Found One!

[Terrys]

I also understand there are some concerns about the ex-MOD stuff...and is that a body patch on the front driver's door?

Whether it's an EX-MOD truck or not wouldn't concern me. Spares are as available as civies, and there is little that makes them unique from a civi Series 3 except light switch, and light sockets.
As others have said, those "patches in the doors are vents and it's a common thing to use rooftop vents in the doors. They appear to be Land Rover roof vents anyway. Those, and the scuttle vents make driving one in the summer almost pleasant, but nothing beats top off driving.

[Eric W S]

When you have a "long block" rebuilt, the top of the engine [cylinder heads, manifolds, carb, water pump, maybe alternator] are new as well. If it had a "short block" rebuild, than any of the items bolted onto the engine itself are likely from the old engine. They'd be inspected for excess wear but not necessarily replaced.

Huh?

Long block is the block, crankshaft, head, pistons, and rods. Machined to spec and assembled.

Unless you are paying someone to replace your motor, rebuilds do not include anything bolted to the engine such as carbs, manifolds, alts, water pumps, etc...

Google Turner Engineering. That is a good reference as to what should have been done durin the process and the terminology is a good primer as well...

[Moose]

You'll want to change those military bar grip tires. They are awful in the rain and snow. And don't be too excited about that snorkel... it doesn't seem to be conected to anything. Certainly doesn't look like it is attached to the air cleaner, as it should be.

It's a civilian spec truck that may have been used in the military, but nothing wrong with that. I love the sellers claim "Engine and transmission are in excellent condition , there are no oil leaks."

Truck might be worth having a look at though.

Brett

[LC Rover]

It would make me happier if it were a MOD truck. The REME’s did every thing by the book, no jury-rigging. I have an MOD 74 88 somewhat more knowledge than the average Rover nut about MOD trucks. ( My truck is on page 14 in the winter issue of the RN mag.) Can’t tell if it was it was really a MOD release truck, there has been a lot of up grades/changes made, i.e. no deluxe seats or middle seat for the squaddies, no pintle hitch or trailer plug in the back, but it has a single gauge in the dash and I am guessing that its an amp meter which almost all military trucks had. The bar grip tire are great in the mud but in the rain we used to call them “widow makers” Look for the contract plate somewhere on the seat box or 4 holes were it would have been, that would true sign. The truck does not look to bad by the pictures. Looks like it has the dual brake system, the engine picture is bad but it looks like a vacuum fitting on the intake manifold and no brake switch above the brake pedal hidden by a guard (I think hydro switch came later ) go take a good hard look. By the end of this thread, you will have become an expert on truck inspections. Ask the seller to e-mail you more pictures of the under carriage and the foot wells and motor areas. If he won’t…walk.... Left hand military trucks spent their life in Europe or somewhere you drive on the righthand side of the road

[thixon]

Huh?

Long block is the block, crankshaft, head, pistons, and rods. Machined to spec and assembled.

Unless you are paying someone to replace your motor, rebuilds do not include anything bolted to the engine such as carbs, manifolds, alts, water pumps, etc...

Google Turner Engineering. That is a good reference as to what should have been done durin the process and the terminology is a good primer as well...

Eric,

I think Jeff was trying to explain what was likely to be reality when a seller advertised either a long block rebuild or short block rebuild, so that our new friend here would know what to look out for. For example, someone claiming to have installed a long block would very likely replace the carb, manifolds, alt., etc. (if not then he'd be a giant dufus, and hopefully Nick will now know somethings up). Someone installing a short block, or just doing a bottom end overhaul might choose to re-use all the ancillary odds and ends if they were in good shape (presumably to save money,or because the bottom end was all that went south). I'm sure you already know all of this though.

BTW, you left out that a long block generally also has the timing gear, chain, cover, and oil pan installed as well.

[Eric W S]

Eric,

I think Jeff was trying to explain what was likely to be reality when a seller advertised either a long block rebuild or short block rebuild, so that our new friend here would know what to look out for. For example, someone claiming to have installed a long block would very likely replace the carb, manifolds, alt., etc. (if not then he'd be a giant dufus, and hopefully Nick will now know somethings up). Someone installing a short block, or just doing a bottom end overhaul might choose to re-use all the ancillary odds and ends if they were in good shape (presumably to save money,or because the bottom end was all that went south). I'm sure you already know all of this though.

BTW, you left out that a long block generally also has the timing gear, chain, cover, and oil pan installed as well.

Jeff's explanation was confusing, hence the clarification as to just what exactly a long block refers to. Jeff response alludes more to the overall process...it's fine if you know what the components to that process are but if you have to ask what a long block is...

I interntionally kept the definition simple as well, given the audience. It's the big picture for a beginner, not a precise definition by any means.

[Jeff Aronson]

Thanks, Travis and Eric, for improving my rambling efforts at explaining what's behind the terms "long block" and "short block." I've experienced a wide range of what those terms mean to the provider/seller over the years on Rovers and on other British cars, so it's not surprising that specifics would vary based on who you dealt with on the individual sale.

Jeff

[Rineheitzgabot]

It's okay Jeff. I have an 11-year-old at home that does the same stuff to me when I try to have a conversation. He has all the acumen of a world class attorney. You know, "No dad, you said, is, instead of was!"

I knew what you were referring to.

Travis, Your box is full.

[thixon]

Travis, Your box is full.

Whoops.

Box emptied.

[JackIIA]

From the peanut gallery...

I found Eric's clarification helpful given my underwhelming knowledge coupled with a very poor memory. That said, keep those posts coming Jeff. I've gotten ALOT of gems from your realworld experience.

[NickDawson]

The whole conversation has been an education for me!

[NickDawson]

Heard back from the Ex-MOD on ebay... $10.5K reserve ... rich for my blood, but going to take a closer look tomorrow.

