Questions on buying/owning a Lightweight

Morning Series owners

Not been in here before, usually stay in the tractor section, BUT...

... I have recently seen a lightweight that I quite fancy. Its a 2a with a retro-fitted V8 (looks like an SD1?). recent recon gearbox and clutch fitted. been told the chassis has patches but ok, floorpanels and vent panels are ok to. So not overly promising but good enough I think as it will have 12 months MOT. Full canvas, looks straight but I have not seen it yet. Bloke has owned it for 8 years apparently and does not get his use out of it no more.

what do you think its worth? Its not concourse condition obviously but a 2a non-the less.

Measured up my garage last night and it will be tight, must fit my 2nd fuel tank to the 90 and shift a pair of defender doors! but it should go in, meaning dry storage.

should I buy it and how much?

all advice appreciated as im not used to these old things! :blabla:

G

Ooohhh
I like the sound of that.
Shame I aint got space fer it.
Gotta be worth anything up to a grand, depending on condition.

Its in gunnislake if you fancy coming with me on Saturday but at the mo he wants more than £1k for it

Can't do Satdee - got a Trade Stand at the Liskeard Show.
Could make Sunday?

could move it to Sunday, will PM you now

Personnally I'd give it a miss if I were you and hold out for a hybrid of some kind. A v8 in a standard lightweight will eat the drive train for breakfast. The brakes will also no doubt be rather scarey.

Your best bet would be to try and find one that has been made out of a chopped down rangie, you then get coils and discs all round. The drive train will also be up for the job and the gearing will also be suited to the v8. You will have loads more fun in that.

There was a yellow lightweight with a chopped rangie underneath in a recent edition of LRO going for £1500!

Thanks Wes, I hear what your saying, I think thats why its had a recent recon gearbox :O brakes, good thinking, missed that one!

I do however want to stay away from a hybrid vehicle, Im still young (I think) and therefore insurance can still be a worry. I also want the vehicle to be more or less standard. It will only be used for occassional greenlaning and general sunny days around Bristol. No pay and plays or anything silly. It would be a 2nd vehicle doing less than 3K miles/yr.

Might have to drop a thread into the V8 section as i havent a clue! used to my 300tdi

G

1/1.5k? Sounds very nice

People that say "Oh don't do that, you will **** the drivetrain" talk utter bollocks. If it is in good condition it will handle it fine just don't rag the **** out of it and don't dump the clutch going away from traffic lights you will be fine. Plenty of people have V8's in Standard Series - Just got to treat it carefully

Brakes - Drums are fine if in good condition, you can redo them all for under £100.

Check for rust around the bulkhead - Rusty bulkhead is VERY expensive to fix on them because they are unique to Lightweights. Top rail and bottom rails are a common rusting point irrc.

Engine - V8's out of Range Rovers and SD1's look the same, basic rover v8 Only difference is that a SD1 has a higher compression ratio but it is a landy.... You won't notice a difference! As for common faults - I don't really know if i am honest, never owned one

Hybirds - Just no. They are gay tbh, if you want coils and disks by a bloody defender! The leafs are half the fun Also, insurance is a pig and it will be on a q plate... Or should be

Go for it! Will be brilliant, top down, screendown, lovely V8 burble Only cost will be fuel and insurance

You won't regret it


(Leafs > Coils )

Mseries3 said:

1/1.5k? Sounds very nice

People that say "Oh don't do that, you will **** the drivetrain" talk utter bollocks. If it is in good condition it will handle it fine just don't rag the **** out of it and don't dump the clutch going away from traffic lights you will be fine. Plenty of people have V8's in Standard Series - Just got to treat it carefully

Brakes - Drums are fine if in good condition, you can redo them all for under £100.

Check for rust around the bulkhead - Rusty bulkhead is VERY expensive to fix on them because they are unique to Lightweights. Top rail and bottom rails are a common rusting point irrc. Ser IIa & Ser III Lwt bulkheads are different, and I believe SerIIa are particular rare

Engine - V8's out of Range Rovers and SD1's look the same, basic rover v8 Only difference is that a SD1 has a higher compression ratio but it is a landy.... You won't notice a difference! As for common faults - I don't really know if i am honest, never owned one Not all Saloon V8s were designed for unleaded. (all LR V8s are)

Hybirds - Just no. They are gay tbh, if you want coils and disks by a bloody defender! The leafs are half the fun Also, insurance is a pig and it will be on a q plate... Or should be

Go for it! Will be brilliant, top down, screendown, lovely V8 burble Only cost will be fuel and insurance

You won't regret it


(Leafs > Coils )

Click to expand...

