Series 3 A bit of advice please.

Just been to look at a Series 3 SWB Safari diesel and I am after some advice from the Landy Collective, I think of you a bit like the Borg in Star Trek but a bit smokier, noisier and with more shouting lol. Anyway the Series I looked at was an 1976 vintage it seem to be all there the engine started ok, was noisy but not in a death rattle way just in a almost 40 years old kind of way. It's been painted and looks nice, the top half of the bulkhead looks mint the foot wells not so good. There are some holes on both sides but nothing some repair panels wont fix. Looked under the landy and everything is covered in oily crud, so all normal there. I am certain the engine has been replaced as the engine has the vacuum pump on it for the servo but no brake servo on the landy. The wheel arch liners have rusted away. The clutch is dragging but I think a bleed with fresh fluid will sort that. The pressed steel tub supports have rusted away to nothing, the chassis has had new dumb irons and a rear repair section and patches all over. One of the outriggers is a bit past it's prime but the rest of the chassis "looks " ok. He will take £1100 for it and delivery is included. It's not got an MOT. I want it as a bit of a project so road worthiness is not such an issue on the purchase and I am quite looking forward to taking it apart. Oh and someone has welded bullbars on it! They will be the first thing to go. The doors have seen better days probably easier to replace than repair, the bonnet looks ok just needs the frame sanding and painting. The swivels are fooked the springs looked ok but hard to tell if there were any broken leaves. I will pull the pics off the ebay listing and add them in a minute. So after all that is £1100 too much? I could get cheaper but it will cost me a fortune to get one shipped from far afield. I said I would let him know by this afternoon, so if you don't help me I may impulse buy and then it's all your fault anyway Ah that's where the smileys are. Thanks The pics are a bit flattering.

Difficult to say without crawling all over it but things I would mostly worry about are....

Is the new paint job hiding a bulkhead full of filler? A magnet is a handy little tool.

The chassis. A patched chassis isn't a big problem but if it's getting generally thin and eaten away on the inside a replacement may be around the corner.

I always get a bit suspicious when I see a paint job like that, with the likes of the wheel carrier (and it's nuts!) and the rear crossmember and towbar etc, all done in the same paint as the body, it looks like it's covering up problems. I'd be having a very close look at the chassis & bulkhead

The bulkhead is mint at the top so unless he has really gone to town on getting the filler really good then the top is ok. The foot wells aren't so good but then they are much easier to fix. The chassis has had the dumb irons done and the rear chassis section has been replaced but to be honest it's a 40 year old landy chassis so I would probably decide on a galvo one if it looked that bad once stripped down. Landy bits don't seem to be megga expensive it's seems more a case that you end up needing LOTS of small cheap bits that makes it expensive. Unlike my mondeo where even small parts from a dealer make you go pale and need a stiff drink when they tell you how much of your hard earned you are about to lose. I am leaning towards calling him and buying it. They aren't making them any more , it's close, delivery included, some breaker bloke has been in touch about it (noooo) it runs and I am justifying calling him to buy it............

I know what you mean about the paint but having looked at it I don't see anything too bad.

Could be worse. i'd have been all over the chassis with a screwdriver personally but if you're willing to accept the fact that the chassis may be past its prime then I'd offer him a nice round 1000 and go with it.

Looks like few issues with that on to me. I would check all the areas raised above ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^, and bear in mind that all the jobs are do-able, but the time adds up if there are dozens that need doing.
It looks to be riding a bit low in the water, I would suspect springs and hangers are shot too.

You can see paint on the door rubbers so it's had a blow over. Having said that, the paint on the rear cross member gave that away, though.
Check the chassis number matches the one on the logbook.
For £1100 you can't really go wrong can you? If it's not for you getting your money back won't be hard.

The rear drivers tyre is flat so that's why it looks a bit listing to port so to speak. I have decided to go for it so I blame everyone but me if it's **** heap.

I would go with a round £1k offer too, if you are going to strip it, I would get a galv'ed chassis, then you know it is done, repair any bits of the bulkhead and get it galv'ed, once they are done it should outlast you. swivels etc are just everyday items.

if you can do all the work yourself its just time as has been pointed out, and if you have that too, as has also been pointed out, you can't really go wrong

I've just open this to type something and the wife distracted me with facebook stuff and now I cannot remember what it was I was going to say. No it's gone welcome to early onset

LordOWar said:

I have decided to go for it so I blame everyone but me if it's **** heap.

Click to expand...

Why? Most said it looks dodgy!

I've bought it now! So no comments that the reciprocating grimble nut flange is buggered and the whole vehicle should be melted down and the ground it has been stood on salted and then nuked from orbit.

Had a good look at the bulkhead and the top half is OK no filler and there are receipts for an engine rebuild from a few years back. Lets see how bad it is when the strip down starts. Oh and had another look at the springs and they do look a bit flat. Let the ebay hunting begin.

I would say that it's built out of filler in the rear right hand side panel, I don't see any rivets or sport welds showing though, though could just be the picture. Door's look fine, just sort the bulkhead foot-wells and any current chassis plating that needs doing then try for an MOT.

Are most of the chassis patches at the rear? If so a rear half chassis will see you sorted at less than 1/5th the cost of a complete chassis replacement, though it's a lot of work but achievable. Can you weld is probably the most important question.

Can I weld? Yes badly but I see plenty of practice in my future. It's not a project I need to have done in 2 weeks so I can take my time but I don't want it to take 10 years either.

if I had looked more closely at both my series' I probably wouldn't have bought either, had the s1 since 2008 and the s3 since 2009.

not concours examples - and never will be - but both good trucks

Itching to get started on it but apparently the kitchen needs painting

paint it nato green whilst she is out, you won't get asked to paint again

Didn't know Landys had a kitchen. Carawagon?

Lots of good bits about it and will be a nice Landy with money and time spent on it. You will no doubt uncover stuff you didn't expect....it's a project after all !
The big question is why did the seller go to the trouble of painting it when there are chassis repairs and bulkhead repairs needed, but, for £1100 you probably can't go too far wrong. Let's be fair, if you'd bought a new car you would have lost thousands the moment you were handed the keys!

The main thing is that you're going to have some fun with it. Keep us informed of progress, nice to see another Landy being saved and improved upon.

He bought it a couple of years ago from Penrith with the intention to "do it up" but then life got in the way, as it does. Plus his missus wanted it off the new monoblock drive. lol The paint the missus chose for the kitchen is now know as Landy blue cos it looks very similar in colour to my landy. Only problem is she is bothered it is too dark for the kitchen.

I did have a bit of a play with it when it was delivered and had a poke at the mystery box on the slam panel, well it looks like some enterprising ex owner made a remote bonnet release and that was the box with the gubbins in it.