Got it - 1973 Series III RHD

[MSmyth]

Very cool Nick... glas you made it through customs ok.

It sounds like all your research paid dividends in the end. She runs well, looks great, and you can start enjoying your Series experience right away. I drive mine anywhere from two to four times a week and I still get a kick out of the thumbs-up, waves and smiles I get. One of the best purchases I've ever made.

I like your "good, bad and ugly"... I didn't have any uglies, and just a couple bads. Nothing that would have prevented the purchase tho. I've had to put a couple bolts in the exhaust, there's a small water leak right over the driver's feet when it rains, and I swear it still smeels like a barn inside even after two months. Again, no biggie.

I'm looking forward to seeing you and hopefully some of the others on this board at a Rover event sometime soon. Now if I could only find an affordable Brownchurch!

[Bertha]

Nick
Congrats on the truck. It looks pretty nice. I am sure you will have many hours of enjoyment ahead of you undoing what our friends across the pond think was done properly. With that being said, do yourself a favor before dealing with the soft top and radio, check all the fluids in the truck: axles, swivels, steering box, engine oil and especially the trans(both the transfer case and the main box) Make sure they are at proper levels and are clean, if not change them. As a matter of course, whenever I get a new (old) car I go through a checklist that ends up saving me potential misery down the road. Here it is:

Change all the fluids-Engine oil/ filter, trans oil, axle oil and swivel oil
Check the points, plugs, wires( I usually replace all this but if they are fine, you can keep what you have) Check gaps as well as visual inspection
Check the brakes-pull off all the drums and inspect the shoes and make sure no wheel cylinders are leaking.
Check brake fluid and clutch fluid-if dirty replace(only use castrol LMA) also check the 3 hoses-make sure there is no swelling or visual damage
Check tire pressures
Check that alternator is chaging the battery properly
Check to see horn, lights, blinkers are all working correctly

Also, whenever possible, when fixing anything on the truck, try and bring it back to the way Rover had it(especially wiring). This takes a lot of guess work out of things down the road.

Enjoy the truck and welcome to the series club.

[Tim Smith]

Hooray! You made it.

From outward appearances, it looks pretty decent. Nice color and it seems to be pretty dent free. Not sure what to tell you about the rust in the bed though. You should post up some pictures of it.

Personally, I like the first impression videos you have posted. I know it's not the easiest thing to do, filming and driving at the same time.

[NickDawson]

Change all the fluids-Engine oil/ filter, trans oil, axle oil and swivel oil
Check the points, plugs, wires( I usually replace all this but if they are fine, you can keep what you have) Check gaps as well as visual inspection
Check the brakes-pull off all the drums and inspect the shoes and make sure no wheel cylinders are leaking.
Check brake fluid and clutch fluid-if dirty replace(only use castrol LMA) also check the 3 hoses-make sure there is no swelling or visual damage
Check tire pressures
Check that alternator is chaging the battery properly
Check to see horn, lights, blinkers are all working correctly

Bertha - thanks for the VERY helpful list! I've done some, but not all of these things. I'm waiting on the workshop manual to tackle things like the axle oil and transmission fluids.... the wiring is brand new, knew that going into the sale, but I had not though about checking the points, etc. Good suggestion.

Before leaving the port, I checked the horn blinkers, etc. The front left blinker is out, but thats it.... in fact, I'm wondering if I can source that bulb locally - anyone know?

[MSmyth]

The front left blinker is out, but thats it.... in fact, I'm wondering if I can source that bulb locally - anyone know?

Yep, got mine at the local FLAPS... just take the bulb in with you, as some Series listings aren't in their books.

[daveb]

make sure the bulb is the problem. do you have a 12v test light? if not get one and keep it in the truck it will be your best friend some dark night on the side of the road...

Yep, got mine at the local FLAPS... just take the bulb in with you, as some Series listings aren't in their books.

[NickDawson]

make sure the bulb is the problem. do you have a 12v test light? if not get one and keep it in the truck it will be your best friend some dark night on the side of the road...

I bought a cheapo multimeter yesterday, its already proven invaluable.

I'll make sure to check the socket before replacing the bulb.

[bmohan55]

Congratulations, looks VERY nice! When I get mine back on the road (timing issues?) maybe we could hook up in Richmond sometime, quaff an Ale at the Penny Lane pub and compare trucks. Hoping to get mine out to the Nut & Bolts Ralley (ROAV) at the end of this month, you going?
Bob

[49coe]

Are the "rust" holes in the floor, about 6" from the sides, and spaced about a foot apart? If so they are from the steel supports underneath. Stupid galvanic corrosion! It is pretty normal since they didn't galvanize them on the Series III. Does it suck? Yes. Is it anything to worry about? Not really. Best fix for it without removing and replacing the floor is to keep the tape on, leave the mat down, and forget about it and enjoy your rover. Other than that, it looks like a fine machine.

[South Larry]

For the soft top...You should have a piece of hardware that bolts on to the top of the windshield with little flanges that are to hold down the front of the canvas top. (flanges front and down)They hold the webbing/strap that goes across the front.
I've bolted my frame together for future storage. Also it goes together and comes apart as you install it. You can't put it "all" together and then put it on the vehicle...one piece.
Enjoy the puzzle

[rbonnett]

Another soft top tip: Don't tighten things down as you go when you put on the windscreen and door pieces. You'll need to do some fiddling to get everything aligned. I am way good now at tightening and loosening all those bolts though

[NickDawson]

Are the "rust" holes in the floor, about 6" from the sides, and spaced about a foot apart? If so they are from the steel supports underneath. Stupid galvanic corrosion! It is pretty normal since they didn't galvanize them on the Series III. Does it suck? Yes. Is it anything to worry about? Not really. Best fix for it without removing and replacing the floor is to keep the tape on, leave the mat down, and forget about it and enjoy your rover. Other than that, it looks like a fine machine.

Thanks, that makes me feel much better.

Any thoughts on slapping a piece of diamond plate down?

As for the soft top..its on, and snug but I have the ropes tied to various and sundry parts as I wait to do the rivets tonight... but of course it had to rain last night, hard! I snugged everything up again, and so far it seems ok.

Spent 2 hours at lunch at the DMV, highlights included:
"So what state is England in?" and "yes, I understand its a land rover, but who makes it, ford or chevy?"

The good news is that I've got cool custom plates: the Virginia "Internet Capitol plates that end in .com" - LANRVR
(guess who bought lanrvr.com? DNS still not propagated though)

Thanks again for all the advice and tips. Going to tackle some more projects this week (is it wrong that my wallet is leaking worse than the truck?)

[NickDawson]

Congratulations, looks VERY nice! When I get mine back on the road (timing issues?) maybe we could hook up in Richmond sometime, quaff an Ale at the Penny Lane pub and compare trucks. Hoping to get mine out to the Nut & Bolts Ralley (ROAV) at the end of this month, you going?
Bob

A pint at Penny Lane is the best idea I've heard in a while! A must once yours is running!

Looking into Nuts & Bolts now...will make every effort, been hoping to get to a rally soon

[galen216]

Where is Penny Lane? Sounds like a nice drive in the Series.....

[NickDawson]

Where is Penny Lane? Sounds like a nice drive in the Series.....

Downtown Richmond

http://www.pennylanepub.com/

Sounds like a great time to plan a central Virginia meet up soon