Off (The) Road on a budget (Land Rover Series III)

Member Name: blueboxoffroad

Product:	Land Rover Series III
Date:	25/08/09 (56 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Cheap and entertaining

Disadvantages: Lack of refinement

Like everyone else who has ever owned one of these, I find it a daily disappointment not to go and play the lottery of "what will fail today" when I go to work.

Let's look at the whole thing rationally -

Is it a comfortable ride? ................No
Is it reliable?..................................Not really
Is it quiet?......................................No
Is it refined?...................................Not as such
Is it economical?.............................No
Is it going to impress anyone?.......Only another Land over owner

BUT

Is it fun?.........................................OH YES, YES, YES (to quote Meg Ryan!)

I have owned a couple of these over the years and would very happily go out and spend a pretty small sum on one again, given the chance. (I have just checked on Autotrader, and there are running examples from under a thousand pounds.)

Now when reviewing most "classic" vehicles, there is a lot of talk about panel fit, lustre of paintwork, originality of interior trim and the like, but we are talking about a utility vehicle between 24 and 37 years old so the parameters are slightly different!

Panel fit - the doors will probably close, but may well show daylight around the close line - this is great in hot weather, as the draught will help keep you cool. It is also good in the wet, as the rain water that has leaked in at the top of the windscreen or door top (more likely) has somewhere to leak out again.

Lustre of paintwork - many SIII Land Rovers will have developed their own micro ecosystems, as few owners really believe in polishing their vehicles - similarly the odd encounter with a tree, wall, hedge, ditch, truck or other inanimate object simply adds "character" to the vehicle. For particularly interesting organic developments, check out the canvas lined window channel on an aging Station Wagon - many rare species will have started to colonise this area!

Originality - When the Series III was released onto an unsuspecting world it was designed for farmers and other "rural" types, so was pretty short on frills and extras. You could get 4 sheep in the back of a short wheelbase, six in a long one, or a variable amount of bales of hay in either, depending on the sheepdog count. The seats were vinyl covered, so the interior could be pressure washed as effectively as the exterior. Very few are left today that have not been "improved " by the subsequent owners - some well done, many less so. (Note to potential buyer: If there are lots of wires all the same colour in and around the dashboard and a load of extra switches, buy a multimeter on the way home if you buy the Landy!)

So, unless you are looking for a concourse Land Rover, the interior will have probably moved on from the original. Modifications extend elsewhere too,

Ideally you might find the following changes to the original specifications:

Cloth seats - maybe even high-backed ones

Inertia reel seatbelts (the originals are similar to aircraft ones!) or maybe harnesses (definitely a plus if you intend to play in the mud!)

A decent stereo - you do need something pretty loud to drown out the engine, gearbox and tyre noise or at least compete with it!

An electric fan for the radiator - Kenlowe make very good ones. SIII land rovers are a bit prone to overheating.

Halogen headlights - it makes such a difference to be able to see where you are going at night, rather than guess!

Freewheeling hubs - these turn the Land Rover into a 2 wheel drive vehicle by disconnecting the drive to the front wheels - an aid to fuel economy where every little helps!

Overdrive - effectively a fifth gear. This again helps with the fuel economy and can reduce the noise level in the cab to a merely deafening level.

Soundproofing/deadening - I have fitted this myself, but I'm not sure it really makes that much difference - if it is fitted, fine, but don't think it will give you limo style luxury - it won't!

16" rims (these are standard on the long wheelbase model - the 109" but are a bonus on the short wheelbase 88" ones)

A highlift jack - usually reserved for off roading, but a really useful tool and a lot quicker of you ever need to change a wheel on your landy than the bottle jack they originally came with!

A tow hitch - even if you never have a trailer or caravan, once the snow comes all those who have ridiculed you for your (in their eyes) perverse choice of transport will beat a path to your door when they are stuck and you aren't! (I leave the choice of whether you do help to your conscience!)

Parabolic springs - these are a relatively recent development in leafsprung Land Rover suspension - no coil springs here, but the parabolics do improve the ride a lot - almost to being like a really old car and well worth looking out for.

The practicality of the machine is pretty impressive - they are tough ( I broke a con rod in my diesel one and it still ran on 3 cylinders for long enough to get it to a mechanic to fix it!)

Most repairs are fairly simple - an imperial socket set, club hammer, torque wrench and selection of profanity are often all that is required to complete most jobs from the Haynes manual. Do remember, however, that many of the nuts and bolts you will be working on have remained in place for over 30 years, so they do tend to be a little tight. Judicious use of an angle grinder is far from unheard of!

So - overall, why would you buy one?

They are a really honest vehicle - they will give you the best they can at all times (I know, I am anthropomorphising like crazy here!)

The odd dent or scratch really doesn't matter

You can put anything in the back ( I have used tem for moving builders rubble, compost, wet tents, animals, youth groups, bicycles, gearboxes, furniture, fridge freezers (upright with no roof on in December!)

They become part of the family.

They don't provoke any reaction at the lights (unless you see another, when you are duty bound to wave like a maniac!)

You will wonder how you ever lived without one!

If anyone knows where TPR134S or HYM 434K are, please let me know - I miss them!

Summary: Not for everyone, but great fun

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