I have found a series 3 station wagon parked in a garden of a customer that i occasionally do a bit of work for. It failed the mot on chassis rust 18 months ago and has been left ever since, prior to that it was the ladies daily transport and regularly serviced at a land rover dealer.
The car is 1982,is as original as ive ever seen, has a 2.25 petrol engine and could be mine in exchange for a days painting
Do you think a car like this is worth trying to fix or would it be worth more in bits?

glav chassis and away you go

or even a galv(anised) one .

impossible to say without seeing it. if the bulkhead is reasonably solid and the chassis only need a bit of a patch then it is definitely worth fixing up - an original series station wagon that is in decent nick and hasnt been butchered is well worth sorting

I presume you mean five door County station Waggon?
Its definitely worth a lot of consideration, IF you want a project.
As said, a new, preferably galvanised chassis to rebuild it onto would be a good way to go, but they are about a grand, and I think a tad more for 5-door chassis. Though the original chassis, if you can weld might be salvageable; It could have been deemed beyond ecconomic repair for little more than a rear cross-member and an outrigger, at garage rate welding prices.
BUT, it is a PROJECT and I know of very few project cars that even starting with a 'free' base vehicle, ultimately cost less than a car you could buy that has tax and test on it.... most cost more in parts to get a test, even without getting over inthusiastic over-restoring, accessorising or modifying the thing than they would sell for on the open market, let alone the time and effort that goes into them.
BUT that means little if you will enjoy the challenge and the final fuits of your labours, and can proudly look at it and say, "I built that Landy, I know every nut and bolt intimately, and I know all its vices and foibles" and you just cant buy that sort of satisfaction.

For a days painting it's well worth it even if you only break it for parts and sell em on ebay.

Had another look and there is quite a bit of yellow crayon on the rear of the chassis that the mot man left to show where the welding is needed.
I will get a friend that welds to have a look tomorrow.
The servicing over the last few years has been done at brooklands land rover in southampton and there are loads of bills for work carried out.
The gearbox was overhauled just before it was laid up and it has an overdrive. I presume that the freewheeling hubs are standard fit on these.
I put a battery pack on and spun it up to get some oil pressure then connected the coil lead and it tries to fire, almost running then cutting out.
New tyres prior to mot.
Stinks inside like a ferret cage but the more i look at it the more impressed i am.
I dont want to put a chassis on it so i will try to get it patched up and running then use it as it is.
If the welding is a no go then ill ebay it as it is, ive not got the room for anything more than running repairs.

noo crossmember less thaan 100 quid.

if you dont want it i may well do

is it in frimley green?
there's one i have my eye on,it's been on their drive for quite a while now.

carpy said:

if you dont want it i may well do

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Blimey!! haven't you got enough Land Rovers? Hows the Rangie coming along?