1980's 110 V8 vs. Isuzu

[dickyjoe]

Hi All,

I am interested in knowing about the 1980s 110 Wagons and hearing from owners of V8s and Isuzus. I'm thinking of selling my Navara and purchasing a 110 of this vintage. I'd be interested in test driving both sorts of vehicles. A must would be power steer and A/C. I'd be buying this thing to use, mainly road work but hopefully weekend camping etc and a trip here and there.

I like simplicity and also feel the 1980s 110s were probably some of the best cars LR ever made, thicker panels, minimal electrics, etc.

I live in Yea and would love to test drive some vehicles to get a feel for what they are like.

I don't really have a preference of V8 vs Diesel and know each would have there advantages and disadvantages hence the idea of posting on here to here from people and their experiences.

Thanks

Richard

[jimr1]

Hi Richard , I have a 1986 110 county V8 , I think they all came with power steering , my a/c never worked so took It out . The 3.5 are carbie's , de tuned , less power than the Rangie 3.5 . There OK in low range . do what you want , but I always thought a bit under powered . Most of the v8s are worn out by now , I suppose there are a few good ones out there , finding them is the problem . As for the Isuzu I will step aside and them that have them , share there knowledge . Jim

[JDNSW]

Assuming that you are only looking at wagons, these were only sold in Australia with 'County' trim, which includes carpet, insulation, power steering, self levelling rear suspension via a Boge strut (which probably no longer works and has been supplemented by stronger rear springs), rear sway bar, and tinted windows.

Most of them have factory airconditioning, which is not particularly good, has a lot of vacuum operated bits that probably don't work now, and you lose the under screen vents. A few have after-market airconditioning.

There are two significant changes - in 1986, the gearbox went from four to five speeds, the V8 changing before the Isuzu (and the five speed does not stand up well to the Isuzu - the four speed, designed for the military 101, but also used in early Rangerovers, is very durable, even with the Isuzu). In 1987 the doors went from lift to push button handles. This went along with thicker doors meaning a smaller wheel and less elbow room, but the doors are probably more durable.

As pointed out by Jim, most of the V8s will be very tired by now, but by the same token, some will have been replaced or overhauled. The V8 does not tolerate neglect. On the other hand, barring accidents, it is likely that an Isuzu will still be good for many tens of thousands more kilometres.

But all of them are in excess of twenty-five years old, and you are in the realm of all sorts of things simply getting old - rubber perishes, upoholstery wears, plastic gets brittle, steel rusts, etc. You can expect to have to replace things like steering boxes, brake boosters, radiators, heater cores, alternators, all this sort of thing, unless it has already been done. And they have Lucas electrical systems.

The biggest concern is probably rust in the chassis and steel body parts, particularly the firewall or bulkhead. All of them leak water, so best look for one that has lived inland most of its life, as this will minimise rust.

Both engines are low powered by 2015 standards, but are capable of maintaining highway speeds except in very hilly country. All of them ride and drive well, unless suffering from faults such as worn shockers, loose tie rod ends, worn suspension bushes etc. Many have had extensive modifications such as substantial lifts, oversize tyres etc, which are rarely justified, especially for your planned use, and have all sorts of drawbacks. The Isuzu vibrates badly when idling, to the extent of loosening rivets, but is smooth and comfortable once under way. It is also noisy compared to modern diesels - but it is a truck motor, so what do you expect? Mine has just had its 580,000km service, uses no oil, starts instantly, and has never had the head off - the only reason the sump has been off was to replace the leaking sump gasket.

John

[dickyjoe]

Thanks to both of you for your replies.

I understand that the engines would be underpowered by todays standards. I'm leaning towards the V8 unit. I guess the next thing will be to find one that isn't stuffed and has some life in it. Maintenance will not be an issue as I am happy to fix things up over time. I just don't want a restoration piece.

Sounds like a 1985ish model might be the pick of the bunch with the lift up handles and the stronger 4 speed gearbox.

