Land Rover Restored SERIES 3 88 SWB 3 1983 2286CC petrol
48284 miles NO RUST
I have a complete specifications sheet available (as a PDF)
for this car. It details much more than
I can fit into an e-bay listing including many more photos. Please text me (at 07783 685 042) your email
address and I will email you the PDF ASAP
I am semi retired and restore Landy's for a hobby, buying,
rust proofing and renovating them and I also work to order, .I.E. you specify
the model and colour of Landy and I obtain one to suit you, and then renovate
it to whatever level; you require. My
role is to restore the vehicle and set it up properly for the next 35 - 50
years of use. The job is done properly
regardless of time or cost. They
However, these old Land Rovers are better suited to
agricultural work than driving on a motorway.
My restoration principle is to restore the vehicle to
original as much as possible using new parts built in the original way. I never buy used parts or panels unless they
are major panels (such as a undamaged roof) in excellent condition. Corroded parts such as doors bottoms and
door tops I replace with new. Rubber
seals are replaced as necessary and that will be shown in the information
below.
I re-use the original bolts and nuts as much as possible as
this helps to maintain the cars original, genuine character. I only use stainless steel bolts in non
critical areas. Exactly why automotive companies DON'T USE STAINLESS STEEL
BOLTS is shown at the end of this listing
I normally drive the car I have just purchased home so I
only buy cars I am sure are in generally sound condition. I then drive them around whilst working on
them to get everything right. They
normally travel 200 to 500 miles before I have completed it.
My experience of the car so far
I drove it 115 miles on the day I picked it up and it ran
very strongly. I worked up the cruising speed from 45 to 65 mph so I could feel
how it was performing at all speeds.
Then I did the last stretch few hours at a steady 60 mph on the
motorway. Although it will go quite a
bit faster I prefer to stay a bit slower initially as naturally I don't have
any replacement parts with me on the first journey. Once home and have had a chance to work it
over from end to end I can then just drive at in the A & B road speeds
Chassis- This car has no visible rust in either the chassis
or bulkhead and that's before I rust proofed it! It has had rust work in the past .....like
every car I have ever worked on!
RUST - All old landy's seem to have rust even if you can't
see it! - I CONVERT it and/or REMOVE IT.
I have pressured spray the inside of bulkhead and inside and
outside the chassis using a solution of Phosphoric Acid. Phosphoric Acid converts iron oxide (rust) up
to 10mm thick into Iron Phosphate! The
10mm depth of conversion is approximately 4 times thicker than the steel in the
chassis and bulkhead. So, it is
gone! If the rust is worse than surface
rust, i.e. it creates a hole the rust cut out and new steel welded into place.
Items such as outriggers etc are simply completely replaced. I tend to weld in
thicker steel than I take out so it is stronger than new
When the rust becomes iron phosphate it forms a protective
layer that cannot rust again. It is
actually better galvanising! The converted protective layer can then be painted
over as an inert stable surface.
We used to do this to vehicles and trailers used on the salt
lakes in northern Australia (see the photos below to get an idea of what this
treatment protects against. Google Dampier Salt to see what a salt field looks
like)
New vehicles and trailers were scrapped after 3-4 years use
on this level of salt. Then we started
treating them with phosphoric acid.
Please note that if the rust is worse than surface rust, it
part is replaced, either with a brand new part or is the rust cut out and new
steel welded into place. I tend to weld
in thicker steel than we take out so it is stronger than new
Chassis Photos! - Here are some current shots of the
underneath.As you can see no sign of rust anywhere
As you can see no sign of rust anywhere
What I do to each vehicle (including this one) before
delivery
I test each cylinders compression, checked the spark
delivery and then tuned the engine. I
put in a distributor overhaul kit and new spark plugs as called for. On this
car I also
Rust proofed the chassis and bulkhead as described elsewhere
in this spec sheet
Installed a new battery with 3 year warranty
Installed new keys and matching locks for all doors with key
locks. Normally the driver's door and rear safari door. If the passenger door has a key lock that is
also replaced. . If the passenger door
is the common snib from the inside type lock as in this car, a key is not used
Tuned and tested the engine
Check the cooling system is working correctly and replace
any components necessary.
Remove the small light fitting as they get corroded inside
over years. I replace all of the
indicator, stop lights and front side light fitting. I repainted the area under lights and then
replaced them all with brand new fittings ready for the next 30+ years
Undertook any small repairs and replacements needed
Installed new checker plate protection panels on top of the
wings.
