Hauled home my "new" 109 NADA

[highmile]

This past Saturday, I made the trek down to Alamosa, Colorado to pick up my first Land Rover Series IIA. The Discovery did a decent job of pulling this truck over the pass and back to Colorado Springs (approximately 225 miles door to door). Anytime I tried to get the Discovery to exceed 55 mph, the trailer would start to wag the Discovery, so 52 mph was the more comfortable speed. I actually had better gas mileage pulling the trailer and Series than I did driving down with no trailer, but I think that has more to do with driving 75-80 mph vs. 52 mph.

We stopped to snap some pictures along the route at the top of La Veta Pass and in front of the Spanish Peaks outside the town of La Veta. All in all, it was an uneventful trip without any mishaps, which is a good thing if you ask me.

The original $1250 deal was done on a handshake last weekend, and after all the purchase paperwork and money exchange was done yesterday, the seller informed me that somebody tried to buy the truck out from under me for $3000. Lucky for me, the seller was an upstanding person and honored his handshake!

The Series is #329 of the 811 Land Rover Series IIA 109 NADA 6 cylinder Station Wagons. Truck does not currently run, but since the truck came with a spare engine, I’ll probably attempt to get this one running before I look into any engine conversions. I don’t want to throw a lot of money at the 6 cylinder engine.

The interior is very complete, though ragged, and there is only some very minor surface rust on the frame and none on the bulkhead. I am sure my posting on this forum will go up with tons of questions and maybe some answers for others.

Thanks!

[highmile]

After loading the truck outside Alamosa, Colorado

[highmile]

Spanish Peaks

[highmile]

Hope it fits in the garage!

[Mercedesrover]

Nice truck. Don't spend too much time on that 6cyl. Sell it for spares to someone that has one already running. The truck would do well with an engine conversion. 617 turbo and an NP435 if you ask me!

Sorry I didn't answer your email yet. I'll get to it tonight.

jim

[O'Brien]

great looking NADA SW! man they're really coming out of the woodwork lately! looks to be in great shape, and you got a hell of a deal. keep those pictures coming

[highmile]

I am really interested in the diesel conversion, so Jim, I am looking forward to hearing back from you when you get a chance.

Maybe one of you guys can explain to me the clutch and brakes system. I am going to look into it more over the Thanksgiving weekend, but I currently do not have a way to stop the truck from rolling other than putting something at the tires. There is currently no hydraulic fluid in the system, so that would explain the no brakes issue (I think), but why would the truck not stop if placed in gear? I can depress the clutch and put the truck in gear, but it does not keep the truck from rolling. Am I doing something wrong? Is the transmission shot just from these symptoms? It looks like the clutch runs off the same hydraulic master cyclinder, but should you still be able to place the truck in gear to keep it from rolling?

Thanks!

[Mercedesrover]

I am really interested in the diesel conversion, so Jim, I am looking forward to hearing back from you when you get a chance.

Maybe one of you guys can explain to me the clutch and brakes system. I am going to look into it more over the Thanksgiving weekend, but I currently do not have a way to stop the truck from rolling other than putting something at the tires. There is currently no hydraulic fluid in the system, so that would explain the no brakes issue (I think), but why would the truck not stop if placed in gear? I can depress the clutch and put the truck in gear, but it does not keep the truck from rolling. Am I doing something wrong? Is the transmission shot just from these symptoms? It looks like the clutch runs off the same hydraulic master cyclinder, but should you still be able to place the truck in gear to keep it from rolling?

Thanks!

Is the transfer case between gears? Is there a driveshaft in it? Perhaps it has a broken rear axle and that's why the previous owner stopped driving it? The clutch could be exploded too, but with a wopping 80 or whatever horsepower I doubt it.

Start here http://seriestrek.com/info.html for information about the conversions. I've been getting a bagillion emails lately and am getting tired of answering them without so much as a "thank you", so I deceded to start a page that answers the most frequent questions. Someone must be talking about this conversion on a message board somewhere because I've been getting about 8 emails a day this past two weeks or so.

In your case I'd forgo the Series transmission and install an NP435. I'm building a bellhousing right now that will get the 617 and NP435 together. Much stronger than the Rover tranny.

jim

[highmile]

Jim

I heard about you from the discoweb.org forums where your website is mentioned, so I wouldn't be surprised if your site pops up on other Land Rover sites as well. Keep in mind there is a whole movement and interest in "green" vehicles these days meaning more and more folks are probably interested in diesels whether they head the biodiesel route or veggie oil route. I think a FAQ page would be a huge help to those interested in what you have done. Thanks for your site and what you do for the Land Rover community.

I haven't had much time to look at the mechanicals of the truck since bringing it home. Is there an easy way to tell if I'm between gears? If I am able to move the shifter into various gears, does that mean I am actually moving something in the transmission? I can move the shifter without pressing the clutch.

My dad and I have joked that if we can't make the truck roadworthy again, we can always open up a restaurant and either make a Land Rover salad bar or have a table or 2 inside for dining.

Thanks!

[jp-]

Anytime I tried to get the Discovery to exceed 55 mph, the trailer would start to wag the Discovery, so 52 mph was the more comfortable speed.

Just a note, but the "tail wagging the dog" is incredibly dangerous and means that the weight was not forward enough on the trailer. From the photos, it looks like you were as far forward as possible so I guess you did the best you could. A two wheeled dolly probably would have worked better.

Congrats on the purchase. Hope you get her fixed up nice.

[highmile]

It wasn't a lot of wagging, but just enough that I thought it would be wise to keep it around 50 mph where it was perfectly good to roll.

The truck was definitely as far forward as it would go on the Uhaul trailer. I thought the trailer had a very long neck compared to auto-transport trailers that you might go buy on your own. Don't kow if that would make a difference or not. We thought about the tow dolly, but the existing tires are pretty cracked between the treads, and I hate for one to burst while being pulled on the Interstate.

Something that I was a little surprised about, is how narrow the Series Rovers are. The truck just barely fits on the UHaul ramps and rides on the inside edge of the Uhaul trailer tire trays.

[highmile]

Does anybody have an extra Owners Manual for one of these trucks that they might be willing to sell me or even give away? There are some basic operation items that might be helpful, like help me remember which color levers do what, etc... I have the "green bible", the Haynes Manual, and another green maintenance book that all came with the truck, but nothing about just how to operate the vehicle.

Thanks!

[Bostonian1976]

great looking truck! I just used one of those exact UHaul trailers and was able to do 60-65 with my IIa on the back - I think it has to do with that truck being an 88.

keep up the pictures!

Owners' Manuals are dirt cheap on Ebay by the way - or even www.ebay.co.uk

[cachinfool]

Just a note, but the "tail wagging the dog" is incredibly dangerous and means that the weight was not forward enough on the trailer. From the photos, it looks like you were as far forward as possible so I guess you did the best you could. A two wheeled dolly probably would have worked better.

Congrats on the purchase. Hope you get her fixed up nice.

I had the same thought and my guess is that the "spare" motor that he got, probably hauled home in the back of the 109 was the reason the weight distribution was off so bad.

[highmile]

Actually, the engine did not come home on this trip, but the rear of the truck did have every other spare part and piece that came with the purchase. So, maybe the weight was off. I'll be heading down here soon to pick up the engine in a smaller trailer.