what to look for on a classic

[barnfindseries3ffr]

Hi there fellow landy lovers,

My mate has 2 classic range rovers (70's) models in barns, he doesn't have much more time on earth unfortunately and I am tasked with finding new homes or rehoming at mine these cars.

Im familiar with series landies but not these, what should i be looking for in the way of common issues with hidden rust, potential engine-trans issues?

Any info is helpfull and i thank you for your input,

Lee.

Possible photos to come

[bee utey]

Rust in the front door pillars and sill panels, other than that the single most important thing to look for is a clean cooling system with coloured stuff in it.

[grey_ghost]

Hi Lee,
I am far from experienced but look for rust:
Both foot wells
Spare wheel holder in the boot
Rear tailgate (top and bottom)
Battery box
Around the windscreen
C Pillars
Both sills

Those are all areas that I found rust in mine to varying degrees.

I’ve been told that the windscreen seals aren’t too good when they get old - hence rust in the footwells.

Cheers,
GG

[Meccles]

If all interior is intact- that’s rare. The panel’s at “C” pillars get fragile and disintegrate as does panels in foot wells. Rust can be found most places but front wings under guards and also across top of firewall common. The transmission tunnel which also has seat bases bolted to is another common rust area around base of seats/ near footwell. Basically if you have little rust and all interior panels that’s both rare and potentially valuable.

[lougherist]

I just envy how you know your classics. But great read here. Learned a lot. :)

[Davo]

Okay, I really hate to admit this, (though I'm hoping you guys will understand), but believe it or not, sometimes when I can't get to sleep I will count all the places in which a Range Rover can rust, and I think so far I've gotten up to about 32 or so. Yes, I'm that sad, I'll admit it.

So let's see:

- front body mounts
- battery trays
- under the headlight mounts
- the inner front mudguards where they meet the bulkhead, and the square section running fore and aft, under the outer mudguard panel
- the bulkhead under the decker panel, (that's the one between the bonnet and windscreen)
- the square type of removeable crossmember under the transmission
- the footwells
- anywhere on the front floors
- anywhere on the sills
- where the door pillars are welded onto the sills
- where the rear pillar for the rear doors on a 4-door sit on top of the rear wheel arch
- the bottoms of the doors
- where the window frames of the doors meet the doors themselves
- on a 4-door, (and I think 2-doors), inside the rear door opening, where the seat base meets the floor
- on a 4-door, where the seat belts mount onto the rear wheel arch
- on a 4-door, looking under the rear wheel arch and forward, that whole crazy area where various panels are stuck together without sealant so there are overlapping places everywhere
- on the rear pillars, underneath those cover pieces, where the pillar finishes at the top of the body, (you have to remove those covers to see it)
- the entire liftgate
- the entire tailgate
- the rear floor where it overlaps the side panels which incorporate the wheel arches
- inside the car, around the fuel filler on cars with the exposed filler cap
- the very rear of the rear floor
- the rear body crossmember, which is the bit on top of the two rear body mounts

And I'm sure there's more, but I'm so sleepy now . . . zzzzzzzzzzz . . . :zzz:

[Mercguy]

I think it would just be easier to say, they rust everywhere.

Because they do.

[bighmmm]

[workingonit]

Deformation of the chassis arch over the front axle - White Tiger Chassis Laminating Plate (http://www.lrautomotive.com.au/contents/en-us/p304.html)

[Davo]

Well, that's more because of enthusiastic usage than everyday stuff, but thanks for putting that up. That LRA site has been such a mess for so long I haven't looked at it for years. It's still a bit of a disaster but at least there's something on it now!

[workingonit]

On a thread somewhere 'enthusiasm' was defined as giving the vehicle too much 'air', assuming the down force would eventually distort the chassis at the front.

While the above may be the 'norm', on one of my RRC I found wrinkles inside the rails from a front on collision eg possibly running through scrub and hitting a tree on one side of a the bull bar.

The chassis seemed to have sprung back to normal specifications, but left the wrinkles as evidence of distortion at one point. A good bash with mallet sorted the wrinkles, then on with plates. I checked straightness by putting the chassis on three points, got the cross rails horizontal with a spirit level, checked the diagonals, and with a theodolite and metre rule did drop heights on matching opposing points - nothing more than a couple of mm variance anywhere - whew!