Any work with a safety consideration such a brakes, steering
and cutting out rust in a chassis etc I have undertaken by qualified local
independent engineering shop who have much more specialist equipment than it
pays me to have. It is also better for
my insurance premiums!
Painting
I have been over the whole body and the paint was generally
good but needed some fettling to make it exactly right. I had some paint exactly colour matched to
the original and used this for the corrective work. The left over new paint will go with the car
so you can do your own touch up work to the new scratches and marks you will
make in the future. All you need to
provide is a tiny school paint brush
Exterior
The current colour is light blue and the tub mouldings are
in Galvanised finish JUST AS THEY SHOULD BE..
The tub moulding were once painted but they are pretty clean now
The external and internal pain is excellent - See the photos
Interior
The inside is very normal and practical as its stands ,being
painted in light blue. The front floor
is carpeted and there is an insulation kit installed on the from firewall and
side of the seat box.
The rear floor is blue with rubber matting in the load area.
See the photos.
Roof above drivers compartment. In the past this car had an insulation kit
that someone has since removed. This was removed and someone HAS painted over
the remaining fibrous material still glued to the roof. If it bothers you can either re-install an insulation kit or perhaps a head lining
kit.
No Filler
I do not normally add body filler! I prefer to paint over small imperfections
leaving them visible. Land Rovers are
subject to a lot of vibration and this can be really bad for filler which ends
up cracking and even flaking and looking much worse that the small dents you
are trying to cover up. It even falls
out! If there is a bad dent, I replace
the panel. I think a 30+ year old Land Rover
should have small flaws. If it is too
perfect it looks wrong. I think my Landy's are good looking honest cars that
are properly overhauled and will run for years.
However if someone has used filler in the past I leave it in place as
obviously it is holding on well and it not clear what is behind it..
Engine
The engine number prefix is 361 meaning it is the last engine
type used in Series vehicles by Land Rover and it is by far the very best type.
It is a 4 cylinder petrol engine with 8:1 compression and 5 bearing instead of
the earlier 3 bearing engine. It starts straight away and pulls strongly
throughout a range of driving conditions, hills, motorways, A & B roads
etc. It also Idles beautifully for a
Landy. I have been told the car was
serviced and had a distributor kit and new spark plugs installed just prior to
the MOT
Mileage -
The odometer says 48284 at time of writing. Judging by the overall condition of the
vehicle I think it might be the genuine original mileages - but - see my notes
below. I have only ever had one old
Landy with the mileage fully documented.
That was at 67000 miles and this one is better than that!
Mileages. Unless I
actually have documentary evidence going a very long way back I can't guarantee
the mileage on any odometer is accurate.
The clocks only go to 99999 miles and so if it trips over, it starts
again from 0. Also, over 40 to 50 years
the occasional clock can have been repaired or replaced.
When you are looking at old vehicles, the mileage is not so
important. 4WD vehicle with too low a mileage can be subject to deterioration
in the drive train and brake drums that won't occur in a higher mileage vehicle
because the parts are used and lubricated.
Also, parts may have been replaced in the higher mileage vehicle. It is
the overall mechanicals and panel condition that needs to be considered.
MOT Expiry
20/02/2016 - So you know it is in excellent shape!
Tyres
All 5 tyres are excellent with lots of tread. These will last this cars for many, many,
years. They are Deestone Extra Traction
7.50-16 8 ply re-moulded tyres.
Wheels - the rims are superb having just been powder coated
at a cost of £300.00
Brakes
The brakes are excellent.
The vehicle stops quickly and in a straight line, even under very, very
hard emergency style braking
Steering
The steering is tight and straight for a land rover. Stops in a dead straight line when you brake,
even when you brake really hard as I do to test it. This car has had the Land Rover steering
wheel replaced with a smaller wheel that looks good and makes driving so much
easier and more precise. You can have a
Land Rover wheel reinstalled but I strongly recommend you drive it with this
steering wheel as it is a many, many times better driving experience.
Gear Box
The gearbox is exceptionally good. Absolutely firm with good positive and easy
change with good movement and no strange noises. It is tested in all gears and drive
configurations for the MOT and so you know it is good.
Drive Train and Suspension
The MOT TEST checks the drive train in 2WD, 4WD, and High
and Low ranges and it passed with flying colours so you know it is good. The drive train is solid and normal
throughout driving solidly down the road.
