Thread: Australias Oldest Land Rover

Heres a picture of the Father-in-Law's 80" from the front/side.






He's racking his brains trying to remember anything else about it.
My wife has found one more photo from the front, turns out he owned it from the early 60's from the Kodacolor date on the back of the prints.

No opening vent under the windscreen but I think this may have been optional on the 80" ?


Any possibility of moving this thread into the Series 1 section (that way I'll have a chance of finding it in the future).


Colin

Originally Posted by gromit

Heres a picture of the Father-in-Law's 80" from the front/side.






He's racking his brains trying to remember anything else about it.
My wife has found one more photo from the front, turns out he owned it from the early 60's from the Kodacolor date on the back of the prints.

No opening vent under the windscreen but I think this may have been optional on the 80" ?

Yes, the opening vent became pretty much standard on Export vehicles in 1949.

Any possibility of moving this thread into the Series 1 section (that way I'll have a chance of finding it in the future).


Colin

The windscreen frame is after approximately vehicle R861500 as it has the lower mirror bracket at the hinge area and also the trafficator blocks (introduced at about R860750) that were added towards the top of the vertical cover plates of the windscreen.

You can also see the passenger's side door top has been repaired where the "wire" hinge failed. Kits were available or people strengthened the frame with bolted on plates.

You can also see it is a "Fishplate" chassis where the bumper bar is held on with eight bolts (four per side) on chassis extensions as opposed to later vehicles held on by two per side through the front ends of the chassis rails.

Also appears to have the two strap loops on the tub sides to hold the hood down.

Bob

Originally Posted by wrinklearthur

I can't rave on about this until I can get evidence / photo's, but I do remember the Les Wells 80" didn't have 'D' lights, It had little round lights with red lenses, set into about where the 'D' lights are situated, those tail lights had a similar body to the front side lights.

You have stumped me on that one! Photos of Pe-Production vehicles that I have seen have the D-lights fitted.

Where are you Mike - maybe you can throw some light on this!

The top was modified with a sheet of tin plate riveted to a canvas bow making a truck cab.
On the tub there were two brass staples screwed to the side that would have taken the leather straps to tie down the canvas sides.

These were still being fitted into the early 1949 production vehicles.

The door latch lever was vertical through a slot in the rear part of the capping, a pain, because the door would open if you caught your sleeve on it.

As per Pre-Production vehicles

He did have the brakes modified to take a pendulum pedal and master cylinder from a early Holden, so that suggests the early Land Rover brakes were problematic.

The very first brake master cylinders were Lockheed then Girling hydrastatic. Parts may not have been available - so the system was likely changed.

Another mod he did was cut the bottom half of the petrol tank off, as Les reckoned that it was too low and used to get caught going over logs.

Besides those parts made from brass that I had already mentioned in other postings, I will keep onto the differences for you.

As would be expected of a Pre-Production or possibly very early Production vehicle.

The main difference was that Land Rover badge, it was cast brass and shaped like a folded ribbon, are there any photo's of a similar badge about?

Yes, there is a badge like you describe, mounted on the front guard in photos of a Pre-Production vehicle.
.

Thanks Arthur! There is a possibility that a Pre-Production vehicle may have been sent to Australia - yet to be proved however.

The first Production vehicles incorporated many parts that were first used in the Pre-Production vehicles so that could also explain the presence of some of these anomolies here.

Bob

How do we trace this Land Rover?

I do know that at the time that the boats that took apples back to Europe, also brought vehicles to Tasmania.

The car's were brought direct into Hobart by various dealers such as; A.G.Webster's, Gorringes and Heathorns, from the UK.

The Ferguson tractors were CKD and imported direct to the Hobart wharf by British Farm Mechanisation Co.

I wonder if these is any history left of those ship's manifest ?
.

Not doubting that there are a number of possibilities of pre production vehicles arrived in Aus or even Tasmania, but we also have to acknowledge that very early production vehicles were sent to Regents in Melbourne who were the Master Distributors for Rover Cars and Land Rover into both Victoria and Tasmania.

We know that R860005 went to Regents and is missing and also that pre-production vehicles were still being assembled in the UK at the same time. So as Bob says, it could be the case that the vehicle you remember with lots of pre pro fittings may actually be #0005.

This thread on a similar 1948 vein - How many 48s:

how many 48s

Look particularly at Michael's and Alex's posts from #29 onwards.

Bob

Originally Posted by Landy Smurf

when mine is done i am putting a pto and running something off the back but atm the only thing i have is a corn crusher

Maybe you could use it to run a generator, to run a fridge to serve icy cold beers. That would be a fantastic display at a show.

Regards
Jonesy

Going off what Chassis Number NO 234 had. It's a Very Early 49.

NO 234 was R8663829

My guess looking at the shot where you can see part of the bulkhead it's a pressed bulkhead.

And just for the record very few "1948 Year model" vehicles we actually registered in Australia before Christmas 1948. We are only taking a dozen tops.