Overland in a Series?

I wouldn't waste the room on jerry can - they do have petrol stations in France, probably more than here though they can be a bugger to find. I nearly ran out last year when I started to pop and fart I finally stopped and asked, in the seeming middle of nowhere, where the nearest petrol was, it was about 150 yards away...

If its fairly flat where you're going I'd fit 3.54 diffs, a lot quicker to swap in / out, should be ok on a petrol on hills unless you're going up real mountains

If you're doing any rough work off road maybe a pair of half-shafts, I always take a head gasket though never needed it.

A good French English dictionary for describing what's bust to the French garage mechanic - they're usually helpful but like all French apt to not understand....took me ten minutes of miming and saying pop-rivet before the three mechanics staring blankly suddenly all threw their arms in the air ....<< aah! les rivets pop!>>

Where about are you going? I'm off for yearly pilgrimage to le Mans in a couple of weeks, driving solo this year...

Sounds like a great trip (both of you! )

My brother is about 1/2 way round an anti clockwise tour of Orstraylia in a 6cyl 109 with his girlfriend - Seems a perfectly reasonable thing to do.
I'm supposed to be driving my other brothers 6cyl Holden powered IIa 88 from Perth to Lake Perkolilli as back up crew later this year,all good stuff...

The Land Rover magazines are full of overland stuff.

Sure we are doing it since 5 years in Africa in a Series IIIs 109. You can watch us at Our Land Rover - A Land Rover Series Around The WorldA Land Rover Series around the World | We started in 2009 and are still on tour!

Bump said:

There's a chap on here who does it regularly - always for charity, can't for the life of me remember his user name, but, he normally posts in the expedition section...

In general though, no, most people don't. I think you'd want to spend a long time preparing your vehicle and take lots of spares, but, other than that you can't go wrong really. They are simple vehicles, easy to fix, I would have loved to do Morocco in the Series, but, the missus wouldn't have come with me so we took the D3 instead!

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That would be me I have taken my 2A on a few trips. Firstly to Algeria in 2009, Morocco in 2010, Morocco and the Western Sahara in 2012 and China (via Russia, Kazakhstan and Monglia in 2014. www.rustyrhinos.com if you are interested.

If you read overland books it might put you off taking a Series Land Rover. I say sod people's advice and take the car you want to. Decent pair of seats and I reckon they are pretty comfortable!

Build thread of our landie if you want to see what we have done to it.

Another interesting question would be what sort of modifications would have been done to the vehicle, and performance parts and equipment added to them for expeditions/overland's from the early sixties to seventies?

--->Modifications...oil cooler...better fixed fan, extra electric fan, better seats, stereo, jerry cans bolted on, dual battery charging and uprated alternator, range rover air filter, snorkel, slightly taller tyres, extra lights, jerry cans and waffles boards bolted on. Performance parts - none unless you class a Weber ICH34 carb as one. Build thread here if you are interested: http://www.landyzone.co.uk/lz/f6/our-series-2a-project-60423.html

Feel free to ask any questions

Home Guard said:

So rural France it is for myself and two other land rover gents! My machine 2a 109 petrol, a 2 88 petrol (previously owned by myself, and a wonderful series 3 88 diesel shall be making the trip. Only the diesel series 3 has overdrive. I plan on fitting an ashcroft higher range transfer box, but doubt I shall get round to it. We all are equipped only with one under the driver seat tank. How much in Jerry cans do you recommended we carry?
Apart from gaskets, tools and oil, what else do you recommended we carry?
I do apologise for my misspelling and illieratness, it's the drink talking.......

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If only France...then one Jerry can. We have ran out of fuel in between petrol stations. It also reduces the stress of "are we going to make it" and ending up stopping earlier than needed in petrol stations.

Recommended things to take: Gaffa tape, threaded rod and matching washers and nuts, chemical metal and blue hylomar. Plugs, leads, points and associated bits, distributor cap, random nuts and bolts, fuses and assorted electrical bits and bobs, wheel bearing kit (and big nut tool), couple of auxiliary belts. I also like to take seal kits for the clutch and brake cylinders.

Been to Sweden twice in my 1977 S3, not mega overlanding, just up to the arctic circle. . Last year lost the back nut (between the engine and pipe) on the exhaust manifold where it meets the front pipe and the other two were loose and nearly off! Couldn't get proper nuts - all metric - so canibalised one from the rear door hinge and replaced the hinge nut & bolt with metric. Problem was no long socket extension so called at a local country garage and fixed it for a twenty quid which included welding the front and mid pipe flange which had fractured. They had never worked on a landy before and all wanted to help.
Like most thinly populated countries there are a lot of DIY mechanics and most are really helpful - like if you havn't taken a welder with you!
I just take a small box of bits like a wheel bearing kit - with hub spanner, hoses, gasket goo, head gasket, fuses, cable ties, spare bulbs, electrical wire and connectors.
I find that if you take it you won't need it - on the other hand.... if you havn't got it you will :lol: