g'day all!

[lyallthecrocodile]

hello everyone. im new to the site. have just purchased an 86inch 1955? landrover in need of restoration.cant wait to get my teeth stuck into it, have begun getting the brakes operational and was wondering whether anyone could tell me what were th original colours that series one came in? and does anyone have a photo or link to a photo of a series one painted in sandglow? any info would be great, look forward to chatting.

[JDNSW]

By far the most common colour for Series 1 86s was bronze green, although I believe there were other colours, but most of these are either very rare or not seen at all in Australia. Earlier Series 1s were usually a lighter shade of green, and I'm not sure when the change to the darker green was made - may not have been until the 88 was introduced. To find the original colour of the one you have, find a place where the original paint has always been covered, for example under a fitting.

I am not sure what colour sandglow is, but I cannot recall ever seeing a Series 1 any sort of sandy colour, although this became usual for Series 3 lwb.

John

[jimbo110]

Sandglow is the camel trophy vehicles colour.

[harry]

just a welcome to the site, welcome

[JDNSW]

Sandglow is the camel trophy vehicles colour.

In that case I am certain that it was never a Series 1 colour, at least not in this country. However, some users, notably BMR and DCA painted theirs various shades of yellow and orange.

John

[lyallthecrocodile]

thanks all. i have been looking through LR magazines and cars painted in camel trophy colours seem to differ a lot in shades. the actual photos of the camel trophy show a fairly deep orange colour but not sure if that is actually sandglow. the other problem is trying to find good examples of series one LR's painted in anything but green. dont mind the green (both greens) but would be good to get an idea of other colours before i splash out and by expensive paint. most restored cars seem to be green or grey. anyhow thanks for the feedback.

[JDNSW]

............ most restored cars seem to be green or grey......

That is because that is the colour they were originally!

Colour choice on Landrovers was very limited until the late 1970s at least, more so in Australia than the home market. From my memory Series 1 swb were almost all green, lighter for the early ones, although the 88 that I had was a very dark khaki colour, that I think was original, although like most of the ones that were not green it was probably to special order. Series 1 107s and 109s were almost always grey.

John

[ellard]

Hi there

I have a 1954?

Wayne


https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2007/08/15.jpg

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2007/08/16.jpg

[JDNSW]

Hi there

I have a 1954?

Wayne

......[/IMG]

Certainly looks as if it is original paint - but the black paint on the front mudguard suggests that it may have been an after market import. It looks as if it originally had the number painted on the black field in two lines - was this ever legal in SA? Certainly was not in Vic/NSW/Qld, at least in the period we are talking about, but I don't know about other states.

John

[ellard]

Hi there

It must be the original paint color - even the chassis is painted the same.

The rego plates are the old SA system - and yes if and when I re- rego it will have to have new plates.

All the best

Wayne

[JDNSW]

Hi there

It must be the original paint color - even the chassis is painted the same.

The rego plates are the old SA system - and yes if and when I re- rego it will have to have new plates.

All the best

Wayne

I think you may have misunderstood my comment - I recognised the old SA plate, but I was referring to the black patch behind that - I can't remember ever seeing that on a Series 1 here, but I do remember reading that at some stage in Series 1 production the RH front mudguard front panel was painted black on home market Landrovers, so that the number could be directly painted on. My point being that it may be a home market one, imported second hand, possibly for some of the activities at Woomera or for some exploration company. The colour then would not necessarily be one that was available here.

Your comment about even the chassis being painted that colour suggests that it was a special order, as the chassis was not normally painted in body colour, being, by that stage, always black. An example would be the similar (but brighter) colour of the BMR Series 1s that I drove in 1959, although they were all hardtops - and I don't know whether they were painted before delivery or by the Department of Supply. (I wonder what happened to them - equipped with winches, underbody protection, and 20gallon extra fuel tank and 20 gallon water tank as well as hardtop, sunvisor and tropical roof.)

John

[ellard]

Hi there

I am fairly sure with the numbers from the engine etc its a 1954 86" (currently away at work).

As for the ID plate on the firewall it had the old cut and shut to replace the rear welsh plug - and the plate is missing.

I dont know of alot this color but theres is a few around - like a lot of Land rover people we are all still learning is there some way of identifying what the color is through series no: - chassis no:'s etc.

All the best

Wayne.

[Lotz-A-Landies]

hello everyone. im new to the site. have just purchased an 86inch 1955?... ... original colours that series one came in? a ...

Welcome Lyle, however I think you arrived here before me.

The 86 and 107 models were the first to have a choice of colour although in this country they were mostly bronze green for the shorty and grey for the long ones. Although that said many 107" were bronze green.

The main colours were the

bronze green

sand

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2007/09/480.jpg

grey

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2007/09/481.jpg

royal blue (sorry this image is not very true of the original colour but is original)

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2007/09/482.jpg

tan (like Wayne's)

Red for the fire engines.

