Im here up in sunny Whangarei. Had my D2 for coming up 5 years now and have learnt heaps in that time. Still love the old girl despite the niggles along the way. I would love a nice Defender but find them so expensive here!!

Cheers all

Yes, I drive on the beach....

Howzit fellow kiwis Andy here from culverden north Canterbury been a landy owner for 20 yr only had 2 series 3s in that time this one is a 73 88 with a 2.3 l 110 engine with 3.54 diff's ,goes really well, mainly used locally

sausage said:

Howzit fellow kiwis Andy here from culverden north Canterbury been a landy owner for 20 yr only had 2 series 3s in that time this one is a 73 88 with a 2.3 l 110 engine with 3.54 diff's ,goes really well, mainly used locally

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Hi Andy, Nice old girl you've got there.
Which lake is that? If you use her locally to Culverdon I presume its Lake Sumner - but I've not been up there.
We came through Culverdon today on our way back from Hanmer. We went up with 4 other couples for a few days golf, horse trecking, walking, chilling in the hot pools - and a little good food & drink

GrumpyGel said:

Hi Andy, Nice old girl you've got there.
Which lake is that? If you use her locally to Culverdon I presume its Lake Sumner - but I've not been up there.
We came through Culverdon today on our way back from Hanmer. We went up with 4 other couples for a few days golf, horse trecking, walking, chilling in the hot pools - and a little good food & drink

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That's loch katrine there's a canal between it and Sumner its good boating and fishing mate's got a hut up there its very nice and isolated

Hi Kiwi Guys
Looks like most of you are in the South Island. I am in Cambridge Waikato. After owning many Landrovers and some Jap crap decided to go back to my roots. A good Series model.
Well - had a big rush of Landrover blood to head , and decided to rebuild a series 3.SWB .
The Princess said , "the blood went to the wrong head". So I have a bit of a project.
Rebuild the S3 and keep The Princess happy. They are both costing me heaps.

Full restoration by the looks - starting with a new chassis!

Both islands appear to have a fair share of Landie enthusiasts

For those in the north try a winter trip to the Tukino ski field. It is not as crowded as those on the west and south slopes of Ruapehu. The first two photos were taken last winter with me clutching my Mini Schnauzer for collective warmth in minus 5 deg C, whilst the second pair are of when Doug and I drove up there two winters ago. During the summer months there is a locked barrier on the track. Tukino Alpine Sports Club offer an annual membership of $70 discounted rates for accommodation and ski field access but also 2 free summer nights each year. There will be a need to check their website for access road conditions.

Grumpy..Sorry we missed you on our trip but we by passed Chch and were somewhat varied in our chosen tracks to visit. I rather fancy a winter trip which might give the opportunity to have another go at meeting up. I notched up a further 5k kms during the two week trip with a good portion of that getting down and back. The D2 is now just shy of 260k on the clock. Will post some photos once I finally get to downloading them. My computer is somewhat full and needs sorting.

Some smart looking trucks showing up on the thread. Good one Sausage and BigDave.

Hey there guys. I'm out here in Oxford. Currently have a 1997 series 1 disco Es. Awesome machine but a wee bit too thirsty for the long trips. Any ideas for a diesel conversion or to go for a diesel Freelander? Oooh the choices!

Captainspoon said:

Hey there guys. I'm out here in Oxford. Currently have a 1997 series 1 disco Es. Awesome machine but a wee bit too thirsty for the long trips. Any ideas for a diesel conversion or to go for a diesel Freelander? Oooh the choices!

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Sorry @Captainspoon us Kiwis all went quiet on you!

lol, I know what you mean with the D1 V8s - very thirsty - I could just about live with the repair costs of mine, fuel costs were compounding the problem, so when it finally started losing compression, it was a good thing - out it went! I somehow managed to find enough $$$s to run it for 7 or 8 years but it was madness.

I looked at a diesel conversion for it, but everyone I spoke to said there was only 1 viable conversion available - sell it and buy at TDI!

