Got myself an Australian Land Rover

[jdobson]

Thought I'd say hello and introduce myself to the forum. I have just purchased a long wheel base Series IIA. I was close to buying a short wheel base but then spotted this one and decided it would better suit my requirements. It is a little rough looking and needs some TLC but essentially it is all there and roadworthy. I have a long list of things I plan to do, possible respray, fitment of a V8 and sort out the front radiator panel which has been shifted forward to clear the engine. I am also keen on the idea of removing the hard top and fitting a soft top (so if anyone knows of any hoodsticks available for sale, I would definitely be interested). Its going to be a bit of a rolling restoration and I think it's going to take a while getting it fully sorted out. Just great to have another Land Rover again (I moved to Australia at the start of the year and unfortunately was unable to get my IIA shipped over here - I am still pretty determined to get her over here though!).

Anyway, here are some pictures.
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2011/10/1329.jpg
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2011/10/1330.jpg

[will d8r]

No need to worry I did the same. I have a S3 in storage,brought S2 Discovery here now brought 109 S3 here which is being dismantled for a rebuild.Must put some pics up.Cheers

[marko66]

Hi All

Nice looking Landy that you have there:):D don't discount the six as the holdens went to 3.3 litre and the fords went to 4.1 litre and the chrysler went to 4.3 litre and they were made to go with the right selection of parts :):D
Depending on what you are planning on doing with your landy most people used the six as a compromise between performance and economy. Say you want to use it to visit daintree or Kakadu then buying fuel for the eight to ten thousand kilometre return trip has some relevance to us lesser paid mortals :):D

In so saying I have a 4.4 litre leylandd v8 series 2a and a last registered as a 5000 cc series 3 ute

Regards Mark

[alittlebitconcerned]

Way cool. I love it.

[jdobson]

Well I am looking forward to picking it up in a couple of weeks time. It is currently fitted with a 2.5 litre Holden Engine, I think it's a four cylinder from the pictures, but then not sure why the radiator panel would have been moved forward to fit it. I have really thrown caution to the wind with this purchase and perhaps got carried away on account of it being a IIA! I figure as long as the chassis and bulkhead are in reasonable condition the rest is not such a worry. It comes with standard spare wheels so I will probably be refitting them at some point. Keen to keep it as original looking as possible on the outside at least.

Exciting times!

[jdobson]

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2011/10/592.jpg
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2011/10/593.jpg
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2011/10/567.jpg

Made it back from Mudgee to Manly on Saturday with only a few minor issues considering. Since getting it home I have fitted a replacement starter motor so at least it's now possible to start it. Seems to run pretty well although on my last trip the engine kept stalling when pulling away, seemed to be a bit of a misfire so will need to look into that. I am unfamiliar with the 6-cylinder Holden engines but it seems to pull pretty well and I was impressed with the progress it made up the Blue Mountains.

Need to decide if I will repaint it a different colour, I do favour pastel green over the current colour but it might be too much hassle repainting the whole thing. Certainly the interior needs to be repainted to freshen it up and I really need to get some new seats - is there a supplier over here for seats or am I better off going through Exmoor Trim in the UK?

The condition of the chassis and bulkhead is the best I've seen - although I am used to UK Land Rover's which suffer from the salt we put on our roads and the constant rain.. think I am going to remove the hardtop shortly.

[jdobson]

Enjoying the Easter sunshine in Manly. If anyone wants a Long Wheel Base Safari roof let me know - I won't be refitting it.

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2012/04/1130.jpg

Finally got replacement seats, such a transformation on the terrible seats that were fitted before.
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2012/04/1131.jpg

Quite a few more jobs on the list, want to repaint the interior for the start.

[jdobson]

So progress has been more than a little slow since I bought this Land Rover. The main problem was up until a month ago I was living in an apartment block with dark, tightly packed basement parking. Now I'm in a new place with a decent area to work so the restoration has started.

The paintwork was really very poor, especially on the front wings, bonnet and bulkhead so I have stripped it back to bare metal and etch primed in preparation for a respray. The back body, I'm hoping a good sanding will suffice.