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2007/09/483.jpg

Hope this helps
Diana

[JDNSW]

The main colours were the

bronze green
sand


grey


royal blue
List=5]
tan
Red for the fire engines.[/list]

Hope this helps
Diana

Diana - a couple of questions (if you know) -
1. Is this a complete list?
2. Were all colours used on Australian assembled ones, or did some colours only appear on fully imported ones, presumably special bodies such as the 107 station wagon and the fire engines?

John

[Lotz-A-Landies]

Diana - a couple of questions (if you know) -
1. Is this a complete list?
2. Were all colours used on Australian assembled ones
John

Like lots of these sorts of things no one has all the facts.
It does seem that the Australian Pressed Metal factory only produced vehicles in 2 colours during the series 1's.
Those being bronze green and the grey.

It is interesting to note that Annand and Thompson (A&T) in Brisbane continued to import "export model" vehicles from the UK instead of getting the Sydney based Land Rover production. It is therefore likely that many of the odd colours came in through Annand and Thompson's. A&T's also imported vehicles with colour = "none" recorded in the Solihull's dispatch books. Presumably these vehicles were painted in Brisbane, like my 1951 which was painted in RACQ fleet colours.

From the very outset A&T's were a little unusual as their vehicles had the noticeable Land-Rover name painted on the front RH mudguard and rear tailgate. Queensland not requiring front vehicle number plates during the Series 1.

Even in the series 2, A&T's were unusual as they did not import the vehicles with hard tops. If you wanted a top you got an Athol Hedges Pty Ltd "Brisbane" hardtop. You will remember these tops, they had a flat roof top with a radius curve on all 4 sides. The tailgate top was the same height as the side panels and they had the small side windows at the rear.

Regarding other colours from the UK factory, the RAF had their vehicles supplied in their own RAF Blue and you do see vehicles with colours similar to the "Cockpit green" sage colour of the 1948 production.

What I find fascinating is that many of the Wattyl Paints colorbond colours are quite similar to the early Land Rover colours, particularly the sage.

Diana

[JDNSW]

John

Like lots of these sorts of things no one has all the facts.
It does seem that the Australian Pressed Metal factory only produced vehicles in 2 colours during the series 1's.
Those being bronze green and the grey.

It is interesting to note that Annand and Thompson (A&T) in Brisbane continued to import "export model" vehicles from the UK instead of getting the Sydney based Land Rover production. It is therefore likely that many of the odd colours came in through Annand and Thompson's. A&T's also imported vehicles with colour = "none" recorded in the Solihull's dispatch books. Presumably these vehicles were painted in Brisbane, like my 1951 which was painted in RACQ fleet colours.

From the very outset A&T's were a little unusual as their vehicles had the noticeable Land-Rover name painted on the front RH mudguard and rear tailgate. Queensland not requiring front vehicle number plates during the Series 1.

Even in the series 2, A&T's were unusual as they did not import the vehicles with hard tops. If you wanted a top you got an Athol Hedges Pty Ltd "Brisbane" hardtop. You will remember these tops, they had a flat roof top with a radius curve on all 4 sides. The tailgate top was the same height as the side panels and they had the small side windows at the rear.

Regarding other colours from the UK factory, the RAF had their vehicles supplied in their own RAF Blue and you do see vehicles with colours similar to the "Cockpit green" sage colour of the 1948 production.

What I find fascinating is that many of the Wattyl Paints colorbond colours are quite similar to the early Land Rover colours, particularly the sage.

Diana

Thanks, that confirms what I suspected, although I did not know A&T were importing their own. I certainly remember the "Brisbane" hardtop - the point you don't mention is that they were steel not aluminium.

You may be able to comment on the Series 1 88 I owned - it was NOT any of the other colours I have seen, it was a dark khaki colour, which appeared to be the original colour. I was the second owner, and it was ex-Snowy Mountains Authority. My guess is that it was a special order that they got painted that way for some reason. My memory is that it had the PMC plate indicating local assembly, but I could easily be confusing it with the series 2 I replaced it with 44 years ago (also ex-SMA).

John

[UncleHo]

G'day Folks :)

The Black panel on the Right Hand Front Guard (wing) was for the Silver English Rego(Alimimium) numbers that were fixed (screwed???) to that panel and stayed for the life of the car, they were bought individually and fixed on.

Annand & Thompson P/L at Breakfast Creek Rd Newstead Brisbane, Ph 5 3311
Distrubutors for Qld and Northern Rivers NSW. Rover, Land-Rover, and Volkswagen :)

service manager in the 60's was George Heirdsfield


"The New Series 11 Land-Rover* for Immediate Delivery from $(pound) 405 deposit, sales tax where applicable:)

still have some of their service bullitens from 63/66


cheers

[JDNSW]

G'day Folks :)

The Black panel on the Right Hand Front Guard (wing) was for the Silver English Rego(Alimimium) numbers that were fixed (screwed???) to that panel and stayed for the life of the car, they were bought individually and fixed on.
.........

That is what I thought - and it seems to me that means it is a home market one - in other words it was imported either second hand or not through regular channels. The Annand and Thompson ones presumably were Export models (as above), which would not have had the black panel - or would they?

