86 vs 88

[101RRS]

With the exception of the extra 2" in the front body work, which is nye near impossible to pick in pictures, is there any other external visual differences between a 86" and a 88" - chassis numbers obviously highlight the differences but if two were parked side by side - how would you tell the difference from a distance.

Garry

[Sleepy]

I've used this site a bit. Based in Canada but probably relevant:

Land Rover FAQ - Vehicle Identification - General Overview

Series I 86"(1954-1956): The instrument panel is similar to a Series II or IIA, being a large rectangular panel in the Centrex of the dashboard. The doors on the 86" are not tapered like the 80", but are straight. There are no sills under the doors. The headlamp rims are body colored. From the side, the bottom portion, behind the front tire, of the front wing is equal in length to the bottom portion, ahead of the rear tire, of the rear box.
Series I 88"(1957-1958): Very similar to a 86" Land Rover , but the front bumper is thicker (vertically), chrome headlamp rims, inverted T grille. From the side, the bottom portion, behind the front tire, of the front wing is about 1-2 inches longer than the length of the bottom portion, ahead of the rear tire, of the rear box. Canadian spec. SI 88" has one piece doors with no galvanized strip to denote where the top and bottom door mated. The interior is well padded with insulation, the front vents do not open. There is a heater box that extends across the cab under the dash, the air inlet being on the inside panel of the right wing in front of the breakfast panel. There are known to be four 107" Land Rover station wagons imported into Canada with these doors. [If you want to break the rules of this Guide, open the door and look at the Serial Number. A Canadian spec vehicle has a "C" suffix.]

[ellard]

Hi there

The headlamp rims are body colored

Didnt know that bit - thanks...

One other thing - good straight guards for 86 are difficult to obtain.....

I have to ask - why did Land Rover do it......as there wasnt alot of 86's or 107's - I have heard the story about they needed the extra room to fit a diesel engine (True or false)

how would you tell the difference from a distance.

I use the hole on the bottom of the guard between the wheel arch and the fire wall for identification. The 88-109 the hole is (approx 80mm) from the wheel arch where the 86-109 its very close to the wheel arch (approx 30mm).

This hole is use for a braket mounted internal for strenght - and its bolted throught the guard back to the firewall area. (I hope this make sense)

Wayne

[series1buff]

hi Wayne

Yes the 2" added on was for the diesel motor, which morphed into and became the series 2 petrol motor I think. I have a 'LEGEND ' somewhere that has the service bulletin that Land Rover agents were sent . The bulletin explains the 'new' chassis arrangement .. They moved the front spring mounts forward 2" on the chassis, but the overall length of the car remains the same . I think the radiator is moved forward too. Is the bonnet longer ?

I guess if your stuck.. you could use 88" guards on a 86" .. is that right ?

Mike

[ellard]

Hi there Mike

I have managed to repair what I had - but also have just purchased 2 good guards (well bought them site unseen of ebay - they seller stated they are in exelent condition but will reserve my judgment until I have picked them up)

I am no expert but I suspect the the 88' guards will bolt up - but the wheel arch is in the wrong place (by 2") and it will look silly & noticable.

Wayne

PS fingers crossed the guards I bought are alright, paid a bit of money for them but will save me heaps of time in the long run

[Lotz-A-Landies]

A couple of comments:

• There is no point differentiating an 88" from and 86" by the inverted grill, all landrovers from 1952 through the end of the crosseyed series 2a have ┴ grills. The S2 and S2a have a cut out for the bonnet catch (instead of the 2 spring clamps.) A better descriptor would be that the 86/107 have 4 airflow holes in the grill panel while the 88/109 have only 1.
• The 88" bumper is not taller/thicker than the 86" bumper bar, the taller bumper bar change came with the Series 2. The difference is that the 88" bumper has the lower bracket that fits between the side plates for the front spring hanger bracket.
• Yes the 88"/109" bonnet is about 1" longer.
• There were tens of thousands of 86" and 107" and the 107" station wagon continued in parrallel production to the 109" right up to the end of Series One.
• Yes it was exactly for the 2 litre diesel so there was clearance between the axle assembly and the sump.
• The 88" guards will obstruct the rear of the front wheels when on full lock with 7.00 or 7.50 tyres. You are better off using 80" guards on an 86" as they are basically the same external dimensions. But us rivet counters will know because 86"/107" guards are 3 piece while 80" are only 2.

[Aaron IIA]

A couple of comments:

• There is no point differentiating an 88" from and 86" by the inverted grill, all landrovers from 1952 through the end of the crosseyed series 2a have ┴ grills. The S2 and S2a have a cut out for the bonnet catch (instead of the 2 spring clamps.) A better descriptor would be that the 86/107 have 4 airflow holes in the grill panel while the 88/109 have only 1.

The Sereis I has a woven mesh grille, while the Series II/IIA have a weld mesh grille.

I look at the rear axles - semi floating or fully floating.

Aaron.

[Lotz-A-Landies]

The Sereis I has a woven mesh grille, while the Series II/IIA have a weld mesh grille.

I look at the rear axles - semi floating or fully floating.

Aaron.

AAron

Your comment about the grill is generally true for Aussie built Land Rovers although UK built Land Rovers had woven mesh grills right through SII/SIIa and even as an optional fitting in SIII.



Fulling floating axles were available in the 1958 SI but not the earlier 88" & 109" and many have been retrofitted to every manner of SI from SII vehicles. What you can say however semi floating axles are only fitted to SI vehicles.

Diana

[JDNSW]

The problem with identifying any Series landrover just from appearance or particular fittings is that there are many parts fully interchangeable between models - for example the grille mentioned above is pretty much interchangeable between 1953 and 1969, and 86 and 88 Series 1 radiator supports are interchangeable. Rear axles have already been commented on. Headlights are interchangeable from 1950 to the current Defender, with or without a variety of different trims round them. And so on.

The only really reliable identification is the chassis number, and even that wants to be from the chassis not the plate on the bulkhead - the plate or even the entire bulkhead may be from something else.

John

[101RRS]

So - to sum up - visually you need a tape measure to measure the distance behind the front wheel arch to tell the difference - or if the bolt head on the bottom of the guard is near the wheel arch it is an 86 - if it is more the middle it is an 88.

Garry