Fortunately haven't found any nasty surprises since starting the restoration. Everything seems to be in good condition, just unloved. Here are some pictures:

http://imageshack.us/a/img854/6916/landrover007.jpg
http://imageshack.us/a/img607/8343/022rx.jpg
http://imageshack.us/a/img7/7761/005el.jpg
http://imageshack.us/a/img833/3779/033xbl.jpg
http://imageshack.us/a/img266/9048/099t.jpg
http://imageshack.us/a/img43/9536/img0480fj.jpg
http://imageshack.us/a/img705/8306/img0491ic.jpg
http://imageshack.us/a/img259/3851/dashie.png

I'm undecided on what colour to paint it, I keep changing my mind from light grey, dark grey and pastel green. Who knows, may choose something entirely different though it will be a colour inkeeping with its age (so no metallic paint).

Still lots more to do before the respray, I'm going to attempt it myself in around 3-4 weeks time subject to bank balance and availablity. Hoping it will be a well sorted, reliable vehicle once completed (it hasn't been all that reliable so far).

[VladTepes]

Awesome car. Excellent work. Jealous.

[Jondavball]

Nice work. The instrument panel looks great. Is it new or did you refurb an old one, and if so is it just paint?

[schuy1]

Very nice work :) Just a query re the instrument panel, In all the late model @a's I have seen/worked on/ drove have never had an ampmeter in that position, only a red charge warning light. Yet that appears very stock looking. Either it was an option or some1 has really done a neat job :D

Cheers Scott

[jdobson]

I don't know about the ampmeter, thought it was standard - the 1964 one I have in the UK also has it. Perhaps the Australian-made versions didn't?

It is the same dash as originally pictured, I just filled the holes made by the previous owner, perhaps not the best job and I've lost the auxiliary power outlets but I think it looks a big improvement.

[schuy1]

yes the dash looks good with the holes filled. The landies up to the end of '66 all had a +30/-30 ampmeter which was replaced in the later models with a temp gauge. the bottom section of the gauge cluster used to be the high beam warning lamp which became a charge lamp in the later models and the high beam lamp migrated into the speedo cluster (becoming blue) along with the oil warning lamp and the mixture warning lamp.
Thinking about it the rover p series cars may have had a amp meter in their cluster! they used much the same shape clusters I think. ( Am sure to be corrected on that :D )Cheers Scott

[JDNSW]

Ammeter was fitted up until the change to negative earth in 1967 (chassis suffix C) when it was replaced by a temperature gauge and the warning lights changes as noted. Australian ones followed exactly as Home Market ones, albeit probably with a lag. Some other electrical equipment did not follow exactly, as locally produced parts were used, and continued in use later than in the UK. Differences included headlights and voltage regulators.

John

[jdobson]

Some more progress on the Old Girl this weekend. I've painted up all the galvanise parts using a zinc galvanise paint (sprayed all the items with an etch primer first). They look a bit on the bright side at the moment, but hopefully will dull down over time. I also rebuilt the handbrake assembly and replaced the rear gearbox oil seal which had of course been leaking - also fitted new brake shoes to the handbrake. Next weekend I shall continue preparing the bodywork for the respray which I've decided will be in a pastel green. I'm not going to remove all the bodywork dents / dings, it will take forever and as they say, all part of her 'character'. I do need to spend a bit of time on the side skirts, both are badly bent and in their current state they wouldn't look very good. I also need to sort out the wiring, it's quite a mess. I'm not ambitious enough to attempt a re-wire just yet, but shall just replace any of the suspect areas. Here are some pictures.
http://imageshack.us/a/img706/4088/094xd.jpg
http://imageshack.us/a/img62/9358/082of.jpg
http://imageshack.us/a/img819/3213/081sgt.jpg
http://imageshack.us/a/img844/6246/096rq.jpg

[NiteMare]

starting to look good :)

[jdobson]

