Series III Recovery, been stood for 10 years.

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Williams_27

Member
Posts
10
Location
Manchester
Hi all,
Im new to the forum and to Land Rover ownership in general. Ive always loved old Land Rovers and have driven past a series 3 daily for the past 6 years, out of the blue last week I decided to knock on and ask if he fancied parting with it, he did and we agreed on a price. Its a 1977 LWB 4 cyl petrol, its also been stood in the same spot for at least 10 years. Now im no mechanic! Im a mechanical engineer by trade and can turn my hand to most things, but have no prior experience with Land Rovers or their mechanics. After giving it a quick once over it doesnt seem in too bad of a condition compared to some ive seen on eBay, but then again I dont really know what im looking at/for! Im going to arrange a recovery truck to collect the S3 next Saturday, but having had no prior experience I dont know what the best way to go about this is. I presume the tow truck will just winch it onto the back, but could this cause damage if things are siezed/rusted solid? If anyone could give me any advice or help in regards to things to do before it gets picked up then that would be much appreciated. I have a fear it'll either fall to pieces or just wont move when they try to tow it.

Thank you in advance.
 
Getting vehicles on to tow trucks is usually not a problem - plenty of power in the winch.

Getting them off again.....that's a totally different ball game :D:D:D:D
 
That was my other worry, Ive thought of either buying a winch and attaching it to my solid concrete garage floor, then i can winch it back off, or attaching an anchor point to the garage floor, slings from that to the S3 then as the tow truck creeps forward the land rover stays behind?
 
If you are a mech eng a Series will siut you just fine, it is the most mechnical of vehicles and good engineering practice along with taking your time will sort just about everything. You will need a trolley jack, wheel brace (probably 27mm) and ahide mallet if the brakes are siezed. You can then get each wheel off and thump the drums. The winching should free the drums but if it doesn't it will be stuck where it is off loaded.
 
Williams_27 said:
That was my other worry, Ive thought of either buying a winch and attaching it to my solid concrete garage floor, then i can winch it back off, or attaching an anchor point to the garage floor, slings from that to the S3 then as the tow truck creeps forward the land rover stays behind?
Click to expand...
Buying a winch for a one-off job is rather an expensive way of doing things. Anchor point would be fine. Have been known to use trees and fence posts on occasion. :)
 
Have you not tried to give it a push to see if it rolls? Did the owner say why it has been parked up for 10 years? I love stories like this because of the possible drama, it could go either way. Please keep us informed.

Col
 
I shall try jacking it up and giving the drums a good thump, i was hoping the wiching may free stuff up a little. I tried pushing it and got nowhere, its also in a bit of an awkward spot. It belonged to the current owners father, as he got older it was no longer used and just parked up, the father died last year and his son moved into the house.
 
Don't press the brake pedal. Pull it out of there and see which wheels are tight. Whacking the brake back plates might free them off. Failing that, wheels off and whack the drums as has already been mentioned.
 
It’ll be solid. You won’t be able to get a wheel nut off without a 12 foot bar and the biggest socket you have will be 10 mill too small. There won’t be any oil in it as this will be in the ground underneath it and the chassis will be ready to snap in two. Just as the truck arrives the heavens will open and you’ll be bursting for the loo. And while burning out the drivers winch whilst you try and stem the bleeding from your knuckles the wife will be constantly phoning you to see if you’ve come to your senses and given up.
As the seized steering needs you to jack up the front and reposition the tow truck every six inches it’ll dawn on you that you’ve pulled the blokes car port off the wall and are desperately short of woodwork tools to bolt it back together before he comes out of the house again with that sickly grin one can only nurture when someone has paid you money to tidy your garden.
After picking up the parts that have dropped off during the rescue and stuffing them in your boot the realisation starts to manifest that perhaps she was right and you begin the process of rationalising the excuses you are about to give your family for the cancelled holidays and cut backs necessary to rebuild a wreck.

Don’t be dismayed though. In six years they will still be taking unfinished projects on eBay and if lucky you will get half of it’s asking price before you started.

Lucky git.
 
As previously mentioned, check all fluids (in the car!!), stick a new battery in it and see if it fires up and moves. If that's too much for you, try giving it a push or a tug and see if it rolls. It does not have to be as bad as one might fear, or it might be something like this. Regardless of which, congratulations to a purchase that will give you immense joy and frustration in all possible aspects! Please get back to us with some photos of your new baby. :)
 
Bobsticle said:
It’ll be solid. You won’t be able to get a wheel nut off without a 12 foot bar and the biggest socket you have will be 10 mill too small. There won’t be any oil in it as this will be in the ground underneath it and the chassis will be ready to snap in two. Just as the truck arrives the heavens will open and you’ll be bursting for the loo. And while burning out the drivers winch whilst you try and stem the bleeding from your knuckles the wife will be constantly phoning you to see if you’ve come to your senses and given up.
As the seized steering needs you to jack up the front and reposition the tow truck every six inches it’ll dawn on you that you’ve pulled the blokes car port off the wall and are desperately short of woodwork tools to bolt it back together before he comes out of the house again with that sickly grin one can only nurture when someone has paid you money to tidy your garden.
After picking up the parts that have dropped off during the rescue and stuffing them in your boot the realisation starts to manifest that perhaps she was right and you begin the process of rationalising the excuses you are about to give your family for the cancelled holidays and cut backs necessary to rebuild a wreck.

Don’t be dismayed though. In six years they will still be taking unfinished projects on eBay and if lucky you will get half of it’s asking price before you started.

Lucky git.
Click to expand...
You always were an optimist ;)
 
Don’t forget. The first tow truck won’t take the load and the driver won’t have a clue how heavy a LWB is until half way on the transit.
He will however tit about for an hour trying it before his bottle goes and ends up dumping it back in a completely inappropriate place.
That’s when the local drunk walks by on his way to bargain booze telling you in great detail not only how to start it but that it’s just like the one he learnt to drive in.
As the light begins to fail and the police turn up the second truck will arrive and try to talk you into having a go another day.
 
On your way home steal a few traffic cones.
They are very handy when you realise it’s too long for the drive and that other little project you got in 83 might have to be moved to the scrap yard. It’ll be too late by then as the milk man will be round within the hour and your wet underpants have started to give you a rash.
 
In the morning don’t rush out in excitement.
Those seized brakes will have freed themselves and its worth having a good breakfast before attempting the recovery from the garden across the road and dealing with the gathering hoard of neighbors.
 
It's not in the Glossop area, its north Manchester. I dont quite know how to respond to Bobsticle, all of my fears summed up in one :(. Although having a look underneath it, the chassis looks quite sound compared to some others I've seen for sale, or at least im hoping it is. Col, in regards to the handbrake being siezed, if this is the case, does it complicate matters significantly? Trolley jack, 27mm socket, breaker bar, penertrating oil, large mallet and axle stands all ready to go, soon as I get home from work tomorrow I'll go up and have a go at getting it rolling. Thanks for everyones help up to now, I'll get some pictures and upload soon.
 
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