Hi, purchased recently 1978 swb series 3. took a punt and went for one that looked ok but would need some work, problem is i'm a virgin on land rovers but thought where's fun in just buying one finished. Trouble now is mate said he would do any welding needed, finally came to have a look and says best to not bother as it's rot! But not sure if he just doesn't want to do any of the work, i've no idea how bad it is!! Any one point me in right direction on how to check extent of rot? Cheers nick

Get under it with a big old screwdriver and prod and poke away all over it. Going over it with a hammer is also a good way to find out you made a bad buy.

i would say welding is gonna be your biggest job on any restoration and it needs doin right of your gonna be in the brown stuff

have a dig around see how bad you think it really is

how far you goin with the project ? full nut and bolt chassis up rebuild or just getting it back on the road

if its full rebuild im sure you can find somebody to take it to for repair

Rot on a late series motor could be almost anywhere unless it's been looked after properly, just like any 30 odd year old motor.

Main places in my experience are:

1. Front Bump stops, these are reknown for collecting crud and festering. Give 'em a soddin good firk and poke round the edges

2. Outriggers.

3. Rear Crossmember. Chances are both the rear crossmember and the outriggers have been replaced before at some point.

4. The tops of the chassis rails, particularly under the tub tend to get "forgotten", have a good look at these (or at least a good feel).

5. The Bulkhead and door pillars.

Good luck with it Nick.

Cheer all for your replies, its been a while! Decided to sell her as I just don't have the time or resources to spend on the fix up but have purchased her replacement 1973 Diesel 88" series 3, only needs a tinker and she'll be back on the road!! cheers again