What got you started in Land Rovers?

[lincoln lass]

In 1981 I bought my first Land Rover. A 1967 series 2A 109 straight 6 2600cc.

She was a beaut. In 1983 I sold her to take my now Wife on our 1st holiday together. My future father in law told me to keep the LR and dump his daughter. Hmmmm

After 26 years I still couldn't get rid of the need for another landy and so bought Lincoln Lass with my Wife's blessing. The rest is history.

Hope you like the photo's of the original 2A.

[mongoswede]

I am 35 years old...I say that for reference on cultural icons relevant to my age as a kid. I think I saw a clip of a camel trophy event on TV or I saw the rover in The first "The Gods Must be Crazy" movie and that sparked the initial interest. I always liked the way they looked to be quite honest...the idea about being able to undo the floor boards to get to the transmission etc. When I look at a Jeep I think "Eh..whatever". Rovers and land Cruisers illicit some inner urge to take on the wilds.

[bkreutz]

My first job as a mechanic was at a Land Rover dealership, that was 1967 and I was still in High School (they apparently weren't very strict about child labor laws:D) That lasted until the Army got in the way. Later on I worked at a LR dealership again (2002-2004) lots of things had changed.(including my abilities around machines). Now in my retirement I bought my SIII and it's a toy since I don't need a daily driver of any kind.

[derekchace]

Afer owning a 86 Jaguar XJ6 I wanted a British car with the least amount of Lucas electronics in it.

[TedW]

Afer owning a 86 Jaguar XJ6 I wanted a British car with the least amount of Lucas electronics in it.

And you got it!:D

[mearstrae]

Well, I guess it started wayyy back when with "Mutual of Omaha's, Wild Kingdom". They used some neat Land Rovers back in the '60's. I ran across a few during my days in the Army, with some Aussie Land Rovers. Then I got my first chance in the 80's with a Rover 3500S, not a Land Rover but fun anyway. I picked up my Series III in the mid 90's after I had retired, for something to play with (of course it had to be a V-8). My wife already had a R.R. Classic when we got married, so everything went well on that end.

'95 R.R. Classic LWB
'76 Series III Hybrid 109
'70 Rover 3500S

[1971Series88]

My Uncle in Australia owned a 72? SIII 110 and had it absolutely "decked out" for Expeditions, which he faithfully did each year, owning it from new - followed by two more I know of - completing many treks across the Gibson Desert, Canning Stock Route and N,S, E & W across Australia a number of times. This led to my passion with them from 5 years old up...I was hooked by shows such as The Leyland Brothers and Alby Mangels - Australian Adventure shows that featured them from time to time.

After spending time in the ADF and driving around in them (highly modified ;) ) I left Australia and went to Kenya where I was a safari guide in the various parks - driving both LR's and Unimogs.

Many years and exciting adventures since, I am settled in VA with enough disposable income (sometimes) to get involved again. I have had a 95 RRC LWB as a semi daily driver for 10 years. And have been looking for many for the right project Series...which I found right in time for a great Christmas Present!!

[Rat Patrol]

Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom and the Gods Must Be Crazy totally sold me. Not to mention the Brits had them and they were/ are way cooler than M151.

I bought ours about six years ago...73 88.

[jonnyc]

Back in the early '80s I spent almost a year in Australia. A month or so was spent on Magnetic Island, just off Townsville. I worked for a youth hostel and had free use of their old Mini and ex-military 109. I continually said to myself...Someday...Someday. Well, that day arrived about 12 or 13 years ago, and my old 1973 88" came home with me. My wife was FAR from happy at first, but now she regularly says "Let's take the fun car!"

[czenkov]

I remember seeing them in the 70's on Mutual of Omaha. That is not what got me into them. I was in B&N in 2002 looking at magazines and happened to pick up LROI. I was hooked but it took me a few years before I bought my first LR. All those magazines I bought in the meantime probably would have paid for the Rover! :o

[ThorH]

I have done the VW thing, I've done the Jeep thing, I've done the Land Cruiser thing. Now I have my '73 SIII. It must be a natural progression!

[westcoastkevin]

I was hooked by shows such as The Leyland Brothers and Alby Mangels - Australian Adventure shows that featured them from time to time.


I totally wanted to be Alby Mangels when I was a kid...... I still do really. He should be in some kind of hall of fame.