...

I'd find a IIA Lightweight very hard to resist - they just look so right. I've heard there's only about couple of hundred of them still on the road. What it's worth depends on the condition. I saw a IIA Lighweight out laning a few months ago and it looked great, but the chassis was all out of alignment with patches on patches, same with the bulkhead. You'd have to really want one for the looks and rarity value because you could get a normal leaf sprung Landy with a replacement chassis and restored bulkhead for that sort of money.

Fenby, I hear what your saying. Those were my thoughts he has said its been repaired, as expected, but by how much I dont quite know.

Series3, exactly what I was thinking. This is not going to be a play thing with 35" tyres Its just a 2nd car to bimble about in and enjoy when the weather is good.

Disks and coils... I already have a 300tdi D90 for that

G

I paid 500 for a 2a, but it needed a total rebuild. You'll not get one in decent nick for under £1500, be lucky to get under 2k really. People don't seem to want to sell working ones for under that.

You'll find projects for a grand and TBH that's what it sounds like if it's just been patched. Mine supposedly had a sound chassis, and right enough the rails hadn't been touched. They have now like... I had to cut loads of bits out of the bugger.

If you budget for a rechassis after a couple of MOTs then you'll be thinking along the right lines IMO. If you do your own welding and you're ready for pre-mot ballache and you can get a price you can agree with then why not.

Might as well have a V8 as anything anyway, series fuel consumption being what it is. At least it will sound nice.

A lot of LTWTs were V8'd in the 80's & early 90's and I have an article by John Craddock on how to do it, if you are interested.
Its all very much 'known', tried and tested, and yes, the V8 used enthusiastically WILL break stuff, but its an old car, and you are running twice the grunt through old, worn out components not designed to handle it.... THAT is what a hot-rod is all about!
On a ltwt, rust is the bug-brar, the chassis and bulkhead are the biggest niggles on any Series, but on the ltwt worse, becouse they are unique to the model. They NEED to be good, or you have a project in waiting on your hands.
Price seems high, though.
Ltwts can command a premium, and V8 ones are an anomoly as they CAN actually fetch a premium over standard examples, where normally conversions add no value or detract from it.
But standard and condition are everything, and the conversion NEEDS to be a tidy one, not a botch.
Sounds a good candidate for your suggested use though, and exactly what that conversion was intended for; a 'fun' weekend play-thing, where practicality, reliability and 'livability' are all sacrificed for 'fun-factor' and repairs and maintenence are as much a part of the fun of ownership as the driving!
Check it carefully, though, as you really dont want something that will give you major hassle, but other wise, if you can afford it, know what you are letting yourself in for, and it seems 'reasonably' straight and tidy, go for it.......

Cheers Rogan, thats handy to know. Ive been reading through the Lwt forum, noticed some of your posted there so appreciate the advice.

Teflon, I think you have just concreated what I was thinking so thats ALL good to know, glad Im thinking along the right lines, I would however prefer less than more work on it but who doesnt? The girlfriend allready complains I spend to much time on the Defender

It didnt sell for what he wanted yesterday (1750) so im going down for a look tomorrow morning and see what its worth. I only really want to spend £1500 if its in OK condition, if its worse and managable I will get him down, If its worse than that im walking away!

like others have said, I can get a straight standard series 2a for that money without the hassle (but I really want a Ltwt). We will see, fingers crossed. Thanks for the additional advice guys.

G

Do you know if the 2a should have duel fuel tanks and the change over switch? Just wondering before I go look tomorrow. What capacity will these generally yield?

G

10 gallons each. I don't know if all of them were fitted with duel tanks.

Ow, I thought they all were from reading around. Nevermind. Be nice to have 2 tanks at 45L each. We will see tomorrow. Cheers Fenby

Forgot to say, Just realised your pic is the bombhole on Strata Florida neat

I think you misunderstood me: when I said I didn't know, I really did mean I don't know! Good call about the photo - it is the bombhole on Strata.

sorry Fen, reading too quick!