Thread: Matilda's trip home from Gympie

Here's my photos from Matilda's trip home...

First view. What a relief to find that it did in fact have a left side after all. Only the right hand side was visible in the for sale photos.



Scallops & Kat Woman mount up for their first spin around the paddock...



Then another...



Then we had a turn and I can testify to Scallops' skill in changing gears without crunching...



Here's a bunch of guys pretending to know what they're looking at under the bonnet...



Loading up on the trailer...



Now here's that bunch of guys again pretending to know what we're doing. I'm actually looking for the crank handle behind the front seat, but it doesn't have one. (crank handle that is - all the seats are there).



Sad farewells and last minute briefing from the previous owners...



Matilda being towed home by (shock) a Prado! My father-in-law has occasionally asked if he could come on club off-roading days and I told him "not in that get-up". Now I guess his Toyota has earned its stripes and we may have to let him tag along. Needless to say, we're all now getting electronic trailer brake controllers fitted to our Defenders so this appalling situation doesn't occur again .



All the way home being tailgated by a Series 1 with the most impressive lift you've ever seen...



Lunch stop and we couldn't keep the Scallop out of his new toy. If he couldn't drive it then he wanted to ride it home this way...



Keeping an eye on those tie-down chains... check out the luminous smile...



Slow and steady but surprisingly no traffic...
(damn! Got another foreigner in this shot)



And finally at home with Grover in her new house...



Thanks for Scallops & Kat Woman for letting us be a part of this momentous occasion. It ranks right up there with childbirth and finding cake in the back of the fridge for significance. Congratulations on your purchase... the family is complete.

Very nice Dan. Glad you got it home OK, being towed by a pretendo and all

Now for the interesting stuff.

Seems to be:
86" chassis
88" guards and late radiator panel ie not '55
late horn switch stalk and button
'57 motor

rear left spring hanger should reveal the numbers you need.

Let the games begin

CC

She's pretty cute

Congrats.

The radiator panel is a 88 panel - the front guards are 88s. (on 86 guards the lower bolt is close to the wheel arch and these are set back about 2"). As they are 2" longer than 86 guards they would not fit properly on a 86 chassis - the wheel would not be centred in the wheel arch but be 2" back.

I suspect this is an 88 but the chassis numbers will tell the story.

Garry

It's these side on photo's that tell the story for me.

See the light through the guards. The radiator panel should be more forward on the guards, as well as more distance between the front bumper and the front of the guards.

The front wheels should be towards the front of the guard wheel cut out, and centre under suspension compression.

Also the bottom lip of the guard should follow the chassis curve more precisely. A poofteenth in it I know though

My 55 has a 86 guard on it's right, but an 88 outer skin sandwiched onto a 86 inner panel.

I'll bet my right one it is an 86, (not that they work anymore), just not sure what year.

CC

Originally Posted by Scallops

I'm after some wingtop mirrors for her too - it already has the holes to fit them! Any ideas on where to start looking?

oohh scallops were do you think

Mrs ho har

Hello Folks - the chassis is an 86 inch - I measured it centre, hub to hub. The chassis number I couldn't find - but the engine number is correct, but there was also another number - 212192 stamped on top the block above it.

Now - the chassis number - my book (the actual manual - thanks again hodgo) says it should be "stamped on the left-hand rear spring shackle bracket". I can't see it - probably just me being a dilic, but I tend to believe the quoted chassis number 57662061 seeing it is absolutely, definitely, an 86 incher.

I'm sure we can sort the mystery at Matilda's christening.

PS - Just read the Colonel's reply - I think our learned colleague "the top brass", has it right - cos it is indeed an 86"

hi nice find.

Now the fun starts working out some of the history

Chassis number on my 86 (55 model) was on the LH chassis rail top at the front. About level with the front cross member and under the rad panel. Might need some cleaning to find it. Needed some sand blasting for me.

I think the oz ckd ones had the number stamped other than the uk ones but may differ depending on which distributor they came through.

Cheers

Dane