Factory V8 prices..walking away from this one!

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I'd suggest that anything needing 'any' chassis repairs will likely have other nasties that are hidden. If you tentatively agreed 9k before checking it properly, and offered 4k after checking, I wouldn't go much higher, maybe 5/5.5k Just 'cos he needs the money isn't a reason for you to pay more for a vehicle that needs work.

I'd probably walk away and look for a V8 to fit in my own vehicle, especially if the chassis is as good as you say.
 
The emissions issue could just be linked to the leaking exhaust. I put my daughters Corsa through an MOT last year and it had a leaking exhaust which threw the emissions out, I couldn't get my head round it as I would have thought a leak would either let gas out or extra fresh air in but not so, I fixed the exhaust and it flew through the retest.
 
I'd suggest that anything needing 'any' chassis repairs will likely have other nasties that are hidden. If you tentatively agreed 9k before checking it properly, and offered 4k after checking, I wouldn't go much higher, maybe 5/5.5k Just 'cos he needs the money isn't a reason for you to pay more for a vehicle that needs work.

I'd probably walk away and look for a V8 to fit in my own vehicle, especially if the chassis is as good as you say.

Will any thirty year old Land Rover not either a) need some chassis repairs or b) have had some chassis repairs?
Unless a new chassis has been fitted
 
Will any thirty year old Land Rover not either a) need some chassis repairs or b) have had some chassis repairs?
Unless a new chassis has been fitted

Oh aye .. but he was asking 14k originally, then 11k, then 9k ... Unless he really, really wants it, I stand by my assessment of work needed and 'worthcost .. obviously sight unseen, but only @capo knows that ...
 
Fourteen? Heavens, l see where you are coming from.
You’d probably want to budget for a chassis change so maybe £5-6,000 for the Landy?
 
Have you seen the blue one on cars and classics with air con for £10500? Looks more original in reasonable condition, plus low mileage.
 
Fourteen? Heavens, l see where you are coming from.
You’d probably want to budget for a chassis change so maybe £5-6,000 for the Landy?

As the rest appears to be very good, MoT points aside and subject to a satisfactory independent report and full test drive, I will offer a price to take a chassis replacement into account; £6-6.5k sounds about right to me. Edited to add that I'll start at 5 but I doubt he'll take it!
I am sure the engine is ok and the welding might not be major; the chassis on my current one is little better. Otherwise there are so many positives, new suspension, doors, floor pans, rebuild with new high compression pistons, rings and small end pins, oil pump, dizzy drive gear, big end bearings, 3.5 high comp cam and US made followers, 4.2 flowed big port heads. All sounds good and on my limited test drive performed very nicely :D

Have you seen the blue one on cars and classics with air con for £10500? Looks more original in reasonable condition, plus low mileage.

If you mean this: https://www.carandclassic.co.uk/car/C901261,yes it's been on since September for 12 now down to 10.5. I phoned him for details but he was not very chatty and was basically come and look. Not sure about a/c, heard it's pants and takes power from the engine. It's original so old chassis etc probably will need a top end despite low milage 75K.

I Think your right to walk away you can get a decent late p38 under 4k
. 4x4cncfabs on the bay has a top hatted 4.0 v8 for sale mite be worth dropping him a message

Cheers but maybe too much for my needs and wallet. As above, a nice simple carbed manual 3.5/3.9 V8 will do me fine :cool:.... if this one doesn't work out I'll think about a transplant if I can source the bits. I'll still need someone to do it as I've no space, tools, time or competence to do it myself!
 
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Still for sale: https://www.carandclassic.co.uk/car/C901261. Has been for sale since early 2017 at least - considered having a look in June but was too busy. Sent me some reasonable pics and in fairness, it looked OK - certainly better than the brown one being talked about and from reg. may well have been a LR test / press vehicle.

@GiggsyV8

I've been thinking about it; what info do you have, if you care to share, that makes it IYO certainly better than the brown one? Chassis, engine etc? Low milage a few POs, what about a/c? You can PM me if you prefer.
Cheers.
 
Re above https://www.carandclassic.co.uk/car/C901261
Advisory on last MoT re chassis corrosion but no detail.

MOT valid until25 June 2018
Date tested26 June 2017
PASS
Mileage75,269 miles
MOT test number3412 3262 2113
Test locationunavailable until further notice
Expiry date25 June 2018

Advisory notice item(s)
  • Front Brake pad(s) wearing thin (3.5.1g)
  • Chassis corroded
What are advisories?
Date tested23 June 2017
FAIL
Mileage75,269 miles
MOT test number3604 7650 6313
Test locationunavailable until further notice

Reason(s) for failure
  • Nearside Front Brake pipe excessively corroded (3.6.B.2c) Dangerous
Advisory notice item(s)
  • Front Brake pad(s) wearing thin (3.5.1g)
  • Chassis corroded
Cazana says:

1989 Land Rover 90
G472BAC LCV information

This 1989 Land Rover 90 County on numberplate G472 BAC was first registered on Tuesday 22nd of August 1989 near Coventry. At an estimated 75,793 miles, this van has done a lower than average number of miles for its age. This van had 4 previous owners before the current keeper acquired it.

