Thread: 1950's model series 1 trying to get running

Hi Jacob

It appears to be a 1954 or 1955 model, great fun vehicles. Check for rust in the chassis outrigger that holds the brake master cylinder and same one on other side.

Diana

Hi Diana,

thanks for replying so quickly!

thanks i will check that out tomorrow. any aspect of the engine you think i should check out? is there any component in the fuel system that might be out of working order? i suppose i ought to pull the carby out and give that a cleanup beforehand. are the pumps prone to seizing? its mainly just the fuel/air system I'm concerned with. i did luckily find an air cleaner in one of the sheds that looks to be in great condition, along with a few other Land rover parts, and a box full of holden grey motor petrol pumps (??) maybe replacing the spark plugs might be a good idea too, i dont know if they are particularly rare ones. ill pull them out and give them a cleanup anyway.

anyhow thanks for the hasty response, they are fun trucks. another uncle of mine had an early 60's 2A canvas before he passed and we took it for one drive before my grandmother sold it for some cringeworthy price.

thanks,

Jacob.

With any engine that has been sitting for a while, you probably should take all the plugs out and drop a little oil or diesel in each cylinder, leave for a while and turn over by the crank handle to make sure that the rings are not stuck to the bore. When it turns over freely then put the plugs back in.

Check water and oil. Particularly for water contamination of oil.

You mentioned that there are lots of grey Holden parts. Is the engine Holden or the original Rover?

If Rover the fuel pump is a SU electric unit, the tank could be holding anything. Pull off the pipe from the tank to the filter bowl or even the one from the bowl to the pump and insert a hose to your 5 litre drum. You can drop a thimble full of petrol down the throat of the carb, turn on ignition and see if the pump clicks and starts pumping to the engine, if yes, then try to start the engine.

The clutch is (should be) mechanical linkages

Oh ok no worries. how much oil do you recommend splashing down the bore? Nah the engine is original Rover, there are just lots of holden parts lying around as he owned alot of holdens over his lifetime and there is actually a running '67 HR ute out there. do you recommend pull off the carb and cleaning it? i dont know if its much of a hassle as ive only ever really worked with motorcycle carbs. i suppose ill just splash a bit of fuel down and try it without cleaning first.

thanks a lot for your help!