LRCC

Firstly, thanks for allowing me on :)

We've recently purchased a 1982 109 2.25P following 'best practice' - having a thorough inspection, test drive etc before negotiating a sensible price... yeah right !!! :D I saw *one* picture of the 109, liked it and called the seller - after a 5 min chat I'd bought it sight unseen lol.



It was cheap, had no MoT, but looked very straight and had a few extras that were worth as much as the seller wanted for the whole vehicle - Fairey overdrive, free wheeling hubs, and a working LPG installation. Plus it was exactly the configuration of 109 that I wanted. The seller was a really nice bloke who I trusted instantly (which is unusual for me - I'm the typical cynical old git) so the deal was done.

After having it brought down from Edinburgh to a friends farm in Yorkshire, I finally got to see it for the first time. Luckily for me, my instincts had been correct - she's a beauty and is very very straight indeed, possibly the most unmolested and original unrestored 109 I've seen in many years.



Yes she needs extensive welding to the bulkhead as highlighted by the seller, and she'll also need a few outriggers, but otherwise the structure seems pretty good. I'm hoping to avoid a re-chassis at this early stage, but if that is a necessity, then it'll be done as well.

I'll be getting new doors, possibly a Safari roof, and will do lots of preventative work (parabolics, shocks, wheel bearings, brakes, fuel tank, electronic ignition, new headlamps and a partial rewire) prior to embarking on turning her into a camper, much as TerriAnn has done with her 109 ( http://www.expeditionlandrover.info/GRdetail2.htm ). I'm doing all this up front as I don't want to end up with something that we can't rely upon for touring.

Finally, the plan is to repaint her in one of three colour schemes - Pale Green & Limestone, all Limestone, or Masai Red & Limestone. This is a pic that I've had as a wallpaper on my computer for a few years - spot the similarity with our new acquisition? :D



At the moment the 109 is still at my friend's place, but once we get her home I'll be starting work and will no doubt be asking lots of questions, particularly about the camper side of things. In the meantime, I'm perusing your forum and hopefully taking in all the great ideas you peeps have had (liking the telescopic rear awning!)

Thanks, Sam

Hello and welcome!

That looks like an excellent project, and perhaps more importantly, a project that has found the right custodian to bring it back to usable condition.

Pastel green and limestone is a good choice too!

Whereabouts in Yorkshire are you? There's a fair few members on here in the area, though most will be away this weekend at the Yorkshire Dales camp.

Patrick

Thanks Patrick

I'm in Doncaster but work in Sheffield, just off Eccy Road. I'm expecting this to be a 9-12 month project if I'm honest, but I'd prefer it to be back on the road long before that :)

We've also got a D1 300Tdi (sorry!) with a roof tent that we go camping in at the moment - so we've already got a big Engel fridge/freezer, gas and Coleman cookers, tables and chairs etc. We had a D2 Td5 before that and have found the D1 a tad too small, hence getting the 109 - well it was one of the reasons :) I also grew up bouncing around in the back of a 109, so they hold fond memories! I can't wait to get back into a Series - maybe its rose tinted glasses stuff, but both the wife and me are really excited about it!

Hi Sam, Welcome to the forum. Looks a great truck and a great base for a camper. I love the full windows at the back.
Looks a bit like our Carawagon we are about to rebuild.


I live near Skipton, but my Lad has just moved to near Donny.

Keep us up to date on your rebuild.

Cheers Mick

and welcome
Kath [navyboyz]

Thanks. Thats a lovely looking Carawagon Jabbawocky, even got the original pork pie lamps :)

Hi Sam,

Welcome to the forum... Looks like a very nice landy.
I might have a carawagon roof for you if my friend I bought it for decides not to have it. He has first refusal. It is still in the Netherlands, but I will collect it somewhere later in the year when we go on family visit.

Michiel

Hi Sam,

Glad to see you've made it over here

You've got a month to get it ready for the Doncaster show - easy peasy

Cheers,
Robin.

Its going to take a month just to get it home lol. The chap who has bought my old car is now collecting it on Saturday, not Friday, so the driveway is going to be full until Sat evening... and there is a combination of conflicting issues that means I can't get the landy home for another 2 weeks :(

But the logbook has arrived so I've completed a V888 to request the full DVLA history of the 109 - I know it was originally registered in North London, but apart from it ending up in Edinburgh I have no idea of what its done or where its been in the meantime - apart from the fact that it has a 3 bearing engine now. Hopefully the DVLA records will allow me to contact a few previous owners to see what light they can shine on it.

I've now also got the official Series III Parts catalogue which will help identify parts and their assembly order. Love the way that you can buy internal parts for the water pump and alternator - I'm sure that nowadays you can only get the complete parts. Really looking forward to stripping her down and getting stuck in :)

DrivingDutchman, thanks for the offer. Not sure what we're doing with the roof at the moment - I was originally thinking along the lines of the safari roof, but if the price/condition is right I might be tempted ;) Thanks for thinking of us!

Thought I'd update my introduction as things have moved on, and not how I originally intended!

The blue 109 above was a lovely looker and I still love her to bits, but the chassis needed replacing, as did the bulkhead - both needed far more work than I was able to attempt. When I started looking into getting a new chassis I had the option of an engine change, so I contemplated putting a Disco 3.9 V8/LPG and autobox in it... and it got more complex after that once I realised that this would require cross member alterations, propshaft tinkering, maybe fitting Discovery axles to suit the transfer box etc etc - in short it would have been a real bitsa and I didn't want to do that to the old girl, so I sold her on to someone who wanted to keep her original.

Since then, with my mind set on a V8, I examined a few V8 engine conversions and didn't like them for various reasons. It was just about then that I saw a rare beast for sale - an original and straight 109 Stage 1 V8... with a galvy chassis. Needless to say, I bought it :D



It turns out that it also needs a lot of work, despite it having a valid MoT and me driving it 250 miles home! It needs a new gearbox, fuel tank, new fuel lines, new brakes, new steering box etc etc. I've sourced most of the parts now so I just need the time to fit them all. Amazingly I found an average but working LT95 with overdrive (In Scotland), and a new old stock steering relay (In Italy!). To be fair, I've been working all hours lately and the weather hasn't allowed me to do much outside, but this is going to be a really good Landy. It turns out the engine is an old Range Rover Classic 3.5 litre 9.35:1 CR unit and has previously been rebuilt by RPI and runs very very sweetly. A mechanic friend of mine will be rebuilding the gearbox and overdrive so they'll be tip-top soon as well. Once the gearbox is back in I'll put an LPG conversion on - thats a must as we won't be able to afford to go far if we're running on petrol at 16-20mpg :)

We're still looking into the camper conversion side of things. As I mentioned before, I'll probably do something like TeriAnn but without the dormobile roof - if I can find a good safari roof I'll put one of those on. I'm looking into ways of fitting two large batteries under the seats, along with the split charge system and later a solar charger. And I'll also be fitting some side lockers in the rear wings most likely - to hold fuel. With no room for a second fuel tank, I'll be having a pair of jerry cans to fall back on, just in case the LPG packs up at an inappropriate time!

I'm starting to ramble now, so I'll leave it at that for now - I'll post some more updates once I have something to show off!

BFN Sam