I got myself something, and now what? 1982 Land Rover Series III

Hi All,

Just a quick into.

I bought this car off an auction and thinking of bringing it back to life. It's a 1982 Series III, and I have no idea what it's history is. It was was listed by a government, so it might have come from the military or the police or something, I don't know. That's all the history I have.

Now I have to decide what to do with it, I'm no mechanic, not by a long shot, but I'll give it a try to make it mobile again. Yeah, I hear you laughing already. The body seems to be in fairly good condition, been standing in the desert I guess, not too much rust, but it's fully locked up. The wheels don't turn and I tried to turn the engine by hand and no luck, I admit I didn't insist too hard yet. And the clutch pedal is stuck to the floor.

I'll attach some picks and will later post a walk around video

Any questions, please ask.

PS and what I'm looking for in this forum is the views from people that been there, done that, I'll need help, and a lot of it.

Welcome to the zone

As this looks sand blasted already you could choose any colour. Looks more Utility than military as there would be a plate on the inside also possible a light switch for infrared maybe.. If this is petrol then remove the spark plugs first and try turning the engine over by hand. Brakes would need a check over by taking the wheels off and then give the drums a hard tap or two to break the rust inside. Diesel you will need to unscrew glow plugs if not seized already. if all not well then magic spray WD40 FIRST plugs to release.

Welcome to the forum

Welcome, nice intro and very nice project you will get all the help you could possibly need

Hi and welcome!

Nice looking Landy. Let us know how you get on with it.

Welcome...nice intro...you'll get all the help you need here no matter how stupid you think the question is...

If it's really stuck forget WD40 it's mainly water displacer - okay instead of nothing. Try plusgas it's amazing as is dedicated penetrator spray and not expensive and let it soak. You don't want to snap anything off if possible

saxavordian said:

As this looks sand blasted already you could choose any colour. Looks more Utility than military as there would be a plate on the inside also possible a light switch for infrared maybe.. If this is petrol then remove the spark plugs first and try turning the engine over by hand. Brakes would need a check over by taking the wheels off and then give the drums a hard tap or two to break the rust inside. Diesel you will need to unscrew glow plugs if not seized already. if all not well then magic spray WD40 FIRST plugs to release.

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Yeah, thanks, it will definitely need a bit of paint attention at some point, the roof looks like a dried up mud lake, I'll attach a pic, and it also has a bit of a big dent in it. It's petrol, and there is still oil in the engine, and some very smelly petrol in the tanks . This week I'll try to put some time aside start working it.

RangeRoller dt said:

If it's really stuck forget WD40 it's mainly water displacer - okay instead of nothing. Try plusgas it's amazing as is dedicated penetrator spray and not expensive and let it soak. You don't want to snap anything off if possible

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Thanks, never heard of plusgas, will have a look if I can get it here. Alternatively, I can always make my own, it's not much more than a liquid with low viscosity mixed with an acid.

As landrover projects go, that one looks nearly finished. I imagine due to the climate there, the bulkhead and chassis will probably be ok. For most people buying an old landy these two things are the biggest problem and expense. Good luck with it keep us informed of your progress.

Col

Bucket of Sand said:

Thanks, never heard of plusgas, will have a look if I can get it here. Alternatively, I can always make my own, it's not much more than a liquid with low viscosity mixed with an acid.

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Auto trans fluid and acetone mixed 1:1 is meant to be good

I find a bit of diesel is as good as anything else and a lot cheaper.

Col

Colthebrummie said:

I find a bit of diesel is as good as anything else and a lot cheaper.

Col

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Apparently brake fluid as well according to my MOT tester. Never tried it

Bucket of Sand said:

Thanks, never heard of plusgas, will have a look if I can get it here. Alternatively, I can always make my own, it's not much more than a liquid with low viscosity mixed with an acid.

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Some say the acid in Cola works as well a proprietary thing ...

Also a thing called GT85 ...

1988smithy said:

Auto trans fluid and acetone mixed 1:1 is meant to be good

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http://www.dubaipetrolheads.com/coffee-shop/penetrating-oil/

Gt85 is v. good (particularly with gun barrels) much better than WD and often on sale. but it's a polymer 3in1, got nothing on plusgas

Bucket of Sand said:

mixed with an acid.

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That will corrode metal especially ally. Brake fluid is a good paint stripper, be careful where you let it drip.

Wimblowdriver said:

That will corrode metal especially ally. Brake fluid is a good paint stripper, be careful where you let it drip.

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Whatever you use should be washed off after anyway, unless replacing ...

Colthebrummie said:

As landrover projects go, that one looks nearly finished. I imagine due to the climate there, the bulkhead and chassis will probably be ok. For most people buying an old landy these two things are the biggest problem and expense. Good luck with it keep us informed of your progress.

Col

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Right, there's not much rust, except the rear bumper that will need to be fixed, but the foot wells, bulkhead, they are all fine. Anyway, I don't have the knowledge, tools, nor the skill to take on a big restoration project like some of the people here do.