Series 1 with holden engine

[fourteen8]

Thinking to buy this a series 1 with holden engine. Body I think look straight and going to inpect the chassis tomorrow.

From thw photo the seller sent me there are some rust holes under the windscreen. The engine seems seized.

My question is

1. How hard is it to fix those rust holes shown on the picture or do I need to get a replcement bulkhead.

2. Do you think is a bad idea to get series with holden engine? Do you think the chassis had been cut to fit the engine? Or they usually used a adaptor kit?

3. Looking at the photos how much do I need to spend?

Thanks. Gus.

[russellrovers]

Thinking to buy this a series 1 with holden engine. Body I think look straight and going to inpect the chassis tomorrow.

From thw photo the seller sent me there are some rust holes under the windscreen. The engine seems seized.

My question is

1. How hard is it to fix those rust holes shown on the picture or do I need to get a replcement bulkhead.

2. Do you think is a bad idea to get series with holden engine? Do you think the chassis had been cut to fit the engine? Or they usually used a adaptor kit?

3. Looking at the photos how much do I need to spend?

Thanks. Gus.if you can weld its ok if not it can be a can of worms if the engines seized go back to original chassi no is also a help regards jim

[fourteen8]

if you can weld its ok if not it can be a can of worms if the engines seized go back to original chassi no is also a help regards jim

What do you mean by go back to original chassis no?

[sheerluck]

What do you mean by go back to original chassis no?

There was a comma missing, as in if the Holden engine is seized, then go back to an original engine. But also, posting a chassis number will help identify the vehicle.

[JDNSW]

Repairing that bulkhead will need an expert welder, but should be possible - although if you can find a good one, it will be a lot easier, and cheaper as well if you are paying a good welder!

I would tend to fit an original 2l engine if you can find one, or failing that probably a 2.25, as these are readily available, even if you need to overhaul it.

The chassis is likely to have been modified, and the radiator support as well, but both of these are relatively easy to rebuild or replace in the second case.

The conversion may have been done using a commercial kit, or a one-off. You need to be aware that some of the commercial adapter plates were not accurately enough made, and result in gearbox damage, so be prepared for gearbox repairs.

John

[fourteen8]

The conversion may have been done using a commercial kit, or a one-off. You need to be aware that some of the commercial adapter plates were not accurately enough made, and result in gearbox damage, so be prepared for gearbox repairs. John

How can I tell whether it is using a commercial kit or a one off?
Sorry have to ask to make sure I know what to look for as I never have series nor see conversion kit before.

[Dark61]

I think you can do better than this. I'd keep looking. There,s a nice looking series 3 up north , registered original engine - you could drive it home.
Cheers,
D

[fourteen8]

I think you can do better than this. I'd keep looking. There,s a nice looking series 3 up north , registered original engine - you could drive it home. Cheers, D I know which one you are talking about. Spoke to him on friday. Got distracted when I saw this series 1 :)

[JDNSW]

How can I tell whether it is using a commercial kit or a one off?
Sorry have to ask to make sure I know what to look for as I never have series nor see conversion kit before.

You can't at this stage! There were several commercial conversion kits, varying from backyard to what we would regard as 'factory' today, and some of the home grown ones were just as good as the best. And then, apart from the bits fitted, there was how well the work was done - even if the best parts were used, the conversion may have been done by an amateur short of time and the result only intended as a farm hack.

Most of these conversions were done because fitting a Holden engine (readily available and cheap since Holdens usually rusted out long before the engine was worn out) was far cheaper than overhauling the Rover engine, even taking into account conversion costs, and gave a boost in performance as a bonus.

John

[fourteen8]

The chassis is likely to have been modified, and the radiator support as well, but both of these are relatively easy to rebuild or replace in the second

I would like to make it as original as possible being a series 1. But my main objective if I gonahead is to make it run, get a club permit then slowly bring it back to the original. Otherwise I will be in deep S**** and I can guarantee no more $$$ from the bosss for landy.

Would be above can be achieved easily knowing that will be cheap repalcement holden engine available?

To rebuilt or replaced as mentioned what would need to be done? Any project reference on the net that I can have a look or anyone in the forum have done it before?

[russellrovers]

What do you mean by go back to original chassis no?hi i have a as new 86 inch chassi witha good relay also all springs with full back diff and wheels also a topshelf in bronze green ready to go straight in regards jim

[fourteen8]

hi i have a as new 86 inch chassi witha good relay also all springs with full back diff and wheels also a topshelf in bronze green ready to go straight in regards jim

Is this for sale? Pm sent

[JDNSW]

....
Would be above can be achieved easily knowing that will be cheap repalcement holden engine available?

....

The Holden engine fitted is no longer either cheap nor readily available (that engine was probably fitted over fifty years ago). And fitting a later Holden engine is not necessarily easy or cheap either - for a start, you would almost certainly need to have it properly engineered, and even with upgrading brakes etc this may not be possible - you would need to talk to the Victorian authorities about that. The contemporary installation you can probably get away with, especially if there is evidence of it being registered with that engine.

