A Much Improved Landrover

Good Evening
I have found a good machanic in Kenya.
He is great and only works on 109’s, which has nearly been doing for 50 years.

The loss of power I was suffering was coming from a wrongly adjusted master cylinder.( so the brakes sticking)
Not good in a 109 as they are not quick anyway.

I am now on my 8th machanic and he has worked wonders.
The engine had not been
re-built very well.
Which he rectified,the top half of the engine.
So I know have:

A new head
Valves and valves seats
Cam
Water pump
And the correct timing chain

The points and condenser have been replaced with a magnet.

The car runs so well now and is very reliable.
I have also had a Gear Box rebuild main and transfer.
Removed the front shocks that someone had managed to weld on to the back!
And fitted new ones.

So much work has been done on the 109 I have the inteerer done front and bench seats in the back.

There is quite an oil leak from the back of the engine close to the Gear Box.
I expect a seal, I hope not the lack of one as silicon was only used on the front before redone.

I do quite a bit of work on it myself which I really enjoy.
It has had a new fuel
Pump fitted on it now, it has twin tanks.
I got a new fuel valve from a marine yard in Southampton which works beautifully.

I took it on a trip across Kenya with all the family and got close to the Ugandan border.
Around trip of 1200 km and it did not falter.
It has a range of about 350km
Which is really useful.
My 8 month year old son loves the landrover until you change from fourth:
He believes it was invented for him to rest his foot on !

A Much improved landrover !

Very glad for you that you’r sorted and a nice classic looking 109. Kenya is half a world away distance but just a nod away for the landy world! You’re probably got access to more Series expertise than the U.K.

Thanks John s

Sadly I am not staying in Kenya coming back to the Europe with family in the next 3 years
So I will have find the 109 a good home.
There are more 109’s in kenya than 110’s by far.
Not sure if they have stronger chasis or just what was being bought at the time.
I amazed how my machanic can just take them apart which such ease then put them back together smoothly and working well.
The 109 was the best one I could find in our area that was for sell.
And was in quite a state,
Just needed some servicing and love.
And some major rebuilds !!!

After the Gear Box rebuild the Gear Box has only used about 200ml of oil in nearly 3000km.

I had my eye on a 1967 series 2 in lovely condition in the same plot as I live.
Only one owner !
But the owner would not sell it !
I took a look at the clock before returning to the UK:
42,000 km
It has only been used locally near Mount Kenya,
So perhaps it has not been round the clock!
Sadly the owner died a few weeks ago but the car will stay in his family.
It is used to take workers to their farm land some 5 km away.

Elius my machanic worked on the series 2 as early as 1970 when trained at a garage locally.
If he sees a 110 pulling up to the garage he shakes his head and continues to work on a 109!

With a good Brit-part fuel pump at £45 pounds and a good wheel bearings at £7
Landrovers are cheap to maintain in Kenya.
I covered 1000 km in the 109 for about £100 of fuel.

Excuse my bad language but I drive Suzuki in Europe
The parts out in kenya are much higher than a landrover

And if compare second hand prices you will be amazed:

In the UK you buy a second hand Suzuki at £800 in good condition

But in Kenyan the equivalent car will cost you as much as £7000 and probably will be poorly maintained.
So not really the equivalent!

People are trying get back the importation tax that has been paid,

Where as you can buy s good 109 at £1500 to £2000 in fair to good condition.

The importation tax either did not exist back in the day of a 109 or it has been forgotten about.

I believe they were sent over from the UK and assembled in Kenya.

In my area there must be somewhere between 50 - 100 ,
109 in a 50km radius.

So go for 109 when in kenya as 110 can cost more than £12000 and need a fair amount of work.