Educate me on this series 3...

[LilKJ]

This Rover was brought to my attention and the owner showed some interest in a possible trade...
https://westslope.craigslist.org/cto/6004323543.html

I will be the first to admit that I am not a LR guy, I am a Willys guy (my DD is a '55 CJ5 so series rovers will not be an uncomfortable transition).

Here are what I see with this LR:
-obvious frame rot near suspension mount... hefty repair assuming there is even solid metal nearby
-later diesel swapped in, is this good?
-bulkhead looks solid from the pics

What can you guys tell me about this thing? Should I run away and never look back? I haven't seen it in person, but I would like to know what I am looking for when I do.

 

[DiscoDavis]

That motor looks like a 200 tdi (but from a discovery?). Excellent powerplant, they get around 30mpg and are almost indestructible. Makes me wonder what tranny is in it... if LT77 or R380 then good, but weird and not period.

As for bulkhead, you need pics of the bare metal at footwells, both from inside and below if possible. These are steel and rust out. Rear crossmember (bumper) looks OK to me, see if you can see the inside of it, big landy problem area.

The 109 wheelbase is nice, I have not seen any solid side 109 hard tops for a very long time here in US.

Rack and lights do nothing for me, they don't fit with the period. Same with wheels, it should have the correct 5.5" nato style.

 

[Tembo]

That is an ex-military Series 3, 109 inch. Or someone has bolted on some ex-military bits to a standard 109. The front bumper and racking behind the front seats are usually military. The engine is a former Land Rover Discovery 200 TDI which in good shape is one of the best engines produced by Land Rover. It will give about 111 HP ad 30 mpg normally. But yours has had the turbo unit removed (you can see the air intake running directly from the air filter to the intake manifold). This is a common mod when dropping a 200 or 300 TDI into a Series truck. That is because the gearbox and axles were designed for engines with 50-70 HP and would have a hard time managing the extra power. Yours still has a Series 4-speed, selectable 2/4 wheel drive so the lesser HP is a good idea.

The rotted chassis is both a plus and a minus. On the minus side, obviously it means a fairly serious rebuild. The chassis were always just welded steel sections though so repairs aren't a big deal. On the plus side though, you can probably get the owner down in price or improve the trade potential. Also, there are a number of companies that produce galvanized chassis replacements for about $1500 USD. You would need one shipped over but the companies that make them do it regularly.

The safest thing to say I guess is that truck can only go up in value if properly maintained. Now that the Defender is out of production interest is rising for all that model line. Yours isn't 'original' spec, but then only a rare few are after 35+ years. If I were you and could get the truck in a good deal, I would take it, replace the rotted chassis and you would have a great truck that would only increase in value.

 

[getlost4x4]

That truck has been sale for a few years now. I had the owner send me more detailed pictures of the frame and bulkhead. Its cheap for a reason, you'll be spending a lot more on repairing all the rust then you'll pay for it. If you can't do the work yourself, its going to be very expensive.

The owner told me it was a military version, but I don't think it is. Looks more like he added those bits to it.

 

[luckyjoe]

It is an ex-military FFR (fitted for radio), as shown on the data plate, and certainly a frame-over + project...

 

[Tembo]

I checked Richards Chassis, one of several Land Rover chassis builders in England, and their price for a replacement galvanized chassis for the truck is £1770

http://www.richardschassis.co.uk/prices.html .

Add in shipping and your all in at $2500-$3000. I would just tell the seller you want $3000+ off the asking price...and maybe a bit more for the bother.

 

[TeriAnn]

I guess a lot depends upon how good you are with wrenching, if someone is available to help move heavy stuff, how much spare time you have, and how much money you are willing to sink into the project.

About $3000 should get you a galvanized SIII MoD frame with TDi engine mounts to your front door. But you are going to look at that shinny new frame, the rusty springs, rusty steel brake lines and decide you would be better off and safer with new springs, bushings, brake lines, new exhaust system, plus whatever. I can see the $3000 grow to $5000 before you even move the body over. A new frame gives you the opportunity to convert to LHD. I don't know about the SIII bulkhead but SII bulkheads have holes cut for both LHD and RHD and blanking plates over the unused holes.

The body appears to be serviceable but the panels are not straight. The SIII has an all syncro gearbox and the much stronger Salisbury rear axle. Potential US buyers would salivate at a new galvanized chassis and a 200 TDi engine. Really big pluses. A 200DTi without turbo would be way more reliable long term than one with a turbo (less stress on engine parts) and without a turbo produces about the same HP as the late 2.5L petrol engines with much better fuel mileage and more torque.

RHD usually drops the resale value $1000 or more. The dents in the body is also a minus. Reframing is a really big project but if the drivetrain is in very good condition the truck could be at the top end of Series reliability. I'd guess with that frame, if the drive train is in very good condition the truck might be worth about $2500 - $3000 as is and if you do a nice job of reframing as a LHD truck and bring all the parts to good condition you might have a $10,000 to $12,000 truck. But you will likely just break even on the project or maybe come out a couple thousand ahead if you do all the work yourself. It would have to be a project of love by someone who enjoys spending lots of spare time wrenching on trucks.

Never forget the saying "It is always cheapest to purchase the very best condition vehicle you can barely afford."

 

[LilKJ]

Thanks for all the info, you guys confirmed the things I was leery about. I haven't heard back from the buyer since, but I don't think they are too willing to bring the price down. I saw other ads for this LR targeting the overseas buyers at $12k.

 

[Tembo]

I will always defer to TeriAnn on older Land Rover issues...especially in the NA context. I have been reading bout her truck and its mods for years. But I would say that in the UK, that truck would sell for may £1000 as a 'project' vehicle. No one would seriously buy it as a useable truck with that chassis. The seller is trading off the 'unique' status a bit too heavily. If they won't negotiate I would walk away.