Got it - 1973 Series III RHD

[NickDawson]

What a whirlwind 48 hours it has been. I've been dieing to post, I'm just utterly on overload.

First - I'm loving being a Series Rover owner. There really is nothing like it, just being in the truck puts a smile on your face. And you guys weren't kidding, the looks, waves "ohhs" and "ahhs" are unbelievable. Mostly I have 1,000,000 questions and am not even sure where to start.

Here's the deal, I decided to go against the advice of some and import a truck from the UK. The good news is that I felt, and still feel, like I had learned enough to ask the right questions and find something that was first and foremost solid and secondly in good mechanical shape. In that regard I did pretty well. I followed the lead of Mike Smyth and used Churchill Landrover. Jonathan, the firm's owner and namesake, and I spent a few weeks going over details and finding the right rig for my budget and requirements.

The good
The frame is galvanized and solid as it can be. There's "surface rust" but I've beat on it with a hammer and screwdriver and haven't found a soft spot yet. Seriously, its rock solid.

The engine feels good - its a 2.5l conversion... I say feels because as we all know I'm a mechanical novice. It seems to be running well and I had no trouble at all doing the 150 miles from Baltimore to Richmond yesterday...at least no mechanical issues. Fluids, the ones I know how to check, stayed at consistent levels.

Its got a nice shiny paint job, brand new soft top (more on that later) and some all new trim (which I've determined is utter rubbish but looks nice).

The Bad (things I knew about)

The hard top is cosmetically in bad shape... no biggie, summer project. I'll sand it and paint it.

the electric fan isn't working, back to the engine driven fan. No over heating issues...but after my 3+ hour drive yesterday I came home and had it idle for about 20 minutes. It did start to overhead while idling...I'm guessing because there was no air moving over the radiator?

Its just old, I'll need some new door seals, need to spend some serious time with a bucket of soapy water, etc... and I think that leads into...

The Ugly
I feel uncomfortable mentioning this because I feel slightly mislead and I still haven't sorted out what I'll do about it... but there is some blatent rust in the floor of the cargo area. There are 6 holes (almost lined up, 3 and 3, makes me wonder if something was there?) and they were taped over and sprayed when the truck was painted. I clearly asked about that area and the pictures just didn't show it. I still have some cash reserved as a contingency...

And that in turn leads me to finally understand the point that I think so many of you have made before. The British have a different history, use case and opinion of "good shape" regarding these trucks than we do. I genuinely don't think I was lied to, I think the British definition of "the tub is in good shape" is different than the US version of that phrase.

That does make me wonder what else is "in good shape" and I'll admit to being a little nervous since I'm not an expert.

So with all of that in mind, I'm not even the slightest bit disappointed. I'm still loving every minute of it. The topless drive to the farmers market today was something I've looked forward to for months. That was what I'd been hoping my summer would be like - with a rover, in the sun.

Like I said, tons of questions...more than I can even digest right now. For starters, getting the soft top on...lots of straps and ropes and virtually nothing in the way of directions... but more on that later.

The one question I do have now: the transmission gets HOT. I can feel heat radiating on the back of my legs and when I've driven a while. There's a hand access panel under the middle seat and I've noticed that the whole thing is covered in a film of oil. I'm hoping thats the standard rover seals doing their best, but does that sound like the start of a bigger problem to anyone else (hopefully I haven't biased the answer by mentioning my little cargo rust issue )

Thanks for all the help and advice. Glad to be officially part of the fold!

Edited to add: pictures here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/nickdawson/tags/rhd1/ (go easy on me please)

-N

[gudjeon]

It doesn't look like a bad specimen to me.

There are always little things that you find out later with any purchase of something with a history. In time, you get to go through the vehicle and fix/repair/rebuild/replace things, you will know exactly what you have.

As for the transmission, it does get hot. When I drive mine on the highway for an extended period in the summer, it get quite hot. Especially noticeable when wearing sandals. Some oil slobbering over the transmission and transfer case is not out of the ordinary. Usually comes out of the selector fork seals and makes it way back with all that wind blowing through there.

As for engine overheating, the fan shroud is a must as the four blade is not very efficient.

I just watch out for oil going from the tranny to the T-case which suggests inner seal needs replacement. Oil leaks always look worse than they are. Of course perspective is needed. Oil levels are a better indicator of leaks than outside appearance.

Keep the oily side down,

Jon

[lstrvr]

Looks great!

