Series II with 2006 Vortec Engine & Tranny in It

[junkyddog11]

any brake upgrades?

[greasyhandsagain]

There is a trapdoor in the floor and you jam your feet through a'la Fred Flintstone :-)

Seriously....I was wondering that also. Seems like a perfect candidate for a Disc conversion.

[TeriAnn]

My only thought...and I know Im not alone in this, is that the Series landrover..from the chassis on up, is not a 'crashworthy' vehicle. I think about this problem on occasion, when I do road trips in my S2, and have faith that the very unnatural appearance of the Rover on the road will make people take notice and perhaps 'cut me a break'.

It doesn't work that way. They treat you as a near stationary roadblock that is in the way of them doing something very important. They pass on blind corners, before the top of a hill and when it gets dicey they pull back in before they have gotten completely past you. During the 20 years I drove my truck with a LR four cylinder engine in it I lost count of the number of times impatient drivers have nearly killed me by doing someting really dangerous when my truck was doing its best not to cause trouble. I made the decision to get a power upgrade while sitting in a field in Eastern Montana after being forced off the road at about 50 MPH by an 18 wheeler who decided he didn't have enough space to pass and went back into my lane alongside of me. Had there been a drainage ditch I would have been dead there and then. I consider the ability to do the speed limit an important safety upgrade.

And...I have on occasion, with a gentle downslope and a tailwind, gotten my 2 litre S2 up to what I recon is about 65 mph or so....and have been scared Sh******!

I used to have a similar experience. Then I rebuilt the steering and had the truck professionally aligned. If you look at the Series alignment specs you can see that they are VERY tight (plus or minus 3/64" if I remember correctly). And you know, tight steering & proper alignment makes all the difference in the world. My truck is now rock stable at 80 MPH. I had to test how it felt but usually freeway cruise at 60 MPH just because it gets better fuel mileage. In dense traffic I go with the flow for safety.

Of course I have disc brakes to help with the stopping but I'm not dumb enough to tailgate so they are no advantage most of the time. Mostly when I come to a stop going down a steep hill or need to stay stopped facing up a steep hill (a 109 problem not experienced by 88's)

It is obvious you have your biases but so do I and one of my biases is to be able to drive as safely as possible. This means being able to drive with the flow of traffic.

[greasyhandsagain]

I suppose the main difference is that I don't treat my S2 as a daily driver And I don't take long road trips. Six thousand miles in eleven years and mostly all that on the extensive network of old trails and colonial era sand roads in the southern new jersey pine barrens. I have spent a lot more time driving four mph that forty mph. For everyday driving, that's either a 99 range rover, 2006 VW beetle convert or a fully restored 1964 Studebaker cruiser. While I understand the need and desire to modify and upgrade half century old quasi-agricultural land rovers to share the interstates with escalades, 18 wheelers and creepy teenagers driving little coupes with blacked out windows and flat wide tires......I just want to keep my S2 original and use it pretty much in the manner it was intended.

[TeriAnn]

I suppose the main difference is that I don't treat my S2 as a daily driver And I don't take long road trips. Six thousand miles in eleven years and mostly all that on the extensive network of old trails and colonial era sand roads in the southern new jersey pine barrens.

Thats a big difference in perception right there. Your truck is basically a hobby truck. Mine shares daily driving duties with my Triumph TR3A. And my Dormobile goes out for long trips. A run out to the 4 corners area is a good 2000 miles just getting there and back plus off road and wondering about mileage. I figure I put on at least 3000 miles, usually more during a short one month long 4 corners trip. I'm currently in the preparation phase of a 2010 spring & summer trip that I expect to last between three and six months (depending upon visas & countries).

A totally stock Series truck is great for local country puttering about and occasional longer trips and I do enjoy looking over completely stock trucks. But Series trucks were also meant to be exploration vehicles. And these days that includes long distance tarmac travel as well as the off road trials.

Either way, there is room in the Land Rover world for people who focus on the beauty and simplicity of purely stock Series trucks and those who travel long distances and who update their truck to be more compatible with the modern world driving conditions. I for one would not call either extreme better than the other, just different needs for different folks.

[yorker]

It doesn't work that way. They treat you as a near stationary roadblock that is in the way of them doing something very important. They pass on blind corners, before the top of a hill and when it gets dicey they pull back in before they have gotten completely past you. During the 20 years I drove my truck with a LR four cylinder engine in it I lost count of the number of times impatient drivers have nearly killed me by doing someting really dangerous when my truck was doing its best not to cause trouble...

These days people on the road simply do not understand that a Land Rover was a vehicle that could go 65-70 MPH TOPS- to them you are going slow simply because you are an incompetent fool or an old geezer- they equate you to that annnoying 85 year old man in a fedore driving the Grand Marquis everywhere at 45mph. I try to pull over whenever I can to let the nutters by but they still pull silly tricks that could get you and them killed. I've lost count of how many times people have cut me off, flipped me off, tractor trailers have shoved me out of a lane etc... They just don't get it and don't have the patience for the performance of your 40 year old vehicle, they don't get it, they don't want to get it and they want you out of their way.

