today's barn find!!

[1961 109 WAGON]

saw this ten years ago on a back road close to home. i had no idea it would still be there!!1966 88, guy bought it new. the guy was in the british military. his first was a 1961 88, which is what was drove in the middle east then.. (kenya i think he said).
he took the engine out,as it started to smoke , it been on the ground covered since 1988!! engine is all the way torn down.the body was removed, frame rubber coated, no holes anywhere in frame, or patches!!!. the bulkhead has a small hole at the dimmer switch. anything you see missing off the body is in the back or in the barn. i found every thing that goes with it. tires are brand new from 1988 when it was parked, alittle dryrotted on the sides. i offered $500,, he took it, so im picking it up the saturday!
what kind of heater is in it?i have a smiths round, and a mark 5 in my 109, and they look nothing like this one. this gets air from beside the grill opening.
the front hubs i think are "spectra" i think, and turn freely, o, the front balls have NO pitting!!

[leafsprung]

Congrats. The heater is a kodiak mk 4


-Ike

[NC Rover]

Nice. Definitly has potential!

[Tim Smith]

That truck is absolutely awful!


And don't paint it when you get her going. That patina is perfect!

Let us know how it goes.

[Bostonian1976]

where's the barn?

[sven]

where's the barn?

Well, its sorta next to a barn

Great find, Im jealous!

[autoguy]

nice, and a safari top too, I'm jelous

[1961 109 WAGON]

thanks . it has the hand throttle , vent screens, safari roof, lock out hubs, them side step thingys, and plenty of spiders and mice do.
the engine is covered in front of it, the rest of the engine is in the back of it. i need to know if it would be cheaper to rebuild it (again) or try to find a good soild engine to drop in. my 61 109 has 96, 000 miles no oil leaks and doesnt use oil.
the guy wanted to drop a 231 v6 i it and i was like HELL NO!! keep it oem, but if i got to spend $4000 on a engine, what would you do??

[leafsprung]

keep it oem

oem is overrated

[yorker]

but if i got to spend $4000 on a engine, what would you do??

Hmmm I think i'd put a 225 V6 in- not the 231.

[autoguy]

no oil leaks ? i thought that meant you where out of oil

my rover has an oil leak, it marks its territory

[Paul Rossmann]

Wow! Great find. Great truck! Great price! Looks like one I bought from some %#@#!!! up in Vermont, only he called it "refurbished." But that's another story.
There is a big thread on this forum about repowering a Series. Worth the read, but the gyst of it is; once you add power on the front, you will have to make sure the drive train can handle the extra torque and HP. There are several threads on that topic as well.
Good luck.

[1961 109 WAGON]

i got it home today. all 4 wheels where locked to the drums!! had to beat the wheels with a ten pound sledge!tires are holding air. the wheels did not free til about ten feet into the pull. i used my 109's winch for the unhill battle (68 feet) this unit has been in the same spot since 1987.
i did bleach wash it, it looks much better. ill take some pics sunday morning.

[1961 109 WAGON]

pics from today, after its cleaning. looks alot better than when i first found it
i got EVERY interior trim parts. i got the two heat sheilds as well(carb/manifold) and (piece that bolt to the fan shroud)
most people trash them, im putting them on the 109. the rear windows dont open yet, there full of rust and mud

[Bostonian1976]

wow what a difference! that looks great! you may want to wax it now - I found that once I washed my old trucks that had been sitting, the paint started to rapidly wash off....

is the door trim around somewhere?