Thread: The Restoration Begins

Hi All,

Well a very early start in Albury, the bloke living in the motel room next to mine decided to start his 8ton Pantec truck at 4.30am this morning, and I could not get back to sleep.

After a check over of fluids, it was off to find Troy's new shed.....And what a shed it is, I want one , but I will have to convince the wife!!!!.

It was great to catch up Troy, and to meet the family. Next time around - my shout.

After leaving Troy's it was a quick stop for fuel and the on the Hume heading north.

I was a bit worried about holding all the highway traffic up due to the road works for the Hume duplication, however, as it was a weekday, most of the single lanes were reduced to either 80km/h or 60km/h zones (and even a few 40km/h) so I didn't hold too many tourists and truckies up.

I stopped for the mandatory stop for all Sailors - HMAS Otway at Holbrook



I was stopped in the car-park, from a son of a Cow Cocky, who old man loves Series 1 Land Rovers and is in the middle of doing a few up. After a quick chat, it was back on the road.

Lunch was at the Dog on the Tuckerbox (no photo -sorry)

This photo is just a random pic of the long road ahead



Then onto Goulburn for the night, I couldn't help myself, I just had to get a photo with the Big White Fluffy thing!!!




A couple of interesting observations from the trip so far:

- How the flies can actually keep up with you as I drive along and regularly will fly through the cabin
- Smelling road kill
- I actually was passed by a 4WD that must have been on Bio-diesel, as it smelt like fish and chips.

Only 194km left for tomorrow

Regards

Wal

Hey Wal,

Great trip so far! Hows she running no nastys? Whats the oil consumption like?

Originally Posted by Seriously_Series

Hey Wal,

Great trip so far! Hows she running no nastys? Whats the oil consumption like?

No big nastys as yet - touch wood. The only trouble is my stearing box bushes need replacing, a little too much slop, and I think it is getting worse. I should make it Ok, and will have to get it fixed in Sydney in due course.

Oil consumption has been very low (in my books) I had to top up about 100ml this morning and that would include the mandatory oil drips/leak/weaping. She has only done around 1200km since the engine was rebuilt, and I havent generally gone over 65-68km/h, although i have hit 78km/h down hill, with a tail wind today!!!

Regards

Wal

Wal - we will be needing a photo of the Landy in Randwick traffic !!

Originally Posted by Walster

No big nastys as yet - touch wood. The only trouble is my stearing box bushes need replacing, a little too much slop, and I think it is getting worse. I should make it Ok, and will have to get it fixed in Sydney in due course.

Oil consumption has been very low (in my books) I had to top up about 100ml this morning and that would include the mandatory oil drips/leak/weaping. She has only done around 1200km since the engine was rebuilt, and I havent generally gone over 65-68km/h, although i have hit 78km/h down hill, with a tail wind today!!!

Regards

Wal

Thats very good. I did a 2200km road trip in my 53 a few weeks ago and used around 600ml. I think i used more then normal for a few reasons one being 1000km 12+ hours non-stop would use quite abeit also higher speeds then you i sat on around 75-80 km/h which still gave me around 320-330km out of a tank. Or maybe 600ml is perfectly normal i don't know.. Whats the 1.6L engine like on the hills?

Alex

Originally Posted by Seriously_Series

Whats the 1.6L engine like on the hills?

Alex

Alex, the power has actually surprised me. for ony a 1600cc engine if the hill is short and steep, she only looses a small amount of revs, but the power stays and up she goes.

When the hill is a long gradual incline, she looses revs quicky (as expected) but once down to about 40-45km/h (in third gear) she just has power (or is it torque) to burn. It feels like she could sit on this speed/power setting all day every day and just hum along. I was even able to overtake a B-Double truckie going up a hill yesterday!!!!!!!!

Regards

Wal

Hi All,

What a busy day, well I am finally in Sydney (at the Randwick Army Barracks) and have already had few beers to celebrate the arrival. Its lonely drinking alone.......but I will have to get used to it.

It all started last night, after checking into the Motel in Goulburn, and deciding to have something to eat at the local RSL Club (Goulburn Soldiers Club). I decided to have a few beers to honour our latest VC recipient SAS Trooper Mark Donaldson, who probably was utilising a Land Rover during his heroic efforts.

I had finished dinner, and went to get some more funds from the machine, when the box says to me "insufficient funds". I thought, what - no way, and a quick phone call the the better half, resulted in finding out that she depleted my beer fund account by mistake. After a quick trip back to the Motel to do the Internet fund transfer thing, I was back in the Black....

After a few sherbets, I jumped on the One Armed Bandits, and after I left at 2300, I was $160 up......Yeah - more beer money.

I went to bed a very happy chappy.

Up bright and early, for a check of the vehicle, and was bailed up for a chat from my Motel room next door neighbor. He was an Old Timer, who worked on building the Warragamba Dam. He used to drive Series 1 Land Rovers during early years of the construction of the Dam. He loved to see 'Walstr' and reminisced of the old times.

Back on the road I refueled, and started heading off, for the last few hundred kilometers to Sydney. As the temperature today was deciding cooler, I was forced to add extra layers of clothing and include a beanie in order to keep warm. One problem was every time a truck came storming past, my beanie tried to blow off, but I was quick to work out that if I put my sunglasses on the outside of the beanie it would hold them on. I probably looked like a weirdo.

There is a few things that I had forgotten about Sydney traffic:

- How very few people used indicators
- How narrow the lanes are (not good with my dodgy steering box buses)
- How much a rush everyone is in to get somewhere
- That Peak Hour is every hour (even weekends)

Sorry there is no photos of Sydney traffic, my camera decided to run out of batteries, just as I was trying to take a photo going into the M5 tunnel. Now that is one very noisy tunnel inside.

As I came out of the M5 tunnel, just before the airport, a Land Rover Discovery (or was it a Range Rover - I cant remember, as i was concentrating on the busy traffic) came onto the road, saw me and backed off and became my welcoming committee to Sydney. A couple of waves and with me trying to change lanes we parted. I think he was a member of the Land Rover Owners' Club of Australia, Victorian Branch, as he had that style sticker on the back window, anyway, whoever he was, thank you for the warm welcome into Sydney, even though it was brief.

Then it was on Randwick, and with my dodgey steering buses, trying to drive in a straight line with the uneven camber of Sydney's roads was nearly impossible. It was so much easier on the Highway.

So I know leave you with my experiences of driving a 1951 Series 1 80inch from Melbourne to Sydney, all in all I had a less than eventfull trip, I had packed so many tools (more than than Snap-On Tool Vans) just in case, and allowed an extra day if I got into trouble, but low and behold, I made it as scheduled.

Regards

Wal

Well done Wal.

A great restoration diary to inspire others to get off their pumpkin and get on with it.