When did your love affair start with Land Rover?

When I was young I had no interest or familly connection with 4x4ing. When I was a teenager I became a petrol head driving hotted up Holdens and Valiants. I also had a love of trail bikes which in my 20s took me to the high country of Vic.

It was here that I started to take an interest in 4x4's (early 1980's). Now being a petrol head I didn't like landrovers as most only had 4 cyl engines, where as pootrols and tojo's had big sixes. Rangies had V8's which was good but at the time were dismissed as Toorak tractors and not really a serious off roader. How wrong was I.

At the time I thought the short wheelbase Landcruiser (FJ40) was the bees knees and purchased one. It was after getting involved in the 4x4 scene that I started talking to people and reading magazines, that at the time Range Rover were undisputably the most capable vehicle off road although people who didn't like them would bag their reliability.

When the children came the FJ40 with no rear seats was no longer any good so I sold it. With wife not working I could not afford another 4WD at the time but I had a longing for a Range Rover which I finally got a few years later.

This started my love affair with the green oval (my other love affair is with the blue oval followed by SWMBO)

I had developed a love of diesels along the way and when the RR (83 model) was past its use by date I thought I would try a Disco and I love it.

I will never own any 4X4 other than a LR and I now have a passion to get a series project in retirement. Would love a series one but probably unafordable so a series two will suffice.

Dave.

My Love affair started with Land Rover when my love affair started with MuddyMech:)

A station I worked on in the 60's had a S1 safari type shorty (no roof and the windscreen folded down). I loved driving that machine around the station and would make a few deviations through mud holes and over logs and up creek banks etc. It was a magic vehicle for roo shooting. Several years later I had enough money and bought my own 1965 S2A shorty (the one in my profile), then it was a 1968 109 6 cyl ute, next was a 1974 109 which I kept until 1992, it had several transformations from a ute to a 2 door hardtop, then a Holden motor, and finally a Ford V8 auto setup and 110 doors,bonnet and guards. When the Bicentennial exhibition came around in 1988 I saw the County V8 dualcabs and decided that was what I wanted so some years later I acquired one and modified it by adding a gal chassis, 4BD1 and LT95 box. I also built in the back section and it now looks like a wagon but the canvas sides give it away. My youngest son now has a 2007 RR Sport supercharged V8 so I guess my association with rovers has now passed into the next generation

I am what you would call a late starter ... I have only been into the Land Rover scene for the last month, have been wanting in on the 4WD scene for quite a long time, with my aim to get my backside into a Patrol.
I have always liked the Disco's and Rangies, my only aversion with them was cost to maintain them and being of the opinion that I could never afford one, so never really bothered to delve into the getting to know about them.

I had been searching prior to buying the Disco for a good few months, Toyota Surfs, Patrols, Pajeros, Tritons etc etc ... Nothing at all caught my eye, even the occasional Disco fell through the net.
On one of my many trawling sessions through the car sales websites, I come across my 96 Disco, it had only been active on the carsales website for just an hour, I called the bloke up, told him pretty much straight away that I will be there in the morning to pick up the truck, true to my word, I was there first thing with cash in my hand eager to take my new pride and joy home.

As soon as I sat in the Disco, I don't know what it was, but I instantly had an attachment to it, I was undoubtedly smitten with it ... so much so, that I'd rather drive everywhere in the Disco than in my 270kW 6ltr VE SS!

I have yet to begin to etch my mark in the world of 4WDing, not to say that I haven't got it muddy yet, but with a strong drive to travel and take my 2 girls out and about across this great country of ours, this is the beginning of fond memories and great experiences with the new addition to our family.

C&B

Craig

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by clubagreenie

With me in the back laying on the mattress bouncing around. 2 trips to Fraser Island where we spent 8 weeks only seeing someone else when we went to town for supplies. Having a plane land on the beach flying in gearbox parts and rebuilding it on the tailgate after removing it in the sand.

---

Those were the days.:)

We spent a lot of time at Fraser,late sixty's untill late 70's.Used the S1,until the company bought some S3's when they appeared on the market.We didn't get a mattress to bounce on,just a towel to sit on in the back.The worst that happened to the S1 was a broken brake line caused by a stick.Had the parts flown in & met the plane at the old air strip near Coomboo lake.
The worst that happened to one of the S3's was a drowning in Eli creek,eventualy recovered after two high tides & then sent to Annand & Thompson for a rebuild.That vehicle was then named 'the yellow submarine',until it was sold.

Winches certainly got a workout in those days,particularly as we often towed trailers.We travelled the inland tracks a lot,& they were very overgrown.Arial photographs were more accurate than the maps.As you said,we also often saw no one for weeks.Seeing someone else made our day.

I also remember changing a fan belt on the S1,with my father once,lying in the sand.A real PITA,as had to take the shaft to the capsten winch off & refit it,after getting the new belt on.I also remember changing fuel pumps as they used to fail every so often,but we always carried a spare,& were reasonably easy to change.

Our usual spares list was;

Complete set axles, Complete diff housing plus spear c'wheel & pinion plus set of bearings. Set brake hoses, set rad & heater hoses, spare windscreen, clutch, set gearbox gears and shafts, set wheel bearings. plus usual elec etc spares. On longer trips also take an oxy set, oft used but never on our own vehicles.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by clubagreenie

Complete set axles.

---

Yes,very important,the S3's never went anywhere without a set of these in the back!
We actually had very few vehicle repairs,do remember a generator failing once though.No worries starting in those days,used the crank handle.

Drum brakes wore out pretty quickly as they were full of sand all the time.

What about the surf fishing,in those days absolutely fantastic,nothing comes close today:(

BAck in the early 90's my dad bought a 1975 SIII short wheel base, green and white. For $1000-, (aND THE BUSH TUCKER man). 2005 i bought a 110 defender, if the 90's were still available i would have got one. Next year i will get the 90.

cheers geck

Back in 94 when I was a Toyota man my brother bought an 84 rangie. I gave him heaps about getting a soft 4wd and how unreliable they were. My mind soon changed when I drove it and saw how capable it actually was with just decent tyres it also had the sweetest V8 note on a 4wd. I was so impressed with it I bought an 82 two door rangie and have never looked back, then when the kids came along I got a 300 Tdi disco.

When I was a kid we stayed at a friends dairy farm and I slept in the garage next to an old Landy. I think it was a Series 2 but might have even been a Series 1.
Anyway I distinctly remember it’s “eyes” (headlights) and I liked it.

In high school and Uni I devoured LR magazines and books – as well as 4wd ones generally.

Years later when I decided to buy a four wheel drive, I looked at Landys first – test drove a Defender ute… and bought it.

I’ve since had a Range Rover and now I’m on my second Defender.