Any series owners on here ? Advice please :)

[hot66]

Wife has given me the go ahead to get an old landie

I'd like to get a nice tidy series1 , but my wife quite likes the look of a tax free series 3 . In all cases we want a soft top and rear benches. Main use will be sunny family trips into the dales , across to the lakes etc ( 100 mile round trips ). Also, as we live in the sticks, it will be put into use on days when we are snowed or flooded in with a daily cars. Fully prepared for the slow, agricultural drive & for the lack of heating etc .

Do you think a series 1 is going to be suitable for a bit of practical use or am I better off with the series3 era ?

Thanks , James

[BLUETHUNDER]

In all cases your far better off with a series 3.

[hot66]

Seem to have got my s2a's and s3's confused

Looking at s2s and s2a's too


Bearing in mind this will be a toy, but one that has to be reliable and usable, are the s2a's and s3 that much more usable than a s1?

[Piglet]

We have two Series 3's, hubby's is a tax exempt 1972 model and mine is a taxable 1976 model.

There is quite a difference in comfort and ride between the two, we've taken mine on a trip to Silverstone (3.5 hours each way) towing the camping trailer but I probably wouldn't want to do the same trip in his.

Some of that may be that mine is a bit more up together and has been rebuilt differently so it may depend on the exact vehicle that you buy.

We use ours a lot and they are both fab, but I'm not especially sure that I'd want to take my children on a 100 mile round trip in one - especially a soft top unless it had a roll cage in it.

[300bhp/ton]

hot66 said:

Seem to have got my s2a's and s3's confused

Looking at s2s and s2a's too


Bearing in mind this will be a toy, but one that has to be reliable and usable, are the s2a's and s3 that much more usable than a s1?

In reality there's actually very little difference between the 2, 2a and 3. In fact many people will struggle to even tell them apart they are so similar. Tax exempt is nice, but will cost you more initially. All 2's and 2a's are tax exempt and very early 3's.

Petrols are more refined and go better, but expect 15-20mpg tops (the lower more likely). Diesels are slightly slower (62 vs 72hp) but are a lot less refined and not hugely more economical either.

If you don't mind a modified one a V8 converted Series will be no worse on fuel than a 2.25 and a Tdi one will be better all round.


Series 1's are much rarer and you'll pay a premium for such a vehicle. In reality they aren't really all that different to any other Series Landy. You really can see it was evolution, not revolution between the models. That said, some S1 parts will be harder to get hold of, so will maybe require more determination and dedication.

If you aren't worried about competing off road maybe a LWB such as a 109 might be worth considering. A bit better ride and a lot more room.

[schmalex]

^^^^. What 300 said.

[hot66]

thanks all

been doing a bit more research over the weekend. Have a budget of £5K, but would be more than happy to spend a lot less

As much as I'd love a series1 , I think the 2 , 2a & above would be a more practical option . I do love the metal dash on the 1, 2 & 2a

will a 2a happily cruise along at 55mph ?

Ideally I'd like tax free ... but the main thing is I don't want a resto project . a little bit of fettling here & there is fine. Also, I want something that over time is going to be worth what I paid for it ( assuming I keep it in fine fettle ).

Biggest decision really is : if I don't stick to a tax free classic then I might as well look at landrovers all the way up to modern defenders. Have also seen a nice ex military '91 plate . Understand the 2.5na are a bit sluggish, but I assume they can't be that bad if comparing to a series 2 petrol ??

[schmalex]

A 2a will happily cruise at 55 with an overdrive fitted. My 3 will sit at 58 all day long (it won't go any faster, mind!), but it just has the normal 4 speed box, which is quite low geared. to be honest, the biggest concern is stopping the damned thing, as 55mph in something with 8 inches of play in the steering before anything really starts thinking about happening can be quite a life affirming experience!

[BLUETHUNDER]

The 2.5 n/a diesel is sluggish to say the least. The 2 and a quarter petrol as fitted to the series vehicles has a bit more poke. My latest Landrover is a S111 LtWt. Its fitted with parabolic springs which improves the ride. And a must on any series landrover. A overdrive. Which means i can happily cruise at 65-70mph. Photos of it are in the "Hand painting a Landrover" thread. Its the best LtWt i have had. And i have had 5.

[300bhp/ton]

schmalex said:

A 2a will happily cruise at 55 with an overdrive fitted. My 3 will sit at 58 all day long (it won't go any faster, mind!), but it just has the normal 4 speed box, which is quite low geared. to be honest, the biggest concern is stopping the damned thing, as 55mph in something with 8 inches of play in the steering before anything really starts thinking about happening can be quite a life affirming experience!

You might want to check the steering box and linkage on yours, it shouldn't have that much play. In fact a Series should feel quite tight and precise in the steering department.