Well after another weekend working solidly on the old girl, I am finally in the position where I can repaint it. This weekend I sorted out the rear crossmember which was badly painted and had suffered a shunt on the passenger side so I stripped back all the paint, sanded and managed to jack out the bent part. It's now been primed and repainted in satin black.
http://imageshack.us/a/img841/5613/047vv.jpg
I also sorted out the front wiring which was a bit of a mess, hopefully I got all the connections back together properly.
http://imageshack.us/a/img689/7377/035gd.jpg
And perhaps the most time-consuming job was sorting out the side skirts. These had been heavily bashed around before I got to them - I was almost tempted to ditch them and find replacements but thought I'd see what could be done using a hammer and filler. They took all day to sort out but I'm really pleased with the results, though they're not perfect they should look reasonable in the scheme of things.
http://imageshack.us/a/img834/3036/031lk.jpg
I also replaced the broken passenger windscreen glass which was harder than I thought and more expensive by the time I'd bought the glass ($154), sealant and applicator..

I have four days off, inclusive of Anzac Day in a couple of weeks time, that's when I'll be repainting it.

Question for those in the know, if I fit passenger bench seats (either 2 x 2 seater or 2 x 3 seater) do these need to be fitted with seat belts to pass the roadworthy? If so, what do people use - lap belts?

[Chops]

Looking good,, I too am highly jelous ;)

[DeanoH]

What's the hole in the middle of the grille for :confused:

Deano :)

[dandlandyman]

Very good work. It may just inspire me to get mine done (at last?). Maybe. But it's mango flowering time again!

That ammeter is one I have only ever seen on ex-military late 2As and 3s, though it's entirely possible that it was an optional extra on civvy versions. The dash was originally painted black from the factory, too, though I've been getting mixed messages on which other dash panels were black.

Dan.
69 2A 88" pet4 (still in disguise), 68 2B FC pet6 (still resting quietly), plus 14 other project/parts cars (1xS2, 6xS2As, 7xS3s).

[LoveB]

Where did you get the seats done?

[jdobson]

I have no idea what the hole is for on the grill, perhaps it had an electric fan fitted there previously. I had considered getting a replacement but I think it's all part of it's history.

Interesting about the ampmeter, I never knew there was a difference. I do not know the history of this Land Rover. I bought it from a guy in Mudgee and before that it was used to recover cars at a race track.

Whilst sanding I noticed very faintly on the middle seat box lid that it said something like 'Danger High Voltage' I couldn't read the rest of it. Perhaps it is ex military though I thought the indicators would be in a different position. It does look like it may have had aerials mounted on the rear tub.

I'm looking forward to getting it back on the road. It's a shame that it has had a six-cylinder Holden motor added - the front panel sits further forward and once the bonnet has the hinges attached you'll see that it doesn't fit squarly over the headlamp panel. If I had the skill I would extend the bonnet.

[jdobson]

LoveB, I got the seats new from Exmoor Trim in the UK. They were about $300 delivered if I remember correctly.

[jdobson]

So I have ordered the paint, primer and thinners plus paint gun. Will do the final preparations to the bodywork this weekend then shall start the repaint the following Thursday. If anyone has any last minute tips on re-spraying they would be greatly received. I haven't done it before and don't want to screw it up!

[jdobson]

Resprayed it over the weekend. I'm relatively pleased with the finish but it needs cutting back and polishing to get a decent shine. I painted it in acrylic paint which is quite forgiving and there was no need to apply clearcoat with the colour used. Having said that, I have come to the conclusion that I will never paint a car again - leave it to the experts. It's been by far the most difficult task of the restoration, there are too many variables to worry about (moisture in the air, dust, wind, air compressor pressure, thinner ratio... etc. etc.!)..

Tasks pending include sorting the wiring - though it runs none of the gauges work and the indicators need some fine tuning. I also need to fit seatbelts, door seals and rubber matting for the floor in the back (and eventually bench seats - do these need to have seatbelts for the roadworthy? Are bench seats permitted in NSW?). I'm also thinking I may extend the bonnet so it fits better - you'll notice that the front panel sits further forward than normal due to the 6-cylinder Holden that the previous owner fitted.

Can't believe how many fittings there are for the front floor and gearbox tunnel - I think there are close to 50! I do hope that doesn't have to come out again in a hurry.

