ARKONIK
New member
In 2006, Andy Hayes (Arkonik CEO) purchased a 1983 V8 Defender 110 in Stratos Blue. This vehicle was the first step in the creation and development of Arkonik. 200 of our restored Defenders have now been shipped into North America whilst UJO has sat quietly in Andy’s collection, waiting for its chance to shine. After 12 years, that moment has arrived; UJO is now being restored with the very best of everything we have to offer. The Defender will include shimmering bodywork in a variation on Stratos Blue; dubbed UJO Blue. This will be complemented by a Jaguar Pearl roof and topside panels, in keeping with the original colour scheme but with a contemporary twist. Underneath, UJO will include colour coded Bilstein springs and SuperPro Suspension as well as an LS3 powerplant. UJO will be the ultimate Arkonik restomod Defender.
Stage 1: Chassis Preparation & Suspension Components
UJO’s new chassis is made from 3mm mild steel, manufactured by Richards Chassis. These chassis are manufactured in the UK, close to the steel city of Sheffield. Richards use locally sourced materials, locally based machine shops and all profiling is done ‘in house’ using their own laser machinery. The chassis was delivered in bare steel form and entered the Arkonik process to be etch primed and Raptor-coated. With a final flourish, it has been painted in gloss black, which will complement the UJO Blue elements of the build.
This week, Andy and Craig have been installing steering and suspension components which have all been painted in UJO Blue. This includes radius arms and polyurethane bushes made by SuperPro, and uprated springs, shocks and dampers by Bilstein.
We welcome your comments, opinions and tips. Be sure to check back again soon for more updates on project UJO.