[LaneRover]

My older brother had a '66 88 and he rebuilt over a summer home in Maine. I loved driving around in it without the roof off it. I bought my first ('65 109SW) back in the late 80's from an estate in Biddeford Pool Maine, so I am its 2nd owner.

[keithg]

It was Wild Kingdom for me as a kid. They just looked so cool to me!

[deezgunz]

I first saw a 109 with the top off and the windscreen folded in the summertime when I was a young lad. Love at first sight.

[n_maher]

In 1991 my dad and I went halves on a '68 Series IIA. We found it while bringing my older brother to college. The hope was to work on it together and while we were successful at getting it back on the road in time for my 16th birthday ultimately a swiss cheese frame and persistent electrical issues forced it out of my life in the fall of '93. I've missed it ever since. I've toyed with the idea of picking one up again for about the last 10 years and with 90's and 110's finally reaching an importable age I hope to bring one back into the fold in the next couple of years.

[Sputnicker]

I bought my 60 Series 2 88 in 1975 on a lark and still have it. A friend of mine who worked at the Land Rover dealership in Phoenix told me about an elderly couple who were selling a well-cared for Land Rover for $600 (which they had bought new). I jumped on it. Maybe the best $600 I ever spent.

The Wild Kingdom and a few old movies probably planted the seed when I was a kid. I was also a British car mechanic at the time and the old timers I worked with had a pretty high regard for Land Rovers.

[artpeck]

My grandparents essentially retired to east Africa when I was growing up and came back a few times a year with pictures. Most had landles in them. In the early 80s I lived in southern Africa and landies were part of the experience. In the mid 90s we took our kids on extended safari and once again, landies were everywhere. I then got involved in (RED) focused on eliminating HIV, TB and malaria on the African continent (work in progress but huge progress made so check it out if you are interested. http://www.joinred.com/red/ )and that took me back again many times. A theme here...the amazing place that Africa is became intertwined with Land Rovers so my interest was probably bringing a bit of that home. Started with a 98 Disco, then a 2006 RR, a 1995 D-90 and now the 1973 S3. Sorry for the long answer but they are special and have an emotional lure that few other marques have...at least to me.

[smukai]

The Rover passion probably extends back to around the first time I saw "The Gods Must be Crazy" around junior high ('89?). Then came the BF Goodrich ads I saw with the AT's mounted to the Defender.

Tried to get an 88" back in the mid-'90's. My Dad and I took one for a test drive and assumed something was wrong with the tranny when 2nd would only grind. Dad just laughed the entire time.

Finally got my 109 in the end of '99.

10 years to realize a dream...not so bad!

[1971Series88]

I totally wanted to be Alby Mangels when I was a kid...... I still do really. He should be in some kind of hall of fame.

Dude....remember all the hot chicks in bikinis he always traveled with!!! Not to mention his boat....holy crap I lived vicariously through him as a teenager! :thumb-up::thumb-up:

[westcoastkevin]

Dude....remember all the hot chicks in bikinis he always traveled with!!! Not to mention his boat....holy crap I lived vicariously through him as a teenager! :thumb-up::thumb-up:

That is the same guy......

[garycox]

I don't own a LR as yet. My interest is peaked by several things.

I have owned a few British vehicles and profess a real weakness for the need to have another.

Like many here have stated my first recollections of Landys was seeing Marlon and Jim in the wilds of Africa. That show must have been pretty popular. Who would have thunk so many here cited it as a source of starting the LR flame. They just look so cool in those shows.

Interestingly I looked up a few old episodes on YouTube to see if it was like I recall and in one they roamed about in FJ40's. So there is that too.

[mrdoiron]

For me, I started out in Canada with a Jeep, then as jobs got better eventually a LR Disco - totaled it in a snowstorm, but was amazed at the front crumple zone cushion affect to absorb the energy. Then got another, that went to the wife eventually, and got a RR. From there the obvious interest in history and started admiring older series, and watched for opptys to get one.

Eventually did, and since then 2 Ser IIa's and SerIII ltwgt, dumped the newer Disco and RR.
Kinda still a love-hate relationship :-)

mike

[knac1234]

Growing up, "Auntie" Ann had one to run around in the muddy fields of her farm across from us in the Cotswolds (Nailsworth). Was only 10 when I left the UK, but I remember her 88 marine blue Landy (too young to remember if it was a 2, 2a, or 3!!). Then, of course, all of the references in movies, safaris, Africa, etc...

