Much advice needed! (WARNING, NEWBIE IDIOT!!!!)

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Are the days of completely rotten series for a few hundred quid gone?

Yes unfortunately these days are completely gone. You will be lucky to get a parts car for less than £1000 these days. One that is capable of running and driving is then significantly more and one that is road worthy more again. They are no longer cheap and unfortunately parts are getting more expensive as well (although still cheaper than most cars)

a lot of people start with "I'll do a rolling resto a bit every now and then" till they hit problems and give up and sell as a project

I would agree with the above but I would also still insist that a rolling restoration is the way to go. If you get your first one and immediately strip it to bits the the chance of finishing is slim. There is an endless supply of failed projects where they have been disassembled but not put back together. A rolling restoration means it is always reassembled and you can drive it in between parts needing repair to see if it does what you were hoping and you can put up with it. I ran into some very large problems with both of mine but I am far to stubborn to not continue, mainly because everyone else was telling me I should get rid of it and get sensible car.

Deffo not bothered about the paint, its a land rover!

Paint does not need to be expensive. I have painted both of mine with foam gloss rollers and traditional enamel paint. as long as you put some time in to sand a degrease you can get a good enough finish for a land rover. It is not a modern 2pack spray finish but it is certainly a decent paint job if you do it correctly and you will find as you replace things with either new or second hand (doors being the biggest one) that it looses its nice patina and just looks odd.

Rust spots, is it just chassis, bulkhead, and footwells? Thats it right?
These are the main areas but if you are looking at a 109 station wagon then you need to look at the door frames as the rear angled doors are not cheap and easy to replace. Simialrly the sills and b/c pillars as they re also steel that will rust. If you are looking at a hard top then these become less of an issue.
 
The hardest part of buying one these days is knowing what it is. You do need a little experience in identifying the parts a so called series has been cobbled together from before being stuck on eBay.
It’s a fine line between one that’s had bits nailed on it by a farmer over 20 years to keep it rolling and a ringer.
Unfortunately us blokes usually rock up with a head full of dreams and a pocket full of cash. I’m the worst for it but seem to have landed on my feet with my bitsa. It’s got just about every model of parts strewn around it and god only knows it’s long term history but I could confirm it’s recent past and do as much as possible to ease the risk of it being cloned or ringed.
It’s not an easy process.
 
I did see, and very nearly bought, a series 2/2a (not sure which) and the seller wanted 2.5k. It ran and drove, but the brakes and steering where somewhere between "questionable" and "dangerous". Ive probably still got some screenshots. A real triggers broom
 

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I did see, and very nearly bought, a series 2/2a (not sure which) and the seller wanted 2.5k. It ran and drove, but the brakes and steering where somewhere between "questionable" and "dangerous". Ive probably still got some screenshots. A real triggers broom
If it runs and drives brakes are not really an issue as a new set of cylinders, flexis and non servo master are cheap and easy to fit.
Steering it depends what the actual issue is but again a set of ball joints is cheap but swivels are more expensive and the box is more difficult. But just from the pictures I would want to be very carefully inspecting that for rust.
 
Since when did a 2A have 4 headlamps?...

Don’t ask me , you’re the mechanic . However, I do know that the Series 2a was build between 1961 and 1971 and as this one is dated to 1966 , and it falls between these two dates it is fairly safe to assume that it is a 2a. I believe it is not unknown for 2a’s to have Series Three wings put on at a later date . Unless it is a ringer a Series Three is unlikely to be retro fitted with Series 2 front panel and headlights .
 
I agree, I believe that it is/was a series 2, probably a 2a. Bulkhead/door hinges point to 2a over S3.
Are you sure that the panel that goes from the trans tunnel to the door, from the seat base to the firewall, is aluminium, not steel? (Held in with rivets, iirc)
 
Don’t ask me , you’re the mechanic . However, I do know that the Series 2a was build between 1961 and 1971 and as this one is dated to 1966 , and it falls between these two dates it is fairly safe to assume that it is a 2a. I believe it is not unknown for 2a’s to have Series Three wings put on at a later date . Unless it is a ringer a Series Three is unlikely to be retro fitted with Series 2 front panel and headlights .
The bonnet is a 2A as it has the rolled edge,front panel yes 2, wings?,would like to see interior pic that will give a bigger clue..it looks a bitsa...
 
The bonnet is a 2A as it has the rolled edge,front panel yes 2, wings?,would like to see interior pic that will give a bigger clue..it looks a bitsa...
Bonnet doesn't make it a 2a. Standard Series 2a bonnet is the one with the flat edge at the front, but the buyer could opt for a rolled edge "deluxe" bonnet, and often did, especially on high end Station wagons.
The bonnets are all interchangeable anyway, so by now, it could be off any Series.
 
I did see, and very nearly bought, a series 2/2a (not sure which) and the seller wanted 2.5k. It ran and drove, but the brakes and steering where somewhere between "questionable" and "dangerous". Ive probably still got some screenshots. A real triggers broom
I would think that by today's standards, that is probably about as good a deal as you are likely to see.
Don't forget to keep 10k handy for the resto, as previous posters have described.
Once you start poking the rust holes with a screwdriver, they will get much bigger.
The "floors" that you describe as rusty are probably the lower parts of the bulkhead, at the front of the footwells, which are made of steel.
 
Yeah, that was a couple of years ago now. Doubt Ill find a deal like that again. I think if Im spending 10k on a land rover thats worth about 3-4k, Ill stick to discoverys. Maybe.
 
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