Opinions Requested on my Current Truck

[safarirover]

Lets face it often the guys and girls here on Disco Web pull no punches. I am neraing the end of a 1963 Series IIA Station Wagon Rebuild and appreciate someone else proof reading my work.

Many more pics available, drop me an email

1963 Donor truck with the frame rusted completly away.

1994 Defender 110 Rolling Chassie
3.5 Rover V8
R380 Gear Box
New Wiring
Defender Barke System and Power Steering

Sales@safarirover.com

Stephen 407.399.6749

 

[EricSiepmann]

Looks fairly nice from photo's posted. Trim is galv. instead of painted, color is original, upgraded the chasis and drive train to 110. I am sure that some of the dyed in the wool guys will chastize you for the 110 upgrades...

EwS

 

[LMRW]

beautiful! have ou seen this http://www.lrom.com.my/pictures/Album_121_udumboo1.jpg juast goto love the REAL land rovers out there!

 

[u352]

Thats a sweet rover-Something really mean looking about and tastfully done...and the rebuild so far looks good.

I've got a SIII roof rear door and die windows if you need any?

 

[Ron]

post more pics. The hard part is left. IE making it look "right"

 

[Blueboy]

Stephen,

looks very nice so far. we have a 109 NADA that has a 110 drivetrain with a 4.0 EFI engine. Ron is right in that there are many the details in making it look "right".

you're a much better man than I as I had ECR do the work for me. there might be something that could help you. go to http://www.eastcoastrover.com/Thompson109.html and you can see the build-up.

good luck. we really like the combination of old-world stlye and practical driving the 109 gives us. its been out to CO and back East to PA when we lived in OK. actually got a speeding ticket in NM!! didn't faze the cop at all when he wrote 1967 Land Rover at 70mph in a 55mph zone!

Jaime

 

[Ron]

Blueboy, did ECR use a short shaft R380 with an adaptor to install the V8 in your truck or a standard V8 R380?

Ron

 

[Blueboy]

Hi Ron,

No idea. We used a later 4.0 block vs a 3.9 if that helps you. I was living in Tokyo at the time of the project so I didn't get that involved with the details. And now that I'm in Sao Paulo, the actual Blueboy (the 109) is being stored in Maine for me by ECR.

Kinda a good reason to start my homeleave vacations up there which we used to do when living in Japan. Found a really cool place called Inn by the Sea outside of Portland that allows dogs, yet, that's way off topic.

Sorry I couldn't have been of more help.


Jaime

 

[jeepfiend]

I have drooled over that 109 on the ECR site many times. Those guys do amazing work! Stephen's 109 looks pretty good too. It's all about the attention to details. Of all the restoration sites I have looked at, ECR looks to be the most thorough. I am not getting down on other shops, because I think most of them do really nice work. But I think that ECR really sets the standard. I wish I had the money to have ECR refurb my Series, but that is just not in the cards right now. I think this IIA http://www.eastcoastrover.com/87.html is just unbelievable! If I had the money, this is what my Series III would become, with the only difference being marine blue paint, instead of Bronze Green! Not to take anything away from Stephen, but ECR definitely does nice work!

 

[syoung]

Nice! My only comment is to throw that air filter on the engine as far and as hard as you can, then go buy a good one. The filter barely works as a filter, the foam is flammable and I've seen them burn... Look cool, but horrible in many ways.

 

[Ron]

Note how ECR makes a big deal about the inner fender on that truck how nice it is and how the underside of the hood is not painted. BUT the inner fender is not supposed to be painted either.

I pick ECRs nits when I can as they have few.

 

[ISUZUROVER]

Note how ECR makes a big deal about the inner fender on that truck how nice it is and how the underside of the hood is not painted. BUT the inner fender is not supposed to be painted either.

I pick ECRs nits when I can as they have few.

I don't know what you guys are smoking, maybe the US spec IIA's were different, but every IIA I have ever seen (and there are many thousands in Australia - including 2 that I own) has had the underneath of the hood AND the inner fenders painted.

Oh and so far so good Stephen - should have put a diesel in though.

 

[safarirover]

Thanks for the feed Back

You guys where not as harsh as I thought you might be. Thanks for all the kind words. I have restored 6 Series trucks and this is the first time I have crossed the line into the unknown. I prefer a Series to be bone stock with very few exceptions. I will post some more pics of the progress if any one wants to watch the progress.

Here are a few things I have learned the hard way.
An R380 Short Throw gear box will not work in a Defender / Series style truck. The shifter sits dead in the center of the seat box. The inner shifter fork control rod is about an inch to short to accpet the long throw shifter top end. I have just ordered a replacement LT77 box which should solve this issue. Have a R380 set up for a Disco if anyone is intertested.

A 1963 Series 109 Wagon Body will sit on a 110 chassie with no alterations required.

A 3.5 engine taken from a Rover P6 police car has a differnt front cover and the water pump is very hard to locate and expensive and the inner pulley is wrong for the power steering punmp.

The Steering from a 2004 LHD Deefender drops right in after the steering knock down shaft is cut 2 inches and re-machined to allow a proper series steering wheel.

Thanks again and please feel free to email as I have documented the total build and I am more than willing to send what I have and or share my lessons learned.

thanks again to all

 

[Ron]

"I don't know what you guys are smoking, maybe the US spec IIA's were different, but every IIA I have ever seen (and there are many thousands in Australia - including 2 that I own) has had the underneath of the hood AND the inner fenders painted."

1959 did not have painted inner fenders (ie inside the wheel wells). 1964 does not either.

Hoods I am unsure. The hood was painted underside of the 1964 but the 1959 did not have the original hood.

FWIW . . .

 

[Ron]

Also when I said "short shaft" I was referring to the input shaft not the shifter.

Ron

 

[ptschram]

"I don't know what you guys are smoking, maybe the US spec IIA's were different, but every IIA I have ever seen (and there are many thousands in Australia - including 2 that I own) has had the underneath of the hood AND the inner fenders painted."

1959 did not have painted inner fenders (ie inside the wheel wells). 1964 does not either.

Hoods I am unsure. The hood was painted underside of the 1964 but the 1959 did not have the original hood.

FWIW . . .

By the time we see these trucks, what's the chance of anything stock still being there and in stock condition? Most of them that I see have horrible brush painted finishes (mine included, the color matches the last owner's shutters on his house!)

Nice truck, but I'll keep my 109 stock and the hybrid hybridized-if it ever gets done, what with Pendy badgering me into cannibalizing the donor for ShopGrrl's DD.

 

[davidz]

Hey Stephen it sucks now get back to work!

 

[safarirover]

I know where you live David

Speaking of getting back to work David ...... Like you ever work.

 

[beowulf]

Very nice, and very inspirational. I have hope of getting a Series in 2005 and any time I see messages from people showing their progress (or even lack of at times) it gets me excited for the day my time comes.

Congrats!