Overhauling the engine fitted may be reasonably cheap and feasible, but that would depend on just what is wrong with it.

John

[fourteen8]

Finally bought my first series 1. It will be delivered next week. I hope I can restore it and get it registered and show the boss it can be done.

Thanks for everyone for sharing your knowledge and give me advices.

Where can I check the car no and paint colour code?

[Dark61]

Well done. Looking forward to seeing the resto thread.
cheers,
D

[fourteen8]

How do I check what year my series is? And is mine the original colour do you think? Thanks

[Mick_Marsh]

Start here.

CalVIN (http://www.clifton.nl/index.html?calvin.html)

[Dark61]

for the Chassis number, try just above the passenger side rear spring hanger as a first off - might need a bit of spit. re the colour - is that gold I can see on the corner of the bonnet? Take a look under the handbrake blanking plate to see if you can see a spot of original paint.
cheers,
D

[russellrovers]

Is this for sale? Pm sent yes its for sale

[Jcrowe69]

Finally bought my first series 1. It will be delivered next week. I hope I can restore it and get it registered and show the boss it can be done.

Thanks for everyone for sharing your knowledge and give me advices.

Where can I check the car no and paint colour code?
Hi Mate,
Nice purchase, if you still have the plate with the chasis number on the firewall you can enter this into Calvin and it will give you the basic info, also if you have a set of plates you can also check the info inline.
I'm giving some love to a 1955 Series 1 with a holden 179, sure it's not original and I'll probably pull it out eventually and drop in a 200Tdi engine, but it depends if you want to drive it everyday, the old donks will give you original cred, but having lived with them they are not particularly strong. And, yes everything has been modified to fit the Holden motor, front chassis member cut, radiator relocated, air filter etc and if its an 86 inch the gearbox may have been moved back as well. So if you want a daily driver back on the road with not to much effort I'd look at resurrecting the Holden 6, the upside is more power but with a flatter torque curve which is a downside offroad...
Cheers Jason

[QRS40]

Hi, congrats on the purchase.
The most common modification is the front crossmember as the holden engine and radiator don't both fit. FYI I posted a pic of mine (custom made by someone back in the 70's) in another thread:
http://www.aulro.com/afvb/series-i-land-rover-enthusiasts-section/238063-1955-86-engine-dilemmas-2.html


It looks like yours is the original crossmember so ive no idea how its all fitted in- what does the radiator look like?


I am in the process of having my 186 taken out, but that's mainly because the gearbox is kaput and since that needed to go I thought I would get everything done at once (going to a LR 2.25, so still not original but thats ok). I wasn't going to sell the 186 as its been with my car for 40 years, but since its perfectly fine its probably better being used rather than in my garage, so if you decide to stick with a holden to get your LR running, PM me to discuss if you want.


otherwise have fun and good luck :)

[fourteen8]

From calVIN mine is 1955 86". Yes it looks like mine still has original front cross member. The series is still at previous owner place and he bring it over to me this Saturday. It has holden 202 in it at the moment not sure whether it doesnt need chassis modification compare to other holden engine variant. The plan is to remove the rust off the chassis, apply rust seal, paint black. Restore the seats and fix bulkhead. The bulkhead seems to have rust hole on the top but will find out the true condition after take it apart. Holden engine will stay for now. Make it run or get a holden engine replacement for it.

I saw the other day around $500 for a recon holden 202. Is that reasonable price? Or should I get an LR series engine and what sort price I should expect? And where can I get it from?

I havent really think about the engineering. I called the vass place a couple of weeks ago when was planning to buy a series 3 it will cost $500-$1200 depending whether it needs alteration or not.

[fourteen8]

Will I be able to get the car history from https://secure.carhistory.com.au

It cost $25 to get the report. If I can get the report such when last registered, engine number, etc I dont mind paying $25 otherwise done want to waste $25. I need to save $$$ for this project.

[Dark61]

If it was me , I'd rather put a rover engine in it. But you should do whatever makes you happy. Maybe hold off for a bit before you bite the bullet and see what your options are. I would have thought a reconditioned (whatever that means) motor for $500 is a good price. I've not heard of the car history thing. You could look at a search on the Gaydon Motor Heritage site ?
cheers,
D

[fourteen8]

If it was me , I'd rather put a rover engine in it. But you should do whatever makes you happy. Maybe hold off for a bit before you bite the bullet and see what your options are. I would have thought a reconditioned (whatever that means) motor for $500 is a good price. I've not heard of the car history thing. You could look at a search on the Gaydon Motor Heritage site ? cheers, D

I will wait and see my options are for sure. If I need to get a replacemnet engine I might as well get a Land Rover engine. I guess it restore close to original state and save on engineering cert.
The only thing I found that not easy to find LR engine.

[Dark61]

Understood. Don't forget the wanted and for sale sections on this site. You may have to buy a whole vehicle to get what you want.
cheers,
D