New to Rovers...

[AZBadseed]

My name's Mike....i'm out of South AZ and looking at my first rover. I have some basic questions about the truck i'm looking at before i go ahead and buy it. I apologize if they have already been covered (i'm sure they have). But i am just looking to get some good info before my big purchase.

The truck is a 1965 Series IIa 88". Its a 2.25L Petrol Engine, RHD, PTO Capstan Winch (front bumper). It's got both center headlights and wing headlights. It's got some nice add-ons, like petronix inginition (no points), a land rover alternator instead of the old generator, wired negative to ground, spin-on oil filter adapter, some new wiring, and some new suspension and mounting hardware. It's a clean looking little truck with little rust on the steel parts but nothing serious.

I'm just wondering about parts availability for such a rover. (It looks like the Rovers North has quite a good catalog and stock of parts though)
My old man said that parts are tough to come by and expensive, from his early 80's experience with a buddies 109". I think with the internet and processes that have evloved since then, it might be a little easier to get ahold of parts. Not sure though.

Also wondering about reliability and range of these things. What is the capacity of the fuel tank, and the average range of the rover? I'm not worried about setting the world on fire, just looking to be able to get from station to station without worrying about jerry cans. I'm sure when taken care of they are as reliable as anything else, but are they really.

I have a few more questions but if this post gets any longer no one will read through it! haha

thanks again everybody....lookin forward to the first rover coming soon!

Mike

[scott]

hey mike

parts are easy and as for reliability i've heard figures like 75% of all rover made are still running. RN is only one of a dozen sources of new parts and places like e-bay are full of 'em. me i've a small pile of spares. don't know about the % of iia's but i can say mine has failed me only because of my stupidity.

i put on the spin-on oil adapter backwards. ran fine for 2 year until an oil change with a new filter that had an anti-backflow valve in it was put on, now i've got a brand new rebuilt engine.

i installed a 80 amp altenator and dual batteries, again ran great 'til it sat for a while and the batts ran down, fire right up and the altenator senced the low batteries and sarted crank'n out the amps which still ran through the old ampmeter, it fried. now i've a voltmeter.

the headlights on the wings hit the market in '69 so the one you're looking at must have been refitted with later wing front panels.

if you buy it and every find yourself in albuquerque stop by

[Jeff Aronson]

New To Rovers

[quote=AZBadseed]My name's Mike....i'm out of South AZ and looking at my first rover. I have some basic questions about the truck i'm looking at before i go ahead and buy it. I apologize if they have already been covered (i'm sure they have). But i am just looking to get some good info before my big purchase.

Mi Mike,

>Welcome to the Land Rover community. There are no "basic questions" - you've found the right place to get answers to all your questions.

The truck is a 1965 Series IIa 88". Its a 2.25L Petrol Engine, RHD, PTO Capstan Winch (front bumper). It's got both center headlights and wing headlights. It's got some nice add-ons, like petronix inginition (no points), a land rover alternator instead of the old generator, wired negative to ground, spin-on oil filter adapter, some new wiring, and some new suspension and mounting hardware. It's a clean looking little truck with little rust on the steel parts but nothing serious.

>Like many Rovers that were bought directly from England, yours has some "bitsa" qualities - a bit of this and a bit of that. As you know, the grill headlights are original to the vehicle. The wings are not until the "bugeye" model of 1969 [1968 in England] so someone replaced the fenders on yours. It does give you a wider coverage area in night driving.

>The PTO capstan winch is a personal favorite of mine, but its not as perfect for one-man recovery winching as an electric winch. And, of course, the motor must run for it to work. Not every off road situation involves the motor running properly . Speaking of your capstan winch, do you have the shortened crank, too?

>The Petronix is a mixed blessing. Yes, you can avoid issues with points -I've been there - but when the unit fails, the car is stranded until you repair it or put in a new one. With points, the problem is much easier to fix as a "field repair." The spin on adapter is cleaner and lets you use contemporary oil filters, but I've never converted to one.