Always wanted one, but living in So Cal the other sentimental Brit cars came first (MGs and Imp). Bought a Freelander when working in the So Cal mountains for the snow (loved it.....maybe I'm one of the few). Moved to Colorado and needed another 4wd for the new wife.....got a Disco. Then, after being tired of the 2wd F150 in the winter, sold it and bought the Series III.....wanted a classic that could handle the snow and did not have to stay in the garage like the MGs and the Imp 5 months of the year or so!

And now, the wife is converted, as she "requested" we trade in the Freelander for a new LR2....made that trade a couple months ago!

Julian

[Cutter]

Like most I saw the Gods Must be Crazy but I didn't really catch the bug through that, but it was probably my first exposure. The real bite was when my good friend from college got a ex-mod SIII when we lived in Boston post graduation. He didn't have anywhere to work on it so we would wrench in alleys and things around town. It was a blast to drive around in, go camping and off-roading in. I loved the minimalism, simplicity and looks of the things, and 10 years late had the chance to jump in so I took it.

I honestly haven't had a chance to off road my 109 really, which kills me since driving it around town seems like a horrible underutilization. Regardless, it puts a big smile on my face to drive it in any fashion.

[LR Max]

When I was 14, my dad and I were really into hunting. Literally, every weekend we were out there following something or shooting at something. At the time he drove a 95 disco and the space inside was pretty crappy when you start adding big coolers, climbers, big gun cases, etc.

So one day my father's co-worker hears from his friends friends sisters father (keep on going!) that he is selling this old truck. My father and I go see it since we wanted something that could hit a tree and win (he was a little protective of the discovery). Its the 1973 Land Rover 109. I fall in love with this thing. I then spend the next four months, everyday, trying to convince my father to buy it.

He bought it. After a year of misery, it ran and drove. It was my first car and only car until half way through college. Yes, we used it for hunting but also I drove it, it was my daily driver. Both parents were surprised that I stuck with it and continue to be amazed that I'm still focused on it after so many years.

Heck, we just getting started :cool:

[Les Parker]

So many '60's references though none of Daktari my first sighting of a Series Landrover on TV. In black and white and still enjoyed it !!

:cool:

[o2batsea]

As I watched the last two of my Willys station wagons go off into the sunset, my wife's words to me were something along the lines of "no more projects or antiques"
Not two weeks later she bought the 1966 109 for me for a fifth wedding anniversary. That was 18 years ago

[lincoln lass]

Seems that I started sumat. :D

What about some old photos?

[Skookumchuck]

Africa has always facinated me and what says Africa better than a Land Rover. I also saw the Gods must be Crazy and finnally after three years of looking bought the Red Rover. It is the only thing I drve now. she is off road at least once per week but it helps when you live in the mountains.

[lincoln lass]

Great looking landy.

What's the make and size of tyres you've got on there?

Brian

[Pete]

My first Rover and still my driver was purchases 24 years ago. I was 15 just getting my permit and my cousin M Capozza had a couple of heavily modified Rovers that I would always drool over. After seeing his trucks I had to have one. In my search for a Rover, my father came accross a 1963 Ford Thunderbird and I had to make a decision, was my first car going to be a 1963 Ford Thunderbird or a 1972 SIII LR. After inspecting the Rover with my cousin and taking it for a test drive (both on and off road) he convinced me it was a no brainer.....been driving it ever since.

[LaneRover]

My first Rover and still my driver was purchases 24 years ago. I was 15 just getting my permit and my cousin M Capozza had a couple of heavily modified Rovers that I would always drool over. After seeing his trucks I had to have one. In my search for a Rover, my father came accross a 1963 Ford Thunderbird and I had to make a decision, was my first car going to be a 1963 Ford Thunderbird or a 1972 SIII LR. After inspecting the Rover with my cousin and taking it for a test drive (both on and off road) he convinced me it was a no brainer.....been driving it ever since.

You're cousin is a great guy, I try to stop in and see him when I am in Maine. Don't always make it but it is always good to see him when I do.

[jac04]

About 23 years ago I was living in York Harbor Maine. One day I saw this crazy cool vehicle. A marine blue 1969 IIA 88". It had a roof rack & Michelin XCLs on it including one on the hood and one on the rear door. I knew right then that I just had to have one. Turned out that it belonged to the father of a girl I worked with at my summer job. I got to talking with him and he put me in touch with (the late) Ron Mowry, who had a farm that was just full of Land Rovers - Rovers parked everywhere and barns full of rover parts.

