Project planning

auld duffer said:

Hello folks , as a newcomer immaking my first tentative steps at posting my plans for a Landy camper build .
Im not a novice at building or restoring old junk , Ive built a few traditional style vintage hot rods, and among the odd ball stuff fully restored from the ground up, a type 2 VW camper, so rust doesnt phase me to much .
Ive learned a lot through the years though and future builds will be less technical, in so much as its unlikely I will fabricate chassis repairs and most likely begin with a new chassis since they are easily available .

My plan is to locate the basis of a series 3 109 2 door, most likely a rough old dog with a V5 preferably.
Ive been looking for months and I think ive managed to deduce that there is no logic in land rover pricing.
Buying a runner with a patchwork chassis will likely set me back somewhere in the region of £5k plus transport cost etc . It ocurs to me that paying that for what will likely lead to being a parts donor for a replacement chassis is a waste of money. Finding a basket case for less, closer to home , will free up cash for a new chassis and bulkhead and set the tone for the rest of the build . In all likely hood if I were to repair a rusty chassis, i would be removing components and replacing other worn out items like springs, shox, brakes, steering parts and bushings . If im taking the axles out, they might as well be cleaned and services and put back looking smart, creating a good ,sound, reliable platform for the rest of the build. and bringing e to a point in the spending that might have just netted me a rolling rust bucket .
Ive sent out a few feelers and spent weeks on the internet pouring over ads and deliberating on the offerings only to come to this conclusion . Im still looking for the base vehicle, but I think I will stop looking in the likes of ebay as it seems to be the last chance saloon to offload overpriced hopes and dreams.
Fingers crossed I will trip over something local when I least expect it .
Im based in North East Scotland Im surrounded by farming communities so Im guessing that there must be a few sad old landys cast aside waiting to be resurected . or maybe they were weighed in when there was a big push for scrap metal. I do remember seeing quite a few turn up in the local crusher when I wasnt looking for one .. Im set for stage one, initial purchase and purchase of a new chassis and bulkhead , Ive even got the green ( or maybee its just amber) light from the mrs thats its OK to sell the VW camper when the time comes, to release funds for the landy build as it progresses ..
Work cant start yet , I dont have the base vehicle, but as things progress I plan to post the build here .
wish me luck, Im gonna need it . Cheers for now .

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auld duffer said:

So, today I called the number I was given re the stalled project , spoke to the fella, he was pleasant enough to entertain a cold caller but unfortunately, for me at this time he wasnt selling . No problem, I left my number should he change his mind .

Called both the other contact numbers, first was a land rover repair business near Laurenskirk. They have moved on from old series landys and focus on modern stuff. Given the time they have been working on modern landrovers there contact list for the old stuff has diminished and they couldnt think of any old 3s in the area.. not to say they arent there, just that they havent kept track of the oldies .

I couldnt get a hold of the last one but will try again over the weekend .
Ive rsponded to a few adds asking for more info. So far I had 2 responses, one to say despite the add was still running, the landy was sold , another fella called , we seemed to have had a decent chat but so for nothing else. I did have a look on the DVLA web site re the last one to check what it had previously failed MOTs on and it actually had a fairly good history. Obe thing that did crop up was the MOT said it was diesel while the DVLA recorded it as petrol , and the seller advertised it as diesel.
It was also showing no tax / no mot/ no insurance and NO SORN . which could cause a wee problem for the seller when the change of keeper rolls around . Any ways there has been no further contact despite there having been minamal interest over the past 6 months that vehicle had been advertised . Its still a "hopefull" but it would have to be fairly decent for the sking price and the additional £800 for delivery .. I wait with baited breath

Another potential Ebay one turned out to be sold which was actually a bit of a loss as it looked like a belter there was undoubtedly a mark up on that one as it was a dealer that was selling, but that also bring some safegaurds..

Its still early doors Immin no mad rush but im flushed with enthusiasm lol

I thought it might be a good idea to extend the search a wee bit , so on the back of a seed planted by one of the replies above, I enquired about a full soft top pickup given that long roofs and sides seem to be fairly easily available .. ( I have a question re the bulkhead between the cab and bed , can it be readily removed as I want a walkthrough ?) But again, despite the thing being offered for sale the seller didnt respond to request for more info ..

Upshot, still looking and likely will be into next year . For the cost of these things and for what Im after Im going to make life a little more difficult by restricting the search withing a 200 mile radius. That would cover pretty much the whole of Scotland and take me to the north side of Yorkshire ..

