wannabe landy owner says hello

Hello All,

I'm Zoltan. Currently living in Poland, lived a few years in UK and somehow developed a love for old, massive rolling irons. I used to ride (and still am) old motorcykles. (rode a 1982 Jawa from Hungary to England, the chaps in Bishops Station garage were really amazed... ) Somehow, I feel this incredible fun driving old vehicles, when the driver is actually driving a car or rides the bike, not just travels in it, and lets the 3 letter abbreviations to do their job.

I have an aim and I would like to have your support in achieving it.

I'm considering replacing my realiable and extremly economical Suzuki with a Land rover Series I or II or III. The suzuki is great, but I will not need a car on daily bases, so I think, I can afford to have this adventure from time to time to get from A to B in a Land Rover.
Since these cars are extremely expensive and rare in Poland (or in Hungary where I'm from) I intend to travel to UK and get one there. I have a few questions regarding what to buy, how to buy, and so on.

- So, I'm aiming at Series I-II-III. Most probably it will not be used regularly off road. Possibly only on road, going for holidays a few hundred miles a time. I know the limitations in speed and comfort. The speed I do not mind, I used to drive a camper in UK, my bike cruises on 50mph... I'm fine with that. Comfort... well I guess another seat will do.

- Would I be able to maintain and keep a Series land rover realiable enough to do longer trips? Electrics are no problem, basic mechanics (changing waterpump, adjusting valve clearances) are no problem.

- Which engine to pick? The petrol has the possibilty to run it on LPG (which is very very popular in Poland, a brand new LPG set installed is like 250 pounds on carburetted engines) the diesel has better economy. the petrol is also easier to maintain...? Am I right?

- Driving mostrly on roads, what fuel economy I shall count on? I read 20mpg, and I guess it could be improved with an overdrive, road tyres, electronic ignition, maybe skimming the cyl-head for slightly higher compression. Any views on this?

- Overdrive. Is it rare? I did not see it being mentioned in gumtree ads. Can it be installed later? Is it expensive?

- Rust. when one buys a vehicle in Poland, the biggest enemy is rust. The heavy winters and the subseqent salting of the roads are eating away the undercarriage. How bad is the Land rover in this matter? How difficult is to maintain/protect the undercarriage? What chances I have to find a land rover with decent metalwork for decent price.

- The price. eeerrr... I was aiming to find one with MOT for about 1500 quid. I know it could be more. The smaller issues I can fix, ligth corrosion is not a problem for mechanics in poland (and they are a lot cheaper than in the UK). I generally trust the MOT in UK. I beleive that once something got the test it is roadworthy, will not fall apart due to rust and does not **** oil or belches smoke. Am I correct with this?

- And the big question at the end: Converting to lhd. Unfortunately in Poland you are not allowed to register a rhd vehicle. So it has to be converted. (or as a historical vehicle I might be able to register it... I need to check. I do not master this language yet...) Is it difficult? Which modell would be the best candidate for such work? As I imagine I would need to place the pedals and the steering column to the left. If I'm lucky, I'll be able to drive it leaving the gearbox as it is. (maybe a different gearstick?) what about the steering system. Would I need to get a new one, or the parts could be swapped around? Is there a prefabricated place for LHD installation or the lhd vehicles were produced with a different chassy alltogether?

- I found here some guidance, also a book to buy (ordered it for xmas ) http://www.series123.com/s2buyguide.html

Would you add anything?

Thank you for your time and answers. I'm sure I'll be able to pick the right Landy with your help.


Regards,

Zoltan

hail zoltan!

bigsi13 said:

hail zoltan!

Click to expand...

Hehe, I get that a lot.

An idea for RHD-LHD conversion:

As I can see on some pictures, the steering is quite simple:
http://www.series123.com/USAhomepages/index58/index.html

It could be fixed, by cutting out a proper mounting place for the relay in the left side of the frame, welding the other hole shut, and getting a shorter drag link. I guess the original steering column could be used. (if it fits with the engine.) the gearbox could stay I think, and the dials too if they are in the middle. Wiring loom is not a problem for me. Anyone did suck work or saw, or can imagine... and tell me if it's feasible?

Thanks
Z

would prob try to get a series with a Disco v8 lump in if you want to lpg it or a disco 200tdi. parts are slightly easier to get hold of...... 1500 wont get you something that great a condition but if you put the work in. Main things to check are rust in the boot, arches, under the bonnet. If your sticking with the origional series engine find out when Cambelt and gasket were done. More than likely they will need replacing. Where abouts do you hail from in Poland i was almost arrested once in Gdansk lol hope this helps in a slim way... .

Hi.

Thanks for the info. did you mean the generator belt and cyl-head gasket? I thought the 2286 cc petrol has cam chain...

I saw on gumtree a LWB truck with solid chasse but no MOT due to lights/electrics. That could be a day work for me. The car was for 500 pounds. If I'd still be living in the UK I'd go for that, but from 2000-some km's I have to be more careful.

I live in the south, by Krakow.

Z

yeah i know krakow. it could possibly be a generator belt on a series tbh not really worked on series Land rovers so much. see if you could get a scanned copy of the mot failure sheet so at least you have a better idea of whats wrong??? if your looking at around the 1500 quid budget look at these

SERIES 3 CLASSIC LAND ROVER SWB HARDTOP LONG MOT/TAX | eBay

Landrover Series III 3 Land Rover | eBay

Perfect Off-Road vehicle; lovingly restored - solid bodywork; runs on LPG | eBay

i would try and find one with a engine conversion in it as the series gearboxes have a tendancy to go and they are becoming harder to get.
hope this helps might be worth going to the series section of the forum for more advice on what to look for....