Ron informed me about how my daily car was "vanilla" and it was now time to sample some of the flavors available. I looked around for a little while and ended up buying 2 Land Rovers from an old guy in Keene, NH. One was a 71 88" and the other was a 63 88" pickup all original with 53k on the clock. Both were running & driving & complete. I bought them both for $2000. Man, those were the days. I guess the rest is history.

[TeriAnn]

Back in the 1950's travelogues were common shows on US television and I watched everyone I could find, learning that there were places and things outside the normal paths set out for young girls. Just about every travelogue that was filmed outside North America was shot from a Land Rover. The farther from civilization, the more apt the mode of transportation was a Land Rover. Then in the early 1960's naturalist Marlin Perkins drove a Land Rover in his show "The Wild Kingdom". When growing up I got it into my mind that if one were to travel off the map into the unknown, where the map legend warns "Here be dragons", the only vehicle that will get you there and back again was a Land Rover.

During my last year of college I saw my first Land Rover in person. I was renting a room in a large house with several other students near campus, one of whom worked on cars to gain rent and spending money. He took in a 109 station wagon to replace the inner hub seals. When I first saw it I was overawed. Before me was a charismatic legend out of my childhood. The vehicle that could take me to any place I could want to go.

A few years later, while I was living in Seattle and looking for a used car I saw an add for a 1968 Land Rover 88. My soul cried for freedom from the mundane and I took her home. I learned what the knobs did and started my first tentative ventures off road.

Then more boldly ventured off the road maps just to see if what was around the next bend or over the next hill. Confident that my Land Rover would make it past any dragons who lair off the maps.

[TedW]

Does anyone remember a book called "Forty Years of Land Rovers (or something like that)?" I came upon a copy in the late '80s and was bitten by the kool photos of what I would later learn were Series trucks.

A short time later I was shown a Marine blue SIII under plastic in my wife's grandfather's barn. Totally rusted out, but that point the hook was set so I started looking in earnest for a good project truck.

It wasn't long (August of '91) before I found a reasonably nice 1970 IIA. I still have it (see avatar). I got the name of the original owner and spoke to him - turns out he bought the truck new at Tibbetts Auto in Hampden, Maine - about 5 miles from where I grew up. I would have been 11 when he got it.

He also told me that he rolled it over once - which explained why a few things were a bit "crooked."

[Escargo]

I'm with you, Les. It was Daktari! 35 years later I started dealing with Creed in Montana, where I lived, to build a series on a 110 frame. Three years later I traded for an 88 in his yard that came out of Canada(?). After messing with that for a frustrating year, I sent it to Lanny. Best decision i ever made. That was five years ago and I'm sure I would still have it in a pile of pieces rather than enjoying it.
Hans

[REDrum]

My father sold Landys when I was a kid (and other British Layland). Father had a SIIA 109 & my mom had a SIII 88 (and 2 MG 1100s) And when other families had mercury outboards on skiffs, we had British Seagulls. We were THAT family on the block...

The first car I drove was a landy 109, with no syncro anything. Weekends my father and I would drive to the beach in the 109 and pull out stuck cars and trucks w/ the PTO winch.

I was also addicted to Daktari as a child, and some day I will own a zebra striped land something. Wife vetoed the LWB Zebra RR for sale in Fla :(

So that started it for me, its in my DNA Since then....

Almost bought a D90 in 95 when they came out, almost... (woulda, coulda, shoulda...)

And, in some sort of rebelious way, I've owned (5) Land Cruisers (2 fj40s, fj60, ujz100) and loved'm all. But, next week I take delivery of my first Landy, a '76 SIII!!!!

But not selling the UJz100 quite yet...

[ybt502r]

I'm with Les…it was Daktari on TV, with a little MofO's Wild Kingdom thrown in. I loved the Daktari Rover that was painted like a zebra. And then I read Born Free, which also had pictures of living in Africa with a Rover. So all three hit the same button - Africa, in the wild, in a Series Rover.

That's probably why I bought a Land Cruiser first (and second), then a Jeep, before I was able to actually get a SIII.