Here are some pictures.
http://imageshack.us/a/img138/6967/047ybv.jpg
http://imageshack.us/a/img195/4377/064qp.jpg
http://imageshack.us/a/img716/8022/photo1ak.jpg
http://imageshack.us/a/img845/9948/photo2qo.jpg
http://imageshack.us/a/img826/7123/photo3mg.jpg

[jdobson]

Missed this one, after.. and before. A much nicer place to be (just need to paint the gear sticks and get all the gauges to actually work..!).
http://imageshack.us/a/img17/8464/insidebz.jpg

[Series3 GT]

It looks great, nice neat finish everything you want your project to be. How long did it take you to refurbish it?

[jdobson]

It's taken around 8 weekends and a couple of week-days to get it to this point... working 12 hours non-stop at a time! I'm going to be glad to have my weekends back.

[jdobson]

Thought I'd include a better picture of the interior of the rear tub. Anyone have ideas why the wheel arch sections have been reduced in length?
http://imageshack.us/a/img713/4395/021pur.jpg

[Ozdunc]

Looking good!!

The shortened wheel arches probably have something to do with what ever was fixed to the bulkhead by the 4 triangular sets of holes on it.
Any idea what its previous history is?

[jdobson]

Those holes were for the seat supports - which I have now removed to allow the seats to fit flush with the bulkhead and provide more space.

No idea of it's history - though when I was sanding the middle seatbox lid there was something about 'Caution High Voltage' - sadly I couldn't quite make out the rest of it. Perhaps it was military?

Getting close to being road legal but have a few things to sort out:

- Seat belts (can anyone recommend a place for these? I would like inertia but understand you need to mount these on a rail attached to the back bulkhead so will go with static ones).

- Door seals (fitting these on the weekend).

- Windscreen washer jets (another job for the weekend).

- Rubber grips for the brake / clutch peddles (I've heard these are compulsory for the roadworthy test?).

- Replace brake pipes (including the flexible hoses which are pretty well perished).

- Number plate light for the back.

- Spare wheel (can someone tell me if this is compulsory in NSW? I don't really want to buy another wheel if I can avoid it, but the current spare isn't quite the same diameter as the 8-spokes.. which I intend to replace at some stage).

[Ozdunc]

As far as I know - its not compulsory to have a spare, but if you do have one it must be fit for use.

There are lots of cars for sale these days with no spare just a can of gloop and a small compressor - Mini, BMW...

[jdobson]

Oh fantastic, that's what I was hoping. I will of course get a suitable spare wheel at some point but that's low on the list of priorities at the moment.

Don't suppose anyone knows of a place near Manly, NSW that will do Blueslips and is sympathetic towards ancient Land Rovers?

Thanks

[Ozdunc]

Aha, we must be neighbours:)

I used Beachwheels in Waine St (behind the Mitre10 on Pittwater Rd) when I had to get the Cruiser a bluey.
A blue slip's not like a pink, they are really thorough. I don't think anyone gets an easy blue.
Take your time and get it right.
It might be worth going down and speaking to them to get an idea of what they are looking for.

[barney]

You could talk to ayers automotive in brookvale, I dont know if they do blue slips but might be able to steer you toward someone who is land rover savvy.
Hopefully NSW will be adopting thevictorian model for historicvehicle Rego in the coming years, that will give you 90 days of use through out the calendar year, instead of only being used on club trips, that might be something worth looking at in the future, you must belong to a club regidtered with the conditional registration scheme though. But its a hell of a lot cheaper and less red tape with blue slips.

[Northern Lander]

Try this mob
Select Gear, Klippan, seat belt, aftermarket, safety belt (http://www.selectgear.com.au/partners/klippan.aspx)
They do a seat belt kit for the defenders I have a set fitted to my S3 GAME and have no complaints and they fit all the usual landy mounting points.

Wardy

[jdobson]

Thanks for the suggestion with regard the seat belts. I bought a set from them and I'm really pleased with what I got. Fitting them was really easy. I've no finished all the other bits and pieces so it's ready (in theory) for the Blueslip. Hoping to get it booked in within the next week or so.

