Thread: First time series buyer advice

mtn.goat...


sorry for our ramblings

Mrs hh

whenever i look at series i always look for rust. main spots are;
chassis- the front end dumb irons(the front face is where they go first), the rear crossmember, give the outriggers a quick look but normally are not to much of a problem. the gearbox and bellhousing crossmembers, even if they are rusty see if they are still straight might give an indication of the use of the vehicle. also where the springs attach to the chassis.
firewall- footwells, a pillar(sides of the firewall) and near where the mirrors attach or under the outside of the windscreen.
doors- the bottom of the door frame and the door top where it attaches to the door bottom(very common).
chassis's can be easy sometimes to work on but may be a bit expensive if it has a bit of rust, mainly the front dumb irons and rear crossmember.
then of course you have the engine and drive train.
most of the time the diffs are not an issue, if it drives make sure to try all gears high and low and if you can find a hill or slope try the handbrake and the gear may pop out, i am not sure if it is an issue or just one of those things that can happen but does not matter so much.
I find a series with a straight body is one of the most important things now as they are hard to get and I can not panel beat so well.
check for originality- seats, zenith/solex carby depending on model.
what engine is in it of course(land rover engines are easy to tell apart from holden.
Some may have an overdrive or pto parts including a pto winch, these are of course bonus's.
Just like any car check oils and water/coolant, electrics and listen for any grinding sounds. there is a fair chance the brakes and steering may be a bit out this is not so much of a problem unless you are buying one that is registered and intend on driving it home.

oh and look at the swivels to see if they are nice and shiny if you have to get a new set of them it will set you back a few quid.
Also look at the fuel tank for rust or leaks or if the bottom is separating

Really appreciate the in depth knowledge especially in regards to rust. This thread will be my go to reference when checking out a possible purchase. Budget is sub -2k at the moment and slowly saving. I can work a spanner, did a year of pre vocational automotive engineering at Tafe. But Getting used to inch drive and finding motivation will be a challenge haha.

Spotted a swb ute near my new residence, registered with really rough paint. From a quick glance it seems to be a 2a. Will be leaving a EOI note next time I see it.

Not interested in soft tops. If its a ute must be a cab with the rounded rear 1/4 glass. (can some one inform me what these cabs are known as and when they were first introduced?).

If you get a soft top it is better you could sell the canopy with the sticks for a good price as they are hard to get. The hard top canopies are easy to get and cheap.
The ute cabs come in 2 pieces, I always refer to the back part(with the 4 pieces of glass) as the turret(could also be known as the top turret) and the other part is just the roof.
they are just known as land rover ute cabs. AFAIK the start of the series 2(1958) all the way up to the late series 3(1984) all have the same ute cabs or can be swapped from one to the other.

if you got a soft top in good condition you would easily get $500 for the canvas canopy with the hood sticks/bows.

From my experience;
A SWB hard top canopy go for about $50 give or take a little.
A LWB hard top canopy may go for about $80 give or take a little.
A land rover ute cab(2 parts) in okish condition should go for at least $200
All depends how eager you are to wait for one and where you are located.

In the land of pom they're called 'truck cabs'. I have a hard top that I'm happy to swap with a truck cab as that's what SWIMBO has decided she wants on her Ser 2. Something will turn up vehicle wise! Post a wanted add on here and see what happens..

Buy one for less that $1000 and plan to spend another 5000 at least, add another 5 if you want a very good finish.

Ok just I've seen some other hard top utes pop up in seaches with a very sqaure look. I'm guessing only found series 1's

Mrs hh, all good rambling is still learning

Sitec. When you refer to TDI are you talking about a specific rover engine or a turbo diesel in general? How would alternate fuels like cooking oil be better suited to such an engine over the 2.25d?

The Nissan adapted transfer case has me thinking patrol L28 diesel as a favourable conversion. But I've owned a twin carbed L28 with a few goodies in an old Skyline and the diesel crankhaft alone can fetch good $$ for stroker applications.

This is if I end up with a dead engine of course