[bmohan55]

I stumbled on to Rovers, while looking to replace the wife's Jeep Cherokee we test drove a 2004 Disco and loved it. Later we joined the Rover Owners Association of Virginia (ROAV) and attended their outings in it. We were blown away by it's capibilities! After a time I started noticing those Series trucks, those drivers really seemed to be having alot more fun on the trails!
Few years later I bought my Series 3, paid too much for it and have put way too much into it to get her right (still not done) but I don't have any regrets...the wife on the other hand, well....

[73series88]

because there so different.
aaron

[amcordo]

My reason is kind of rediculous. I started playing a game called FarCry 2. There are a bunch of vehicles in it, including jeeps. But my favorite was this little number:
http://guides.gamepressure.com/farcry2/gfx/word/1578439359.jpg

[fishguy]

Back in 1994 or 95 friends I had known for a few years (who had a 109) invited us to go camping with them for a weekend...it was a rally...I saw the first 88's I can remember there and had to have one. Skip ahead about 2 years and I purchased a disassembled SIII...spent a bit over a year putting it back together and drove it for the next 10. Then the frame split and now I'm building it again. Only better, and more slowly :)

[siii8873]

my illness (as my friend calls it) began when I was looking for an older 4wd. I was at a party and got talking to a guy who was restoring one.
We talked on for some time and afterwards it sparked my interest. One then came up for sale locally and I bought it. Pulled it in the garage to repair a tstat leak. Ended up doing a frame swap and reconditioning the entire truck. Have bought 3 of them since and drive one every day. Ended up selling the one I restored.

[lincoln lass]

It amazes me that you all love Land Rovers as much as you do and have a very similar thread of why you do.

As Iv'e said elsewhere in the forum, the best help I had when restoring LL was off this forum and it's technical section.

Keep em coming.

[kwd509]

Illness, I like that.

I caught the bug early in life. My father bought his 2a in late 63, had it shipped to Boston and drove it to Tennessee for use as a farm vehicle. It served as a utility vehicle but also was what my siblings and I learned to drive (after a tractor). My father loved the vehicle and the diesel engine. As a little kid I took up his pride and interest. As a teen I once drove it high in the mountains, above strip mines to the site of a long ago plan crash that had been 'inaccessible by rescue squad jeeps.......I've always wanted one, and wanted that particular truck.

I am very lucky to have had the unexpected opportunity to reclaim it after it stood abandoned for a little over 30 years. It is coming together as a project, slowly, as I l enjoyably learn..... and as the cleaning/repair is almost a reverent exercise on behalf of my late parents.

Two photos- one from 1964,- I'm six, and a second one from 2010 as my son and I first arrive at the long lost truck

[achtung]

Illness, I like that.

I caught the bug early in life. My father bought his 2a in late 63, had it shipped to Boston and drove it to Tennessee for use as a farm vehicle. It served as a utility vehicle but also was what my siblings and I learned to drive (after a tractor). My father loved the vehicle and the diesel engine. As a little kid I took up his pride and interest. As a teen I once drove it high in the mountains, above strip mines to the site of a long ago plan crash that had been 'inaccessible by rescue squad jeeps.......I've always wanted one, and wanted that particular truck.

I am very lucky to have had the unexpected opportunity to reclaim it after it stood abandoned for a little over 30 years. It is coming together as a project, slowly, as I l enjoyably learn..... and as the cleaning/repair is almost a reverent exercise on behalf of my late parents.

Two photos- one from 1964,- I'm six, and a second one from 2010 as my son and I first arrive at the long lost truck

Great story. Thanks for sharing. Any build photos?

[Hormel]

I caught the bug back in high school when my mother bought a used Marine Blue 67' 109 NADA as a truck to have for the snowy winters near Chicago. She drove it with fuzzy dice and a pith helmet. As teenagers we had a couple of great years of fun with it and learned how to wrench on it. While we used it we managed to collapse an outrigger off-roading (no surprise it was rusted from the salted roads), broke the half shafts trying to push start it in reverse, burned out a valve, and had first gear give out.

We had a good Land Rover mechanic but cost got to high especially after we tipped it onto its side off-road. Eventually she sold it off to a bar owner from north of chicago (maybe wisconsin) who covered our dining room table in stacks of small denomination bills, likely his tips. Looking back with a lot of years perspective it is interesting that most of the breakdowns are such known problems now.

