57 Series I - I don't even know where to begin!

[tmattg]

New member and first time poster here! I hope this will be the first post of many.

Long story short.... my father suffered and survived a severe ruptured cerebral aneurysm a year and half ago. It has, and will continue to be a long and slow recovery. The good news is that he is just now starting to show some interest in continuing the restoration of his 57 Series I that had pretty much consumed him prior to his illness! The bad news is, he currently does not have the memory or the skills required for such a big job. I don't have a choice in the matter.... I have to make this happen for my dad!

If I had to summarize what stage of the project he was in when the work stopped, I'd have to say that he was at the step that reads....

"Assemble in reverse order".

What we currently have is a totally restored chassis and bulkhead, a new engine, a garage full of old and new parts, a ton of pictures of things I don't recognize, drawers full of nuts and bolts, a yard full of unrestored body parts, a dozen books on Rovers, and a stack of invoices from various parts houses..... oh yeah, and an totally awesome set of tools!

I've been trolling the forums for a few weeks, and trying to read up on the task ahead of me. This forum seems to be a friendly lot, and I certainly could use some sound advice!

The first thing I need to do is figure out exactly what we have (the details are a little fuzzy with my dad). I have included a link (https://picasaweb.google.com/101269049369269067683/LandRover?authuser=0&feat=directlink) to a web album of the before and after images. The bulkhead serial number is 111703327, which I believe is a 1957 Series I.

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-Pwt4e-8JWHM/TmtDiyliZvI/AAAAAAAAAF4/Q2A1CofE78c/s640/IMG_0190.JPG

The chassis and engine are where I get a little confused and could use some help. The chassis has been restored, including replacement of both the front spring hangers. Luckily, I was able to locate the old spring hangers, but I have not been able to find any information, or I'm to dumb to decipher the serial number. There are a few pictures of the old frame horn in the web album... the serial number appears to be:

546787 &TFC

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-SUU2Vo9OHFY/TmtKwnCAW5I/AAAAAAAAAHk/3QKlyhPdM_U/s640/IMG_0102.JPG

It doesn't match any of the documentation in the books I have, or various reference pages on the web?? Any ideas what this may be? I have confirmed that the wheel base is 86 inches.

I'm also not sure what engine has been installed?

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-wnodK9p_uu0/TmtGjCVBUGI/AAAAAAAAAHM/TUXyuz1WKeo/s640/IMG_0074.JPG

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-w_upHbXoaSY/TmtGk5Q5JII/AAAAAAAAAHQ/jVhiiUEKTQE/s640/IMG_0076.JPG

I'm sorry for the long post, If you made it this far without falling asleep or losing interest, I truly appreciate it! Any thoughts?

Thanks for your time, and in advance for any help!

Matt G.

[artpeck]

Welcome to the board. And I am sure all of us convey best wishes to your father and his recovery and to your commitment to continuing his project.

Were this a series 3 I could help more as I am in the middle of a similar project continuing to restore a 1973 for an uncle on my wife's side who was the original owner and is now quite elderly.

I am sure there are lots of people here who can help more specifically and best of luck.

[albersj51]

Hey Matt,

Welcome to the insanity! Sorry to hear about your dad, but it's great that youre going to continue his work.

For chassis/engine/gearbox ID, try www.lrfaq.org it's got all kinds of data on this. I can't say that it has series I info, but it's worth a look.

Jason

[stomper]

I'm not the best expert to help, but I will take a stab at your questions. It looks to me like you have a 2.25 3 bearing motor there. these were originally found in the series IIA early vehicles. They evolved into a 5 bearing unit at a later date, but many of the parts were interchangeable.

I see you have the rolling chasis with the brake lines installed. I would start by hanging the bulkhead, and then connecting up the steering linkages. the next step will be wiring, clutch assembly, brake assembly, and all the other things that are bolted to the bulkhead.

I wish your father a speedy recovery. you are a great son to be taking on this project with him! :thumb-up:

[Les Parker]

Welcome to RN's BBS.