>The alternator conversion is more effective charging the battery than a generator at idle and low speeds [I have one alternator conversion and one generator on my II-A's]. However, I was able to repair the generator for $10 of parts whereas the alternator seems to always require replacement. They do last longer, though, and you now have a negative ground system, which makes aftermarket radios, GPS, etc, easier to install.

>If you have a completely dead battery, the alternator won't have get enough voltage for a crank start whereas the generator does not require power from the battery to "excite" it.

I'm just wondering about parts availability for such a rover. (It looks like the Rovers North has quite a good catalog and stock of parts though)
My old man said that parts are tough to come by and expensive, from his early 80's experience with a buddies 109". I think with the internet and processes that have evloved since then, it might be a little easier to get ahold of parts. Not sure though.

>I've owned a Land Rover for 18 years and British cars since the 1968. Parts are vastly easier to come by now than they were when MG, Triumph, Land Rover, and British Leyland ran their own separate parts networks. I use my Land Rovers daily and have never been held up for a vital repair part through Rovers North.

Also wondering about reliability and range of these things. What is the capacity of the fuel tank, and the average range of the rover? I'm not worried about setting the world on fire, just looking to be able to get from station to station without worrying about jerry cans. I'm sure when taken care of they are as reliable as anything else, but are they really.

>The fuel tank holds around 12 gallons; depending on tires,carburator and engine condition you'll get between 16-18 mpg around town, and 18-20 mpg on the highway. By the time you've emptied a tank, you're ready for a rest stop, anyway. You can cruise at 65 mph on the open road, again, depending on engine condition.

>First and foremost, be very, very fussy about rust in the frame and the firewall [bulkhead]. Rust starts inside the frame walls, not on the outside [unless it's been galvanized]. Take a hammer and an old screwdriver with you, and some old clothes. Crawl under the car and start pounding away. If the owner does not want you to do that, walk away. There are Series Rovers for sale all over the US. Unless you're a welder, or very good friends with a good one, avoid a car with a punky frame. Better yet, take someone from this Forum or from a Land Rover club to see the car with you.

>Series Land Rovers [with the 2.25 engine] are almost too reliable; they run when they're 80% gone almost as well as when they're new. So you can get fooled by them. An important set of checks for you should be to know exactly where you stand with this car before purchase, and then you'll go in with your eyes wide open. A compression check of each cylinder should be mandatory. You certainly want nearly-equal readings [120-140 psi] between each cylinder. If you can't do one, at least remove one plug wire [with an insulated tool] at a time while the engine is running and warmed up [no choke]. If there's not much change in rpm or engine sound, suspect burned valves in that cylinder. These are not difficult jobs but you want to know what's up before you buy any Rover.

>Look at the coolant in the radiator. Ask when it was last changed? Look at the oil on the dipstick. It should be light brown, not black. If it's the latter, the car is either not receiving good maintenance or there might be gas dripping down past the piston rings. That's an engine that's wearing out. Look at the inside of the oil filler cap; if it's got a caramel colored goo in there, you have more crankcase pressure than you should, maybe even some head gasket woes [you live in a dry climate so moisture should not condense in the oil].

> While you're under the car, borrow a 1/2" wrench and unbolt the transmission and transfer case fillers [if the owner doesn't know where they are, then how could he have done the required maintenance?]. There should be gear oil dripping out on you, or if you stick a finger in there, gear oil in the case. If not, the car has not received great maintenance.

>Now a question for you - do you want to do routine maintenance on the car [they need it], or do you have the cash to have a good mechanic do it for you? If not, then a Series Rover is not the right car for you. The original manual came with a recommendation of weekly checks, oil changes every 3,000 miles/3 months, etc. The more worn out the car, the more maintenance. It's all very doable by anyone with interest and desire, but it does need to be done.

>Here's an example of what I mean. I bought one current Rover with 111,000 miles on it. The owner I bought it from was [and is] a great Land Rover mechanic, but he was not the original owner. By 165,000 miles [and 28 years] or so, the engine had worn out because it had not received regular maintenance throughout its life. I bought a Rovers North rebuilt engine. I maintained it by the book. I now have over 400,000 miles on that engine, great oil pressure, reasonable oil consumption [quart every 1,000
miles or so] and one that starts every day. Maintenance matters on these cars.

