Advice needed on '75 RRC

[Cecil]

Hi guys,
got a 75 model with auto and Holley carb, I've got a manual box, pedal box and carbs parts to return car to orig spec, just thinking before starting work, is original spec more desirable and more valuable than leaving it as it is?

Also, what's the story on these plastic screw in covers ( about 6 inches in diameter ) in both front foot wells. I've seen them in several cars, who fitted these?

cheers,
Cecil

[bee utey]

Plastic boat deck hatches were commonly fitted to allow sill tanks to be easily filled up, rear end fillers are harder to operate on those things. They're probably not legal any more.

No idea on the value of a '75 RRC, depends I suppose on the condition of the bits that rust out on them e.g. door pillars and sills.

[Davo]

I'd say original spec is worth something these days! 1980 Range Rover Two 2 Door Classic V8 | eBay (http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/222671048997?lgeo=1&vectorid=229515&item=222671048997&affiliate.trackingId=5336652905&affiliate.networkId=9&rmvSB=true)

[Dervish]

Is the auto a Borg Warner 35? If so, I'd leave it. They were a period modification by Off Road Automatics.

[Vern]

Is the auto a Borg Warner 35? If so, I'd leave it. They were a period modification by Off Road Automatics.I thought the borg warner auto came out much later than 75, but before the 727 which was early 80's? So its been retrofitted?

[loanrangie]

I thought the borg warner auto came out much later than 75, but before the 727 which was early 80's? So its been retrofitted?

I agree afaik auto's werent fitted til the very late 70's or early 80's, definitely none in 75.

[Meccles]

Bit off topic but in 3rd video of my engine start that's Mike Norman of Off Road Automatics that fitted the Type 35 Autos :)

[Baggy]

Hi Cecil,

Photo's would be nice to gauge her condition.

A 2 Dr Classics are certainly holding there value and are becoming desirable specially in the mother country where most have rusted out.

I've a 1981 2 Door RRC that has the Borg Warner 35 (3 speed) gearbox that was fitted as an option by Winterbottom Fauls here in Perth
for a cocky ...this I believe was prior to them becoming a standard feature later in 81 when the 4 door RRC was released.

My Rangie has a automatic badge on the tailgate (factory fitted) ... having an auto was a big thing back then.

At the time of its press release the write up did say the auto was (beefed up) but I'm unsure what that means in actual term but the auto lost nothing
in speed to the manual off the quarter mile ....

For me the auto is excellent around town .... maybe I'm getting lazy but she could do with an extra gear when you have the rubber band wound at anything over 80 Klms.

I'll post a photo of the badge and auto stick to see if your is similar when I get home.

Any Classic Rangie (even if it has the auto) is worth keeping ...... someone in Perth was selling one several months back which while reasonable on the outside ... it looked resprayed to me
(from the photo) but the advert said it was original .... unfortunately the interior, under the bonnet, tailgate section didn't reflect the same as the outside ..... they had 26K on it .... crazy.

The advert disappeared off gumtree and I haven't seen it surface since.

Cheers

Baggy

[Dervish]

I thought the borg warner auto came out much later than 75, but before the 727 which was early 80's? So its been retrofitted?

According to this (http://www.range-rover-classic.com/Home/land-rover-brochures/range-rover---australia#TOC-Range-Rover-Automatic-conversion-with-Off-Road-Automatics-Pty), they weren't until '77. Still what I would call a period modification. I'd be keen to see pictures of the cutoff LT95 transfer case if it is a BW35.


Bit off topic but in 3rd video of my engine start that's Mike Norman of Off Road Automatics that fitted the Type 35 Autos :)

Good to know he's still on the scene, I reckon he'd be an interesting bloke to talk to.

[Davo]

Hi Cecil,

Photo's would be nice to gauge her condition.

A 2 Dr Classics are certainly holding there value and are becoming desirable specially in the mother country where most have rusted out.

I've a 1981 2 Door RRC that has the Borg Warner 35 (3 speed) gearbox that was fitted as an option by Winterbottom Fauls here in Perth
for a cocky ...this I believe was prior to them becoming a standard feature later in 81 when the 4 door RRC was released.

My Rangie has a automatic badge on the tailgate (factory fitted) ... having an auto was a big thing back then.

At the time of its press release the write up did say the auto was (beefed up) but I'm unsure what that means in actual term but the auto lost nothing
in speed to the manual off the quarter mile ....

For me the auto is excellent around town .... maybe I'm getting lazy but she could do with an extra gear when you have the rubber band wound at anything over 80 Klms.

I'll post a photo of the badge and auto stick to see if your is similar when I get home.

Any Classic Rangie (even if it has the auto) is worth keeping ...... someone in Perth was selling one several months back which while reasonable on the outside ... it looked resprayed to me
(from the photo) but the advert said it was original .... unfortunately the interior, under the bonnet, tailgate section didn't reflect the same as the outside ..... they had 26K on it .... crazy.

The advert disappeared off gumtree and I haven't seen it surface since.

Cheers

Baggy

Yes, there's always someone trying it on. As far as I can tell, they've still got to be original overall to be worth something, no doubt because so many have been hacked up.

[Meccles]

Very interesting bloke. I met him in 86 when I had issue bleeding clutch on my then new to me 77! He was running a 77 with his Dad's design Norman supercharger (vane type supercharger) with sidedraft 45 DCOE weber, lockers front/rear. And stock standard Type 35 which never failed. Fuel economy was - well lets not talk about it.
His big shed was meeting point in town for all fisho's/car people etc, to come sit/drink coffee. Had all mills/lathes, tools, that he was quite ok with people coming to his shop to tinker. Been retired now 10 years and town has missed having a local inventor, machinist and general nice guy.