Cazana valuation £8,626
First listed for 12,995, now 10,500 ono

 
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https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/232611657781?redirect=mobile
If you are looking for a really special 110 Defender V8 in extremely original and preserved condition, this is for you!

This is a very rare find - an extremely carefully preserved and beautifully original V8 Defender.

This has been looked after METICULOUSLY by a man who's owned it almost since new - and he's cared for it so well and barely driven it. Every 6 months he sent the car to a Land Rover specialist workshop and wrote them a blank cheque, with the instruction to make good anything and everything to keep the car in tip-top condition.

Masses and masses of paperwork come with this to show how much love and care has been given to this car - it was his pride and joy, kept indoors and it shows, it's mechanically A1 and even rarer for a Defender, the bodywork and interior is almost like new too.

It starts on the key, straight away, even from cold or hot and drives like it came out of the showroom in 1991.

This Land Rover is over 25 years old, and has it's original chassis, body, engine and gearbox, so it can be exported to the USA.

When you look at the mot history of this extremely well looked after example, the chassis has some extra bits welded to it and the body has failed on seat belt rust as well. Not the perfect example advertised.
Front left and right, rear left and right and rear seat belt area all failed mot for rust.
Original chassis but not in original condition.

 
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He emailed me this evening....
In a nutshell he's as shocked as me at it failing, he wouldn't have taken it in if he thought it would fail. He had got the lights working but the holders are dodgy, loose terminals so played up on the test but he wiggled the bulbs till they worked. The tester was really rough on the chassis - "used a hammer on the chassis when not allowed to" (?) - the holes are small and on the rear behind the spring mounts, it is heavily waxoyled not undersealed and I saw that (it was slippery and moved under pressure unlike underseal), it's never had emissions fail issues (MoT confirms this) so just needs carbs checked.
He has ben really busy and has two kids with no mother at home with them now so it's been difficult to manage it all.
He ended that if I'm are still interested I could take it away for a few days trial (and full check over) but he's not thinking of selling anywhere near as low as 4k, he would rather keep her.

The rear x-member seemed solid when I banged it and has apparently been replaced in the past, and the rest of the chassis seemed ok so the corrosion issues are around the spring mounts on top of chassis rails which is quite common on a 30 year old.



If this is fixed and the emissions and wring properly sorted, what would be a reasonable offer? We had agreed on 9 pre MoT when I thought it was a 'dream vehicle' but even if all fixed up, the chassis will need more work over time and I kind of lost trust; I doubt he'll take less than 8 considering that he got a big bill pending.

Maybe I should take his offer and take it away for a couple of days and get the local indy LR garage to give me their opinion?

Or maybe I should just forget it; I have a sweet and solid 2.5P which keeps up with the traffic and manages most of the hills on the south downs, the problem is having had V8s before, they are just so much nicer to drive and I miss the feeling, and sound, of that effortless pulling power!


Testers are allowed to use a hammer to check for corrosion but it is a special mot hammer and is only small/light so if its damaged the chassis the chassis is ****ered!
 
Thanks for the advice and info.
I've pretty much decided to keep my 90 with a view to converting it to a V8. Its a lovely truck, well looked after and mostly original, I 'know' it and the chassis good with a new rear cross member and a couple of plates. Devil you know....
No matter what is done to get the V8 discussed above MoTd and ready, I just don't get a good feeling about it. There is nothing I can put my finger on but a combination of finding that the "chassis is solid with no patches welded ,I sprayed inside with Rust Converter and Dinitrol cavity protector in 2010 when I first bought it also complete outside with same and have reapplied as needed" requires a lot of welding, the modded lifted suspension and the unusual engine rebuild (3.5 block, high comp pistons, 4.2 heads), doesn't make it a standard, "unmolested" factory V8 anymore. It also had 16 owners and the price has tumbled from 14K to 9K before the MoT fiasco.

I have unintentionally bought a good looking 'pup' before, got it turned around in the end but don't really want to go there again. If the V8 is as good as stated and appropriately priced then the vendor won't have any problem selling it.

So has anyone got a 3.5/3.9 V8 engine for sale, carb or efi? I know I need a lot more but good to start with an engine....

Cheers, capo :)
 
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Good luck with the conversion, i’m currently stripping mine down to do the same. So far i have a 90,000 mile 3.9efi out of a discovery1, genuine v8 r380 out of an early discovery2, 300tdi gearbox crossmember, 300tdi tunnel with diaphram, seatbox with larger cutout for 300tdi tunnel.
Still on the shopping list
300tdi front and rear props
Gearbox mounts
And lots of other things i cant remember at the moment...
 
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