25 years later for my mid-life crisis I bought a Marine Blue '65 109 from a doc in Ellensburg, WA and brought it over to Seattle where I live now. Have had a lot of fun with it and hope to restore and have my kids learn how to drive a stick on it. Of course we have our own fuzzy dice and pith helmets.

Still miss the sweet sound of the 6 cylinder the NADA it had. I always check the NADA forum section to see if it ever turns up. So if you have a '67 Marine Blue, 109, Warn winch, Maybe a little light damage the the LF fender and driver's door that has spent time in the midwest, you may have my truck.

John

[kwd509]

Great story. Thanks for sharing. Any build photos?

here are random shots of the slow process of learning. It is coming along. Hope to drive the truck in 2012.

[achtung]

here are random shots of the slow process of learning. It is coming along. Hope to drive the truck in 2012.

From the looks of that last picture it appears to have had some frame repair. I see so meany people replacing frames with galvi units and have been thinking that unless it were very far gone it would be much easier and less expensive to just weld plate in over the rusted parts. Is this what you've done and is it a common practice?

[msggunny]

Mine was a combination of my own maturation process as well as being immersed in the "LR" experience.

I started out with Jeeps, and actually remember in the early 90's when the D90 was crowned as the 4x4 of the year by a off road mag as being mad and thinking that Land Rovers were for snobs.

In the late 90's I did a training op with the Rangers when I was at Ft Knox. They had a few 110's that were tricked out and were far from what the image I had about Land Rovers. Started to do some research on Land Rovers as a whole and it started to change my mind.

A few years later when I was stationed in Uganda I came across an awesome deal on a 91 3 door Discovery. That started the disease. I took it all over Uganda and toured several National Parks in it. I bought the SIII 88, that I still have, and I ended up driving it more than the Disco. After having it shipped to Zimbabwe I had some work done to it there by my now father in laws shop and took it on a few trips in Zim.

After shipping it back to the USA, the SIII was my daily driver for quite a while. Even after buying a wrecked D1 and rebuilding it, which my wife quickly took as her own. I finally got the D1 when I found her a nice 04D2, all of which we still have.

Even with the ass pain that I have felt with all of my rovers I still love them. Guess I bleed green, and not just Marine Corps Green.....

91 D1
http://i167.photobucket.com/albums/u125/msggunny/Land%20Rover/DSC02052.jpg

My SIII when I bought it:
http://i167.photobucket.com/albums/u125/msggunny/Land%20Rover/RichworkingonDino2.jpg

The D1
http://i167.photobucket.com/albums/u125/msggunny/Land%20Rover/Picture1096.jpg

04D2:
http://i167.photobucket.com/albums/u125/msggunny/IMG_0036.jpg

[derekchace]

Gunny if you netlike the Ranger Defeneders you should check out the SAS and Para recycle ones. A couple cool ones up for sale in the UK

[kwd509]

From the looks of that last picture it appears to have had some frame repair. I see so meany people replacing frames with galvi units and have been thinking that unless it were very far gone it would be much easier and less expensive to just weld plate in over the rusted parts. Is this what you've done and is it a common practice?
Actually, frame repair- none yet, it is quite solid, having never seen road salt in Tennessee.... Thus far simply cleaning surface rust and painting w por15. There will be some footwell repair to the bulkhead, but the sole frame welding repair will be to a relatively small hole 1.5 inches across, just below the battery/air breather.... At some point acid must have acted on the frame. Thus, the frame is solid and my restoration is driven by the desire for a serviceable truck, and also limited funds. Would love to have time, funds and energy to galvanize door frames and such, But I will take this only so far. I joke that maybe my son will take it a step further in the future.

[smukai]

Illness, I like that.

I caught the bug early in life. My father bought his 2a in late 63, had it shipped to Boston and drove it to Tennessee for use as a farm vehicle. It served as a utility vehicle but also was what my siblings and I learned to drive (after a tractor). My father loved the vehicle and the diesel engine. As a little kid I took up his pride and interest. As a teen I once drove it high in the mountains, above strip mines to the site of a long ago plan crash that had been 'inaccessible by rescue squad jeeps.......I've always wanted one, and wanted that particular truck.

I am very lucky to have had the unexpected opportunity to reclaim it after it stood abandoned for a little over 30 years. It is coming together as a project, slowly, as I l enjoyably learn..... and as the cleaning/repair is almost a reverent exercise on behalf of my late parents.

