Daily use of my '72 S3 - crazy?

Ehm, well, my Landy is kind of the only car. If you jump in and expect it to tick over, it will do. If not, you still can put her in emergency mode as I call it (TDC, leccy ignition off, petrol instead of gas), downside: I need to have both tanks filled...
But as daily driver and only car since March this year, as others said. Check the petrol and top up the oil then you're fine. Didn't start some times, but never took longer than 20mins. Stalls on traffic lights sometimes though when she's got her period...

never had a day when she didn't start and get me to here i was s'posed to be going................................................................ but did have weeks where she was in a garage having bit's welded/fixed but thats because i can't do it meself and as i can get a courtesy car from the garage it's not been a problem

They actually sound like quite reliable things, if well maintained I suppose!

Overland said:

They actually sound like quite reliable things, if well maintained I suppose!

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Exactly! Mine hasnt broken for a week or two.. but then it has been safely locked in the garage!


In reality, I've only had to be towed home once in 3 or 4 years and then it was something I could have fixed on the side of the road anyway! The rest of the times it's packed up have been self inflicted.. like filling the tank with instant gasket proved problematic.. took months of draining the tank to get the crap out..!

Yep, I am pleased as that was kind of what I was hoping. I am happy to get my hands dirty, top oil up weekly and check fluid levels every few weeks so I guess I should be okay. What I was worried about was random catastrophic failures from serious rust or parts just blowing up (unbased fear born of my ignorance I'm sure). I seem to have got an okay example though (touch wood) and all niggles seem fairly common and not so pressing that they're likely to let me down before I can give them some love.

One thing I did find quite funny the other day was I filled her to the brim with petrol (like off the gauge). Obviously there is a leak in the feeder tube before the tank as petrol was ****ing out for 5 minutes whilst I was driving until it reached a sensible level. This kind of thing would normally unsettle me (again due to my ignorance of car mechanics) but I am learning to live with and even love the quirks that seem part and parcel of owning this beautifully functional piece of metal!

In nearly 20 years of ownership my 400 Quid SWB has never failed to complete a journey. And as already stated - spent meany years on and off as my only transport. Never travelled without a few screw drivers, bits of wire, and a few spanners though.
Everything leaks, wines, and farts but never stops working.

As I have mentioned already on this forum though, I might be eating my words as I will be taking the yellow Bstard over the Alps in two weeks so I'll let you know if it retains its clean reputation.

What spares would you carry? I mean, what would be a typical fault that could be fixed quickly by the side of the road? My Series II has been very reliable but I haven't done more than 180 miles in it in one go and don't drive it every day. Always check the fluids before longish trips and weekly anyway. Doesn't seem to be too much to go wrong with the 2.25 petrol when compared to more modern engines!

Overland said:

What spares would you carry? I mean, what would be a typical fault that could be fixed quickly by the side of the road? My Series II has been very reliable but I haven't done more than 180 miles in it in one go and don't drive it every day. Always check the fluids before longish trips and weekly anyway. Doesn't seem to be too much to go wrong with the 2.25 petrol when compared to more modern engines!

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I dunno about going over the alps but normally, a couple of 13mm spanners, couple of screwdrivers, pliers and an adjustable usually do it - plus half a dozen spare bulbs. Always deemed a fire extinguisher useful.. an unfounded worry so far!

Havent had too many problems to fix quickly but I had no end of trouble with the wire up from the condensor on the dizzy to the coil even after changing it completely, fixed that no end of times once I knew what it was each time, before it (touch wood) sorted itself out!

Good stuff, thanks. Looks like I'm all set then.

and a spare wheel bearing wiv grease and enjin oil and water and and and and ......D

Dan, out of interest where have you mounted your fire extinguisher?

In the dashboard so it slides about and gets in the way.

dantaylor360 said:

it slides about and gets in the way.

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Mar misses ses that

Overland said:

What spares would you carry? I mean, what would be a typical fault that could be fixed quickly by the side of the road? My Series II has been very reliable but I haven't done more than 180 miles in it in one go and don't drive it every day. Always check the fluids before longish trips and weekly anyway. Doesn't seem to be too much to go wrong with the 2.25 petrol when compared to more modern engines!

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Lengths of wire always gets you round electrical problems, points and a few plugs and leads. A tube of glue and some loctite gasket plus a set of mole grips. I almost completely restored mine with that tool kit!
Learn to weld, its saves you wads of cash and MIG welders are easy to use and cheap now. A rusty chassis is what scrapped most series Landys but they are so simple to patch up! Bulkhead repairs can be a bit envolved though.

