Seriously, don't put the spare on the bonnet unless you're a PH standard-issue 6'4" well-built director of multiple companies. They're fking heavy to open with it on, and the bonnet prop is rubbish and flimsy; if you must have the safari look, take the bloody thing off before delving under the bonnet to avoid it closing itself onto your head.

Glad you finally got one. I did wonder if you ever would. We've talked about L/R's before on a different forum (where I had a different user name). I used to own a Series 2a LWB. Brilliant things. Mine is still going strong - not with me owning it though unfortunately.

I always found the 2.25 diesel to be not very good. Enough power to pull the skin off a rice pudding. Just. And they always seemed to smoke a lot. A Tdi motor will be a good upgrade - everyone will probably tell you that the halfshafts will snap. They won't so long as you drive it with some sympathy. And even if they do, take the half shafts out, pop it in 4WD and drive it home on the front wheels.

If you do upgrade the engine it might be worth considering uprated brakes as well - bigger drums on the front aren't difficult to retrofit. Something I found useful as an upgrade was a hand throttle. Very useful as a crude cruise control!

If it hasn't been done, it's also worth carpeting the interior with a sound deadening kit. It'll never be quiet, but it will make a huge difference.

Worth also looking for a set of free wheeling hubs. Makes a noticeable difference to the fuel economy. Speaking of which, putting the spare on the bonnet will make a difference to the fuel economy as well - they're noticeably worse with the spare wheel on the bonnet.

Should be a good wagon for all of the dive gear.

Edit:- regarding the inertia reel seat belts, take a look at what the seat belts are mounted to. I've never looked closely at the cab bulkhead on a series 3, but I had no faith that the bulkhead in a series 2 would withstand any form of strain from a seat belt, and anyway it doesn't come up to the top of your back, so the best case would be a compression injury. Easier to do with a Series 2 because of the age and when seatbelts were introduced, but I never bothered with seat belts and made sure I avoided crashing.

Love that, very tidy.

I want another one now. Not going to happen any time soon though

A popular upgrade at the moment seems to be a Tdi with the turbo removed; it produces a useful amount of extra power over the 10/11J, but not so much that it pops bits of the drivetrain and detuning it means it's (theoretically) going to be unburstable.

Nice Landy! A bottle of T-cut would soon have that paint looking a treat, and the standard steel wheels you mention would really set it off nicely.
You mention Delux bonnets - you already have one, as evidence by the rolled lipped edges on it. A "standard" bonnet is a plain sheet of metal like this one:




The TDi engine conversion is a divisive issue - I am of the school that it ruins the character of the vehicle but obviously it is your choice. As you say, one thing to consider would be to remove the turbo as many people do, to massively reduce the risk of breaking the gearbox or halfshafts, unless you drive with a featherlight right foot. When it comes to soundproofing the interior, I can very highly recommend these:
http://www.famousfour.co.uk/new_parts/part_page.ph...
Yes I know its a lot, but it is tough, wipeclean and makes a hell of a difference to the noise levels. A good trick for the doors is to make up some copies of the door lining cards from a station wagon model, with the usual vinyl covering. But then, when fitting them, fill the big cavity between door skin and card with expanding foam. When lining the roof, don't use plain carpet - hardtop roofs condense inside very easily so carpet will go damp. High density foam (like the stuff on the underside of noiseproof mats) normally works a treat. Lining the roof and sides will make it much warmer in the winter as well as the reduction in noise.
I would definitely recommend leaving the spare on the back door, bonnet mounted ones look cool but as mentioned they are a monumental pain.
seat-wise, get some high-back station wagons one if you dont already have them. they are a huge improvement in comfort over the standard slab seats, your back and bottom will thank you!
Finally, on the subject of door catches... unusually for an '83 model, in the photo it look like you have the older style catches that work like a house door with a striker wedge? if so, upgrade so some anti-burst catches - they dont pop open over rough ground unlike the sriker ones....


Overall, I hope you enjoy the experience of owning an old Landy! Are you planning on doing any greenlaning or off roading outside of PH?

Ah yes, forgot to mention that but like Jimex says, best to check. The easy way to tell is to have a front drum off - if it is 11" across and has twin leading shoes then its the later servoed LWB setup, if its 10" SLS then you need SWB parts