As for the transmission heat, it is very normal for them to get hot. I have a brand new Santana gearbox in my mine and Roverdrive, and they really do give off a lot of heat. That being said, if you spend some time on insulating you shouldn't notice the heat transfer to the cab. It will also cut down the noise as well. My SII 109 Carawagon has a Perkins 3.0TD, but is still really decent inside for noise, and the cab is nicely isolated from exhaust and gearbox heat. We have done some long, 9000km + trips inside it, and have never had an issue regarding comfort or noise. We can actually cruise comfortably on the highway listening to the stereo and carrying on a conversation, but that took a TON of work regarding insulating and sound deadening! I found that there was no one thing done that made a huge difference. It requires dedication and attention to detail all over the place to quieten these things down.

Good job on putting in the work and making an educated decision. I don't think there are too many of us that can say our first Rover wasn't anything short of an impulse buy!! Even the nicest trucks on these forums can be picked apart if the owners put themselves out here like you did!

Now the fun begins!

[czenkov]

She's a beauty - Great color. There is nothing like owning an old series. My experience is that the tranny gets very warm. I have yet to drive mine to the Farmers Market but that is what I had in mind when I got mine - that and driving it to go fly fishing in the mountains. Have fun!

[Eric W S]

Holes in the rear tub usually mean that it had a roll cage fitted at some point. I hope you asked about it's history and confirmed it wasn't abused. If it was a "trialler" could explain the new paint and pray it was well cared for as a trialler is UK for trail truck here in the states.

[Broadstone]

Very nice, I had a 1975 (P reg.) that very same color I shipped over 6 years ago. I think the holes you are talking about are where the steel from the tub supports had some contact with the aluminum floor of the tub causing electrolytic corrosion.

[SHORLAND]

Simply beautiful! Congrats!

[NickDawson]

Thanks guys - I'm more and more attached to this thing by the minute!
We drove it over to help some friends celebrate their 3 year olds birthday. Who knew his favorite "gift" would be a ride in the truck. That made it all worth it

I just watch out for oil going from the tranny to the T-case which suggests inner seal needs replacement. Oil leaks always look worse than they are. Of course perspective is needed. Oil levels are a better indicator of leaks than outside appearance.

Thanks gudjeon, helps to hear that

We can actually cruise comfortably on the highway listening to the stereo and carrying on a conversation, but that took a TON of work regarding insulating and sound deadening!

What is this magical stereo machine you speak of?

I appreciate all the kind words


Ok, so now the questions start.

Soft top - I have an exor trim top. The hood sticks went together fairly easily. I get how the cleats work, but what do I really need to pop rivet this extra hardware? Is that the only way to crank down the ropes and straps? Not afraid of doing it, but didn't want to if there was another way. Also, the webbing that secures the front to the gutter and windscreen...what does that secure to?

Electrical - like I alluded to, its had an interesting past. There is a "security system" that I'm in the process of ripping out. Its very advanced . It does have the nice benefit of a door-triggered interior light. While I'm sorting that all out, I'm going to wire in the cheap stereo amp I bought for music. Whats the best way to wire the negitive to the ignition switch so that it turns on and off with the truck? I've been advised against using the 12v accessory plug leads - is there a spare? I'm looking in the green bible as well...

Thanks again for the great help and support

[pvkd]

. Whats the best way to wire the negitive to the ignition switch so that it turns on and off with the truck?

Look at your fuse box. There should be some spare terminals available. Some are constant live and others turn on/off with the ignition. Its trial and error, but with a test light you will be able to work out which is which.

I agree with most of the posts that all trucks have some issues and its just a mater of limiting the worst. What is that strange air filter (not Land Rover)?

Paul

[Rineheitzgabot]

Nick,

Congrats! You will love it, and as you find this or that, wrong with it, and fix it, your love will grow (don't let your wife see this). It is part of the mystery of our relationship with Series Rovers. We own them as not only a mode of transportation, but as something to do, and something to look forward to.

By looking at the pics, and being limited by that, and also not knowing what you paid for it (but remembering what you said your budget was), I would say that you did absolutely fine. Do not worry about it. Enjoy it. It has what I like to call, "the innocent look". I use that term to describe a car that has the appearance of not being tampered with and modified, etc, etc. Like a middle class dude in the UK, used it as a daily driver, and it never really saw a beating, but it is not perfect either. Again, I am only going by the pics, but it looks good to me.

Again, Congrats!

Gary

[rbonnett]

Soft top

Soft top - I have an exor trim top. The hood sticks went together fairly easily. I get how the cleats work, but what do I really need to pop rivet this extra hardware? Is that the only way to crank down the ropes and straps? Not afraid of doing it, but didn't want to if there was another way. Also, the webbing that secures the front to the gutter and windscreen...what does that secure to?