Well, when I sold it, I did go for the diesel Landie - but the Freelander Diesel. The Freelander's been fantastic. Takes us all over the place in and doesn't give us any hassle Taken the family, the boat and a full camping setup up to the sounds without any problems and loves hitting the colder MacKenzie Country for mid-winter fishing trips. It towed the SIII home on a transporter trailer - although I did know it was there! I've also had to call the Caltex garage guy out cos I broke his trailer - put a few to many (like lots to many) concrete slabs in it - the Freelander tugged it along, but the trailer crapped out! Gets me down the beach and river fishing just fine. As you can tell, it gets used, and in 5 years its been boringly reliable - just belts, oil, filters, brake shoes/pads/discs, couple of bulbs & wiper blades - so service items. The only thing that failed is the ABS unit (and the 1 I replaced it with).

I've had to replace the mirrors - cos I've demolished them with my questionable "reversing large load" skills - and the big thing I trashed was the IRD (transfer box). It is the thing that 'goes' on Freelanders - but mine went through my own stupidity in ignoring a tyres down on air.

So if you're after someone to recommend a diesel Freelander - you found you man! Love the things. I found it a bit boring after 12 years with Discos (had a TDI before the V8) - but once I got to appreciate that its not a Disco and what its all about - I love it. I also find it a lot easier to work on than the Disco as well, things come apart a lot easier and everything is so much lighter. The first time I took it down the beach I was a bit worried how it would handle the sand - but it just took it in its stride! No faffing around with diff lock and low range to get the heavy old Disco through it - the lighter Freelander and its AWD setup just ran fine. No low range though - so if you're into expeditions and rock crawling - it won't be the best. Standard ground clearance isn't as high as a Disco, but you can add a 2" lift and larger tyres that will get it as high - plus the lift lifts everything except the wheels - so no chunk beam axles still hanging down low!

Mine's a '99 car running the Rover L Series engine. Its a super reliable and economical engine that seam to run for ever! I always get between 35mpg and 40mpg (town/open road). If you like tinkering with spanners, the 1.8 petrol is an option. They're pretty good engines and @htr gets 35mpg on a run up from Cromwell to Chch - which $ for $ is like running a diesel at 40mpg. You have to expect HGF at some time though - so be prepared to get the spanners out. Personally, I think you take a big gamble with the V6's. They are a smooth and powerful drive - but if you start getting overheating problems (which looks to occur frequently), they can be almost impossible to then fix. Plus you back to low MPG figures. The other option is the TD4 diesel which they switched to in 2000 (the BMW M47 diesel). They are available in both manual and auto and are more refined and quicker off the lights than the L Series, returning similar mpg in manual setup but maybe up to 20% less in auto. They are common rail - so there's a lot more electronics to go wrong and there are some horribly expensive 'consumables' with them - such as main pulley and injectors. They're chain driven though unlike the L Series belts. The later the car, the higher the spec. So if you're on a budget, want the best reliability or want more Landie 'character' - then go for an L Series diesel (good ones up to $5K). If you want more refinement, higher spec, auto or the facelift - then go for the TD4. If you want value for money, the 1.8's are cheaper than the diesels and offer great value. If you want out of the frying pan into the fire - go V6!

Alternatively, go for a TDI300 or a TD5 disco - but you'll know all about them. I would say though, the D2 doesn't come with diff lock, it relies on traction control. I can't believe that cos the TC overheats and turns off in trying conditions - so knowing what my D1 was like on the beach without diff lock, I wouldn't trust it. I believe most of the D2's have a locking capability within the transfer box - but no mechanism to engage it. Its worth investigating if you decide to stay with Discovery.

@GrumpyRuralBoy where about in Canterbury are you?

More importantly, where do you go fishing?

Gidday fellas,
Mid country here in Welly (the medium smoke). Running a P38 DSE and also have a 1988 110 flat deck 2.5 4 cylinder petrol. Don't do much 4wd, but did take a cruise up to tukino whilst driving north to Auckland once. It was a bit of a gamble as the tyres were barely warrantable and it was the middle of winter. My bum was nipping when we hit the snow, but the P38 handled it no sweat.
I use the 110 for shifting Hay, beehives, firewood and to get my quad around when i go hunting. I would like to do a bit more 4wd, just need to find a few more like minded couch potatoes and get motivated.