I applaud your eagerness to complete your father's project and wish both him and yourself all the very best.

From the data given, the VIN plate is for a 1957 Series I 88".
Originally it would have had a 2.0 Litre engine fitted to it, though these are now somewhat scarce and expensive to rebuild.

RN can supply replacement seats for the vehicle, plus the seals, gaskets bearings for the axles etc.

Please keep us updated on the progress.

ATB

[tmattg]

Thanks to all for the good info!




From the data given, the VIN plate is for a 1957 Series I 88".



That's why I'm a bit confused and concerned. I'm almost certain the chasis is 86". Are there any other identifying marks that would help destinguish between an 86" and an 88"... other than just re-measuring? The chasis serial number I have doesn't match up to any online references I have found.

If it actually is 86", should I expect any issues using a a different bulkhead and an engine from a series II?

Thanks again for the help!

[westcoastkevin]

In addition to the great info here, you might want to ask over there too: http://www.lrsoc.com/forum/index.php?action=forum
For all things Series One.

[I Leak Oil]

The numbers on the VIN plate and chassis don't seem to match. I think they're supposed to.

[meatblanket]

Your radiator panel is definitely from an 88, not an 86.

Also, the Series II and later bulkhead is not interchangeble with a Series 1 bulkhead.

The 2.25 will fit without any trouble in an 88, but will require some minor modifications to fit in the 86 since the 2" difference is in the engine compartment.

[O'Brien]

Matt -

Not sure if he has checked out this thread, but Ike at Pangolin4x4 ("leafsprung" here on the forum) should be able to talk you through the differences if you can contact him via phone. I won't post his number here, but you can get it easily by visiting his site, pangolin4x4 (http://pangolin4x4.com/Welcome/Welcome.html) . Ike is a super great guy and can probably help you with measurements and or parts you may need. good luck and keep us up to date on the project!:thumb-up:

[meatblanket]

One other thing-- there is a book out there called Original Land Rover Series One by James Taylor. It is a restoration guide, and it contains a lot of quality photographs that are a big help answering questions about what was original for that vehicle.

I'd strongly recommend getting your hands on a copy.

Oh, and your bulkhead will be fine, I saw the pics and that is a Series 1 bulkhead.

Looks nice!

[Monkeyboy]

The Taylor book is again available at a reasonable price.

I bought a new one from Amazon a couple of weeks ago.

+1 on talking to Ike.


KAA

[siii8873]

Hmm, I see this same rover is still for sale at skytop rovers.

Good luck with the restoration.

[RoverForm]

everything currently on the skytop site has been sold. gabor hasn't been keeping up with his photo inventory...

[badger]

I'm not the best expert to help, but I will take a stab at your questions. It looks to me like you have a 2.25 3 bearing motor there. these were originally found in the series IIA early vehicles. They evolved into a 5 bearing unit at a later date, but many of the parts were interchangeable.

I see you have the rolling chasis with the brake lines installed. I would start by hanging the bulkhead, and then connecting up the steering linkages. the next step will be wiring, clutch assembly, brake assembly, and all the other things that are bolted to the bulkhead.

I wish your father a speedy recovery. you are a great son to be taking on this project with him! :thumb-up:

From the point where you're at, this is the way to proceed.

Bulkhead, and steering, then run the wiring. Remember the rear harness runs through the chassis.

Take heart: You're through the hardest part (Engine, transmission and brakelines).

Be very fussy when you install the bulkhead. It will affect how the steering column sets and how well the doors close.

That's an excellent project, btw.:thumb-up:

[tmattg]

Hmm, I see this same rover is still for sale at skytop rovers.Wow! I'd say his site is more than just a little bit out of date! I'm pretty sure my dad picked it up in 2007. He worked on it for a few years, and it has been sitting idle for about 18 months.

Thanks for the information though... before today, all I knew was that it came from Philadelphia.