|
 The Land Rover Chronicles Page still under construction
I have been a fan of Land Rovers for some years, currently owning a Defender 90.
However it all started off back in the mid 1995 with a Series III Station Wagon
It came about because I worked in London and commuted by train each day and Anne had a company car. As a result our own car a Vauxhall Astra (well actually it was Annes) sat on the drive for months at a time unused. In fact it was used so little that it was untaxed for six months at one stage.
We came to the conclusion that whilst it was useful to have another car, why not have something that would be fun to use and unlikely to depreciate and being made of aluminium, wouldn't rust (how little we knew). I had wanted a Land Rover for some time and spotted the Series III in the local paper and discovered it was only two streets away from where we lived.
A test drive was done and we became the proud owners of our first Land Rover. Soon renamed "Redex" after it's registration number RDX 591W
Now although I had been in to Green Laning on two wheels for some years Redex rarely left tarmac. Remember, although it was my principal car, it was owned by Anne and she didn't want to see it getting scratched. It did see quite a lot of off road action at various Mountain Bike courses across the country and I was able to hone my off roading skills in non damaging environments as a result. It also taught me loads about Land Rover mechanics! Tasks involved fitting a new steering swivel in the road outside our house, replacing wheel bearings and having an outrigger and a new rear quarter chassis fitted, when rust inevitably took hold (I discovered they are not made entirely of aluminium).
We had owned Redex for just over a year when we had a holiday in the Lake District in a borrowed caravan that was permanently pitched there. Up until then we had always camped but suddenly discovered the joys of "Tin Tents".
In fact we spotted one for sale beside the road near Grange over Sands whilst on holiday and "just stopped for a quick look" because it "wouldn't do any harm to look". Famous last words, a couple of hours later we were the proud owners of an Elddis Hurricane.
The sellers were more than happy to hold on to it for a couple of weeks as at this time we were in Anne's company car and Redex was in no fit state to tow due to the advanced state of rust in the rear cross member coupled with an impending MOT.
A couple of weeks of frantic action got the chassis sorted, trailer electrics wired up and an MOT passed so we set off for the Lake District after having joined the Caravan Club and booked a couple of days in the Park Coppice campsite near Coniston.
This was the longest journey Anne had ever done in a Land Rover and before we had even got to Cumbria she was talking about replacement tow vehicles. Actually as we were in a Series III heading up the M6 it was more like shouting about it.
After concluding the deal and getting a quick lesson on caravan towing from the sellers (neither of us had ever towed anything) we set off the short distance to Park Coppice. The drive was almost uneventful with only one dry stone wall clipped on the way, leaving a score down the side of the van! I couldn't possible say who was driving at the time but I do recall I was doing the navigating J
In our search for a replacement we spotted a 1984 Range Rover for sale nearby. It was advertised as having a noisy engine so was quite cheap, but it come complete with a spare engine. So we took the plunge having sold the Series III to a company that used to exist near Hertford and who restored old Land Rovers, they paid exactly the same price as we bought it for, so the bit about depreciation was correct, shame the same wasn't true about rust!
Page still under construction Freelander
 I had this Freelander 1.8 Xi Hard Back. Here pictured on a byway near Datchworth.
I owned this Freelander for two years and when people tell you they are unreliable.... they're right! In this time it had a new engine (the dreaded head gasket failure), a new gearbox and numerous other less serious replacement bits.
Although it must be said this was a lovely car to drive and a much more capable off roader than many would credit it, I eventually sold it when it went out of warranty! For more photos click here.
Series III
This is Land Rover number four, a 1973 Series III, 88" Pick Up. The picture shows it on a green lane close to home near the village of Datchworth.
 Originally purchased from a member of staff where I worked, I eventually sold it back to him after I got fed up after a year long rebuild and it still wasn't finished. He finished it off and it is still going strong at 34 years old and now resides in Dorset.
It was fairly standard at the time of this photo but eventually ended up being converted into a station wagon and received a new coat of paint before it was sold on. For more pictures click here
Page still under construction Discovery I
 This was my first Discovery and Land Rover number five, a 1994 V8i Auto.
The picture was taken whilst working as Chief Commissaire on the 2006 TransWales Mountain Bike Stage Race. Check out more photos of the race here.
It had a number of goodies fitted including a 2" suspension lift with Scorpion Racing springs and Pro Comp ES9000 shocks. It also had 245/75R16 BF Goodrich Mud Terrains on silver modular steel wheels, so sat about 3" higher than a standard Discovery. Steering was kept in trim with QT Services castor corrected radius arms and it had Deflex polyurethane suspension bushes. Brakes were fitted with Goodrich extended steel braided hoses and EBC Green pads. The standard bumper and cut down valance in the photo were eventually replaced by a winch bumper from 4x4 R Us. For more photos click here. Discovery II
 Here is my second Discovery, It was a 2001 TD5 Automatic and is a 5 seat "S" model. This was a fairly basic spec but I thought it would give me lots of scope for improvement. Take a look at my other Discovery below to see what it could have turned out like had diesel not rocketed from 89.9p a litre when I bought it in August 2007, to 132.9p a litre in July 2008 when I sold it!!!
Old and New! Page still under construction 90 County Station Wagon
This recently replaced a Discovery Series II TD5, which I bought as a compromise being to fill the role of everyday car and green lane tool. Sadly it turned out too expensive to run as the former and too big and shiny for the latter, so it was replaced by a Skoda Octavia TDI for everyday use and the Defender 90.
Freelander No 2
Page still under construction
Powered by Create |
