Help!!!!

Desperate plea for help!!

Just purchased a 1982 Series 3 SWB, of dubious history and roadworthiness on an ill-informed whim!

While the chassis and bulkhead appear excellent, I am panicking a little that I may have bought a 'pig in a poke'. It has 10 months MOT, 5 months tax and nearly a full tank of petrol, so I'm figuring that goes some way to recoup some of the £1,200 I paid.

I have no knowledge of the breed, and while I am fairly mechanically minded and willing to 'have a go' I am wondering how serious some of the faults are.

I would say that the engine pulls well, and has been converted to a Weber carb with K&N filter to improve fuel consumption. Steering is fine other than the occasional pull to the side.

The main worries I have are that the Landy leans very much to the drivers side, probably down about 3 - 4 inches. It has had parabolic springs fitted at some point in the past, and I suspect the shocks are past their prime - they definitely seem to be leaking. Could this be the problem?

The other main headache is that while she pulls well through the gears, when up to speed (40 - 50mph), as soon as I left my foot of the accelerator I get a pretty horrible crunching noise for a short period. It's worse when overdrive is engaged, but still there when OD is not engaged, just not as loud or harsh.

The intention is to it as a working vehicle while I renovate my house, for running to the dump, B&Q etc, then I would be looking to take the vehicle on as a project in itself, to restore / upgrade. I'm just very worried I've bought the wrong one, budget is limited and I don't want a moneypit!

Any and all help greatly welcome!

Weber good , Parabolics good, leaky shocks bad . where is crunching noise from engine,g' box , transfer box , diffs ?? the leaning is more than likley to be the springs , most series lean to some degree , that why the springs are handed , are they on the correct sides ? pulling is par for the course , brakes need adjustment , and checking for oil on shoes .
it's not a pig in a poke just needs a bit of TLC . hope this helps with your concerns , I'm sure you will get plenty more replies . if you havent do so a quick intro in new members would be a courtisey .




good luck !!:dnfnoob:

Sorry, my apologies for not properly making an intro, panic and the look of cynicism in the eyes of my other half made me forget myself!

I'm Al, I live just outside of Glasgow, and I have a bit of a history of unusual cars, I only really seem to appreciate a car after it has went out of production! My abiding passion is MG sports cars, formerly owning a '78 Midget 1500.

While I will always be a fan of the octagon, Land Rovers have always appealed just for their sheer ruggedness. As mentioned above, now seems as good a time to buy one as a project as any, when I can make practical use of it, and the Landy itself will be integral in assisting in the building of my new garage, which will assist with repairs / restoration.

As to the the crunching, I reckon it is coming from the transmission somewhere, overdrive backlash was suggested by the vendor? The lean is quite definite, but the springs being on the wrong side could be a possibility.

How easy are the shocks to change? I see they can be as little as £30 a pair on ebay, or are those best avoided?

Just a little on the history of the Landy - apparently it was owned for a number of years by Caledonian MacBraynes Ferries, and used for manouvering trailers on and off ferries.