Some one once told me that with classic cars you are better off sticking to the roads that were in use at the time they were built- it is a good idea but not always possible. If it was you'd have to go cross country on roads like Route 20. Hmmm now that actually would be a fun road trip- coast to coast...

To be practical daily drivers for most people, Series Land Rovers can really benefit from some well thought out mods. However, hobby vehicles can remain stock and be viable for local trips and weekend jaunts. There is room in this community for everyone.

[amcordo]

My truck is a daily driver here in the city and I often drive it on the outerbelt and interstate spurs. Even though I've got the 8cyl. I still have the original tranny so I never really push it that hard.

Anyway, one day I was driving down part of 270 with a bunch of friends in the truck on our way back from a cornhole tournament. it's like 7pm, just starting to get dark, and no one except me and one other driver are visible dispite it being a 7 lane highway. So this other guy is driving behind me riding my butt (I'm in the middle lane) finally he flies around me honking and flicking me off. I'm going like 60.

Some people just don't get it.



Anyway, the reason I liked the look of this truck isn't really the speed factor. If I want to go fast I drive the sportscar. Rather, I like it for the better gas mileage and more reliable modern motor. I wouldn't mind dropping that engine and tranny into my truck. Don't need the bells and whistles though - AC is for wimps!

[kevkon]

It's a mixed bag. My background is in customization, so I really can appreciate well done modifications to any vehicle. That is, as long as the mods are done with the end use in mind. Doubling the power of a vehicle without upgrading the braking, steering, and suspension systems is just asking for trouble. On the other hand, the Series trucks are really basic and old school. No abs, airbags, side impact protection and worst of all, no energy absorption, makes the Series driver very vulnerable. Out here in the Metro area there's a lot of traffic and a lot of aggressive drivers to contend with. I'm not sure 100 extra hp would offer me any advantage. I once heard that when an automobile safety engineer was asked what the safest vehicle would be he responded; one where 10 pounds of dynamite was wired to a spike in the steering wheel. In a way, driving a stock Series around here is like that.

[greasyhandsagain]

Well...at least we all understand where we are coming from. I had a 1917 Model T depot hack for awhile...my Father had built it from pretty much nothing, and it was a show winner. Very much NOT my favorite vehicle to drive though, you think that a S1 or a S2 is a moving roadblock, try a Model T. When your top speed is 20 MPH, and that seems like 70 when youre doing it, crossing a highway means that they guy pulling out 1/4 mile down the road may be on you before you are across. Steering.....how about 1.5 turns lock to lock, and the slightest bump can rip the wheel out of your hands. Corner too fast, and you run the risk or either toppleing over, or having the wooden wheels break apart. Brakes? Engine braking is the most efficent, better than the mechanical drum for sure.


So what became of the Model T? I sold it to a museum. Thats where it belonged. And I still think about that 55 mile road trip my folks took in it once!

My next Land Rover...that will be a 1948 80" with a sweet little 1.6 litre engine.....ahh....isnt the future great?

[leafsprung]

The 1.6 runs down the road pretty well. My only hesitation to driving one is the expense of rebuilding them . . .

[Linus Tremaine]

landiman

I think I saw you driving in downtown placerville on friday.. or maybe saturday. Your truck looks good. I tried to look like a land rover enthusiast when you drove by but your v8 kept you moving so fast that you didnt see me. I was suprised because it was a cold day and I figured you would have been going slower with all the water condensing on your windows.. but you probably took care of that problem too!

Happy motoring! Always makes my day to see another land rover.

[greenmeanie]

Oh...and I HAVE exceeded 100 mph from time to time in a Land Rover...but thats my 1999 Range Rover 4.0 HSE! This is a vehicle that was designed to be able to do this, air bags surround me, modern engineering provides substantial crush zones within the design of the body and frame and the brakes are more than adequate to cope with speeds like this.

And...I have on occasion, with a gentle downslope and a tailwind, gotten my 2 litre S2 up to what I recon is about 65 mph or so....and have been scared Sh******!

I hate to say this but crash that modern SUV at 100mph and you'll find that for all that engineering you'll still be a greasy splat. Maybe a prettier splat but none the less you'll still, bar a lot of luck, be dead. Your CG will always be acting against you with an inherent tendency to roll at which point your faith in modern engineering will not help much at that speed. Don't take this as a high and mighty view of speeding, as almost everyone has at some point. It is merely an observation that your RR is perhaps not as safe as you imagine at 100mph compared to a well maintained/modified series at 65mph. You don't want to crash either.

Maintain the vehicle correctly and drive it accordingly and 65mph is safe enough. Low back seats, topless or a canvas top and either no seat belts or only lap belts certainly increase your risk even at low speed but those that choose to drive a vehicle set up like that normally accept the risk.

Too many of those driver's described by others in this thread rely on that sense of insulation and safety that modern vehicles embody when conducting the manouvres suggested. The mods to the truck in the OP will help its driveability but, like all vehicles, for all the hp increase the driver will be the most influential safety system.

Either way it is a nice truck.