Hello All
I thought I would start a thread detailing my experience/experiences with my Landy.
Ive always fancied a Landy and Ive worked for the MOD in the past and have driven some of theirs, from old 90s and 110s RHD and LHD plus the newer 90s and 110s.
Ive had the same hatchback car since 2000 and it does me fine but Ive also had a motorbike as my toy. Ive had everything from Honda C90s to a race tuned GSX-R 600. One bike Ive always wanted was a Ducati 749. In Jan 2012 I purchased one, it looked the bees knees, went like a rocket, sounded superb and rode like a dream. I knew it would be put away in October and wouldnt come out again until March 2013. I decided if youre gonna have a toy may as well have one you can use. So I started looking for a Landy.
I like the simplicity of the Ex MOD Landys with the NA engine and non PAS etc. Ive got quite a good mechanical background but not on vehicles and I wanted to be able to work on it myself.
I found a garage outside of Tadcaster that specialised in Ex MOD Landys. I wanted a 90 and preferably hard top. Viking 4x4 had 2 in stock one just released by the MOD and one he had taken in PX. Both were in the same condition but the PX one should have been a soft top but converted to hard top and civilian hard top and back door used. I preferred the just released one as it was original.
I had a good look round it and it was covered in 10 layers of brush applied paint, the bulkhead was solid, foot wells had been repaired, chassis was solid and covered in underseal, original engine but with quite a few new bits bolted on. It was raining at the time and only had a few drops of water in the foot wells.
There were a few problems with it though, one head lamp was full of moisture, wind screen washer didnt work, 4 holes in the floor in the back where the battery box had been and it didnt have any seats in the back.
I sold the Ducati and paid a deposit!
10 days later I collected my Landy which had 2 new head lamps, working wind screen washer holes repaired and 2 bench seats fitted in the back all at no extra cost!
I drove it home and it was noisy clunked when you changed gear but hey it was a Landy and it was mine and it only cost £4000!
I drove it around for a week and all was good, I pulled a few broken down cars out of the floods we've had as well!
I purchased a set of pioneer tools for the back door cos after all if youve got brackets for a spade and pick axe then you should fit a spade and pick axe to em!
A mate of mine has a 110 V8 so we planned a green laning trip.
The Landy was great and so was driving it off road. I hadnt done anything to it or with it I just drove it as I got it.
I had a look underneath it one day and saw grease nipples on the prop shaft and UJs a quick search of the workshop (dads) and I found a grease gun. I greased all the UJs and prop shaft and hey presto no more clunking when changing gear!
One morning I noticed the clutch pedal felt different and the bite point was right at the bottom. A quick look in the master cylinder revealed it was empty. I purchased a litre of brake fluid and bled the clutch. The fluid that came out was pretty mankey so I bled it until the new fluid came through. With the remainder of the fluid I decided to bleed the brakes again the fluid was mankey so I got another litre of fluid and bled the full system until the new stuff came through.
We planned another green laning trip as we now had 6 inches of snow to play around in but 2 days before the exhaust centre section failed by the box. A manic call around and Land Rover Ripon and they could get one the next day £120. I drove over and collected it but it was the wrong one! My fault as I had given them the wrong part number. A very helpful chap on the parts counter found the correct one but it wasnt available from Land Rover. He told me of Blancards outside Market Weighton and a quick call to them and they had one in stock! A new centre section and tail pipe section was purchased for £32! I fitted them and went out for a test drive and the fan belt snapped! I managed to drive it to a petrol station and then get a lift to Andrew Pages who had a belt in stock for £3. I drove it into a jet wash booth as snow had started fall quite heavily by this time. Fitted the new fan belt and 10 minutes later I was on my way again.
The snowy green lanes were great fun apart from sliding un controllably down a hill backwards!
I now decided to give the Landy a complete fluids change service
Engine oil
Transfer box oil
Gear box oil
Diff oil
Swivel housing grease
I got in 1 ½ pints more oil in the transfer box than I got out and its quietened it down loads. Hey presto you can now hold a conversation whilst driving.
After researching what oil to put in the gear box I found some say ATF and some MTF. I decided whatever came out new stuff of the same would go back in ATF being red and MTF oil coloured. Oil coloured stuff came out so I filled it with 75W90 gear box oil and again its quietened it down loads and made the gear change nicer.
Diffs took about a pint more than I got out.
I got twice as much in the swivel housings as I got out. Top tip is only cut off the very tip of the bag of grease then it goes into the housing all the way.
I did the oil changes in freezing conditions so put the new bottles of oil in a bucket of hot water to warm them up and everything poured in a dream. I found a piece of pipe that fitted to one of the bottle nozzles so when it came to the gear box oil I warmed it up in boiling water and let gravity do the work it still took 15 minutes though.
My experience so far is a good one. All the nuts and nipples Ive wanted to get off or loosen have been present and not seized solid. The 10 layers of paint have protected it from trees scratching it and its £7 for a can of paint! All the fluids have cost around £75 and its given me summat to do and improved it no end!
Would I recommend an Ex MOD Landy in my experience yes but give it a good check over and give it a service at it may not have had one for a while!
Thanks for reading.
