Discussion
I've been mulling it over for quite a while and the recent "Love of Cars" episode has got me even more interested....
I want to educate myself on the various iterations of the original Land Rover.
Can anyone point me in the right direction i.e. websites, recommended books, personal experiences etc. ?
I want to educate myself on the various iterations of the original Land Rover.
Can anyone point me in the right direction i.e. websites, recommended books, personal experiences etc. ?
Always - join a club. I see there are a lot for Land Rover owners. Look at this list, pick one and join:
List of Land Rover owners' clubs
List of Land Rover owners' clubs
This is a fabby book. Lots of pictures from sales brochures and ads.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Land-Rover-II-IIA-III/dp/1...
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Land-Rover-II-IIA-III/dp/1...
Personal experiences: Having had a Series III diesel and a Series III petrol, I say: get a petrol one! Better still, get one with a Fairey Overdrive or buy an overdrive for it. Free wheeling hubs? Rubbish, don't bother.
Eschew all chequer plate and "One Life Live It" w
kiness. Treat an old Landy like what it is - a farm truck. Drive it to the tip full of old tat.
Buy ONLY on bulkhead and chassis condition. Nothing else matters. Everything else can be bolted on or bolted off. Waxoyl is your friend. Hammerite too.
Getting a Series I, II, or early IIa? Learn or revise double de-clutching.
Don't drive on road with 4WD!
Have fun. There is nothing like a Landy (except another Landy).
Eschew all chequer plate and "One Life Live It" w
kiness. Treat an old Landy like what it is - a farm truck. Drive it to the tip full of old tat.Buy ONLY on bulkhead and chassis condition. Nothing else matters. Everything else can be bolted on or bolted off. Waxoyl is your friend. Hammerite too.
Getting a Series I, II, or early IIa? Learn or revise double de-clutching.
Don't drive on road with 4WD!
Have fun. There is nothing like a Landy (except another Landy).
Edited by anonymous-user on Tuesday 29th April 22:40
The best thing you can do is ignore anyone that calls a Series Landy a 'Defender' 
They're great old things. I've had mine for 8 years or so now, bought her when I was 12 as a bit of a project/money maker and to learn some spannering on. Still have it now, once you have one they really get under your skin. Everything can be dismantled and rebuilt with a fairly basic toolkit, a good supply of imperial spanners and sockets more than anything.
Expect a draughty, cold, noisy, slow and tiring experience to drive one (particularly without overdrive), but that's all part of the fun. Taking the roof off and enjoying sunny afternoons out green laning was the best thing I ever did with mine.
There's an awful lot of different models, although fundamentally the Series vehicles changed little in their production run. There are other variants built at the same time, the Forward Controls etc. but these tend to be much rarer.
As Breadvan has said, get one that hasn't been messed around with too much. There's a few too many chequer plate clad bitsas out there unfortunately.
There are lots of books on Landy history so I'm sure it won't be hard to find a good one.
http://www.thepresentfinder.co.uk/buy/the-little-b...
I was bought this a couple of Christmases ago, not a bad read.
They're great old things. I've had mine for 8 years or so now, bought her when I was 12 as a bit of a project/money maker and to learn some spannering on. Still have it now, once you have one they really get under your skin. Everything can be dismantled and rebuilt with a fairly basic toolkit, a good supply of imperial spanners and sockets more than anything.
Expect a draughty, cold, noisy, slow and tiring experience to drive one (particularly without overdrive), but that's all part of the fun. Taking the roof off and enjoying sunny afternoons out green laning was the best thing I ever did with mine.
There's an awful lot of different models, although fundamentally the Series vehicles changed little in their production run. There are other variants built at the same time, the Forward Controls etc. but these tend to be much rarer.
As Breadvan has said, get one that hasn't been messed around with too much. There's a few too many chequer plate clad bitsas out there unfortunately.
There are lots of books on Landy history so I'm sure it won't be hard to find a good one.
http://www.thepresentfinder.co.uk/buy/the-little-b...
I was bought this a couple of Christmases ago, not a bad read.
You are welcome to have a go in my 1976 Series III if you are ever near junctions 5 or 6 of the M40. It is pretty standard and in fair overall condition, but not perfect. The springs have seen better days, but engine and gearbox are sound, and chassis and bulkhead are basically solid.
As noted above, do not underestimate the extent to which a leaf sprung Land Rover is bouncy, slow, noisy and uncomfortable. Even a Series III is basically a 1950s vehicle from the 1970s. The 2.25 petrol engine is rather a splendid thing - robust, reliable and quite smooth and powerful in late 1950s terms, but the overall package is raw, agricultural, and teeth jarring. That's part of the fun. These days, we can no longer drive fast as much as we might wish, so if you can't drive fast, drive interesting.