I actually have a 1984 110 Ute in the shed which was supposed to be my 4x4 but as a project it proved too challenging for me. It sits in the shed still. Maybe I should resurrect this project and rebuild it but as a wagon (which is what it was originally). It had rust in the firewall so I bought a Defender firewall, new guards, spare doors, and bits and pieces.

So does anyone have a good 110 they wish to sell, that isn't butchered and has some life left in it?

[dingsy]

Thanks to both of you for your replies. I understand that the engines would be underpowered by todays standards. I'm leaning towards the V8 unit. I guess the next thing will be to find one that isn't stuffed and has some life in it. Maintenance will not be an issue as I am happy to fix things up over time. I just don't want a restoration piece. Sounds like a 1985ish model might be the pick of the bunch with the lift up handles and the stronger 4 speed gearbox. I actually have a 1984 110 Ute in the shed which was supposed to be my 4x4 but as a project it proved too challenging for me. It sits in the shed still. Maybe I should resurrect this project and rebuild it but as a wagon (which is what it was originally). It had rust in the firewall so I bought a Defender firewall, new guards, spare doors, and bits and pieces. So does anyone have a good 110 they wish to sell, that isn't butchered and has some life left in it?

Would you consider a perentie? Also there a fair few people on here with lt85's behind isuzu's that are holding up ok. You could always put a hard top or truck cab on top but if you need a 5 door that won't help you.

[dickyjoe]

Gday

I have thought about a exarmy unit and really love the concept except I miss out on A/C, PS, wind up windows, carpet, insulation and I'm actually after a wagon.

One of the commander wagons would be an option.

Richard

[PhilipA]

I can only comment about the V8. I drove a 5 speed in Saudi on a trip.

To me it was really underpowered and couldn't hold 110Kmh in 5th into a slight headwind or even the slightest rise.
As it was owned by the British Embassy, probably stock as a rock and was low mileage.
I had an 81 RRC at the time and it would run out to 160 or so in the LT95, so I was really surprised and disappointed by the 110 County . The lack of aerodynamics really killed the highway performance.
Regards Philip A

[JDNSW]

I think the V8 is detuned relative to the contemporary RRC, but certainly the drag and much higher mass will sap performance. And headwinds do make a difference. But if you want performance, you are probably looking at the wrong vehicle.

John

[rijidij]

I had a bored and stroked 4.2 litre V8 in my County for many years, I loved it, but when the engine came to the end of it's first life at 250k I decided to swap to a turboed isuzu. I had some concerns that I would miss the power of the V8, but after driving the Isuzu I will never consider going back to a V8. Except for an outright drag race (which is pretty much irrelevant anyway), the Turbo Isuzu outperforms the V8 in every way.
Early Isuzu engines in Stage One Landys were well known to be quite noisy and this reputation unfortunately carried through, undeservedly, to the Countys, but in fact the County Isuzus were quieter and didn't deserve the noisy label. Later engines, from approximately 1988 on, are smoother and quieter again, mine is a '90 model engine and is much quieter than my 300tdi Defender. The awesome torque of the turboed Isuzu makes it a pleasure to drive.

If you do go for a V8, the one thing I highly recommend is replace any Lucas ignition components with Bosch ignition. I fitted a Bosch Scorcher distributor which eliminated all the previous tuning difficulties with the Lucas unit. Don't persevere with Lucas electrics, just get rid of them altogether.

Cheers, Murray

[jimr1]

If I can come back in on this , what I did to my 86 County was change the motor for the Leyland 4.4lt. It has rover heads , stage two cam , electronic ignition , extractors , big bore exhaust . Pus a Holey cabie . Plus put an R380 gear box . rear discs ect ect . It's all getting old and tiered now . What I can say is this set up when I first done It made a top truck . It is still on the road and hasn't been too much trouble . It is as described , in earlier posts , rubber , wiring , backlash in drive train , These are what to expect in a 30 year old truck , and I've looked after It !!.. Jim