Who can tell me more in detail about

[MelliFobian]

Hi everyone, I am new on your forum roversnorth.com, I've been reading it for a while, and decided to try my luck asking a few questions Who can tell me more in detail about the Land Rover Series I II IIA III. Please Mail Me..!! Best Regards..!!

[scott]

i personnally like the iia. maybe cuz that's what i got. but when i started shopping i looked for one pre 68 because i think the head lights on the breakfast look cool. i got a 1964 series iia 88

[Leslie]

Hi everyone, I am new on your forum roversnorth.com, I've been reading it for a while, and decided to try my luck asking a few questions Who can tell me more in detail about the Land Rover Series I II IIA III. Please Mail Me..!! Best Regards..!!

http://www.lrfaq.org/FAQ.2.main.html

http://www.eastcoastrover.com/INFOseries.html

[Jeff Aronson]

The links posted will answer a lot of questions for you. As a Series II-A owner, I've always been partial to them. That said, here are some observations:

The Series II-A, built over a 10 year period, featured a non-syncromesh 1-2 shift. That means you had to learn to double clutch when upshifting or downshifting. The II-A also had a banjo-style steering wheel [through mid-1966] and headlights inside the radiator panel [through the "bug eye" model of 1969]. Later ones had headlights in the fenders.

Inside the car, you looked for your gauges in the middle of a dash panel in the center of the fascia. All knobs and switches were either toggles or pull out knobs. The speedometer topped out at 70 mph; the high beam lamp was on the instrument cluster to the left. The American models had either a Smiths [round and less effective] or Kodiak [rectangular and more effective] heater. Early II-A's retained a separate starter button while later ones had a conventional key start. Sometime around 1967-8, Land Rover moved to negative ground, an alternator instead of a generator, and a hidden windshield wiper motor rather than the twin visible ones. Later speedometers also had warning lights in them, and the top speeds supposedly rose, too [same motor, so it's impossible].

Series III's, which arrived in 1972, offered a genuine "safety" plastic dashboard, with instruments in front of the drivers eyes, not by his/her right or left knee. The hooked toggle switches were illuminated, and the interior warning lamps had the "grooviest" colors of gold, blue and green. The "deluxe" interior featured a driver's seat squab that would move nearly 2 inches! The gearbox went to synchro on all 4 gears. Some claim that synchros are a "weak" point in a gearbox, and therefore the II-A box is superior. In general off road use, it's impossible to fault either transmission. It's easier to abuse a II-A gearbox because of the lack of synchromesh.

Series III's are easily identifiable by their ABS plastic grill, flat door hinges, and the dashboard. You really can remove the all-steel II-A grille and use it for, well, a grill.

If you're using your Series Rover around town, the all-synchro transmission is hard to beat. If you're tall, the extra inches might make all the difference. If you prefer not to feel as though your're riding in an enclosed tractor, the Series III is a bit more livable. The Series III clutch plate is also slightly different and generally requires less effort than the II-A.

There are small differences in rear hubs [screw in lug studs instead of pressed in], door hinges [protruding instead of flat], door mirrors [rectangular instead of round on wings], and interior mirrors. Series III's came standard as hardtops with some interior trim packaging unique to the US model. They also added a couple of colors not available on the II-A.

Except for some emissions equipment, the motors are the same. The Series III did come with a brake booster and dual circuit master cylinder - both are ideal safety enhancements. Otherwise, the actual brakes are identical.

In driving them, you'll not feel much difference. The Series III feels more like a primitive car; the II-A feels more like a primitive truck. Both work effectively and identically offroad.

Pick one or the other; you can't go wrong.

Jeff

[vjjb59]

I have an opportunity to acquire a Series II or IIA, not entirely sure what my husband was looking at (probably a IIA). How do we find the model year we are looking at?

Thanks

[greenmeanie]

I have an opportunity to acquire a Series II or IIA, not entirely sure what my husband was looking at (probably a IIA). How do we find the model year we are looking at?

Thanks

Post pictures here. Most of us like looking at old rovers. You'll also get soem advice on condition if there are detail shots. ALways check the chassis (they rot from inside out) and the bulkhead.

Cheers
Gregor