If nothing else it puts more doe into the budget and gives me more time to plan the elevating roof set up and interior layout .. Im just gonna have to be patient

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auld duffer said:

Ahh well already outbid for the basket case project .. Feedback from another sale that was advertised on the bay for Buy it now £2300 , it sold for £1500 ... There out there but it seems when your looking there is a demand .. when your selling nobody wants them lol..

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auld duffer said:

Ive looked and searced the darkest corners of Ebay and didnt find that , looks good, decent price as you say , south Wales ,, been in that area a few times for Pendine Hot rod Races , its a trip and a half but might be worth a punt ..

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Marmaduke said:

1200 quid buy it now and seems a decent starting platform
Get her spent

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auld duffer said:

Ive asked a couple of questions and waiting for a reply, in the meantime Ive come across yet another , more pricey but I dont think I could buy a base and get to the finnished result for the asking price of this one ive stumbled over .. Problem now is Im so close to hitting the buy it button for this particular one ive got that feeling of should I or shouldnt I, will I wont I that kinda sick feeling a cross between excitement and uncertainty lol..

Fully rebuilt chassis, fully rebuilt body, everything blasted and refinnished , new wire new seats new trim new tyres, recon box rebult front and rear axles, rebuilt 2 1/4 with 10 miles on it , new lightsm new glass , etc , fully rebuilt and ready to go , currently built as a pickup, originated as a 2 door hard top at Heathrow Airport , and had only 3 owners , heathrow, then the guy that drove it at heathrow and then the fella that restored it . Was a diesel but now petrol .. not sure if the diffs have been swapped, Is that a question I should ask ?

all in a solid honest fully restored 73 type 3 that comes with the full hardtop and solid sides to return it to the body style i originally started out looking for ..

So doing the maths again, for the asking price thats a tad over £8k ( offers considered) I doubt I could but even a cheap basket case and get it to this stage for that kinda money , never mind the work to get it to that stage .. Im on the verge of making an offer , but being a novice on the landrover front I have to ask if this sounds like a good deal ... and if thhere are any questions I shold be asking .. The V5 would need changed to petrol .. and the whole motor shook down since its really just been driven 10 miles since the completion of the build .. Undoubtedly there will be a few things crop up, thats always the case after a full rebuild but the fella has a handull of Landys so he know his way around them ..

I want to buy right at the right price .. but doubt I could do it for under £12k to 15K realistically what do the panel think.. ?

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auld duffer said:

Ive asked a couple of questions and waiting for a reply, in the meantime Ive come across yet another , more pricey but I dont think I could buy a base and get to the finnished result for the asking price of this one ive stumbled over .. Problem now is Im so close to hitting the buy it button for this particular one ive got that feeling of should I or shouldnt I, will I wont I that kinda sick feeling a cross between excitement and uncertainty lol..

Fully rebuilt chassis, fully rebuilt body, everything blasted and refinnished , new wire new seats new trim new tyres, recon box rebult front and rear axles, rebuilt 2 1/4 with 10 miles on it , new lightsm new glass , etc , fully rebuilt and ready to go , currently built as a pickup, originated as a 2 door hard top at Heathrow Airport , and had only 3 owners , heathrow, then the guy that drove it at heathrow and then the fella that restored it . Was a diesel but now petrol .. not sure if the diffs have been swapped, Is that a question I should ask ?

all in a solid honest fully restored 73 type 3 that comes with the full hardtop and solid sides to return it to the body style i originally started out looking for ..

So doing the maths again, for the asking price thats a tad over £8k ( offers considered) I doubt I could buy even a cheap basket case and get it to this stage for that kinda money , never mind the work involved to get it to that stage .. Im on the verge of making an offer , but being a novice on the landrover front I have to ask if this sounds like a good deal ... and if there are any questions I should be asking .. The V5 would need changed to petrol .. and the whole motor shook down since its really just been driven 10 miles since the completion of the build .. Undoubtedly there will be a few things crop up, that's always the case after a full rebuild but the fella has a handful of Landys so he know his way around them ..

I want to buy right at the right price .. and I doubt I could do it to the same standard for much under £15K.. and 8 months graft . What do the panel think.. ?

Like I said at the start, prices are all over the place , conditions are variable , some runners are closer to full on restoration projects starting at £4k .. and closer to 5 by the time its dragged back here never thought it would be so difficult

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