Two photos- one from 1964,- I'm six, and a second one from 2010 as my son and I first arrive at the long lost truck

This is a wonderful story!

[zayante]

It started with on of my favorite toys, a Dinky Toy 88 in Green. At about that time (1959?) I also got a Matchbox Lesney 4-1/2 Liter 1929 Bentley, now one of my other favorite cars. Funny how that works. I still have them.

Like a lot of you, those Fifties and Sixties travelogues and African safari movies were a big on me influence, too. I remember one featuring a British couple traveling all over Palestine in a LR and thinking how cool that was.

Out of college I was looking for a 4X4 station wagon to go hunting in, and wanted something more interesting than my buddy's 70's Power Wagon, so considered either a LR or a Land Cruiser. A '72 FJ-55 won out, mostly because parts were more readily available in Santa Cruz and marginally better daily drivers. I didn't count on the fact that the body of an FJ-55 was horribly rust-prone - it barely outlasted my ownership.

I've owned a number of British cars, and got interested in Land Rovers again at the El Camino Park Days on the Green in the Nineties. Talking to some Mendo Recce folks and looking at a number of LR web sites sealed the deal (special thanks to TeriAnn!)

[cedryck]

Drove to Maine with a friend in a series 3 88, did some four wheeling, drove back, helped some people on the highway with a busted rear brake line, they bought us gas, had a blast that weekend, bought an ex mod 88 soon there after, been hooked since. :thumb-up::thumb-up:Cheers everyone!

[Billy5]

I watched the usual shows as everyone else and saw it there. But every documentary I see involving the dessert or jungle, 99 times out of a 100, its a Land Rover they use. So I said if its good enough and tough enough for there, than it must be for me. I like ( or love) the fact its spartan, no heated seats, heated mirrors, no radio ( at least mine doesnt have one). I had an FJ40 as well, and I like this better. So after much thought, I cashed in some 401k money and bought a 69 88 bugeye. From a member on here I might add. Sold the Volvo v50 and been driving ever since. I can work on it, parts are just about everywhere ( most), and I am in no danger of seeing another parked at the coffee house anytime soon. But having said that, there will be a get together next week that I dont know about...lol.

[LaneRover]

Though my older brother had a '66 88, that wasn't the first seed that was planted. My grandmother used to work for G Fox in Hartford and I remember one time she took me in the store and I was able to pick out a toy. So I got the zebra striped 109 Land Rover from Daktari. It also had the cross eyed lion and the monkey. I lost the other figures years ago but I still have that Daktari 109. Missing a couple wheels now . . .

[TedW]

So I got the zebra striped 109 Land Rover from Daktari. It also had the cross eyed lion and the monkey.

IIRC the crosseyed lion was named Clarence and the chimp was Judy...........:D

[willincalgary]

I sort of lucked in to a Land Rover. My family emigrated to Canada from Britain in the 70's when I was tiny and for years my father always had a hankering for a British toy car like an MGB or TR6. Eventually he realized that a Land Rover would be far more practical and easier to maintain with the added benefit he could drive it year round. He bought the Rover from a welder who had it stashed in a barn for twenty years. In 2000-2001 I helped my Dad with a substantial mechanical rebuild of the Rover starting with a new galvanized chassis.
In 2006 my parents parted ways and my father lost his garage space. He wasn't using the Rover and my mother essentially told him to offer it to me as I had helped out with the restoration. I had it shipped out West and have enjoyed it ever since.
I think the appeal of the Land Rover for me is it's minimalist utility. It sort of suits my character as I abhor excessive comfort when I camp, commute and do anything really. I am a geologist and the Rover also provides a means to reach some difficult to access areas. This spring I will be driving around the SW US, up through Canada and into the Yukon doing fieldwork in support of my Ph.D. Planning to sleep in the Rover to keep costs down. I guess in reality I am just shifting the costs from accommodations to fuel!
I must be too young because I have never seen any of the travelogues you guys mention. Perhaps I will take a look around on YouTube if somebody will post some titles.

[Billy5]

well, for the record I am going to be 40 this Feb and this is my first one, I got it in July :)

[Jeff Aronson]

@ 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.

Jeff

[tmckeon88]

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.

[TedW]

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.

You wouldn't be talking about Tibbetts Auto in Hampden, would you?

[tmckeon88]

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.

Tom

[TedW]

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.