[jdobson]

Thought I'd stick up some more photos showing the new seatbelts fitted and how she's looking now.
http://imageshack.us/a/img94/9603/c9x5.jpg
http://imageshack.us/a/img842/4708/69yz.jpg
I have finally located some hoodsticks, they certainly don't come up for sale very often. I pick them up tomorrow. I've also ordered a full canvas top from All Wheel Trim in the UK. Not sure how long it will take to get here - they had one in stock so hopefully no longer than a couple of weeks.

[garrywlh]

Looking good.
You mentioned that you painted the galvanised parts with a cold gal paint and they seemed a bit too bright when freshly painted. They look fine in this pic. How are they really? Are you happy with the result?
If so, may I ask what paint you used?
thanks,
Garry

[garrywlh]

Another question. You straightened up the skirts with hammer and filler. I have not attempted panel beating yet. Did you find it necessary to heat the aluminium before shaping it?
Many thanks,
Garry

[chazza]

Did you find it necessary to heat the aluminium before shaping it?

Garry

There is no need to heat it the aluminium it is quite soft and easy to work. The difficulty is getting a flat surface flat again; sometimes it is easier to make a new panel,

Cheers Charlie

[garrywlh]

ok, thanks for that Charlie. I was just going by the advice in my Haynes about the aluminium becoming hardened and cracking after prolonged hammering and needing to be annealed with a flame.

I will give this a little bit of a go on the weekend. I have some panels that I will not be using, so I might just see how they behave when I start bashing away at them! :)

[chazza]

If you do feel the need to anneal them, rub some wet soap on the surface and heat until the soap goes black.

Heating a flat panel will probably cause some distortion - don't ask me how I know! :(

Your panels should be Birmabright, which seems to stay soft for a very long time and is very easy to beat. Check out my thread on panel-beating a roof - I didn't have to anneal it at all,

Cheers Charlie

[garrywlh]

I've just been through your thread on panel-beating a roof, Charlie. Thanks so much for taking the trouble to provide pics and explain each step in detail. It has got me started at least. All up, you must have spent a couple of weeks on that job?

[chazza]

There probably was that amount of time actually spent beating, but the pain in my joints made me space the work over about 3 months :D The good thing was that it could stay outside in all weather and not deteriorate,

Cheers Charlie

[Ozdunc]

I've also ordered a full canvas top from All Wheel Trim in the UK. Not sure how long it will take to get here - they had one in stock so hopefully no longer than a couple of weeks.
I'm thinking of picking up a canvas truck cab and tonneau from them.
What was the shipping like?

[jdobson]

Shipping for the hood, $99 which I didn't think was bad. I've used All Wheel Trim before and in my opinion they are the best you can get.

Well I'm one step closer to being legally on the road. Managed to get it through the Blueslip today. It initially failed on windscreen wipers perished, a non standard air filter, a missing engine mounting bolt and excessive oil on the engine / gearbox. I was pretty happy with that. Managed to race around Brookvale and get all the bits I needed and then use two cans of degreaser to clean the engine etc. So tomorrow I hope to get it registered and insured. Just did a phone around for CTP and the three quotes I got were all around the $1,000 mark. Seems a bit steep. They classes it as a 'utility' in the Blueslip so I think that's making the CTP more expensive. Are they usually classed as 'Utility'? Any suggestions on cheap CTP please let me know.

[Ozdunc]

That's not bad at all.

My CTP is about $650 with Shannons, but you need to have comprehensive insurance with them before they will sell you CTP. Comp is $275 for my 88" ute
The Gubmint put up CTP by ~$100 this year, as it was $550 last year. It's a rort but what can you do?

[jdobson]

Well I won't be able to eat for the rest of the month, but the Land Rover is finally road legal. Thanks for the advice, I went with Shannons. Fully comprehensive cover for $472.62, CTP for $519. Registration and new number plates came to $600. It's not been particularly cheap! Though now it's legal I now need to sort out a misfire it's developed. I've replaced the distributor cap and leads. That didn't make a difference, hoping it's the sparkplugs but I haven't got the right sized socket to remove them yet. It has points, so perhaps they need adjusting? I have no idea about distributors / timing. Does there come a point where the 'points' need replacing? If so, is this an easy / cheap job? It has a Bosche distributor and the engine is a Holden 186...