[NickDawson]

Quick update on the green ex-MOD that I looked at today...

To my eye, it was in very nice condition. The body and interior were very well maintained, although I don't care for the monochromatic paint job

More importantly the frame- there was "surface rust" but when I banged away with a screw driver nothing seemed to give way. I've learned from you guys that rust starts on the inside, so what does it mean when you see some on the surface but its still rock solid?

The foot wells had been replaced and it looked like prior to their replacement someone had used some bondo (evidenced by residual bondo underneath, but not visible from the interior).

The seat belts were after-market inertia belts mounted on a galvanized plate which in turn was mounted to the frame (also new and somewhat unique) ... it even had 4 lap belts in the back. Interesting but not worth much to me.

The doors were solid, but missing their black lining - maybe b/c they were MOD? The door vents on the other hand were a blessing on this hot Virginia day. I can see them being very handy.

The rebuilt engine really had some giddy-up to it. He said it had been totally rebuilt but didn't think the head was bored out... that said, I had no problem getting to 60mph (no over drive) and it pulled hills in 4th gear with room to spare. Maybe that is all normal, but with the others I've test driven it hasn't been the case.

As suspected, the snorkel was not attached to anything, he was using the traditional oil bath. Although it would be a snap to connect the hose if the need ever arose. I am curious about snorkels though - I was once told that they are just for flash and show unless you have an exhaust snorkel as well - any truth to that?

I have to say, I think this was a really nice truck and I think the price he is asking seems to be a fair market value - at least based on the other stuff I've seen. Its north of my budget...so we have some serious thinking to do, but I'm interested in the reaction from this group about the "surface rust" and foot wells.

I started this search in the $6K range and was hoping for something that ran well but that I could learn to maintain. As it has progressed, I've started to think about "project" rovers that need some TLC. That idea has some appeal in the pride that would result...but as I've said before, swapping a motor is more than I want to take on. Now I'm through the roof on the budget and back to something that doesn't appear to need any work (other than maintenance). So you lose the pride of the project, but maybe its more realistic as a first truck...just thinking out loud.

One final note on the history, of which I am wildly skeptical but would enthusiastically re-tell if it were mine ... He claims it was sourced from Africa where it had been ordered by Idi Amine (or more accurately ordered by his famed Scottish physician..whom if I'm not mistaken never actually existed) and was destined to be a police truck but was delivered right as he was being over thrown. BS? Maybe, but its a heck of a story. Also have to wonder if the Ugandans use the same care for their trucks as the Brit army....
From there it was imported to Colorado which is where the current owner purchased it. I'm thinking Africa and Colorado lend some creedence to the rust free frame?

Pick it apart guys - what have I missed?

[Jeff Aronson]

Hi Nick,

Good for you for keeping your enthusiasm up during this chase for the right Rover for you!

Surface rust is not uncommon; you should be able to scrape it away and see bare metal. The key is that you did not find through rust. There's no guarantee but at least it's a good start. If the footwells had been replaced with metal, there should not be any visible bondo; are you sure it's not a sealant? That's a common thing to do when you replace footwells the prevent water intrusion.

Did you check any of the fluid levels [oil, antifreeze, transfer case, transmission, etc.] while you were looking at and under the car? It can tell you a lot about the owner's maintenance, too.

The absence of interior door panels is a matter of personal choice. Some MOD vehicles had them, some did not. Many times they're just dissolved away, like mine did, and they're easy to replace. Rovers North still carries them.

Even a weak Rover engine will let you cruise at 60 mph all day - albeit pushing a lot of oil - but holding high speed on hills is a good sign. Generally you overbore an engine during a rebuild either because the cylinders are worn out and you have to, or to get more power. A compression test and a leak down test should be "must" for you if you're serious about the vehicle. They will tell you more about the condition of the engine than the test drive alone.

You do not need an "exhaust snorkel" in order to use the intake one. However, the unit needs to be sealed well, particularly where it enters the carb throat. Most of the time, you can off road in deep water with a standard Rover as long as you keep moving forward. Your Rover will create a bow wave, even a slow speeds, to prevent water from drowning the ignition or worse,entering the carb and cylinders. The snorkel lets you go somewhat deeper - it's particulalry effective with a diesel engine because they don't have any ignition.

Seat belts are nice additions and you'll appreciate them one day. In some states, they're mandated regardless of the year of the vehicle.

Don't fret about not having much work to do on your Series Rover - they're maintenance intensive and you'll have plenty of time to learn the basics while maintaining your car. Until you've driven a reasonable Series Rover, you won't know how to assess the quality of the work you're going to learn to do - a "together" truck is the right way to start. And the more maintenance you do, the fewer repairs you'll have to learn down the line.

Uganda was a former British colony and Land Rovers were used by their governments routinely. You saw announcements by Rover of sales to African countries often in their press releases. That said, whether Idi Amin himself actually order that particular Rover would be hard to prove unless you trace it back through the records held by the British Motor Heritage Trust at Gaydon. African mechanics keep a lot of Land Rovers, Peugeots, Mercedes and Asian vehicles together, sometimes in high quality shops and sometimes in small garages, or outdoors. I would not presume the Ugandan Army's maintenance was any better or worse than that of Great Britain.

Price is a personal issue. I know enthusiasts who seem to pick up Series Rovers for low prices all the time, and they seem to get good bargains, too. It's just never me! If this Rover stirs your blood and you can afford it and the inevitable repairs that will follow, then treat yourself.

Just remember that there are more Series Rovers out there - don't obsess over the "one that got away. Also, remember that once you have it you will drive it MUCH more than you think you will right now.

Jeff

[adkrover]

I just drove mine out of the barn today after a long winter's nap. I say go buy a truck already and roll up your sleaves.