Tom

Hi Tom:

Yes, you are referring to Tibbetts Auto. My truck was sold there new to its original owner in 1970.

I live in Falmouth; we met back around 1990, when I test drove a series truck you were selling. It might be the truck you referred to above.

[Jeff Aronson]

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.

Jeff

[knac1234]

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
Julian

[albersj51]

Yup! Says it right on his site. Discontinued as of 12/11.

http://www.faireyoverdrive.com/

[Ncrover725]

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!!!!

[LaneRover]

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!!!!

and people say that technology is bad . . .:D

[lincoln lass]

Good boy, more fun than the ipad. Made good use of it though.

She'll get used to the 90wt..............eventually.

[tmckeon88]

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.

Tom

[Jeff Aronson]

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.

Jeff

[Brian Holmes]

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 Lake

[Ross72SIII]

In Iraq in 2006 somehow my team was able to beg/borrow/steal a few brand new 110's. One even had an ambulance conversion. We drove them everywhere and it was my first experience with Land Rovers. The vehicles were the most sturdy, well designed, and besides a HMMWV, the best off road I had ever come across. Last summer after coming home from overseas again an Army buddy showed up with his Ex Mod 72 SIII. The steering wheel had about a half a meter of play in it and the thing was a dog but I loved it...so did my girlfriend (minus the 90wt smell!). He and I drove down to NH to look at an SIII 109 which had been nicely refurbished by a private collector. It had sat for about 5 years but fired right up. After a test drive and some bartering I paid cash, jumped in, and drove it 300 km home...No problems, all smiles. Been in love ever since. Yes, it has its quirks from time to time, and some parts are quite expensive, but what the hell...anyone can own a jeep right?

[printjunky]

Between the Air Force and college I was living with my parents in Conway, NH to save some money and I needed to replace a recently totalled CJ7.*

I went looking for an affordable, work-onable (in fact, preferably needing work) 4x4. My first choice was FJ-40s. Loved 'em, but couldn't find anything without a TON of rust. Didn't even know much about Rovers at the time, really. (though I'd recently lived in Burlington for a year, so had some exposure). Somehow I learned that a guy that worked at Bob Duncan Camera in N.Conway had an SIII 88" about 85% restored in a barn in town. Fell in love enough to somehow scrape up the $2,500 and bought it. Worked on it for several months (full engine rebuild - pistons, bearings, etc). Coincidentally, right before I had it on the road, I found another SIII trop top behind a barn in Chatham for $50 (!!) that ran after about 8 hours of tinkering. I parked the first one, and drove the second to college.

Tragic sidenote, the first one ended up (loaded with THOUSANDS in spare parts) getting towed to a salvage yard when my buddy sold the business it was parked at (and I was 4 hours away at Umaine). And the second one (after blowing the rear main) as far as I know, is still behind an ex-girlfriends father's barn in North Dakota. Luckily, a few years ago, I found a 73 in Wisconsin and was able to buy it. Now my daily driver.

* (Southbound tractor trailer hit a moose on 16 in Ossipee and jackknifed across the road - I came around the corner 2:30am, bit misty, and saw a guy waving at me in coveralls on the side of the road, thought "What the ... !?!?" He was trying to warn me, but what he actually did was distract me from the road. When I turned back to the road, there was the box across the road with no lights on it. Too late. Plowed the jeep into the front left corner of the box hard enough to splay open the block. Woulda been skewered on the column without that seatbelt!)

[Jazzop]

It was around 2001 or so when someone ran a red light and totalled my immaculate 1991 Honda CRX Si. I searched for a few months trying to find another CRX that hadn't been riced beyond recognition, and after no luck, I decided to spend my insurance check on something British to complement my MkI Mini Cooper S. I almost pounced on a Triumph GT6 locally, but it had too many issues. So, I looked for an affordable, pre-1968 British contraption with a reputation for ease of repair, and came up with the Rover.

I ended up buying a 1965 IIA 88 RHD located 350 miles away. It was in worse shape than I thought, and the drive home took 3 consecutive weekends (I was in college and couldn't miss classes, plus the time lag in ordering parts from RN for the roadside repairs). After a month of heavy-duty sorting, I got the IIA in daily-driver condition, and used it as such for over a year, until I got another Honda.

[dabawei]

Childhood friend;) start driving it and learning on manual gear when I was 14years younger, and wish my son do the same:D so I decide to get same vechile since it is available not yet sold:p