How 'bout and old Land Rover?

[Woodsrover]

This is a truck I built and though I don't drive it every day I do put a fair amount of miles on it. We took it to Newfoundland and Labrador last year and are heading up to northern Quebec this summer.

It's be rebuilt from the ground up with a new Galvanized chassis, 2.4L Mercedes diesel, Toyota e-lockers front and rear, etc. It's pretty reliable and will go just about anywhere you point it.

Anyone else here with some interesting old 4x4's?

Jim

 

[BlueRidgeMark]

Cool! That Mercedes diesel has got to beat the standard aluminum block gasser.


Does your Rover have the aluminum body? How does that stand up to salt?

 

[Woodsrover]

Sorry, I posted this thread twice.

This old truck came with a 2.25L 4cyl iron block engine but like the later Buick aluminum V8 it's not the best motor in the world.

Yes, all the panels are aluminum except the bulkhead (firewall) and the breakfast (radiator support). It's not the salt so much as the galvanic corrosion that attacks these trucks. There all bolted together and where steel meets aluminum you can have trouble. Salt just speeds things up!

 

[rb_in_va]

My dad had a few cool old 4X4s. One was an 86 Jeep Wagoneer, and the other was an old Willy's Jeep. Both of them would go anywhere, but might not get you back!

 

[12guns]

very cool ride. I would love to own an old FJ-40 some day.

 

[Sprig]

Thanks for all the great info! Do you do any mods on the frame? Beef up the springs, etc ect.? And, do you ever haul wood in it?

 

[BobinVirginia]

Nice Rover!

I'm trying to figure out what year(s) it is. It definately has both Series 2 and 3 components. The rounded deluxe bonnet(though no hardware for securing a spare tire) minus the deep-dish, hard-top, has Series 3 hinges, Series 3 smaller rocker panels, Series 2a radiator support and metal breakfast, smaller parking lamps found on late Series 2a/ early North American model Series 3 wings with fresh-air intake, front door hinges are hard to see... looks like Series 3, firewall has the late Series 2a/ 3 wiper motor arms and Series 3 windscreen hinges, lifting rings in front, raised-air intake, roofrack with aluminum sand-ladder and additional lighting, wing-mounted mirrors, bull-bar with winch, rear mud flaps..... hmmm, possibly up to a 1975 Spanish(except Europe) model. My guess is that it is a 1970/71 USA model.

 

[Woodsrover]

Seems you know a bit about Rovers, Bob. It’s actually a North American spec ’74 Series III. And you’re right about everything but the windshield brackets…This truck actually has a Defender bulkhead in it. The bonnet is a deluxe style sans the spare tire dish. The bonnet on the truck now has a spare on it.

Here’s a list of the things I’ve done to the truck up to this point. It seems a never ending endeavor! Here’s a link to my website that has a bunch of information if you’re interested:http://www.seriestrek.com

Galvanized chassis
RM parabolic springs
OME shocks
Toyota e-locker diffs
30-spline axles
Mercedes 2.4L diesel engine
RM Roverdrive overdrive
Ike Goss rock sliders
Toyota FJ60 power steering
Heavy-wall steering rods
Defender bulkhead
Brownchurch roof rack and ladder
Homemade fuel can carrier
Tracker high-backs
Oil pressure, temp and charge gauges
2M ham radio
40 watt FRS radio
CB radio
Ramsey winch
On-board air compressor
Air tank front bumper
Homemade headliner
Sunroof
Red-top Optima
RM center storage box
Superwinch FWH
4 Hella H4s
PIAA headlight relays
Raised vents for all cases
1000 watt inverter
Ingle fridge
GPS III and external antenna
Raised air intake

Here’s a more recent picture on a trail called Rattlesnake Gutter in central Mass.

I’m in the beginning stages of building a ’67 NADA 109 wagon that will get a Mercedes 3.0L turbo diesel and a 5-speed but that won’t see the road for a few years yet.

Jim

 

[BobinVirginia]

1974???? Must have been a Canadian import as to meet U.S. standards, the turn signals had to be the larger lenses, starting in 1972. That is why I narrowed it down to 70/71. Or... you could of replaced the larger lenses with the smaller ones. Especially since the larger ones are harder to find.

The question is, Do we know each other????? Have you ever been to the Mid-Atlantic Rally? If not, it's the largest Land-Rover Rally in North America, held the first week of October every year. Are you a member of ROAV?

Did you find it in Richmond, Ashland, or around Fork Union/Penlan Farm? In all likelyhood, I know who you purchased it from.

I see that you also have the Alpine Windows. Did you add those yourself? I've owned a 1965 109 station wagon, a 1969 88 "bugeye", a 1972 88 hard top, a 1973 diesel 88 station wagon from Panama, and still have the first land rover I bought back in 1972 which is a 1967 88 diesel and I also have a 1967 6 cylinder 2b Forward Control.

 

[Woodsrover]

We may know each other, Bob. Do you ever venture over to the "Guns and Rovers" board? I've been there for a long time under the name "Mercedesrover"

The truck did come from Canada and though I don't remember the original turn signals, the wings have been replaced with the style you see here and the smaller light set. I think the bigger turn signals are ugly. Most of this truck has been put together from the odd piece here and there and matching the proper part to the year of the truck is my last concern.

The truck was owned but Trevor Easton, the original keeper of the Birmabright Brotherhood, and was sold to John Tackley in Richmond. I bought it from John in 2000 and started the rebuild soon after. In a quirk of fate, I took over the Birmabright Brotherhood a couple years ago, before I knew that Trevor used to own this truck. It used to be marine blue.

No, I've never been to MAR and with the weather they seem to get there lately, I'm just happy I haven't! We were just at the Guy Fawkes rally in upstate New York this past weekend. A fun time and lots of cool trucks. 3 or 4 101s around too! One with a Ford 302 (that spun a rod bearing on Saturday but was back on the road by 8:00pm!).

Yeah, I installed the alpine windows when I did the headliner and sunroof a few years ago.

Drop by the Guns and Rovers site when you get a minute. There's a great bunch of guys over there and some are pretty clever with leaf-sprung rovers. http://p200.ezboard.com/fgunsandroversfrm1

Hope to see you over there!

Jim

 

[BobinVirginia]

I thought that you might have bought it from John. I've gone by the name of "dieselbob" for many, many years. Our paths have probably crossed a time or two and we definately know some of the same folks.

 

[bbqmannn]

nissan patrol