Thread: Greetings fellow Landie owners

Greetings fellow Landy owners, I thought I would join this forum after reading a few pages. I have a SWB series 3, its been in the family for 42 years, my dad brought it brand new in 1973 then loaded up mum and the kids (total 4) for a trip round half of Oz that took in Sydney to Darwin via western Queensland and return via Alice, and Port Augusta. As you can imagine, it was pretty cramped with two small chairs in the back and 4 tall folk plus camping gear wedged wherever it would fit. Dad was a bit ahead of his time, in 1973, 4WD cars were for farmers, not city folk. Amongst other things, on this trip we explored Kakadu, long before it was called Kakadu. This included the now off limits to "whities" and make your own road in, Deaf Adder Gorge where we camped for a week and another week at UDP Falls, (Now called Gumlom). For a 13 year old kid, escaping school for exploration of the remote parts of the NT was pretty much a life changing experience.

Anyway, the Land Rover became mine in 1995 (thanks dad for this and several other cars you gifted to me over the years). I drove it for a few years as my only transport, then a service revealed all the detent springs lying in the gearbox sump. This was "fixed" by the same mechanic who serviced it but the result was a Landy that jumped out of second gear on the overrun. I then let the rego lapse and used it for a bush workhorse for another 6 odd years but it slowly deteriorated and I lost interest so it was parked in a friends shed somewhere back around the turn of the century.

Well, about a month ago the friend wanted his shed back so Landy got towed around to my place where I changed the oil, put fresh petrol into the tank, cleaned the points and marveled how it started like it was last run yesterday. My intent was to sell it so I washed and polished it till it shone in all its original glory then wrote the ad blurb. I though it was worth next to nothing! I then did a bit of research, sat in the vehicle for a while and decided after 42 years, this Land Rover was staying in the family. A mechanical rebuild has started, it doesn't need a lot, just a lot of work. So far the gearbox is out and on the bench, the water pump and tie rod ends have been changed and some day soon it will front up for re-registration.

Sadly my dad passed away a month ago but my gratitude and love for him remains. It is sobering to think that he was way younger when he brought this car than I am now!

This Landie is all original except for some freewheeling hubs and a Fairy overdrive. Fortunately it has no rust and all the nuts and bolts have been easy to remove

Towing it home:


Here it is after a long shed stint


It will all buff out!

Welcome Bob!
It looks to be a nice tidy vehicle.

Cheers, Mick.