Off to look at a RR classic tomorrow.. advice please

[MrMoonyMan]

Hi Guys,

Diving in to the great unknown a little here but very excited.

Tomorrow I'm off to have a look at an 87/88 (exposed hinge) 3.5 Range Rover.

Car sounds pretty good and looks okay. I've read up all the buyers guides I can find but would appreciate any little titbits of advice you've got..

The car is completely standard bar an immobiliser as far as I know.

The owner says that above 60 it is a little bit 'light' and un settled.. This matches up with the other one that I've driven but was wondering what your thoughts are?

I know that it has bubbling paint at the bottom of one of the rear doors and has a hole that needs welding on the inside of the same rear door. They all seem to either go there or have been done before. I'm planning to budget that into the buying price.

Any thoughts on this and other bits to check are gratefully received!

Thanks

[MrMoonyMan]

Brilliant, thank you for that.

Yeah, it's the rust I'm most worried about!

Just got back in from having a look at another one.

This one seemed a good, straight, honest car but had bubbling on the bulkhead which worried me. I'm hoping that tomorrows car has less bubbling.

Have now driven two of them and they are a nice place to sit. Sound so good too.

[MrMoonyMan]

Great, just confirmed a few more things for me.

I really hope this one tomorrow is the one as it's the one I'm travelling furthest for.

paintman said:

The 3.5 generally doesn't suffer the liner issues of the 3.9 & bigger engines. Rattling that rises & falls with engine speed often indicates worn cam & followers but can be an exhaust gasket blowing.

The second one I drove had that, assumed tappets which are not adjustable on these I gather. It was more of a tappet noise than a gasket noise.

Thanks again chaps. For all the rust (which scares me) they do seem to be pretty solid old beasts on the mechanical front.

[MrMoonyMan]

Thanks Paintman.

I can not remember when I was last this excited.. I've been looking at them for ages..

I shall update on here. Thanks again both.

[MrMoonyMan]

DKL said:

Rust - not wishing to worry you but mine's just had hours (and hours) of bodywork and have you seen Dunc's thread.
Look hard!
Exhaust manifold gaskets are common, mine ticks and its annoying.
Is there a link to tomorrow's - you might get a few pointers?
Best of luck, they are what an Englishman should drive if you need a 4x4.
(other dependencies are available and I dare say the same applies)

I am worried about the rust! Trust me, that is my main worry here..

Thing is, I accept at the level I'm looking at there will be rust and I'll have to budget for that. I already have one fully restored 1988 car, I'm not after perfection with this. Just something good and tidy that I can enjoy through winter and then maybe next year if it all turns out well.

The car I'm off to view today has got a hole in the usual place where you open the rear passenger door. I know this is going to need welding. In my head I'm factoring this into the cost.

What I'm going to be looking for is any signs at all of bulkhead rust coming through as that seems to be the killer on these.

I haven't got a link for this one but will email you both a couple of pictures across now. Would love any further thoughts on it!

[MrMoonyMan]

Hi there,

Just been to see it and take it out for a good drive.

I'm making my decision now and any thoughts are welcomed.

Headlining, good.
Wheels n tyres good. All matched Michelin
No service history but engine starts on the button, no smoke or tappet noise. No oil leaks

Corrosion - the biggy.
Inside of rear doors is good. The expected hole is smaller than I expected.
Door bottoms and top/bottom tailgate all have bubbling
Boot floor and front floor is solid
The gutter above the front screen has bubbling
There is a small bit of bubbling at the base of the screen but tiny
Leather is tired!

Rev counter doesn't work and speedo is wavey

I'm thinking a suspension refresh and lower half repaint - any ideas on cost for these?

Oh. And brakes are imbalanced..

[MrMoonyMan]

Well..... I bought it! And I love it.

Thanks for the reply Phib.
I'm pretty happy with what I paid for it, seems fair compared with others out there and I've allowed for a certain amount of work to be done, first plan is to get it to a local Landy Specialist to find out how badly/well I've done.
I didn't pay as much as that for it. I feels like a car worth more.


Paintman, again, great reply. Thank you.

The speedo only wavers below 20mph and is fine up to that. It is also pretty much dead on at motorway+ cruising speeds.
The rev counter has worked twice today and shown it does 2500 @ 70mph. I'd agree that it is alternator based as the a;alternator light usually takes a second to go out and sometimes glows a little.
I'd say there is a fair amount of corrosion on it. But I've gone into this with my eyes open.
It's an auto with no abs - what does flapper wire mean?
And it does have air con, I think. Not working though.
Other than that, all electrics bar the driving lights and left mirror work perfectly.

I've done 140 miles in it today and it's now feeling much better. Also braking in a near straight line now too!

My other car (the excuse for buying this as a winter car) is a 'new' Saab 900 T16s with lots and lots spent on it that will be going into the garage for winter shortly.


I'm just about to add pictures and make a 'Readers Ride' thread so you guys can tell me what I've just financially ruined myself with