[300bhp/ton]

hot66 said:

will a 2a happily cruise along at 55mph ?

50-55mph is possible, but remember they only have 4 gears and not many revs.

You can get OD units which might be worthwhile to reduce cruising rpms.

[schmalex]

300bhp/ton said:

schmalex said:

A 2a will happily cruise at 55 with an overdrive fitted. My 3 will sit at 58 all day long (it won't go any faster, mind!), but it just has the normal 4 speed box, which is quite low geared. to be honest, the biggest concern is stopping the damned thing, as 55mph in something with 8 inches of play in the steering before anything really starts thinking about happening can be quite a life affirming experience!

You might want to check the steering box and linkage on yours, it shouldn't have that much play. In fact a Series should feel quite tight and precise in the steering department.

To be fair, it's not too bad (maybe 1.5" play at top dead centre). The steering box is a little worn and I have a new one sitting in the garage waiting for me to get round to fitting it!

[hot66]

starting to narrow the requiremnts down a bit

Converting a hardtop to a soft top ... assume this can be done quite easilly on all 88/90 's ?

[300bhp/ton]

hot66 said:

starting to narrow the requiremnts down a bit

Converting a hardtop to a soft top ... assume this can be done quite easilly on all 88/90 's ?

Yes all body panels are removable, so hard top -> pick up -> full tilt is all quite easy. Seat belt mounts might need changing (easy). So all you'd need is the roll bar, hockey sticks and on a Series a windscreen with the right attachment points, oh and the tilt.

[schmalex]

300 - where would you recommend mounting the seat belts? I've looked at this a couple of times & assume they screw into the 2 holes on the top of the bulkhead.....

[300bhp/ton]

schmalex said:

300 - where would you recommend mounting the seat belts? I've looked at this a couple of times & assume they screw into the 2 holes on the top of the bulkhead.....

I've seen belts mounted in many different places over the years. Of course depending on year yours might technically not need belts or only lap belts.

The bulkhead behind the seats is certainly a possibility.

When we converted a 90 pick up to full tilt it had on a mil spec roll bar, I used that to mount the belts on as it put the inertia reel in a similar place to a hard top and onto a piece of metal equal or greater in strength than on a hard top.

Not the best pics for it, but look to the left behind the drivers seat, you can see there's a plate on the rollbar, this is where I attached the belt.

[JimexPL]

schmalex said:

300 - where would you recommend mounting the seat belts? I've looked at this a couple of times & assume they screw into the 2 holes on the top of the bulkhead.....

When I first put a tilt on our hybrid military bars were in short supply for sensible money, so I had a local fabricator make up something similar, with seatbelt threads welded into the uprights.
I don't have a photo to hand with the roof off, but you can see part of the roll bar in this pic -

Regarding your initial query, don't get hung up on the age of the Landy, and buy on condition and engine type.

A 2.25 petrol with the later high compression head will happily sit at 60mph in an 88" without an overdrive, on 235/85 tyres. If it wont, then the engine is due a rebuild.
I can get a genuine 75 out of ours (with a little bit more to give), but the gearbox becomes noisy at anything over 70 and the fuel economy plummets...

If you're not bothered about originality a decent 3.9 V8 conversion (if you can find one - most are bodges that require fettling) would suit your usage well.

[West4x4]

id go series 1. they've got the proper classic feel and were built to a much higer quality. Yes they are rarer cost more but there worth it and unless you go for a very early 80 inch model then most parts are reasonably priced. The 80 is rather a different matter in this case. A petrol will be thirstier but quieter and if its an occasional vehicle the fuel consumption wont matter the 2 litre petrol is a good little lump and will hapily do 55 with an over drive and decent size tyres
This looks decent price is reasonable to and converting from pick up to soft top is essy enough
http://www.carandclassic.co.uk/car/C311456

[cpas]

I've owned a couple of tax exempt Series 3s but found them extremely hard work and not too enjoyable to drive any distance in, and with the fuel economy I worked out that a 200TDi would pay for its road tax in about 1000 miles or so a year, so decided to buy a Defender 200 TDi.
You can get a decent Series motor a lot cheaper than a Defender (or earlier 90 with TDi conversion) but the cost difference seems to be coming down.
I am happy to drive a fair distance in the 90 at motorway speeds, and you can have a decent conversation with the passengers, whereas in the S3 you couldn't speak to the front seat passenger at 30mph!!

[garethj]

cpas said:

whereas in the S3 you couldn't speak to the front seat passenger at 30mph!!

It's a strange experience isn't it? Mine wasn't much noisier at 70mph than at 40mph, a bit like a Rolls Royce, only the inverse version...