Def110 advice- rusty doors, etc (pre-purchase)

[Clark]

Hi guys,

Thinking of buying a 110 station wagon (as in only two side doors). Its a November 92 model, around 230000km on the clock.

Mechanically everything seems ok- no clunks or whines, engine seemed fine- regular service history, no major smoke (am I right this would be a 200tdi?). Its had receipts for a rebuilt injector pump, but no other major work at all.

Couldn't see any rust in the chassis, firewall, etc.

There was however significant rust in the passenger door- the bottom frame & rear corner of the door was quite rusted, and would really need replacing. The rust extended slightly into the actual body (some bubbling was visible) of the car where the door was hung- near the lower hinge. Is this a big deal? It was hard to see where the water was entering the car- there was some dampness in the passenger footwell, but the owner seemed to think the leak was occurring from the top door seal not sealing properly. I couldn't see any evidence of water coming through the firewall.

The drivers door had a minor amount of surface rust in it- again in the bottom. Whilst less rusty, the drivers door didn't aligned properly- it opened and closed ok, but there was an air gap visible at the top of the door when it was closed.

Is this rust in the doors (and the small amount in the body near the passenger door) a big issue? How hard to repair?

Lastly, the vehicle had what appeared as factory original air-conditioning- two vent pipes poking out behind the seats, and a control knob (with Land Rover decal) on the lower dashboard. The front vents under the windscreen still opened. Is this the famous "bad" air-conditioning? It didn't seem to work very well.. After running it for a while, there was a lot of water dribbling around under the passenger side of the car, almost directly under the heater box. There didn't seem to be any defined drain here- I'm guessing this was condensate from the A/C? Could this be causing the rust issue?

Otherwise the car seemed fairly sound. Is there anything I could've missed? The windscreen seal seemed old and perished, but no leaks or rust around it.

How much would such a vehicle go for typically? Diesel hard top (2 door), 230000km, November 1992 build date...

Thanks heaps for the help guys,
-Clark

[Clark]

Any thoughts guys? Also, I've read about rust in the "bulkhead" of the defenders.. where do people mean when they're talking about the bulkhead?

Thanks heaps

[sclarke]

Its a 200tdi with LT77 Gearbox.
Hardtops dont fetch as much as Wagons.

So about $4-6k for a good one with full history

It will have a Drum brake rear end and the rust is normally in the bottoms of the doors and the firewall in the footwell and up near the windscreen hinges

Bulkhead is sometimes called the firewall or the panel behind the seats on a Hardtop or Ute.

Steve

[Clark]

Hi Steve,

Thanks for the reply. Is it difficult to replace the door frames/bottoms? There was a fair bit of electrolysis in the door skin at the top of the door also..

What would a replacement (2nd hand) door be worth?

Any other thoughts re these cars? I like the hard top as I can sleep in the back of it.. For the price you say, would it be worthwhile waiting for a younger TDI300 model, or are they significantly more expensive?


And any thoughts on the air-conditioning fitted to the vehicle I described?

Thanks for all the help- learning,
Clark

[Clark]

One more question, being a hard-top..

Can anyone comment on the legality of carrying people in the rear seats? I used to do it in my SIII, and never heard anything from the boys in blue.

But I was always worried whether it was legal.. Can you put people back there? There's no belts or anything...

Thanks!

[isuzurover]

One more question, being a hard-top..

Can anyone comment on the legality of carrying people in the rear seats? I used to do it in my SIII, and never heard anything from the boys in blue.

But I was always worried whether it was legal.. Can you put people back there? There's no belts or anything...

Thanks!

Everyone in your vehicle MUST have a seat AND a belt. Otherwise you can cop a fine as well as them (in most states). In WA that starts at $500 and 3 points and goes up.


EDIT - the LT77 (and early R380 fitted to the 300Tdis) had a lubrication problem to the back of the mainshaft/t-case input gear. It required a cross-drilled gear and/or oil feeder to be fitted. Do a search on here to find out more info, but you want to get that checked out - otherwise could be $$$ (new mainshaft, etc). The 200Tdi is a good motor, and just as reliable as the 300tdi, if not moreso - but parts are not as common. Again, do a search and you will find heaps of info.

The bulkhead firewall (where you need to check for rust) is the part between the engine bay and the passenger area.

Personally, having owned both a hardtop and a wagon (5-doors) - I find the wagon a lot more practical/useful. It is much easier to get things in and out. But depends what you use it for mainly.

[Clark]

Thanks Rover,

I was interested in the hard top as a vehicle for camping- bed in the back, which seems pretty straightforward to arrange, by simply filling in the gap between the side-mounted seats.

I don't see any easy way to set the 5-door wagon up as a camper with that rear seat there.. Unless I'm missing something, you'd have to rip out the rear seat and add some sort of extension to extend the side seats so they're long enough to support a bed?

Thanks for the help.