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My new toy!

LordDoig

LordDoig

In Third Gear
OK guys so as promised, if maybe a little late, here are the pictures and story behind my new Land Rover Series III SWB.

It was decided by myself and a group of friends that all my cars should be named after former prime ministers with a random title prefixed. So here he is, Major John Major:

Landy 28-08-10.jpg

Or at least thats what he used to look like.

Preface
So I bought him for pennies in Glasgow. Got insured (Footman James - brilliant), got him taxed and drove him up through the country side to St Andrews where I live. No problems whatsoever - driving one of these isn't nearly as bad as they say!...

Day 2
Clutch seized solid. Checked hydraulics reservoir - empty. Refilled, pumped, bled. Problem solved - no more leaks. Strange.

Day 3
Driving out of St Andrews to Edinburgh - engine lacking power, white smoke in the cab. Turn back. Get bus. Turned out to be oil spurting onto the hot engine from the filler tube overflow. New jubilee clip - problem solved.

Day 4
Choke cable split. Wouldn't start. Wedged choke open with hair scrunchie. Starts and runs but fuel consumption must be astronomical.

Crash #1
Coming back from the shops, downhill (about 25mph). Van parked in lane. Brake. Jerk. Skid. Crash. £3500 repair bill.

Took MJM's bumper off at roadside and pulled body back into shape. Starting to appreciate the versatility of these things now. Drove home slowly.

I assumed the reason for the crash was me being an idiot until Thursday afternoon when at about 15mph I had to brake suddenly and the same thing happened (minus the crash). Seems the front left brake is dead. Oh dear.

Crash #2
Now this was me being a complete idiot and not looking where I was reversing. Preened the side of a lovely new Megane. Very upset. More money I don't have down the drain. Suddenly how I looked at MJM changed - not so much the lovable fat kid at school, but rather the automotive equivalent of John McClane on a bad day.

Today
So here is what he looks like today:
Landy 28-08-10 003.jpg
Landy 28-08-10 004.jpg
Landy 28-08-10 005.jpg
Landy 28-08-10 006.jpg
Landy 28-08-10 008.jpg
Landy 28-08-10 010.jpg
Landy 28-08-10 009.jpg

So, the good bits...

  1. Owning a piece of British history is a huge thrill.
  2. Owning a piece of British history that works is an even bigger thrill.
  3. People get out of your way.
  4. That old Land Rover smell.
  5. Feeling 5 years old again.
  6. The racing seats and harness (from a safety point of view).
  7. The fuel consumption (thanks to the overdrive and the big tyres, bith of which I didn't expect to be there when I bought it).
  8. 24k on the clock and according to the DVLA that's true :eek:
  9. The ability for even somebody like me, who's never worked on a car before, to fix (nearly) anything.
And the bad bits...

  1. Driving one of these day-to-day can get a bit scary. It's easy to forget how huge they are.
  2. Steering shakes at 50mph and above.
  3. Everything will break one day.
  4. Both crashes. God knows where that money's going to coming from.
  5. Never trust the fuel gauge - even after you've dismantled the buoy and convinced yourself you've fixed it.
  6. It needs the stopping distance of an Airbus A380 (or maybe that's just me).
  7. Steering is heavy. I had to do a 3-point turn on a roundabout one day.
  8. It's true that one of the wonderful things about these cars is that anybody can learn how to fix and modify them, but this is also a big drawback - PO's can "fix" and "modify" them too. Case in point, the steering wheel nut that fell into my hands when I took the horn button off - I'm sure Haynes said that was to be put on at 40lbs torque...
  9. The racing seats and harness (from an authenticity point of view).
  10. Some PO thought it was a great idea to put a noisy sports exhaust on it. My friend who lives 1/4 mile away can hear me coming into my drive at night. It's ridiculous.
  11. This same PO left the speedo cable resting on the exhaust. It's now burnt into two bits. Great!
I love my car, I do. But he needs some TLC now (brakes, bodywork, bumper).

I would love to hear your thoughts on him - or indeed your own stories, and I'll keep you guys up to date with any work done and what I learn day to day.

