Sellers Comments - Here for auction is the lovely ‘Ethel’, a fine example of a 1983 short wheelbase petrol Series III Land Rover. We purchased the car in February last year, as we had moved slightly further away from our horses, and needed to be able to get to them at any time, in any weather, particularly in the snow. Unfortunately, whilst she’s great for the short trip to the yard, longer trips are a bit of an undertaking in a Series III and the driving experience has not been passed as ‘wife friendly’. I’m ashamed to say, we’ve opted for a Jeep Cherokee instead so the much loved Landy needs a new home. So, we’ll get the bad bits out of the way first. The MOT expired on the 19th Nov 2015. I don’t think that there is a great deal to do though. The headlights need looking at as there is a wiring issue stopping them from switching to full beam. Embarrassingly this was introduced by yours truly, removing some huge spotlights that were fitted. Easy fix. You can have them if you want them as part of the deal. The only other issue I can think of for the MOT is that the brakes are a little grabby when coming to a halt, and pull right. The nearside brake also makes a grinding noise when releasing sometimes when cold. Probably a simple fix to suss once the drum is off, and I’m sure this is the source of the pulling as the offside is braking more efficiently. The good bits. I’d been driving the car on a regular basis, to my office about 5 miles away, and to the yard and she runs nicely. To improve things I had a new Webber carb fitted. She can be a little slow to start so I’ve also bought an electronic ignition kit which I haven’t had fitted but will include. The overdrive works, there are working freewheeling hubs, the chassis is good, and the bulkhead too. I haven’t offroaded her once in the time I’ve had her (it never even snowed in the end) so the body work is in fairly good condition for an old Series 3, despite the interesting camouflage paintjob that the last owner created. There are a few dings here and there, hopefully picked up in the photos. There’s a new silencer, new fuel pump, new master and slave clutch cylinders. I’ve also got an original oil bath filter to replace the K&N style one that the previous owner put on. You may also notice from the photos that there’s a sunroof and a cubby box where the centre seat goes. I have the centre seat from the previous owner which I’ll also include. I’ve tried to be as honest as possible and I think that covers most bits and pieces, but if you have any questions, just ask. If you are new to Series Land Rovers, please have a look before you bid, preferably at a few. This is a good one, but don’t expect anything like a normal car. I’m hoping that she’ll go to an enthusiast who knows what they are doing and can give this great old classic the attention and love that it deserves. I’m advertising elsewhere so I could end the auction early.
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