As noted above, do not underestimate the extent to which a leaf sprung Land Rover is bouncy, slow, noisy and uncomfortable. Even a Series III is basically a 1950s vehicle from the 1970s. The 2.25 petrol engine is rather a splendid thing - robust, reliable and quite smooth and powerful in late 1950s terms, but the overall package is raw, agricultural, and teeth jarring. That's part of the fun. These days, we can no longer drive fast as much as we might wish, so if you can't drive fast, drive interesting.
See below. Could be worth a bid if you can get any info on the chassis and bulkhead, but the inability of the vendor to post photos that were not taken underwater is always a tad disconcerting in a car ad. Can someone who can't be bothered to focus a mobile phone camera camera (for a sale ad, not some casual snap or selfie) be bothered to look after a vehicle? The advert itself is not exactly over written!
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&am...
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&am...
This thread is relevant to my interests...
My very first car was a 1958 Series Landy. My uncle inherited it from my grandfather (who drive the blighter back to the UK from the Sudan) - he then gave it to me on my 15th birthday. Beautiful 2 1/4 litre petrol. Crash gearbox. Power nothing. Really taught you how to drive.
It gave me 2 years to fettle it into something roadworthy before getting my licence. My friend and I gave it the full treatment. There were some offcuts of a fine Axminster carpet in the cellar at home so I carpeted it throughout in a fine navy blue fleur de lis motif. We hammered out the dents and touched in the cracked paint with a matching(ish) Humbrol model paint.
I had 4 delightful years in that car. Come spring time I'd just remove the cab and spare wheel, lie the screen flat and hoon around with the wind in my hair (and the flies in my teeth). I had my first full experience with a lady in it (parked on Abersoch beach at night). I had my first crash in it. I smoked my first exotic self rolled doobie in it. I did the first proper mechanical tinkering on it. God I miss it.
I sold it to a grinning man in 1997 for £400 before I moved to London. By god I wished I'd just mothballed it, I'd do anything to have it back now.
My very first car was a 1958 Series Landy. My uncle inherited it from my grandfather (who drive the blighter back to the UK from the Sudan) - he then gave it to me on my 15th birthday. Beautiful 2 1/4 litre petrol. Crash gearbox. Power nothing. Really taught you how to drive.
It gave me 2 years to fettle it into something roadworthy before getting my licence. My friend and I gave it the full treatment. There were some offcuts of a fine Axminster carpet in the cellar at home so I carpeted it throughout in a fine navy blue fleur de lis motif. We hammered out the dents and touched in the cracked paint with a matching(ish) Humbrol model paint.
I had 4 delightful years in that car. Come spring time I'd just remove the cab and spare wheel, lie the screen flat and hoon around with the wind in my hair (and the flies in my teeth). I had my first full experience with a lady in it (parked on Abersoch beach at night). I had my first crash in it. I smoked my first exotic self rolled doobie in it. I did the first proper mechanical tinkering on it. God I miss it.
I sold it to a grinning man in 1997 for £400 before I moved to London. By god I wished I'd just mothballed it, I'd do anything to have it back now.
Breadvan72 said:
These days, we can no longer drive fast as much as we might wish, so if you can't drive fast, drive interesting.
If you can't drive fast, drive interesting.I think that my new favourite motoring phrase.
That could be the title of a thread in itself; or a book for that matter.
Can I add my bit? I bought a series 2a about 3 years ago before I moved out to the country. I bought a wreck and fixed it to MOT standard. It was still very rough around the edges but it was meant to work for it's living shifting stuff for a house renovation and rubbish to the tip. It has grown on me big time over the years. It is slow, noisy and bumpy. It has got better with use though. I soon got addicted to green laning, and moving to the north wales border has only increased that. It is now a very tidy landrover repainted and properly sorted. I now use it as my first choice of transport for any trip of less tha 20 miles. I have a triumph vitesse and a morris minor as well as a jag x type. The land rover does more miles than any of the others. It has been very easy to look after for a forty + year old car. Parts are cheap and easy to change. And best of all it will do anything you ask it to do. Buy one, but drive one first as you will be shocked at quite how agricultural they are
"I would rather push my Landy than drive a Jeep".
In all seriousness, old Landies really are as rough as fook to drive, but I love them. I can't afford a coil sprung Landy anyway. Even old Defenders cost a shedload.
I would prefer a later Series IIa with synchromesh, but I can only afford a series III so I settle for that. A Series I, as well as being mega spenner to buy, is just too much raw even for my tastes.
In all seriousness, old Landies really are as rough as fook to drive, but I love them. I can't afford a coil sprung Landy anyway. Even old Defenders cost a shedload.
I would prefer a later Series IIa with synchromesh, but I can only afford a series III so I settle for that. A Series I, as well as being mega spenner to buy, is just too much raw even for my tastes.
I bought what was sold as a 1971 S2a last September; it had 10 months MOT and a few months (free) tax and described as if it was a daily driver. I am slightly wiser than OP - I have driven a few S2 and S3 versions (including a new 1973 LWB 6-pot at 70+ MPH!) but I am no expert on these things - but learning fast!!