Sean
 
Your braking issue may be oil contamination on the shoes as much as a seized wheel cylinder. An easy fix though... see here.

You have dual line brakes, so possibly two wheel cylinders on the front rather than one. You'll also have a shuttle valve in the system (PDWA 'pressure differential warning activator') and a little rectangular warning light on the dash that lights up when you have no brakes...Thats handy huh?. It also lights up when you start the engine, unless it has a test button. But, even so, you'd struggle to see it..even handier, huh? So considering what S.P.O.s do, worth removing the brake drum before you go and buy parts...just to be sure. The age of the vehicle isn't always an indicator for parts... Usually, but not always.

Bodywork. There is a line of bolts in the back of the wing that go into the bulkhead..usually easy to undo, as they are a big course thread. And then a similar number of bolts holding the wing to the rad slam panel (more awkward, buy some new bolts and some penny washers to refit.)...a couple in the engine bay, which have usually got no metal round them as the alloy has sacrificed itself to save the steel... and your front wing is off. (oh, unplug the lights too, obviously) Lay it flat and hammer it out. You should ideally anneal it, as hammering it makes it brittle..but you'll get away with it most probably. And in any case, second hand wings are quite cheap on fleabay. Or ask on here... Bumper back on, and away you go again.

The exhaust..a standard one from Paddocks/craddocks is £34.95 plus vat and delivery for a full system including clamps etc, so not a problem., Easy to fit...(But put the front end on ramps, the downpipe is an absolute nightmare to get in otherwise.


Spedo cable is prety straightforward to fit...tie a bit of string or wire to the old one as you pull it out of the dash though, makes it easier to get the new one in.

Shaky steering..would be a number of things, try swapping the wheels from front to back for a kick off... if you are getting vibration at least..it could just need the tyres balancing. (they say its a waste of time, but it isnt...) Check for play in the kingpins if its a really wild wobble you get...

Brakes should stop you pretty sharp if they are adjusted up right, you have a servo assist which should help, but consider fitting a vacuum pump off a pug 206 (for example) to create the vac instead, apparently it makes quite a difference.

Fuel gauge, no..you cant trust it can you? Thats often a problem with the voltage regulator, which can also be sorted out using newer technology. Have a shufti at this.

Finally...thats a nice looking Landy. Worth persevering with. Looks a lot like mine (wing on the other side is the bent one on mine...I hit a stag last winter. Oh deer...) Mine isnt crumpled any more, but looks askew.

Just noticed, you have FWHs fitted too... there is a description of how to refit them here, near the end...they look like AVM or WARN hubs in your photo..both are very similar...That article doesn't show them coming off, as there were Fairey ones fitted initially.
 
LordDoig,

That is (was) a cracking looking Land Rover. Really nice :cool:

Loved your little writeup, had me laughing out loud at a few things there! :)

Only thing I find odd is your reference to a SWB series being huge? - I find them teeny. What was your previous car if you don't mind me asking? I've driven large LWB pickup trucks (daily drivers) most of my life so my SWB Land Rovers have always felt compact and easy to park in comparison!!! :eek: My SII turns far tighter than my modern jap pickup truck!!
 
Brakes should work well

Steering shouldn't be heavy - I have a diesel 109 with 235/85 x 16's on it and that's not very heavy with tyres at about 25 on the front. Try oiling the steering relay (in the front crossmember ahead of the battery) Look underneath and if its wet it needs oil, if its dry its leaked its oil long ago and needs oil.

Those wheels probably have an incorrect offset and will make the steering heavy but try oiling the relay first. Standard LWB rims will take those tyres and probably lighten it.
 
secondjeremy said:
Steering shouldn't be heavy - I have a diesel 109 with 235/85 x 16's on it and that's not very heavy with tyres at about 25 on the front. Try oiling the steering relay (in the front crossmember ahead of the battery) Look underneath and if its wet it needs oil, if its dry its leaked its oil long ago and needs oil.
Click to expand...

Its probably also worth checking the swivel preload...it may have been tightened up to remove play in the kingpin/railko bushes, to pass an MOT. (S.P.O.T. again...)
 
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