Here are some pics of her maiden, legal trip around Manly. I'm so pleased to have got it this far.

http://imageshack.us/a/img189/6196/x2ng.jpg

http://imageshack.us/a/img14/2553/jdc9.jpg

http://imageshack.us/a/img690/2189/wxxp.jpg

[chazza]

Though now it's legal I now need to sort out a misfire it's developed. I've replaced the distributor cap and leads. That didn't make a difference, hoping it's the sparkplugs but I haven't got the right sized socket to remove them yet. It has points, so perhaps they need adjusting? I have no idea about distributors / timing. Does there come a point where the 'points' need replacing? If so, is this an easy / cheap job?


Well done! It looks to be a very nice car.

The points wear in use and the points gap will increase, which will alter the ignition timing eventually. It is a fairly easy but fiddly job to replace them, or adjust, but you really need a workshop manual to help you learn how to do it.

The amount of time the points remain closed ( I might be wrong here, it could be the time they are open ;)) is called the dwell and is measured by a meter in degrees of angle. It is not essential to have a dwell meter but they do make it easy to see if you have the points gap correct.

Much more reliable and easy to deal with, is to fit a an electronic distributor which doesn't have points and your engine will stay in tune much more consistently.

When you change the spark plugs fit NGK new ones - I have had great longevity from the Iridium type.

Check the engine whilst it is running in the dark and if you see any electric-blue, replace the high-tension leads. While you are at it, a new condenser for the points and distributor cap and rotor arm wouldn't hurt either,

Cheers Charlie

[Ozdunc]

Very nice! A real head turner!:cool:
North Head's my go to spot as well when Bill needs a run :D

Did you re-gal your cappings and windscreen surround, or spray them? Can you give details as I like to do the same - mine are currently battleship grey :wasntme:

[jdobson]

Hi there, I didn't bother with re-galvanising. It seemed like too much hassle removing and refitting. I painted them with etch primer followed by a galvanise paint from an aerosol can. I forget the brand but it was purchased from Bunnings. Seems to have properly keyed to the galvanise and hasn't come off yet! It was very bright initially but this dulls down fairly quickly.

Drove it into work today, with the hoodsticks fitted it only just fits in the parking area - just millimetres of clearance. It was nice driving in, but fairly cold. I'm not sure if I will use it every day for my commute - Sydney is not a fun place to drive in an old Land Rover with no syncromesh on 1/2 gears. You certainly have to keep your wits about you.

[harryj]

Those holes were for the seat supports - which I have now removed to allow the seats to fit flush with the bulkhead and provide more space.

No idea of it's history - though when I was sanding the middle seatbox lid there was something about 'Caution High Voltage' - sadly I couldn't quite make out the rest of it. Perhaps it was military?

Getting close to being road legal but have a few things to sort out:

- Seat belts (can anyone recommend a place for these? I would like inertia but understand you need to mount these on a rail attached to the back bulkhead so will go with static ones).

- Door seals (fitting these on the weekend).

- Windscreen washer jets (another job for the weekend).

- Rubber grips for the brake / clutch peddles (I've heard these are compulsory for the roadworthy test?).

- Replace brake pipes (including the flexible hoses which are pretty well perished).

- Number plate light for the back.

- Spare wheel (can someone tell me if this is compulsory in NSW? I don't really want to buy another wheel if I can avoid it, but the current spare isn't quite the same diameter as the 8-spokes.. which I intend to replace at some stage).

In our experience here in Qld, it is not a requirement of law that seatbelts be fitted when registering a vehicle if the vehicle was manufactured prior to the relevant ADR coming into effect (early '70s). e.g: our S2A Landrover was manufactured in 1963 - no seatbelts required by law.
Rubber grips on clutch and brake pedals were not required in our case, as the manufacturers' design of raised dimples suffice.

[UncleHo]

G'day Jdobson

I did a reply to your post and pic this morning,but it vanished into the ether,it looks like very nice vehicle which you have done a good job of refurbishing,the front panel interests me,as it has the looks of British MOD,as the Australian headlights were just Lucas 7" round with the chrome ring in a flat panel,not with the raised stamping,the "caution high voltage" sign and the cutdown rear wheel boxes also indicate a special purpose vehicle,also possibly Govt.,the British Govt. were carrying out tests in Aust on their "Blue Streak" rocket about that time,so it may have been one of those vehicles,with sensitive measuring equipment fitted,what was it's original colour ? That may give a clue,red or a bright yellow or yellow-green would be my guess.


