Is this a SIIa ?? And How bad is it??

Hi all,
Although I like Series and Defenders, I never went into buying one (money, other vehicles, etc...)
But a few days ago, a friend of mine met someone selling a SIIa for 2000€ (they are more expensive here!), but I have some doubts - namely beeing a 61 SIIa. I haven't seen the documents yet...
I'll translate what I was told:
(...) The car is from 1961, it's a 2.3 Diesel, and it's stored in a garage for the last 20 years, and everything was functioning properly back then. The bodywork has some rust, mas it's generally good; photos were taken without cleaning the car (...)

Can you please take a look and comment (yes, I know, it's photos, not high res, live everything can change)

Thanks for all your input! (and please remember, outside magazines, I'm just a newbie)

some more pics...

Nice Looking
one thing the Grill is of a Series 3 (if i'm wrong some one will say) not a problem if you like it,
Jus noticed the headlights are in the wrong place for a 1961 they should be set in the grill, might be wrong as i noticed it's on foreign plates some one will correct me
apart from that looks good I've seen worse

looks like a series 3 to me
bonnet
grill
dash (much harder to change from 2a to 3 than the other 2 items)

buckshot said:

looks like a series 3 to me
bonnet
grill
dash (much harder to change from 2a to 3 than the other 2 items)

Click to expand...

See what you mean about dash and Bonnett
and wern't the Front Side lights and indicaters up the top of the panel beside each other

landy1uk said:

See what you mean about dash and Bonnett
and wern't the Front Side lights and indicaters up the top of the panel beside each other

Click to expand...

think the bonnet was a added extra early series3
guy around the corner has a series 3 will check out the lights thing when i walk the mutt in the morning .

Thats almost certain 100% series 3
look at the bulkhead to screen mounts, hand throttle, and the gearlever for starters.
Easy way to tell look at the chassis ifs its got a continuos weld top and bottom down the middle like the defender has from two c sections being welded together its defo a s3.

Lynall

Thanks for all your input.

The wings were the only giveaway to me, but they could have been changed / late prodution hybrid / ..., and I didn't know anything else to distinguish.
But the year (1961) should clearly be a SII / SIIa, right?

Just by the photos (I'll have to get more from the chassis, either), would you consider it for an "easy" restoration (knowing that easy may have a different meaning in a Series )

Regards!

Sorry Buckshot I ment to say the side lights and indicators lights on the 1961, were in a differen't places my bad:doh:

TheShadow don't think it's too bad Its manily making sure chassis and bulk head are 100% they are the two main bits.

the rest will have there moments

I've not done a full restro, but from bits i've picked up from this fourm (info) the chassis and Bulkhead are the bits you can't really mess about with too much,before it starts looking or effects structure, (I will be correted if wrong)

Just to straight things up, by restoration I meant a light one: body and chassis decent, half decent paintwork, and everything just being functional, not aesthetically perfect!

Thanks for all the info

Defo series 3,looks like an easy restoration if you can get the parts,we could over here almost for free.I am not sure where you are TheShadow,but everything is available online.If the bulkhead and chassis,engine and box,steering and suspension are ok just leaves electrics and brakes,cosmetics can be done as you go.

Its a series3, some one has riped out all the plastic dash and just left the clocks

Poland by the reg. Christ thats expensive.

Hi all.

Thanks for all your brilliant info.
It's now clear to me that it's a SIII, so it can't be from 1961.
I've asked for the car's documents and some more photos, including chassis / engine bay.

IIRC, the "IS-xx-xx" plates mean it was first registered here in 79 or 81 (exception if the car was imported, as it would receive current year plates)

By the way... I'm in sunny Portugal and that is a Portuguese plate.
A half restored SIII, unassembled, can easely cost near 3.000€ without documents!!!
If I meant to import one from UK, it would cost a lot more than that just in taxes...

Again, THANKS for all.

Looks like a series 3, or at least the front end is. Do the doors have rails inside for the stays to slide in? Series 3 if so. A shame, as otherwise it looks a solid enough truck.

Well... Year AND model were wrong.
It's a 1979 SIII, so it all looks fine, now.

Where can I crosscheck the chassis / engine numbers?

Considering the (more or less) possibility of buying it, I have a trailer able to carry 1 ton. Looking at this SIII, do you think (due to the lack of top / canvas, etc...) that it would be safe to use my trailer? I'd be using a MPV, so I could load it as well to decrease the SIII weight...

THANKS FOR ALL

For those trying to read the car's doc:
Categoria (ligeiro) --> Category (light)
Tipo (Mercadorias) --> Type (Commercial)
Quadro --> Chassis
Motor --> Engine

It has the later handbrake, sticking up, unlike the Series 2, and the engine regulator is nothing like the Series 2 item. I also notice the steering wheel is on the wrong side.

Mr-Tomcat said:

It has the later handbrake, sticking up, unlike the Series 2, and the engine regulator is nothing like the Series 2 item. I also notice the steering wheel is on the wrong side.

Click to expand...

Just for clarity, the long handbrake was introduced on IIAs in 1967.

TheShadow said:

Well... Year AND model were wrong.
It's a 1979 SIII, so it all looks fine, now.

Where can I crosscheck the chassis / engine numbers?

Considering the (more or less) possibility of buying it, I have a trailer able to carry 1 ton. Looking at this SIII, do you think (due to the lack of top / canvas, etc...) that it would be safe to use my trailer? I'd be using a MPV, so I could load it as well to decrease the SIII weight...

THANKS FOR ALL

For those trying to read the car's doc:
Categoria (ligeiro) --> Category (light)
Tipo (Mercadorias) --> Type (Commercial)
Quadro --> Chassis
Motor --> Engine

Click to expand...

The landrover will probably weight about 1300KG, so I fear it will overload your trailer. It would also have to be some pretty serious MPV to shift that much weight. The roof and canvas etc don't make much difference to the weight, less than 50KG all in I would say.

Depends what you mean by an mpv?
One of them silly little citroen van things or a larger 7 seater, not sure on the reqs over there but assuming you use your brain i cant see any problems IF the trailer has overrun brakes.


Lynall