[350RRC]

According to this (http://www.range-rover-classic.com/Home/land-rover-brochures/range-rover---australia#TOC-Range-Rover-Automatic-conversion-with-Off-Road-Automatics-Pty), they weren't until '77. Still what I would call a period modification. I'd be keen to see pictures of the cutoff LT95 transfer case if it is a BW35.



Good to know he's still on the scene, I reckon he'd be an interesting bloke to talk to.

Hi Dervish,

The body that is on my POS now came with a spare 3.5 and a BW / LT 95 conversion (I used the running C9 / cut off LT95 TC behind a 350, beautifully engineered by Ritters in the day).

IME the BW conversion didn't use a cut LT 95 gearbox, it was stuffed in through the gutted whole front box and crudely hooked up to the TC.

This changed the mount points for the 'gearbox / TC' to about 10" further back meaning new length propshafts had to be used.

One of the ugliest pieces of engineering I've ever seen.

DL

[Baggy]

130818130819


Hi All,

Photos of "Automatic" badge on rear tailgate .... (its the best Ive got) and Shifter in cab.

The centre console is not original ... that was made by the previous owner and does the job

I don't have any photo's from underneath her but it was only through speaking with the previous owner and research did I find
about the conversions Winterbottom Fauls where doing in Perth.

They were the only authorized distributor in WA and looking underneath (i've owned her since 2004) I could not tell it was not factory fitted.

Underneath its all just ...... original .... nothing looks out of place ... nothing hacked or welded or bodgied up.

I havent driven her for over 12 months ... shes tucked behind a gate under cover awaiting time to do a engine rebuild.

If I get a chance I'll try and take a photo or two of underneath:D

Chhers

Baggy

[bee utey]

I pulled out one of those autos to fix an oil leak for a customer some 20 years ago, thought it was an OK setup. The trans and shifter were out of a Falcon 6 cylinder, bellhousing a copy of a P76 one. Because of the short bellhousing the trans didn't have to go backwards all that far, some 4" from memory. A pretty tidy conversion all things considered. Nowadays you'd track down an XF to EA transmission as these ran a better gearset with bronze thrust washers instead of fibre washers in the early models. They used to fail after over heating and the gears would turn into milling cutters and come out of the back of the cage. Noisy as.

[Cecil]

Will check on auto box tomorrow and try to post pics

what about Holley v standard twin carbs?


also have a '76 totally standard(rough body),
and a partly stripped '78 which will donate manual gearbox, pedals etc, has strombergs with air pump system etc, and i have a set of standard twin carbs alu pipes and air box.

i would think that standard set up would be more desirable? - just wanted to gauge opinions
if worth going ahead with reverting to standard or leaving in its present config.
Cec.

[Meccles]

I pulled out one of those autos to fix an oil leak for a customer some 20 years ago, thought it was an OK setup. The trans and shifter were out of a Falcon 6 cylinder, bellhousing a copy of a P76 one. Because of the short bellhousing the trans didn't have to go backwards all that far, some 4" from memory. A pretty tidy conversion all things considered. Nowadays you'd track down an XF to EA transmission as these ran a better gearset with bronze thrust washers instead of fibre washers in the early models. They used to fail after over heating and the gears would turn into milling cutters and come out of the back of the cage. Noisy as.
Thats the Mike Norman set up that he also used to sell bits for. So suspect conversions in Perth had his stuff. His set up had transfer case etc 4" back, not 10.

[Davo]

Will check on auto box tomorrow and try to post pics

what about Holley v standard twin carbs?


also have a '76 totally standard(rough body),
and a partly stripped '78 which will donate manual gearbox, pedals etc, has strombergs with air pump system etc, and i have a set of standard twin carbs alu pipes and air box.

i would think that standard set up would be more desirable? - just wanted to gauge opinions
if worth going ahead with reverting to standard or leaving in its present config.
Cec.

What are you planning to do with it? Certainly if you're going to sell it, I would think that original instead of hacked-up would be better.

[Cecil]

Gearbox appears to be a GM MD8.

google shows where the id plate is located and meaning of numbers shown and photo shown matches. Will look for this tomorrow. The gearbox crossmember has neen notched to allow the front prop shaft more space and a 2 inch spacer placed between body and chassis to lift body.

[Dervish]

Hi Dervish,

The body that is on my POS now came with a spare 3.5 and a BW / LT 95 conversion (I used the running C9 / cut off LT95 TC behind a 350, beautifully engineered by Ritters in the day).

IME the BW conversion didn't use a cut LT 95 gearbox, it was stuffed in through the gutted whole front box and crudely hooked up to the TC.

This changed the mount points for the 'gearbox / TC' to about 10" further back meaning new length propshafts had to be used.

One of the ugliest pieces of engineering I've ever seen.

DL

Well I got a chance to look over one of these today.

133762

133763

133764

It's not how I would've done it, but at the same time it's been in a car and working for around 40 years. Hard to argue with that.

[350RRC]

Yeah, 40 years is good.

Looks like a whole LT95 behind the auto, **** knows about the mount points and prop shaft lengths.

The Ritters ones are a work of art.

cheers, DL

[350RRC]

If stock linkage, the handbrake lever would be in the middle of the back seat.

DL

[bee utey]

I had to replace the $5 oil seal at the rear of the transmission in one of those gizmo's once. Took me a few days without a hoist.


Well I got a chance to look over one of these today.

133762

133763

133764

It's not how I would've done it, but at the same time it's been in a car and working for around 40 years. Hard to argue with that.