John

[Lotz-A-Landies]

G'day Folks :) ...
... Annand & Thompson P/L at Breakfast Creek Rd Newstead Brisbane, Ph 5 3311 Distrubutors for Qld and Northern Rivers NSW. Rover, Land-Rover, and Volkswagen :)

service manager in the 60's was George Heirdsfield ...

... cheers
Also Leyland P76 dealers - or at least they were in 1974 when I lived at Hamilton.

It's a pity George H didn't keep the record books like Arthur Garthon did the Grenville Motors books.

From the RACQ archives The cost of the Land Rover in 1949 was £775, plus sales tax £58 - a total of £833. - They bought 3 and another 3 early in 1950.

Diana :):):):):)

[UncleHo]

G'day Lotz-A-Landies :)

Yes, it is apity that a lot of those early records from both A & T and Leyland Aust were not kept for posterity, one of my chores during my time with A & T was to Take Mr T's (I think) Rover 105R sedan across to Bulimba for wash/polish /detail, on a Friday, fill with fuel and report any and all scratches or imperfections in the paint or interior, in writing;) so that it could be rectified, what a loverly vehicle to drive, complete with that massive handbrake lever:) true English Motoring "Rovering":D

cheers

See you at the All British Day.

[ellard]

Hi there

I dont have a number on the firewall - as its had the rear engine welsh plug changed with a tin opener (missing plate)

The engine no is 4710989 = 1954?

Many thanks.

Wayne

[Lotz-A-Landies]

Hi there

I dont have a number on the firewall - as its had the rear engine welsh plug changed with a tin opener (missing plate)

Wayne
Wayne

I have an 86" exactly like that in the back yard.

Is the S1 vehicle still registered or do you have the previous registration papers?

If so the Series One Club http://www.lrsoc.demon.co.uk/
in the UK will make replacement ID plates for 86" and 107" 1954 - 55 (bold ROVER CO) * £9.50 to Club Members.

As I have said elsewhere the "Legend" magazine is worth the membership cost.

Diana :D:D:D:D

[ellard]

Hi there

Thanks for the information on the replacement plates - I will get one organised.

As for the Legend Mag - they are great-theres been a hell of a delay between mags (been told editor issues)

All the best

Wayne

[timaus13]

:D:D:DWelcome to the site.:D:D:D
Looking forward to seeing and hearing about the progress of your Land Rover.;)

[lro11]

G'day Folks :)

The Black panel on the Right Hand Front Guard (wing) was for the Silver English Rego(Alimimium) numbers that were fixed (screwed???) to that panel and stayed for the life of the car, they were bought individually and fixed on.

Annand & Thompson P/L at Breakfast Creek Rd Newstead Brisbane, Ph 5 3311
Distrubutors for Qld and Northern Rivers NSW. Rover, Land-Rover, and Volkswagen :)

service manager in the 60's was George Heirdsfield


"The New Series 11 Land-Rover* for Immediate Delivery from $(pound) 405 deposit, sales tax where applicable:)

still have some of their service bullitens from 63/66


cheers

Driving home today from a wedding in Brisbane I passed Newstead Mitsubishi, which I have done every day for years except today a piece of land rover history had been unveiled the remnants of the old Annand & Thompson sign. Probably will be covered over again on Monday with new signage

[lro11]

A piece of land rover history has gone they have demolished the old Annand & Thompson building in Newstead.

[JDNSW]

A piece of land rover history has gone they have demolished the old Annand & Thompson building in Newstead.

I can remember parking in front of it to get parts for my Series 2 there, would have been in 1963 I think.

John

[chazza]

G'day Folks :)

The Black panel on the Right Hand Front Guard (wing) was for the Silver English Rego(Alimimium) numbers that were fixed (screwed???) to that panel and stayed for the life of the car, they were bought individually and fixed on.


cheers

My '51 80" has the "black panel" on the front wing. When I first purchased the car I couldn't for the life of me work out what it was for; then I discovered in the parts book that it is actually the number plate.

Carefully scraping off the re-spray green paint, I found black underneath. However; there is no indication that this car has ever been anything other than Australian registered, because the "black panel" has only the holes drilled in it (and the wing underneath), which tally with a pressed steel/ flat enamel number plate being fitted on top of it.

So I may be misunderstanding John and Uncle Ho, but this car at least, has the "black plate" fitted even though it appears not to be imported. My car is also one of the few that has never had rubber buffers fitted to the front wings,

Cheers Charlie

[JDNSW]

........
So I may be misunderstanding John and Uncle Ho, but this car at least, has the "black plate" fitted even though it appears not to be imported. My car is also one of the few that has never had rubber buffers fitted to the front wings,

Cheers Charlie

The Australian assembled ones did not have the black plate - but I believe that there were at least some imported directly by state distributors or even dealers, and this may be one. It would be interesting to determine, if possible, from the chassis number, whether it was a home market one or an export one. It is also possible that the assembler may have imported built up ones occasionally to try to meet demand - remember that it was not until the 1970s that Rover was able to build enough Landrovers to meet orders, and there was a big incentive to try and find a way round the company's allocation schemes.

John

[chazza]

Interesting points John. It is a basic export RHD according to the chassis number,

Cheers Charlie