When all the coach work was off the chassis it became apparent there had been a significant collision - someone had attempted a very poor weld repair on the driver side dumb iron ie overlaid extra plate, lots of porous weld, and birds nestings of the wire (probably attempted with coach work on).

And to your earlier point, man, the amount of rust in the coachwork...

[Homestar]

Hi there fellow landy lovers,

My mate has 2 classic range rovers (70's) models in barns, he doesn't have much more time on earth unfortunately and I am tasked with finding new homes or rehoming at mine these cars.

Im familiar with series landies but not these, what should i be looking for in the way of common issues with hidden rust, potential engine-trans issues?

Any info is helpfull and i thank you for your input,

Lee.

Possible photos to come

Sing out if you want a second set of eyes running over them, I’ll happily come up for a drive. I know enough about these to own one if that counts... 👍

[barnfindseries3ffr]

Cheers for the info guys, much appreciated.

Homestar, we may just have a date on that in the not so distant future.

[Davo]

On a thread somewhere 'enthusiasm' was defined as giving the vehicle too much 'air', assuming the down force would eventually distort the chassis at the front.

While the above may be the 'norm', on one of my RRC I found wrinkles inside the rails from a front on collision eg possibly running through scrub and hitting a tree on one side of a the bull bar.

The chassis seemed to have sprung back to normal specifications, but left the wrinkles as evidence of distortion at one point. A good bash with mallet sorted the wrinkles, then on with plates. I checked straightness by putting the chassis on three points, got the cross rails horizontal with a spirit level, checked the diagonals, and with a theodolite and metre rule did drop heights on matching opposing points - nothing more than a couple of mm variance anywhere - whew!

When all the coach work was off the chassis it became apparent there had been a significant collision - someone had attempted a very poor weld repair on the driver side dumb iron ie overlaid extra plate, lots of porous weld, and birds nestings of the wire (probably attempted with coach work on).

And to your earlier point, man, the amount of rust in the coachwork...

Top stuff! Mine has had a respray and the body doesn't quite sit evenly, but I still can't decide if the latter is because it's had an accident or because that's how it came from the factory!

[workingonit]

The springs seem to be handed, so out and back in wrong order could tilt it; or just sagged over time.

I've 4 RRC and none of the bonnet latches work properly. Read that this may be caused by minor bumps to the body work or distortions off road. but who knows.

[grey_ghost]

barnfindseries3ffr & Homestar, I’d be up for a look if you don’t mind. (I gotta get back into my 2 door). Only if it works out though (tis a busy time of year)...! [emoji1303][emoji3]

[Davo]

The springs seem to be handed, so out and back in wrong order could tilt it; or just sagged over time.

I've 4 RRC and none of the bonnet latches work properly. Read that this may be caused by minor bumps to the body work or distortions off road. but who knows.

Sorry, I wasn't clear enough. I meant the way the body overhangs the wheels. You can see that the body is further sideways compared to the wheels on one side than the other. But it could just be build quality.

[Mercguy]

....But it could just be build quality.

[bigrolf][bigrolf]:Rolling::clap2::TakeABow:[bigwhistle]

Nothing to see here (except rust).... Move along

[barnfindseries3ffr]

Homestar and Grey Ghost,
Hit me up on pm, we need a trip out to the property asap,
I swear that you will absolutely pitch a tent over what i have for you to look over.
[bigsmile1]

[Homestar]

PM sent

[superquag]

The springs seem to be handed, so out and back in wrong order could tilt it; or just sagged over time.

I've 4 RRC and none of the bonnet latches work properly. Read that this may be caused by minor bumps to the body work or distortions off road. but who knows.

I suspect its the design and routing of bonnet cable, as well as design / leverage of the handle. I'm told some enthusiastic folk pull it out and 101% lubricate it.
If its an air suspended one, then in the spirit of 'Complex Design Overkill' that permeates some LR R&D departments... put in an air-operated mini-ram to operate the catch mechanism...
Or get someone to lightly push the bonnet down as you heave...