even those of most specialist workshops.
Clancy CameronFAQFrequently asked questions
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We only work on Series Land Rovers, the classic Land Rovers made from 1948 to 1985. What distinguishes all Series models from all the other Land Rovers, and Range Rovers, is the suspension: Series have leaf springs rather than coil springs.
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Our workshop is in the Heidelberg West industrial estate in north eastern Melbourne, near La Trobe University. We offer our workshop-based services Australia-wide, and to overseas customers via our Shop. If you can get it to us, we can work on it.
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We work on the basis of quotes, estimates, or our workshop hourly rate—depending on the job.
Our hourly rate is $210 plus GST. View our Cost page to learn more about how we charge for our work.
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Yes, we buy New Old Stock Series parts, as long as they’re withstood the ravages of time and storage. We also buy selected good condition used parts.
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We’re a small and busy workshop with no office staff, so visits are strictly by appointment.
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The golden rules: don’t buy a Series on a whim, and don’t buy it without seeing it in person. Ideally, get us to inspect it before you buy it.
At a glanceWorkshop details
Series Magic PTY LTDADDRESS16 Culverlands St, Heidelberg West, Victoria, 3081, Australia. View on Google Maps →
HOURSMonday – Friday · by appointment.
EMAILPhone0413158480
WORKSHOPhourly RATE$210 plus GST View Pricing →
COVERAGEMelbourne · country Victoria · Australia-wide
Shipping policyWe ship to anywhere in Australia and to most other countries. View our shipping policy here.
96 668 199 264
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