Thread: Australias Oldest Land Rover

These are the 48s dispatched to Regents from the UK Dispatch books.

Chassis Nº Engine Nº Desp in Desp out To
R860005 860022? 23/07/48 17/08/48 Regent Motors, Melb
R860026 ++++++ 20/08/48 02/09/48 as above
R860984 ++++++ 03/12/48 07/01/49 Regent Motors, Melb
R860985 ++++++ 06/12/48 07/01/49 Regent Motors, Melb
R860986 ++++++ 30/11/48 07/01/49 as above
R860987 860705 29/11/48 07/01/49 as above
R860988 ++++++ 03/12/48 07/01/49 as above
R860989 ++++++ 26/11/48 07/01/49 as above
R860997 860453 02/12/48 07/01/49 as above
R860998 ++++++ 08/12/48 07/01/49 as above
R860999 ++++++ 01/12/48 07/01/49 as above
R861000 ++++++ 01/12/48 07/01/49 as above
R861001 ++++++ 02/12/48 07/01/49 as above
R861002 ++++++ 08/12/48 07/01/49 as above
R861003 ++++++ 26/11/48 07/01/49 as above
R861004 ++++++ 09/12/48 07/01/49 as above
R861005 ++++++ 03/12/48 07/01/49 as above
R861013 ++++++ 14/12/48 07/01/49 as above
R861014 ++++++ 10/12/48 07/01/49 as above
R861489 ++++++ 29/12/48 21/02/49 Regent Motors, Melb
R861490 ++++++ 17/12/48 21/02/49 as above
R861491 861238 21/12/48 21/02/49 as above
R861492 ++++++ 17/12/48 21/02/49 as above
R861493 ++++++ 30/12/48 21/02/49 as above
R861494 ++++++ 17/12/48 21/02/49 as above

Hi Colin,

Ask your FIL if:

1. The brake fluid reservoir was on the firewall inside the engine compartment or under the driver's seat with access through the flap after removing the seat base. (Puts it under R861000).

2. The firewall was of a fabricated design (all flat folded sheet metal) in that the area of the footwells was very square or was the lower section over the transmission/bellhousing area pressed in one curved piece. Was the gear stick mounted on the transmission tunnel or directly on the gearbox top? (Puts it under R861500).

3. The rear view mirror was mounted on a bolt sticking out of the upper end of the vertical tube frame or was it mounted on a triangular plate welded adjacent to the door top hinge about half way up the frame on the driver's side? Was there a rubber seal screwed to the bottom of the windscreen frame? (Again puts it under R861500)

4. Ask him does he remember anyone telling him that the differential ratio for the vehicle was different to other 1948, etc vehicles. (The first 1300 or so had a ratio of 4.88:1 - all subsequent vehicles up to Series 3 were 4.7:1.)The hydrostatic (self-adjusting) brakes ran through until the end of 1949 vehicle production so they don't help.

That might narrow it down a bit

Bob

Also courtesy of Mike's (260AC) research:

Post R861500 1948 model vehicles to Regent Motors around February/March 1949:

R861509, 10, 11, 12
R862350 (NG183), 51 (HB945), 52, 53, 54
R862566
R862991, 92, 93, 94, 95, 96

There is also the possibility that additional vehicles will be added to this list when some (at the time of this compilation) additional records in the UK become available.

Bob

Originally Posted by Lotz-A-Landies

Probably the real thing then, wish we knew where it is now!

He sold it on and the last he saw of it was stuck in the bed of the Howqua above Jamieson. Apparently you had to go through a few properties to get to where it was so it could still be a feature in the river.


Colin

Originally Posted by bobslandies

Hi Colin,

Ask your FIL if:

1. The brake fluid reservoir was on the firewall inside the engine compartment or under the driver's seat with access through the flap after removing the seat base. (Puts it under R861000).

2. The firewall was of a fabricated design (all flat folded sheet metal) in that the area of the footwells was very square or was the lower section over the transmission/bellhousing area pressed in one curved piece. Was the gear stick mounted on the transmission tunnel or directly on the gearbox top? (Puts it under R861500).

3. The rear view mirror was mounted on a bolt sticking out of the upper end of the vertical tube frame or was it mounted on a triangular plate welded adjacent to the door top hinge about half way up the frame on the driver's side? Was there a rubber seal screwed to the bottom of the windscreen frame? (Again puts it under R861500)

4. Ask him does he remember anyone telling him that the differential ratio for the vehicle was different to other 1948, etc vehicles. (The first 1300 or so had a ratio of 4.88:1 - all subsequent vehicles up to Series 3 were 4.7:1.)The hydrostatic (self-adjusting) brakes ran through until the end of 1949 vehicle production so they don't help.

That might narrow it down a bit

Bob

Bob

I'll speak to him later today.
It was a long time ago he owned it and he was struggling to remember much about it.
He can't remember when he purchased it but we're guessing mid to late 60's. It was bashed around by the sawmill hence he painted it with some green house paint he had lying around.

He tells stories of going up over the Black Spur where it was struggling so much he had it in first low, he would set the hand throttle, fold the drivers door back then hop out and check his load on the vehicle while it was moving.
The other picture I've found shows a fair bit of panel damage


Colin

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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?
.

I just spoke with the FIL and he cannot remember :-
The brake reservoir location
Firewall details
Rear view mirror location
Windscreen seal
Diff ratio

He thinks the gearstick was mounted to the gearbox but again, not completely sure.

Confirmed the last sighting. I was incorrect it wasn't actually in the Howqua, the person he sold it to had a property up towards Howqua and was using it for ploughing.

The taillights were not the originals.
The drawbar was lop-sided where it had been mistreated by the sawmill.
He had to strengthen the firewall to stop a nasty steering shimmy (I think this was a common mod).

He remembers some black & white photos and will have a look to see if he still has them.


Colin

Originally Posted by bobslandies

(The first 1300 or so had a ratio of 4.88:1 - all subsequent vehicles up to Series 3 were 4.7:1.)

I would have thought that the 4.88:1 were a bit more common than that, the reason to change them over was to get a little more top end speed and you needed to check the pinion length before changing as the length of the prop shafts would be too short.
.