Hope that might give you some leads.


cheers


P.S. seat belts were not required to be fitted in commercial bodied vehicles until 1970 in NSW,but,if it was a Govt.Dept they would have been fitted,lap-sash in hard tops/truckcabs and sash only in soft tops. But most Govt vehicles were hard roofed.

[jdobson]

Hi 'UncleHo', thanks so much for the information, that's really interesting. I wonder if I can find out some more using the chassis number?

[UncleHo]

YUP! I would be interested in looking at the chassis No I am betting on it being RHD Home Market, as the Landrover in Aust. changed from Positive earth to Negative earth at Chassis suffix "D" they also went to the bent handbrake lever (in readiness for seatbelts) I also noted that your rego for the Holden motored vehicle was not to bad,to renew the rego on my recently purchased 1980 Series 3 Lightweight in Queensland was $695.70 and to just transfer it to my name cost $173.60 :(

cheers

[isuzutoo-eh]

G'day Jack,
If you don't want to post the chassis number on the web, PM myself, bobslandies or lotz-a-landies and we can see what the book says. Or just post it up and one of us will post up what we find. No guarantees though, only works on Grenville delivered Landies...

[jdobson]

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2014/09/453.jpg (http://www.aulro.com/afvb/members/isuzutoo-eh.html)isuzutoo-eh (http://www.aulro.com/afvb/members/isuzutoo-eh.html)
Hi Isuzutoo-eh, I've sent you a PM with my VIN. It does have a D suffix. Would be grateful to hear any info you can find on it.

[jdobson]

So after a couple of months back on the road the Land Rover decided to blow it's head gasket. I have removed the cylinder head and found that it's beyond redemption so I'm waiting for a secondhand item to be sourced. With a bit of luck I shall be back in action by the weekend. Rather annoying since I wanted to take it to the Land Rover Expo over the weekend.
http://imageshack.us/a/img51/115/o8uf.jpg
http://imageshack.us/a/img845/5249/xzes.jpg
http://imageshack.us/a/img560/4133/dtjp.jpg

[jdobson]

Back in action now. Discovered my cylinder head was completely irrepairable. So took to eBay and was able to find a reconditioned replacement just up the road from me. Talk about lucky! I just had to hope it was properly reconditioned and not just painted up to look nice. Took me all day Saturday fitting it and it was not without it's difficulties. For some reason the oil filter wouldn't unscrew, it was super tight. Ended up having to take the whole assembly off and even then it was very difficult! Then the fuel line snapped... then I discovered the temperature sender unit would not screw into the head. Had to buy a tap for the thread which cost me $100 and no doubt won't be used ever again!

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Anyway it now runs superbly, no stalling at junctions, starts on the button. Very pleased although I think it will take some time before I fully trust it not to break down again.

[Landy Smurf]

too late now but when I did a head gasket etc on a 186 I found autobarn the cheapest.

[jdobson]

The gasket set was around $50 I think - I'd rather not go down the cheapest route, I didn't want to run any potential risk! I really never want to have to replace the head gasket ever again. I would rate it as the worst job I have ever had to contend with on a Land Rover. I just hope everything continues to work for a decent period of time - I'm slightly over spending all my weekends fixing some issue or other.

Drove into work today, so nice not being back on the buses and took just 30 minutes :)

[jdobson]

I finally have a roof! Ordered it from All Wheel Trim in the UK on Friday, it got delivered to Sydney yesterday morning. I really didn't expect it to come so quickly. Really impressed with the quality and service.
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2013/11/1464.jpg (http://s137.photobucket.com/user/jdobson1981/media/043_zps7cca3231.jpg.html)
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2013/11/1465.jpg (http://s137.photobucket.com/user/jdobson1981/media/047_zps9b79c6d2.jpg.html)
The fitting guidelines tell you not to thread the rear rope through the eyelets on the back until the canvas has settled / shrunk to fit.