I thought I would start a thread detailing my experience/experiences with my Landy.
Ive always fancied a Landy and Ive worked for the MOD in the past and have driven some of theirs, from old 90s and 110s RHD and LHD plus the newer 90s and 110s.
Ive had the same hatchback car since 2000 and it does me fine but Ive also had a motorbike as my toy. Ive had everything from Honda C90s to a race tuned GSX-R 600. One bike Ive always wanted was a Ducati 749. In Jan 2012 I purchased one, it looked the bees knees, went like a rocket, sounded superb and rode like a dream. I knew it would be put away in October and wouldnt come out again until March 2013. I decided if youre gonna have a toy may as well have one you can use. So I started looking for a Landy.
I like the simplicity of the Ex MOD Landys with the NA engine and non PAS etc. Ive got quite a good mechanical background but not on vehicles and I wanted to be able to work on it myself.
I found a garage outside of Tadcaster that specialised in Ex MOD Landys. I wanted a 90 and preferably hard top. Viking 4x4 had 2 in stock one just released by the MOD and one he had taken in PX. Both were in the same condition but the PX one should have been a soft top but converted to hard top and civilian hard top and back door used. I preferred the just released one as it was original.
I had a good look round it and it was covered in 10 layers of brush applied paint, the bulkhead was solid, foot wells had been repaired, chassis was solid and covered in underseal, original engine but with quite a few new bits bolted on. It was raining at the time and only had a few drops of water in the foot wells.
There were a few problems with it though, one head lamp was full of moisture, wind screen washer didnt work, 4 holes in the floor in the back where the battery box had been and it didnt have any seats in the back.
I sold the Ducati and paid a deposit!
10 days later I collected my Landy which had 2 new head lamps, working wind screen washer holes repaired and 2 bench seats fitted in the back all at no extra cost!
I drove it home and it was noisy clunked when you changed gear but hey it was a Landy and it was mine and it only cost £4000!
I drove it around for a week and all was good, I pulled a few broken down cars out of the floods we've had as well!
I purchased a set of pioneer tools for the back door cos after all if youve got brackets for a spade and pick axe then you should fit a spade and pick axe to em!
A mate of mine has a 110 V8 so we planned a green laning trip.
The Landy was great and so was driving it off road. I hadnt done anything to it or with it I just drove it as I got it.
I had a look underneath it one day and saw grease nipples on the prop shaft and UJs a quick search of the workshop (dads) and I found a grease gun. I greased all the UJs and prop shaft and hey presto no more clunking when changing gear!
One morning I noticed the clutch pedal felt different and the bite point was right at the bottom. A quick look in the master cylinder revealed it was empty. I purchased a litre of brake fluid and bled the clutch. The fluid that came out was pretty mankey so I bled it until the new fluid came through. With the remainder of the fluid I decided to bleed the brakes again the fluid was mankey so I got another litre of fluid and bled the full system until the new stuff came through.
We planned another green laning trip as we now had 6 inches of snow to play around in but 2 days before the exhaust centre section failed by the box. A manic call around and Land Rover Ripon and they could get one the next day £120. I drove over and collected it but it was the wrong one! My fault as I had given them the wrong part number. A very helpful chap on the parts counter found the correct one but it wasnt available from Land Rover. He told me of Blancards outside Market Weighton and a quick call to them and they had one in stock! A new centre section and tail pipe section was purchased for £32! I fitted them and went out for a test drive and the fan belt snapped! I managed to drive it to a petrol station and then get a lift to Andrew Pages who had a belt in stock for £3. I drove it into a jet wash booth as snow had started fall quite heavily by this time. Fitted the new fan belt and 10 minutes later I was on my way again.
The snowy green lanes were great fun apart from sliding un controllably down a hill backwards!
I now decided to give the Landy a complete fluids change service
Engine oil
Transfer box oil
Gear box oil
Diff oil
Swivel housing grease
I got in 1 ½ pints more oil in the transfer box than I got out and its quietened it down loads. Hey presto you can now hold a conversation whilst driving.
After researching what oil to put in the gear box I found some say ATF and some MTF. I decided whatever came out new stuff of the same would go back in ATF being red and MTF oil coloured. Oil coloured stuff came out so I filled it with 75W90 gear box oil and again its quietened it down loads and made the gear change nicer.
Diffs took about a pint more than I got out.
I got twice as much in the swivel housings as I got out. Top tip is only cut off the very tip of the bag of grease then it goes into the housing all the way.
I did the oil changes in freezing conditions so put the new bottles of oil in a bucket of hot water to warm them up and everything poured in a dream. I found a piece of pipe that fitted to one of the bottle nozzles so when it came to the gear box oil I warmed it up in boiling water and let gravity do the work it still took 15 minutes though.
My experience so far is a good one. All the nuts and nipples Ive wanted to get off or loosen have been present and not seized solid. The 10 layers of paint have protected it from trees scratching it and its £7 for a can of paint! All the fluids have cost around £75 and its given me summat to do and improved it no end!
Would I recommend an Ex MOD Landy in my experience yes but give it a good check over and give it a service at it may not have had one for a while!
Thanks for reading.
