Question about a 67 Series 11 A carawagon

[TCapelle]

Hello
I am new to the Rovers north forum. I own a 90 county and 98 disco but have the itch to take the plunge and own an older Series vehicle.

I found a neat old 67 Series 2 A carawagon that is in rough shape. I am trying to understand if it is worth the price and how I should go about "investing" in the repairs- If anyone has any advice or thoughts let me know-

Objective- To get a mangy but "safe" and semi dependable series vehicle I can ride as a 3rd vehicle and take on small around town rides or a camping trip now and then- Not loking for or can afford a show quality or even "nice" rover restoration- Looking to purchase and invest $4-$5k in the rig

any advice on the following

1. The frame is in need of repair- front horn has some issues, the spring perch has some issues, outriggers have some issues- I did the screwdriver test- looks like it has numerous spots that need help- when get you do alot of patches or "condem" the frame (estimated repair cost on patches???)

2. The rover started after sitting 4 years(amazing) however the clutch pedal when pushed in stuck to the floor- Is it merely the fluid low or is is "frozen" (estimated repair??)

3. The carawagon top is a bit rotted and leaks- Has anyone successful repaired one of these? (estimated repair cost??)

I know I should probably walk away from this thing but I think I could get it for around $2500- I just don't know if I could bring it back to semi working life for another $2500...???

Thoughts?
Thx,
Tim

[Terrys]

Simply put, my advice would be to keep looking. $2500 will buy a sound, restorable truck, but what you describe isn't sound, not to mention a Carawagon is VERY expensive to properly restore.

[Alaska Mike]

Here's the gazillion dollar question- How's the bulkhead? How much work are you comfortable doing yourself? I think you can find a standard 109 in good shape within your budget. If you wanted to build this into a solid runner with a solid (not resto quality) Carawagon conversion, double your estimate and plan on doing plenty of the grunt work. I've found the big parts (frames and such) aren't too bad to buy (relatively speaking), but the little stuff will nickel and dime you to death. Even if you don't care if the Rover is "correct", certain parts are hard to modify or get from other sources.

As for your clutch question, the seals could have rotted out of the master or slave cylinder, or the clutch disc could be stuck to the flywheel. Bleeding the clutch system (similar to bleeding brakes) will help diagnose.

Define what you want the Rover to be for you and represent to others, and build from there. If you don't want a Carawagon so much and want to stay within the stated budget, you might want to look elsewhere.

[Tim Smith]

I agree with the posts before. If your budget is 4-5 grand total, then you'll probably run over by the time you are done. Here are my thoughts.

New frame. I think our hosts sell the 109 frames in the 2-3 grand zone. You really should replace it now with a new galvanized one so that the rest of your investment isn't waisted. But this all depends on the condition of the frame. A few cracks can probably be repaired but I'm a big fan of getting the new frame once the old one is in trouble.

Doormobile top. Well this is probably going to be dependent on your fiberglass repair and canvas sewing abilities. TeriAnn will know a heck of a lot more about this aspect of it but I'm guessing that it could be pricey if you have to rely on others to do your work for you. Start thinking boat repair prices.

The clutch. I'm betting this will be trivial compared to everything else. If it's not just out of fluid (which could be a sign of a leak in the hydraulics any way) then you are talking about either rebuilding the slave, master and replacing the flex line. Which should be less than $100. If you choose to replace the master and slave which is what I would do, then you are probably talking about a few hundred. Again, our hosts are pretty good with these parts so look up the prices and add it to the budget.

I'm betting that the clutch is not stuck.

However, if you decide to try and do this on the cheap then you might get away with it. If the frame is still serviceable, then it might pay you to buy a MIG welder for around $1000 and start making your repairs. This is your call though.

The top can easily be switched out with a standard 109 top in an afternoon. If you find a good cheap one on eBay, LRX or the like, then this would hold you over while you learn to do the repairs to the Doormobile top. If you decide to keep it this way then the Doormobile top might sell for a premium if it's not too bad. Possibly a way to add back to your budget here although I hate the idea of breaking up a good Doormobile.

Don't forget that it's been sat for a while so you might find that a lot of the rubber seals are dried out and need replacing. This includes the brakes, flex lines, coolant piping and belts. Basically a good once over should be included in your budget. You should also think about the exhaust going in the near future. I've found sitting rovers tend to rot out the exhaust.

I'm also betting that the window and door seals will need help too but this is more of a comfort issue than safety and service related.

Check to see if it is the 2.6 engine or the 2.25. You said it started up but I'm sure it could use a tune up. I think the 2.6 might be a little more difficult to get parts for, so it might push your budget up a little bit. Add this to your budget.

Basically, the best thing you can do is make up a spreadsheet with all your costs and your overall budget. Add in the price of parts (try to think of everything you would want) and if needed the price of labor. I'm not sure about your skill level but the secret to keeping series trucks cheap is to do the work yourself. Remember to add in the time cost, garage space cost and oil under the nails cost with the significant other before you jump into a "project rover".

By the way. I LOVE Doormobiles. Let us know how it goes and pictures, pictures, pictures!

Cheers,
Tim

[Tim Smith]

Forget this post. My computer went haywire with that last post...

[Tim Smith]

Again, sorry folks. Forget this post.
My computer went berserk with that previous post...

But I did just realize that you said Carawagon not Doormobile. Forget what I said about fiberglass and canvas. Instead think about your wood working skills. Still cool trucks though.