In the ninteen eighties, my grandfather bought an old abandoned slate quarry, and Land Rovers were the lifeblood of his various ventures in those days. I remember an old series 1 being stripped down to its bare essentials for going underground. It was petrol, so hardly the safest vehicle in the world for working in confined closed spaces! I was a young boy at the time, about five or six, but still had to duck in some parts of the underground workings, as the roof was so low. Despite looking like a vehicle that had been stripped for spares, she provided many years of hard work.
My father tried to re open the quarry in the ninties, but not to much avail. Having lost all equipment and staff, my father struggled for months to try and save the business. All he had was an old digger at the top of the quarry, a 1960 series 2 with trailer. The Series 2 would carry huge pieces of slate, one on the trailer, and another lying across the back of the old girl. These rocks were 2-3 tonnes EACH! They were transported down the quarry for cutting and dressing down gravel tracks so steep, that only Land Rovers could go up. When the engine finally died, so did the business. The Landy stood there for many months, where she had broken down. It was a sad sight. She was the first vehicle I ever drove.
Land Rovers are more than a mode of transport. They are a love affair. They get into your bloodstream, and once you've had a taste, you're hooked. I promiced myself a Landy since I was knee high to a grasshopper. My father and grandfather owned many over the years, and I believed that I would not be a man until I had also owned one. The first was a series 3 LWB ragtop. Looked the business, but drank petrol. My current one is a 1969 2a. I bought her six months ago, but only got cracking with the project about two months ago, when I found out that there is a baby on the way (unless I finish it now, I'll never be able to!). I took her down to a rolling chasis, did all the welding, installed parabolic springs, overdrive, Perkins Prima turbo diesel engine, and countless other pieces. She had stood on a farmyard for 5 years prior to my rescue. She is still some way off being ready, but she is an obsession. She is the first thing I think of when I wake up, and the last thing I think of when I go to sleep at night. Sad I know, but she has a soul, a character, and even a certain beauty!!