McBoon said:

I guess I'll go down the route suggested by 300bhp/ton as the free websites all give me a range of 1979-84. The reason I'm keen to know is that the Series, although registered in 1981, is throwing up issues such as having pre 1980 wheel bearings, where inner bearing is significantly larger than outer bearing ---- and it is a bit of a bummer when, eventually getting brake drum et al off, you discover you have the wrong wheel bearings sitting in a lovely little box.
As I have mentioned before I am new to trying to fix mechanical things and this is certainly a bit of a steep learning curve ----- steep but enjoyable!!!

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Turboman said:

Begs the question as to why you pre order parts?

I very rarely do, apart from parts like mats, which fit a wide range of vehicles.

With parts like bearings, I would remove the old ones, have a look at them, measure them if necessary, and look for part numbers on the old parts. Then there is a much better chance you will order the right ones.

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Turboman said:

Begs the question as to why you pre order parts?

I very rarely do, apart from parts like mats, which fit a wide range of vehicles.

With parts like bearings, I would remove the old ones, have a look at them, measure them if necessary, and look for part numbers on the old parts. Then there is a much better chance you will order the right ones.

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McBoon said:

Thanks, as said before I'm new to this therefore I'm learning and that is what I shall do in the future. Any advice will be welcome!!

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McBoon said:

I have been trying to decipher the VIN and have got it down to that it is indeed a Series 3 88" petrol built in Solihull between 1979-84 but have been unable to narrow down to the year of manufacture. Any idea how I could narrow it down to a year?? I believe it may well have been a military vehicle so could well have been built some time before it was registered for RFL which was 1981. Are there any sites that would be able to determine the actual year of manufacture based on the VIN?

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wireman said:

Did you manage to decode your VIN?

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Turboman said:

Begs the question as to why you pre order parts?

I very rarely do, apart from parts like mats, which fit a wide range of vehicles.

With parts like bearings, I would remove the old ones, have a look at them, measure them if necessary, and look for part numbers on the old parts. Then there is a much better chance you will order the right ones.

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Turboman said:

Bear in mind that 50 year old vehicles are rarely made up of all the parts that were on the vehicle when new.

Over the years, previous owners may have fitted all kinds of stuff off other models, either because they happened to have those parts lying around, or because they were looking to increase performance, by fitting later engines, or things like higher ratio differentials or transfer boxes.

In the past, when Series were of very low value, and most owners wanted to keep them going at a low cost, this was probably sensible.

Now, with Series increasing in value, and very often second vehicles,it may be better to try and return to original spec where possible.

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McBoon said:

Superficially there doesn't appear to be anything major changed, only noticeable thing is the pancake air filter replacing the original big lump. As noted I got the bearings sorted and there is now very noticeably lower vibrations when driving. For my first venture into what I viewed as a bit of a daunting task for a beginner I must say I am rather chuffed!!! Thanks for all your guidance, please feel free to keep it coming.

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