Thread: Got myself an Australian Land Rover

I don't know about the ampmeter, thought it was standard - the 1964 one I have in the UK also has it. Perhaps the Australian-made versions didn't?

It is the same dash as originally pictured, I just filled the holes made by the previous owner, perhaps not the best job and I've lost the auxiliary power outlets but I think it looks a big improvement.

yes the dash looks good with the holes filled. The landies up to the end of '66 all had a +30/-30 ampmeter which was replaced in the later models with a temp gauge. the bottom section of the gauge cluster used to be the high beam warning lamp which became a charge lamp in the later models and the high beam lamp migrated into the speedo cluster (becoming blue) along with the oil warning lamp and the mixture warning lamp.
Thinking about it the rover p series cars may have had a amp meter in their cluster! they used much the same shape clusters I think. ( Am sure to be corrected on that )Cheers Scott

Ammeter was fitted up until the change to negative earth in 1967 (chassis suffix C) when it was replaced by a temperature gauge and the warning lights changes as noted. Australian ones followed exactly as Home Market ones, albeit probably with a lag. Some other electrical equipment did not follow exactly, as locally produced parts were used, and continued in use later than in the UK. Differences included headlights and voltage regulators.

John

Some more progress on the Old Girl this weekend. I've painted up all the galvanise parts using a zinc galvanise paint (sprayed all the items with an etch primer first). They look a bit on the bright side at the moment, but hopefully will dull down over time. I also rebuilt the handbrake assembly and replaced the rear gearbox oil seal which had of course been leaking - also fitted new brake shoes to the handbrake. Next weekend I shall continue preparing the bodywork for the respray which I've decided will be in a pastel green. I'm not going to remove all the bodywork dents / dings, it will take forever and as they say, all part of her 'character'. I do need to spend a bit of time on the side skirts, both are badly bent and in their current state they wouldn't look very good. I also need to sort out the wiring, it's quite a mess. I'm not ambitious enough to attempt a re-wire just yet, but shall just replace any of the suspect areas. Here are some pictures.

starting to look good

Well after another weekend working solidly on the old girl, I am finally in the position where I can repaint it. This weekend I sorted out the rear crossmember which was badly painted and had suffered a shunt on the passenger side so I stripped back all the paint, sanded and managed to jack out the bent part. It's now been primed and repainted in satin black.

I also sorted out the front wiring which was a bit of a mess, hopefully I got all the connections back together properly.

And perhaps the most time-consuming job was sorting out the side skirts. These had been heavily bashed around before I got to them - I was almost tempted to ditch them and find replacements but thought I'd see what could be done using a hammer and filler. They took all day to sort out but I'm really pleased with the results, though they're not perfect they should look reasonable in the scheme of things.

I also replaced the broken passenger windscreen glass which was harder than I thought and more expensive by the time I'd bought the glass ($154), sealant and applicator..

I have four days off, inclusive of Anzac Day in a couple of weeks time, that's when I'll be repainting it.

Question for those in the know, if I fit passenger bench seats (either 2 x 2 seater or 2 x 3 seater) do these need to be fitted with seat belts to pass the roadworthy? If so, what do people use - lap belts?

Looking good,, I too am highly jelous

What's the hole in the middle of the grille for

Deano