Now need to find a replacement oil pump for the Holden 186 - it's developed a huge oil leak and doesn't seem to fit flush with the engine.

Door tops are next on the list, they should be winging their way over to me from the UK too.

[Ozdunc]

looks great!

I've been very pleased with the fit and quality of mine, mine seemed to fit better after the first rain it went through, and shows no sign of leakage.

Did you go for Khaki or Sand?

[jdobson]

I think it's just the standard 'sand' colour. I thought it would suit the pastel green better than the other options. Fitment is a bit loose in areas at the moment but as you say, once we've had some showers it will shrink and fit more snuggly. Hope that my doortops arrive this week.

Just had to order a replacement oil pump for the 186. Looks like it should be here this afternoon for tonight's 'fun' task.

[LoveB]

Would love to come visit and look at the canvas when I'm in sydney next..

Planning on getting a soft top for the S1 :)

[jdobson]

LoveB - welcome to come check it out.

So yesterday I took the day off work to get the oil leak resolved. I ordered a replacement oil pump, it arrived on Tuesday evening. Tried to fit it that evening but found it was ever so slightly longer than the original and consequently would not fit due to its proximity to the engine mount (of course it took me a while to realise this as I struggled to get the damn thing in - not a very pleasant job with oil pouring out of the newly primed pump). So yesterday morning I went to Bunnings and bought some grinding wheels to attach to a drill. Tried grinding the engine mount whilst lying upside down in limited space - no chance. In the end I took the weight of the engine on a jack and undid the engine mount so I could get at it properly. Those grinding wheels are useless! After much torment I managed to grind enough off - we're only talking around 3 mm. Fitted the new pump, then the engine mount back on. Filled it up with oil, turned the key. Success. I was expecting to see oil pouring out of it again so it was nice that the replacement resolved the issue. I'm not sure what was wrong with the old one - there's no sign of obvious damage but I think there's a hole somewhere. With the new oil pump the engine is running much smoother, it's actually transformed it which I wasn't expecting.

So having fixed the engine leak I turned my attention to the lack of operational headlights. Turned out that the relay had become detached and shorted out the system. All the headlight wiring was burned out. I replaced the wiring and now have working headlights... albeit on dip beam. The floor mounted dip switch is clearly broken. Does anyone know where I can get hold of a replacement in Sydney? I haven't done any calling around yet.

But at least I can now drive at night albeit on dipped headlights and driving into work this morning felt very civilised with the roof. Once it's settled / bedded in I shall be taking it off again - visibility with the soft top is pretty poor plus my wing mirrors are essentially useless!

So now I have a roof with door tops to follow, the plan is to go on a road trip over the Christmas break, sleeping in the back. This has been my dream since I bought the Land Rover, and the reason I opted for a long wheel base. I'm going to fit a platform in the back to span the wheel arches so I will have a pretty decent sized sleeping area with storage underneath. Has anyone slept in the back of a 109 before? How did they find it?

Couple of pics down at Clontarf Beach...
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2013/11/1342.jpg (http://s137.photobucket.com/user/jdobson1981/media/044_zps2d518b92.jpg.html)
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[LoveB]

I will be down on the weekend... perfect now that ive got my 2a also

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[jdobson]

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2014/03/1144.jpg (http://s137.photobucket.com/user/jdobson1981/media/084_zpsbfdf4869.jpg.html)

Adapted the auxillary panel to fit a cigarette lighter so now I can charge my phone.

Also fitted bench seats to the back, will take a picture at some point.. does anyone know if a 1968 Land Rover needs to have seat belts fitted in the back? It certainly never had them originally. Would rather not have to shell out on belts for occasional use. Thanks

[Johnno1969]

Hey what's the story with the firewall below the windscreen frame? In that photo, a section appears to dip beneath the vent mechanism.

[Dinty]

It could be the tube for the windscreen wiper cable? cheers Dennis

[russellrovers]

It could be the tube for the windscreen wiper cable? cheers Dennisyes dennis you are right jim

[jdobson]

That's right, it is the tubing for the windscreen wiper - and what I think is a big improvement on the individual wiper motor set ups!