Newbie looking to buy

[loftyrover]

I have never owned a land rover and am not mechanical at all and would like to change both of these.

I am currently looking at a roughish 1978 series 3 that run well and is registered. It is going for 1500 bucks. Is this an ok deal? How much am i going to be able to teach myself re: maintenance and repairs with no mechanical background? Where can i get a manual for one of these babies?

Cheers

[Lucas]

What is your location, maybe some one close may look over it with you.
I have a spare factory manual thats a bit ratty that you could have depending where you are.

[loftyrover]

i am in the adelaide hills, ashton to be precise

[Fusion]

Howdy Mate , a series landy is close to being the best 4x4 to learn on as they are a very basic truck . Everything is straight forward . a few tight bits to work with but all round a good starting point . When looking at buying a series always check for rust in the chassis and bulkhead ( firewall ).Make sure the gearbox doesn't jump out of gear or have any seriously loud whines . As for oil leaks ..... it's a land rover . they made the gaskets to leak :p:D. But if it has rego and is roadworthy $1500 is not to bad if in pretty good nic . Others know a lot more than me so they will fill in anything i have missed ;). Good luck .

[loftyrover]

does it matter that it is the 2.6 l version? how much harder does that make it to work with?

I would be really keen to get my hands on a workbook if it can be arranged.

[Fusion]

If maintained well it is not a problem at all i would think . But they are a very thirsty engine as i have been told by others . no harder to work on really just a bit tighter at the back of the motor .

[loftyrover]

no worries, thirsty is ok. I wont be using it that often and wont be trekking across the desert (at this stage anyway :) )

Thanks for your help everyone, please keep the advice coming, as I said i really am a novice. I hope you guys can forgive all of the stupid questions i will probably be asking over the next few years, lol.

[JDNSW]

If it is registered and roadworthy, $1500 is probably a reasonable price. As said above, the major concern will be rust in the chassis and the bulkhead that supports the windscreen (all is repairable, but if bad, it gets expensive!). Nothing else is likely to be very expensive although a lot of small fixes can add up to an impressive number!

The six cylinder engine is no more difficult to work on, but some parts are hard to find, and it is less tolerant to abuse than is the four.

One of the good points of this website is the search function - use it to find what has been said about the six.

John

[Tank]

I have never owned a land rover and am not mechanical at all and would like to change both of these.

I am currently looking at a roughish 1978 series 3 that run well and is registered. It is going for 1500 bucks. Is this an ok deal? How much am i going to be able to teach myself re: maintenance and repairs with no mechanical background? Where can i get a manual for one of these babies?

Cheers
If you go to the Sticky (post) above yours in this Series III section you can download the Workshop Manual for your series III, Regards Frank.

[loftyrover]

cool thanks tank

i have just bought my 1978 series 3 119, which of those are relevant to me?
Or should i download them all?

[loftyrover]

Brought home my brand new(well 30 yers old really) car yesterday. Im pretty pumped about it, but very woried that I know nothing about it too.

[Tank]

Download the Series III, it's in 7 parts in .pdf, Regards Frank.

[Lucas]

Brought home my brand new(well 30 yers old really) car yesterday. Im pretty pumped about it, but very woried that I know nothing about it too.

Good work, now post pics.:)

[loftyrover]

Does anyone have any advice re insurance? I spoke to ian berry who i have my other car with and they wouldnt insure it becuase it has been modified and from the original specifications (i.e different engine courtesy of the army and exteded cab courtesy of the previous owner). WHo would you guys recommend I use?

[Pedro_The_Swift]

you may get more bites now you've mentioned its Ex Mil,,:p

I'm sure Phoenix will be along shortly to quizz you on various numbers---:D

[Phoenix]

I certainly will :D

The army for the most part only used standard motors. if it's a series 3, it came from the factory with a land rover 2.6l, 6 cylinder engine, so insurance shouldn't be a problem ;)

Any chance you can tell me the chassis number? and can I interest you in joining REMLR ??

[loftyrover]

phoenix thanks for your reply
The chassis number is 94324224c

What does that tell you? I think it was used at port wakefield?

what is REMLR? what do i have to do to join?

brett

[Pedro_The_Swift]

another one sucked into the void---

he didnt even get a chance to post in General:(

:p:angel:

[loftyrover]

ok a few more questions

1. how do i insert an image
2. has anyone had a canopy done in adelaide, mine will need to be custom made as it has a modified cab. I dont want a full replica yet, just a simple canvas one with a few zips. Anyone know a cheap place to get this done in adelaide?
3. re: ex mil, can i get historic reg through remlr?
4. where can i get the screws that hold the spare onto the bonnet? mine are missing.

thanks for all of your help so far guys

[loftyrover]

well it has started, i bought my first part for it today. it was only a 14 dollar knob for the 4wd lever but i think it is the first of many.