Steel
New Member
- Posts
- 10
Hi everybody.
My name is Richard, although people usually call me Rich. I've been interested in Land Rovers back a good few years ago. Basically, I liked the Willy's Jeep considerably, for its simplistic design, while also being a very capable machine. This progressed onto finding a few old Series Land Rovers at various car show.
Originally, I was hoping to have an Ex-MOD Land Rover as my first. Over the next couple of years, I was constantly monitering the prices of what various Land Rovers seemed to be going for. I also often read the magazines too.
Just before easter, my dad finally thought that I could get a Land Rover, originally intending it to be a project. However, I found a Series 2A on AutoTrader going for just under £1,000.
Curious to see in person, what you could get for your money, myself and my dad went to have this Land Rover at a general car dealership. I have to admit, it looked good between the other cars there... being tall, and looked good with the spare wheel on the bonnet, and the Military style bumper with over-riders.
The 2A seemed to be too good to miss. So somehow, I ended up coming home in the 2A after a couple of hours.
From then, a big clean up was done on it, as the Land Rover had been used as a workhorse for a couple of years by the looks. As there was straw in the back ontop of a rug, a bunch of rags and bedding stuff where the center seat should be, which smelt of dog... the standard sound proofing and mats were smelly and rotting...
Unfortunatly, I also found a bunch of coolant bottles and such behind the driver's seat. Clearly, the engine had been having overheating problems, which were not apparant when we bought it. Supposedly, it also has an unleaded head too, but that I have yet to find out.
I had taken it off-road a couple of times at the local pay and play site, and found that the 205 size tyres are just too small, as the diff kept getting bashed on some of the rocks that stuck out of the terrain which you drove over.
There were some problems with the 2A that I was aware of before even buying, which are now corrected. Mainly, it was just the door pillars and driver's footwell which were due for replacement.
About 4 months ago, the 2A was put into the garage, and work commenced on the repairs. Unfortunatly, while examining the chassis on the driver's side, I uncovered a very nasty bit of rot that had set in. It is a common rot spot for aging Series chassies, I'm told. It's the part that the brake hose connects to, where you have a pair of reinforcement bars that go vertical, to prevent the axle and bumpstop from crushing the box section.
After alot of work, the footwell and door pillar and the chassis leg were repaired. The rear crossmember was also due for some repairs, and that was soon sorted.
Again, frustratingly, the wiring had been bodged up in the vehicle, other than the dash and engine wiring. Therefore it's going to have to have some rewiring. I'm also replacing all the lights apart from the headlights (which may have to be replaced for the MOT anyway, but they work) as the right brake light is a fish bowl, and the left sidelight bulb holder is rusted out, therefore not holding the bulb correctly. All the other lights are in similar condition other than the headlights, hence the replacement of the lights.
Engine wise, it's okay, although clearly needing a rebuild in a few year's time. Engine is also original... and many of the parts on the vehicle are. Because nearly every body part, except the roof, has white paint below the flaking off paint. The very same white that the Land Rover came out of Solihull in, back in March 1970. Since then, its been various colours, generally standard Land Rover colours, and is currently bronze green.
At one point, it was also converted from a van-sided hard top, to a Station Wagon. The engine also has evidence that a capstan winch was once fitted, but since the front dumbirons were replaced some years ago, there is no evidence on the chassis.
Currently, I'm waiting for the DVLA to send me copies of all documents they have available, on my Land Rover.
Oh... sorry... didn't mean to bore you all with the history of my Land Rover... lol.
My name is Richard, although people usually call me Rich. I've been interested in Land Rovers back a good few years ago. Basically, I liked the Willy's Jeep considerably, for its simplistic design, while also being a very capable machine. This progressed onto finding a few old Series Land Rovers at various car show.
Originally, I was hoping to have an Ex-MOD Land Rover as my first. Over the next couple of years, I was constantly monitering the prices of what various Land Rovers seemed to be going for. I also often read the magazines too.
Just before easter, my dad finally thought that I could get a Land Rover, originally intending it to be a project. However, I found a Series 2A on AutoTrader going for just under £1,000.
Curious to see in person, what you could get for your money, myself and my dad went to have this Land Rover at a general car dealership. I have to admit, it looked good between the other cars there... being tall, and looked good with the spare wheel on the bonnet, and the Military style bumper with over-riders.
The 2A seemed to be too good to miss. So somehow, I ended up coming home in the 2A after a couple of hours.
From then, a big clean up was done on it, as the Land Rover had been used as a workhorse for a couple of years by the looks. As there was straw in the back ontop of a rug, a bunch of rags and bedding stuff where the center seat should be, which smelt of dog... the standard sound proofing and mats were smelly and rotting...
Unfortunatly, I also found a bunch of coolant bottles and such behind the driver's seat. Clearly, the engine had been having overheating problems, which were not apparant when we bought it. Supposedly, it also has an unleaded head too, but that I have yet to find out.
I had taken it off-road a couple of times at the local pay and play site, and found that the 205 size tyres are just too small, as the diff kept getting bashed on some of the rocks that stuck out of the terrain which you drove over.
There were some problems with the 2A that I was aware of before even buying, which are now corrected. Mainly, it was just the door pillars and driver's footwell which were due for replacement.
About 4 months ago, the 2A was put into the garage, and work commenced on the repairs. Unfortunatly, while examining the chassis on the driver's side, I uncovered a very nasty bit of rot that had set in. It is a common rot spot for aging Series chassies, I'm told. It's the part that the brake hose connects to, where you have a pair of reinforcement bars that go vertical, to prevent the axle and bumpstop from crushing the box section.
After alot of work, the footwell and door pillar and the chassis leg were repaired. The rear crossmember was also due for some repairs, and that was soon sorted.
Again, frustratingly, the wiring had been bodged up in the vehicle, other than the dash and engine wiring. Therefore it's going to have to have some rewiring. I'm also replacing all the lights apart from the headlights (which may have to be replaced for the MOT anyway, but they work) as the right brake light is a fish bowl, and the left sidelight bulb holder is rusted out, therefore not holding the bulb correctly. All the other lights are in similar condition other than the headlights, hence the replacement of the lights.
Engine wise, it's okay, although clearly needing a rebuild in a few year's time. Engine is also original... and many of the parts on the vehicle are. Because nearly every body part, except the roof, has white paint below the flaking off paint. The very same white that the Land Rover came out of Solihull in, back in March 1970. Since then, its been various colours, generally standard Land Rover colours, and is currently bronze green.
At one point, it was also converted from a van-sided hard top, to a Station Wagon. The engine also has evidence that a capstan winch was once fitted, but since the front dumbirons were replaced some years ago, there is no evidence on the chassis.
Currently, I'm waiting for the DVLA to send me copies of all documents they have available, on my Land Rover.
Oh... sorry... didn't mean to bore you all with the history of my Land Rover... lol.