I have been using mine dauily again for about 10 days now after 2 weeks idle. Runs much better with regular use.

Having said my 109 messes me about occasionally it chewed it's timing belt to bits today. Bastard thing. Whoever decided to put a bloody sherpa diesel in it needs a slap. Dunno what to do now, fix this one or chuck the 2.5td I've got in it.

Water247 said:

Yep, I am pleased as that was kind of what I was hoping. I am happy to get my hands dirty, top oil up weekly and check fluid levels every few weeks so I guess I should be okay. What I was worried about was random catastrophic failures from serious rust or parts just blowing up (unbased fear born of my ignorance I'm sure). I seem to have got an okay example though (touch wood) and all niggles seem fairly common and not so pressing that they're likely to let me down before I can give them some love.

One thing I did find quite funny the other day was I filled her to the brim with petrol (like off the gauge). Obviously there is a leak in the feeder tube before the tank as petrol was ****ing out for 5 minutes whilst I was driving until it reached a sensible level. This kind of thing would normally unsettle me (again due to my ignorance of car mechanics) but I am learning to live with and even love the quirks that seem part and parcel of owning this beautifully functional piece of metal!

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Well, mine started "leaking" petrol just before the carb three weeks ago (hose broke, but not completely). It was less leaking than a shower, I've noticed because I saw the petrol gauge go down. And down. And down. I got out with the fire extuingisher (mines behind the drivers seat, behind the middle seat, and behind the nearside seat, 2 old, one new) and the bloody thing was ****ing on the exhaust. I still shudder from that experience as I was expecting a fire immediately as I let air to it by opening the bonnet, but no. The petrol just vapourized as soon as it hit the hot exhaust... I think I lost about 5-15 litres(well, you know the gauges).
But the repair was 10 minutes on the hard shoulder, as I had a replacement petrol hose. I thought two days before the incident that it needed replacing and bought some.
So they are relaible, but I wouldn't want to go anywhere withour either jerrycan or second petrol tank.

i have to agree with all that has been said, personally I check dif levels, oil levels, and coolant levels every other day ( at least twice a week for engine levels). I would recommend regular diff, gearbox, and oil changes. Grease wheel bearings and replace as soon as they start to rumble. Keep an eye on the brake fluid, even when the fluid starts to drop and you find a leaky wheel cylinder they are soooo easy to repair with a little petroleum grease. Tyre pressures, especially on old rims without inner tubes. I keep a fire extinguisher, a little screw driver set, a little bottle jack, grease, spare wire, oil, a jerry can of juice, 8mm, 10,mm 13mm,and an adjustable, pliers, insulation tape and most important of all WD40, (and make sure its full), pretty much rebuilt mine with all the above and a mig the god send of all tools

Thanks again for all the useful info. Personally I've found it very useful as newbie owner

been driving leafers for 4 years as only transport. Apart from a couple of spells in the workshop for engine changes.....(love those 200tdis) and somewhat more common 'enhanced maintainence' at the side of the road, only ever had to be towed once......perforated core plug......Even then I could've driven home if I'd had a tube of chemical metal.
I do have a bit of a tendency to leave any tool I use to fix niggles in the back.....but a multimeter is very useful bit of kit so long as you dont tread on it or try and protect it with 1/2 ton split logs in the back.
Try frame sealent on the roof seams pop rivets.......clean and even open up seams 1st.
Roof and gutter sealent in the gutter....and even a little smeared over foam seals until you get round to changing them......(er!).......makes a helluva difference

Wouldn't choose to drive anything else........in what other car could you be justified in feeling ****ed off when your broken down and someone driving the same make drives passed WITHOUT STOPPING?

Spares (not talking about being in the complete middle of nowhere type spares list) Threaded rod, nuts and washers, Gaffa tape, points, condensor, WD40

Tools? - As already suggested but dont forget imperial spanners/sockets - metric ones you might get away for most things, but if it is tight, it could round the bolt head. Decent pair of grabs and/or mole grips, hammer, hack saw.

Reliability? I don't use mine as my daily - but I have done about 18k over a few years, quite a few thousand on some very harsh terrain and I have never failed to get to my destination. It has certainly never failed to start, the engine keeps going and going and ticks over sweetly (making sure the timing, valve clearances, point and spark gap and fuel mix are right greatly helps).