This sympathetic restoration includes
new battery with 3 year warranty
freewheeling hubs that work
new keys and matching locks f
New deluxe seats (3 of) in the front that are colour coded
to the blue of the car.
The paint on the inside of the car matches the outside of
the car. Doors insides are light blue
and the inside roof and sides colour is sandstone matching the outside roof and
sides.
Interior sound deadening kit on bulkhead and seat fronts -
recently installed
Carpet on front floor and rubber matting installed in rear
load area- recently installed
Only 11 owners from new!
This car is a real keeper!
5 excellent matching tyres with substantial tread
New spare wheel cover
I have supplied a free spares kit with this car comprising
of
set of spare heater hoses
New radiator cap (fitted)
New expansion tank cap, (fitted)
new fuel tank cap (fitted)
6 new spare bulbs , as follows; indicators (2) brake lights
(2) front side lights (2). (a sensible
precaution and are mandatory if travelling to Europe)
Full set of 4 x 35amp barrel fuses (a complete set for a
series)
New spare fan belt
You also get the old items I have replaced as they were
working but had been used
These all fit in the commodious tool box under the passenger
seat
Other good points
VALUE of these is going up fast. In my experience they have zoomed upwards in
the past 12-18 months. I think as the
economy improves they will continue to strongly increase in value
NO RUST - In the chassis and bulkhead - you can see the
photos
only 11 owners since new!
It's obviously never been a lemon and I don't think it is now either
Registration mark, this old style plate number can be
sold. I haven't had that valued yet and
you would need to write to the DVLA to get permission first That takes about 2-3 weeks but so far they
have never yet said no to me to having any of these very old plates being
transferred.
Seat belts on either side are recently added inertia reel
and ;lap sash in the middle
No overdrive to go scream as you drive and go wrong. I really try to avoid buying car with an overdrive. The more common
overdrives can be awkward to use, troublesome to maintain and really don't make
much of a practical difference for people.
Most of us use these cars as second cars on A & B roads near home. You just don't use
overdrive in that situation. If you want
to use the Landy a lot, it is better to add a
4 cyl LPG conversion for £720.00.
I had a telephone quote for the this size engine from a place near
Liverpool. This really pays as LPG 59.9p per litre right now on my high
performance super luxury, LWB Mercedes S500.
It is just so cheap and lots more fun than one of those economy tin
boxes that my girl friend drives. I
can't actually travel far in her car as my legs don't fit without jamming them
in!
Using LPG is cheaper to fit than an overdrive, saves a heck
of a lot more money than an overdrive and doesn't deafen you. At that price, you would save 50p per litre,
or £2.25 per gallon and you would re-fill about 10 gallons per tank of petrol. That means it will have paid for itself in 32
refills and after that you save bundles.
So it depends on how much you intend to drive as to how long it takes to
save the cost of installation. A tank a
week and you would break even in only 7.5 months! (approximately)
Negative points
I really can't think of any - and I am reasonably picky !
Summary
This is a great car that is runs brilliantly This car starts
quickly, even when dead cold, and runs strongly with no overheating, hesitancy
or misfiring. It has a gearbox with a
fluid but precise gear change action.
Steering is excellent (by Series standards), good ride and
none of the common transmission backlash etc. There really is nothing to
criticise, and it's up there with the best Series I or you will have ever
driven.
I have driven it over 220 miles includes 125 on motorways
and the rest in stop start local small trips and everything works
perfectly. The steering is tight and it
drives straight, stops quickly and straight, gearbox is firm, gear change is
easy and doesn't grate, and, the engine runs and idles exactly as it
should. Takes a full tank without fumes
or dripping so no leaks or split hoses there.
Stainless Steel sheer rating and vibration problems
Why not use Stainless steel bolts in a car? Mercedes, Ford
and other auto manufacturers don't use stainless steel in cars because this is
a soft and weak alloy material and instead they use high tensile steel.
Stainless steel has a very low sheer strength rating that can be a disaster in
auto accidents. To put in simply the
panels etc can shear straight through a stainless steel bolt whereas they can't
sheer through a high tensile bolt, hence their use in automobiles.
Also, vibration causes stainless steel bolts and nuts to
work loose (although using modern locking nuts helps) and the parts then can
come loose and/or cease to function.
Pricing on the vehicle is as follows
Price in current condition as described in the
specifications sheet and to be
verified by buyer inspection prior to delivery £4995.00
PAYMENT CASH ON COLLECTION