I had spotted the S3 dash and Prima engine conversion (Prima = Montego Diesel!) and one or two (dozen) non-standard bits, but after a short drive when I got it homs, I discovered a broken shock absorber mounting and a few other MOT failure points (including lap-only seat belts bolted to the seat base without any reinforcing washers). I parked it up a fortnight after buying it and, during the winter, the windscreen shattered. I am almost ready to get it in the garage to start some repairs (I need to move a pillar drill first) and had it running ten days ago - to find the clutch has frozen and, after half an hour rolling some of the lawn for some new grass seeds, it is still stuck. I daren't take it on the road - or put it in the garage - until I can see where I'm going, so the windscreen will be the first step in its "scheme of work"!
The moral is to get someone who knows about them to go with you and not to be distracted by the mice paint job! The really annoying thing is that I'd spotted a really nice unmolested 1961 S2a which had been in the same family for many years - and missed it because it was a bit far to go and see it and it was due an MOT!
I suspect most Land Rover owners will say it, but many will have lost the chassis number from the front NS chassis leg (it's a rust spot). I daren't even look for mine - I think it was a military chassis as there are a few oddities about it (like a non-standard fuel tank without a front chassis mount.
The resto thread is here - and I hope it will soon be updated:
http://practicallyclassics.phpbbhosts.co.uk/viewto...
I had spotted the S3 dash and Prima engine conversion (Prima = Montego Diesel!) and one or two (dozen) non-standard bits, but after a short drive when I got it homs, I discovered a broken shock absorber mounting and a few other MOT failure points (including lap-only seat belts bolted to the seat base without any reinforcing washers). I parked it up a fortnight after buying it and, during the winter, the windscreen shattered. I am almost ready to get it in the garage to start some repairs (I need to move a pillar drill first) and had it running ten days ago - to find the clutch has frozen and, after half an hour rolling some of the lawn for some new grass seeds, it is still stuck. I daren't take it on the road - or put it in the garage - until I can see where I'm going, so the windscreen will be the first step in its "scheme of work"!
The moral is to get someone who knows about them to go with you and not to be distracted by the mice paint job! The really annoying thing is that I'd spotted a really nice unmolested 1961 S2a which had been in the same family for many years - and missed it because it was a bit far to go and see it and it was due an MOT!
I suspect most Land Rover owners will say it, but many will have lost the chassis number from the front NS chassis leg (it's a rust spot). I daren't even look for mine - I think it was a military chassis as there are a few oddities about it (like a non-standard fuel tank without a front chassis mount.
The resto thread is here - and I hope it will soon be updated:
http://practicallyclassics.phpbbhosts.co.uk/viewto...
I've had a couple of series Land Rovers over the years, they're great for pootling about in and the odd spot of green laning/taking stuff to the dump and just for a change.
My last one was a SWB V8 soft top that I rebuilt, i sort of regret selling it but it went to make way for the current project which should be just as much fun!
A photo;
My last one was a SWB V8 soft top that I rebuilt, i sort of regret selling it but it went to make way for the current project which should be just as much fun!
A photo;
Snowboy said:
Breadvan72 said:
"I would rather push my Landy than drive a Jeep".
If I find myself in your neck of the woods we can swap keys for half an hour and see if you change your mind.I would offer the same deal if you're near me, but we both know a landy wouldn't make it to Warwickshire.
* Solihull moved from Warwickshire to the new county West Midlands in 1972, but the badges on the back of post 1972 Series Landies still say Warwickshire. I add that my childhood home was literally yards from the Landy factory, and the chances are that I walked past my 1976 jalope in the factory yard pending delivery when on my way to Elmdon Park to play football via the path that skirted the works.
Confucius he say: Old Landy velly slowly.
Yes, but it depends....
Yesterday I was out a truckin' in the Landyheap on a rural A road when an Ur-Quattro came a hummin' and a thrummin' up behind me. I peeled off to avoid a drive through several villages. The fired up Audi carried straight on. I weaved down a parallel byroad, paused to allow a peloton of a local cycling club to come through (they all waved), and came out at the other end of the detour several minutes later. I turned right, and guess whom I met coming the other way?
Old Landy plus local knowledge = plucky Brit defeats German superweapon.
Anyway, Fairey Overdrive going on today, yaroo!
Yes, but it depends....
Yesterday I was out a truckin' in the Landyheap on a rural A road when an Ur-Quattro came a hummin' and a thrummin' up behind me. I peeled off to avoid a drive through several villages. The fired up Audi carried straight on. I weaved down a parallel byroad, paused to allow a peloton of a local cycling club to come through (they all waved), and came out at the other end of the detour several minutes later. I turned right, and guess whom I met coming the other way?
Old Landy plus local knowledge = plucky Brit defeats German superweapon.
Anyway, Fairey Overdrive going on today, yaroo!
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