>Lastly ,remember that a 1965 Series Land Rover was built 43 years ago. Parts wear out and require replacement. Even if you don't plan on using it all the time, you'll be putting money into the car because Land Rover did not sense that their cars would be on the road and in use 4 decades later.

I have a few more questions but if this post gets any longer no one will read through it! haha

>This is a great Forum and everyone here will be willing to help. Good luck with your decision.

[LaneRover]

Well I can't add much to what has been said other than, Welcome! If you don't get that Rover I hope that you get one soon!

As for range I would count on 15 mpg and a 12 gallon tank and figure it out from there. In mine I have been able to get from 11 to 18 mpg at various different times and situations and about 5mpg with continuous off-roading that was a combo of dirt roads, sand and some really slow going at times.

[ML-ENGR]

Hi Mike

I am also new to Rovers, and from the Newb perspective I can say it is easy to find the majority of parts. The trucks are fun and relatively easy to work on. All the Rover folk I have talked to or met have been knowledgeable and friendly. Good luck and welcome

[AZBadseed]

Thanks guys...this is just what i have been looking for! I am going to be back on land on the 2nd of Jan and back home to look at this thing on the 5th or 6th. I am pretty stoked on it, but i will make sure not to let my excitement get me into something that is "too far gone".



The rovers look pretty symmetrical is there a way to put another fuel tank opposite the original? (again, i havent even looked under one before! haha)

I've got a great welder / off road fabricator in the family, and i'm no slouch myself.

As for maintaining a vehicle...i am very mechanically inclined. It's my profession actually, I am a merchant marine engineer on an oil rig at this very moment.

[LaneRover]

Military Rovers had a fuel tank under each seat so it is possible. Some folks have done it with the original military set-up and some have done it with a regular tank that you then have to fit a filler neck for. Some can switch between tanks and some have the 'spare' tank pump its fuel into the main tank to avoid having to switch between tanks and also extra fuel gauges and so on.

Brent

[AZBadseed]

yeah the fuel tank thing is just something i was pondering, it may or may not happen if i get this thing, just wondering if it was possible.

brent are you in SD or maine at this particular time? I am from SD and am working with a couple of maine-iacs right now. it looks like you have a small fleet of these rovers! if you're in sd i may have to get in touch with you when i get back!........thanks for the help!

[scott]

i added a 2nd tank under the driver's seat, wasn't difficult at all. just made and welded an outrigger like the passenger's side has. plumbed the line to an old ford dual tank fuel line valve. (there are rover valves out there). wired the sending unit to a toggle switch so that i could choose which tank was linked to the gauge.

[Eric W S]

i added a 2nd tank under the driver's seat, wasn't difficult at all. just made and welded an outrigger like the passenger's side has. plumbed the line to an old ford dual tank fuel line valve. (there are rover valves out there). wired the sending unit to a toggle switch so that i could choose which tank was linked to the gauge.

There are a few complete UK MoD switch overs on ebay.co.uk at the moment. Our hosts used to carry them as well.

[Oscar]

That capstan winch is worthless......I'll take it off your hands.....

[AZBadseed]

yeah i was thinkin' that as soon as i saw it! haha
not only is just tough looking, i'm used to seeing stuff like that out here on the rig and ships etc. kind of a nautical piece.

added value??? i don't know but it does work, so thats a winner in my book.

[Jeff Aronson]

But I asked Santa for a capstan winch on my Christmas list, and I promised him I had been "nice." And, I live on a fishing island.

Therefore, I should have first dibs on the capstan!

Jeff

[scott]

But I asked Santa for a capstan winch on my Christmas list, and I promised him I had been "nice." And, I live on a fishing island.

Therefore, I should have first dibs on the capstan!

Jeff

to heck w/ nice. i'm retire navy therefore i rate dibs on the nautical looking piece

[yorker]

There are a few complete UK MoD switch overs on ebay.co.uk at the moment. Our hosts used to carry them as well.

What did you use for a keyword? I looked and could only find one, sans the electric switches and associated goodies.