GrumpyGel said:

How many of us are there here?
I'm in Chch with my trusty Freelander and project SIII.

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And I am in Christchurch as well. !999 Freelander 1.8K manual. Bought it for $650 in a sad state. Engine had been cooked and a botched repair. Sunroof sealed, but still pouring in water. Stored outside with the rear window down (how did that happen).

So far stripped interior, new headlining, rebuild sunroof (all works), various interior bits fixed/tidied) Gearbox and IRB stripped, all good apart from sloppy crown wheel. Viscous coupling checked, just on the loose side of standard. VCC engine installed, running, but still a bit to do.

Looks like you've had some fun there

That's a really good price to pay. I paid $700 + $280 commission for a dereg one from Turners.

How long have you had it?

GrumpyGel said:

Looks like you've had some fun there

That's a really good price to pay. I paid $700 + $280 commission for a dereg one from Turners.

How long have you had it?

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Had it since December last year. Rego is on hold, expecting to get a wof towards the end of this month and license it after 1st July. I see my license cost now is $NZ86 a year, seems low but it is what NZTA quotes.

The license for our L Series has come down a lot in the last year with the restructuring of fees. Its based of safety features now - so with a couple of air bags, ABS, TC and a plodding diesel not fast enough to cause serious damage - they must recon ours is low risk

Did you happen to get it from a bloke up near Avonhead Park (Russley). I went to look at 1 that looks identical (Red Freelander!) - it had a "broken" engine mount on the drivers side. I think he wanted a lot more than that though - if it is the same car, you probably got it from the person he sold it to after he found all the faults

I don't remember it having had the back window open - but I do seam to remember there was 1 in Kaikoura that had had its window left open for a while though.

Hello Tony - A VVC transplant! That is something I have considered and haven't fully ruled out. I have a complete motor but it has a dodgey head - it's soft due to over heating. A tricky bit for me is I've no fobs for the ECU. I'd be interested in how you managed to get the electrics to talk to the Freelanders wiring loom.

As mentioned I'm in Central Otago with a 1998 K series 1800. Iv'e tweeted the motor a bit.
Cheers

GrumpyGel said:

The license for our L Series has come down a lot in the last year with the restructuring of fees. Its based of safety features now - so with a couple of air bags, ABS, TC and a plodding diesel not fast enough to cause serious damage - they must recon ours is low risk

Did you happen to get it from a bloke up near Avonhead Park (Russley). I went to look at 1 that looks identical (Red Freelander!) - it had a "broken" engine mount on the drivers side. I think he wanted a lot more than that though - if it is the same car, you probably got it from the person he sold it to after he found all the faults

I don't remember it having had the back window open - but I do seam to remember there was 1 in Kaikoura that had had its window left open for a while though.

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No, got mine from Auckland. Bit of a performance getting it here for the right price, but time was on my side. It is black.

htr said:

Hello Tony - A VVC transplant! That is something I have considered and haven't fully ruled out. I have a complete motor but it has a dodgey head - it's soft due to over heating. A tricky bit for me is I've no fobs for the ECU. I'd be interested in how you managed to get the electrics to talk to the Freelanders wiring loom.

As mentioned I'm in Central Otago with a 1998 K series 1800. Iv'e tweeted the motor a bit.
Cheers

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Hi,

I am putting the gory details in the project section here.

More to go there soon about the specific electrical connections.

htr said:

Hello Tony - A VVC transplant! That is something I have considered and haven't fully ruled out. I have a complete motor but it has a dodgey head - it's soft due to over heating. A tricky bit for me is I've no fobs for the ECU. I'd be interested in how you managed to get the electrics to talk to the Freelanders wiring loom.

As mentioned I'm in Central Otago with a 1998 K series 1800. Iv'e tweeted the motor a bit.
Cheers

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I thought you might get excited by that!

Tony Reeves said:

It is black.

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and I'm RG colour blind - sometimes it really shows!