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well, for the record I am going to be 40 this Feb and this is my first one, I got it in July 
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1969 Series 2a Bugeye -
@ Achtung, with the amount of salt on the roads in northern New England, a galvanized frame replacement is the best choice when possible. I have one Rover with lots of patches - but they don't do much good when the area around the patch is rusting out, too.
My purchase of a Series Land Rover stemmed from an upbringing filled with British publications sent to my ex-pat mother from her family in the UK. Life took me to Vermont where I drove only British sports cars year-round, while cold and often snowbound because of that choice.
When British Leyland fled the US market in 1980, I found it more and more difficult to find parts for my '72 MG Midget. I tried a soft top CJ-5 and a CJ-7 during the 80's and found them entertaining, just as cold as my MG's and Triumphs, but really poorly put together. Friends had Land Rovers and swore by them, but I wasn't ready to re-enter the British car parts world yet.
When I moved to Maine in 1987 a '79 Spitfire became my daily driver. By 1990 I decided to step out on my own for work and knew that the Spitfire would not be the "you must get there no matter what" car. I bought my current '66 Land Rover in late 1991 with 111,000 miles and 400,000 miles later, it's still my daily driver for work and play.
JeffJeff Aronson
Vinalhaven, ME 04863
'66 Series II-A SW 88"
'66 Series II-A HT 88"
'80 Triumph TR-7 Spider
'80 Triumph Spitfire
'66 Corvair Monza Coupe
http://www.landroverwriter.comComment
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When I was growing up in a small Maine town in the 60s and 70s there was a small car dealership that sold Land Rovers- I would see it on my way to school. It must have left an impression on me because I always had it in the back of my mind to get one. My first one was a 1973 series III 88" which I did a lot of learning on; I had that from 1985-1990, then I got my current 1969 IIA 88" in 1994. (It's getting ready to turn over 100,000 miles on the new speedometer I put in in 1996.) I think I had that sort of wilderness/self sufficiency fantasy that you used to see in old Camel cigarette ads. The reality is a bit more like "can I make it home before I need to gas up," but still it's good to have a machine whose workings I understand (sort of). That's getting to be less and less the case with the devices we use.Tom
1969 Series IIA 88"
I like it because I understand how it works (mostly).Comment
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Ted,
It was Hampden, ME and I recognize the name Tibbets but I have it in mind that it was a place run by Roger Ellingwood, but maybe I'm mixing that name up with someone else somehow. It was in town near the intersection of Rt. 1A and Rt. 9, not far from the high school. There was a pastel green 109 there, I recall. I think the Rovers must have disappeared right around the 1974 ending of importing.
BTW, are you at that garage in Warren, ME? I had my Fairey overdrive rebuilt there. Sadly, it has disintegrated again and I'm using a Roverdrive now.
TomTom
1969 Series IIA 88"
I like it because I understand how it works (mostly).Comment
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Tom,
Should you ever want to return to the Fairey overdrives, Rovers Down South in New Orleans bought the line and carries all the parts for them.
JeffJeff Aronson
Vinalhaven, ME 04863
'66 Series II-A SW 88"
'66 Series II-A HT 88"
'80 Triumph TR-7 Spider
'80 Triumph Spitfire
'66 Corvair Monza Coupe
http://www.landroverwriter.comComment
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Jeff and all,
I THINK that George has discontinued making Fairey OD parts and units. I spoke with him last month about another part and asked him about it. IIRC, he has adequate stock on most things, but when it's gone it's gone.
In case anyone is on the fence about buying something, might be worth confirming that with him.
FYI
JulianJulian
72 Series III NAS
03 Disco
04 Freelander (sold, but still running strong)
2011 LR2 (Fuji White/Tan....per the wife
)
65 MGB / 73 MGBGT
71 RHD Hillman Super ImpComment
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Yup! Says it right on his site. Discontinued as of 12/11.
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Rovers
As a child I have always seen rovers on TV show and either associated them with the adventurous or the rich. Being I didn't grow up rich I figured I would grow up to be adventurous and joined the Army. For seventeen years I deployed around the world and always checked out the series trucks and defenders every where I went. Last year I got a pretty decent injury that would not allow me to deploy on my next trip and gave me a week in bed once I got out of surgery. My wife decided I needed an IPad to occupy my time. Was that a mistake...... I read everything I could find on rovers and decided I would have one within a month or two (caught the bug). I sold my jeep, duck hunting boat, and a gun in order to buy my current 11a 109. My wife said she regrets buying that IPad every day now because all she hears is rover stuff and all she smells is 90 wt!!!!1971 Ex Mod IIA 109
1985 D110
1998 D1 (Sold)Comment
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1958 107 SW - Sold to a better home
1965 109 SW - nearly running well
1966 88 SW - running but needing attention
1969 109 P-UP
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?ai...2&l=64cfe23aa2Comment
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Good boy, more fun than the ipad. Made good use of it though.
She'll get used to the 90wt..............eventually.Comment
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Jeff, et al-
I actually sent my Fairey overdrive to George in RDS in the hope that he could rebuild it- this was in 2009. He got right on it and sent back an email with a catalogue of pictures and basically said it was a lost cause. Only the casing was usable; all the internals were chewed up. Might have something to do with me letting it run dry of oil while on an extended trip in Argentina. Anyway, I'm happy with the Roverdrive. Quiet, for one thing.
Ted- I know I sold my '73 series III in 1990, but I'm afraid I don't recall everyone who came to check it out. I was living in Hebron, ME at the time. I think I sold it to someone from Manchester in the end. Needed money for grad school.
TomTom
1969 Series IIA 88"
I like it because I understand how it works (mostly).Comment
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Tom,
I had the same thing happen to my first Fairey when the drain plug fell out and I ran the Rover for many highway miles with no gear oil splashing about. The gears were blue in color and ruined. Only the casing was worth saving so I bought a new one and it's the same one that's on the car now.
So I try and change the gear oil annually to help extend the life of the overdrive. I'll have to try a Rover with a Roverdrive sometime.
JeffJeff Aronson
Vinalhaven, ME 04863
'66 Series II-A SW 88"
'66 Series II-A HT 88"
'80 Triumph TR-7 Spider
'80 Triumph Spitfire
'66 Corvair Monza Coupe
http://www.landroverwriter.comComment
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As usual I am a few days late and a lot of dollars short but would like to add my story, too. I saw my first Land Rover in the summer of '51 or '52 when we lived in Wenatchee, WA. There were a number of them around used as dual purpose agricultural vehicles in the orchards as were a lot of jeeps. I was interested but anything but a hand-me-down pre-war Ford was out of the question money-wise.
During the 1960s I drove several LRs but International Travelalls suited our needs better and a Rover was not in the budget.
Passing through London in the summer of '93 Discos were all over the place. We ordered one in the Spring of '94 and took delivery in June. We have used it for a lot of offroad trips. We did the 98 Border to Border trek - about half of the rigs were Series Rovers and they proved to be more reliable than the coilers.
When we got home I bought a 69 swb and a few years later a Series I 86. The Disco is in Vancouver now getting a diesel conversion at Don's Rovertech shop.
Cheers,
Brian on Kootenay LakeComment
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