Thanks again for the great help and support

Nice looking truck - congrats!

Since I just did my new Exmoor top, here's what I learned:

There should be tabs on the front and side gutters to hook the webbing under. I did some zinc flashing out of them to get the webbing thru easily. Inside, pull the ends of the webbing taut; I just tied mine off where the front hoop joins to the side stick.

I don;t know if there might be alternatives to using the hardware bits for fastening ropes, etc. but the normal ones work nicely. The trick is to take a deep breath and drill that first hole thru the side of the truck

For doing the pop rivets - 3/16" bit should do the trick. And a pop rivet tool of course. When I was doing the door seals, I found the long rivets that came with the hoop set to be too long for the side pieces, so I got some medium length ones at the HW store.

I was talking to Steve (I think, could have been Les) at our hosts a couple days ago. When I mentioned the new top he advised to re-tighten it when it gets wet the first 3-4 times. Apparently it helps it shrink properly; then treat it with waterproofing.

I grabbed some pics, but don;t feel like hassling with posting them right now. Be glad to email the to you.

Enjoy the ride.

[lstrvr]

One thing I would suggest that can make life a lot easier for you down the road if you are planning on doing other mods, is to install a second fuse block. I've always liked leaving the trucks wiring 'system' alone, and installing a second fuse block for all accessories. If done right, it allows the the trucks 'original ' engineered system to be left alone untampered for better reliability, and allows a second circuit for all non-essential equipment. This way, if you are not the greatest 12v auto-electrician, you can minimize the potential problems you may get inyo by tying into other systems.

Good luck!

[NickDawson]

One thing I would suggest that can make life a lot easier for you down the road if you are planning on doing other mods, is to install a second fuse block.

Lstrvr - I noticed that there is a 2nd fuse box under the bonnet. I was tempted to tap into that.

What really changed things was taking the 30 seconds to RTM - realized that the amplifier didn't need to draw power from the switched lead, that was just an ignition trigger. The main 12v+ terminal is straight to the battery, then the ground is to the truck and the lead from the fuse box just tells the then when to turn on and off.

I'm closer to finishing my first project (the stereo), but realizing that slowing down and taking my time helps a lot too I got all the wiring run, zip tied and tidy, the amp mounted in the back on rubber stand offs... very proud of myself.. then I realized that the zinc brackets I bought to mount the speakers with is too wide to fit between the terminal posts on the speakers. Oh well, some time in the shed next weekend and I'll sort something out. Probably the only rover with Anthony Gallo speakers ... hey, its what I had (wonder how long they'll last with the soft top )

I've also got the soft top almost fully finished. I still need to add some of the tie down hardware and would have done that today but seem to have lost my pop rivet tool. Its on there pretty securely right now.

What is that strange air filter (not Land Rover)?

My guess -ford pan filter? Its sitting on top of a webber carb (not sure which one yet)


Next question for this group - door seals. I had high hopes of the automotive store or hardware store having something, but everything they had was too thin or cheap foam. Do our hosts have rubber door seal kits? I didn't see them, would they be called something else?

Finally, I have the CD-ROM version of the workshop manuals and it just doesnt work. I've tried windows XP, Windows 7, reading the raw PDF files with OSX's viewer... can't get the app on the disc or its contents to function. I'll buy the hard copy this week, but I'm really in need of those systems diagrams so I can figure out what wiring is supposed to be there, and what is some POs hack.

[rbonnett]

Next question for this group - door seals. I had high hopes of the automotive store or hardware store having something, but everything they had was too thin or cheap foam. Do our hosts have rubber door seal kits? I didn't see them, would they be called something else?

Door seals: http://www.roversnorth.com/store/c-9...s-latches.aspx - this has the front door seals.

Finally, I have the CD-ROM version of the workshop manuals and it just doesnt work. I've tried windows XP, Windows 7, reading the raw PDF files with OSX's viewer... can't get the app on the disc or its contents to function. I'll buy the hard copy this week, but I'm really in need of those systems diagrams so I can figure out what wiring is supposed to be there, and what is some POs hack.

I've had the same problem - I took mine in to work where I have an older version of Adobe - maybe V7? Anyway - I was able to read them there. I res-aved them and was able to open the copies at home. I did print the wiring diagram enlarged a couple times so I could mark it up as I worked.

[Jim-ME]

I had the same problem with the CD. Found out it was write protected so you can't print out copies of the pages. What a disappointment. Sold it on Ebay at a loss and purchased the green bible. It's the only way to go even if the pages do get greasy but at least it is usable in the garage unlike the CD. In my opinion, the CD is a POS.
Jim