New ownership 1989 90 2.5TD (j19) - impulsive! Keep or sell!?

[Emma Stanger]

Hi all, 

looking forward to accessing all these years of experience on this forum!

I made a rather rash impulse purchase (I'm sure we have all done this at some time or other) and bought a 1989 Ninety 2.5TD.  155k miles

The unmodified/original nature of the vehicle is what drew me to it.  and the price.

The buyers remorse has hit in and I swing from taking this on as a project and making improvements, or just selling it on as too much to chew....

The good points:

• very original, knocked about and dented but good patina and all old jacks, tools etc still there...as is the original paperwork
• original engine, chassis and gearbox, matching numbers
• good clean interior with all working
• pretty good to drive, not as noisy as expected, steering seems tight, gears... OK
• no advisories on MOT (but depends of the rigor of the tester!?)
• HPI clear

bad points:

• I think it will need some chassis welding in next year or two
• there is rust to the top of the bulkhead by door pillars
• there is rust to offsite footwell and just below the dash near the drivers side door
• paint blistering on most panels (where contact with steel frame)
• driver and passenger doors corroded on side and base
• very lumpy and smokey on start up, does seem to clear after a good run.

I have booked it in to a LR specialist to have a thorough inspection...  I will def keep if the work is minor, a bit of welding here and there, not bulkhead replacement or major chassis work.  Also, hoping that the smoking can be sorted with a look at glow plugs/injectors.....

what do you think?

 

[L19MUD]

That is the identical brother to my latest project. Looks nice! Try and do some preventative work on the chassis and bulkhead to hold off the rust. A good clean up and paint plus spraying the inside of the chassis can do wonders 

[ThreePointFive]

Everything you've listed is standard Land Rover stuff. You can make it as much of a project as you want, chase the rust around with patches or bite the bullet and put it on a galvanised chassis and have done with it, same for the bulkhead and doors.

These things don't just die overnight so you've got plenty of time to think about it use it in the meantime.

[monkie]

Looks great. A lumpy and smokey 19J on start up is reasonably normal. They have an iron block and iron head so take a bit of heat to warm them up then they settle down to be quite smooth for a diesel. They usually need a good bit of pre-heat on the glow plugs even in summer to start up. They like to have regular (twice yearly) oil and filter changes. Wouldn't hurt to check the valve clearances and check the glow plugs. I always use Beru glow plugs, avoid cheap ones. 

[Eightpot]

That's a good buy and early standard cars are becoming hard to find. If it were mine I'd resist the urge to modify it and just keep on top of maintenance.  

[simonr]

As others have said, what you consider "bad points" are in fact "Features" 😉 - most Land Rovers have some or all of them!

Get your specialist to fix anything that's dangerous or is likely to become dangerous soon.  Anything else, you can just fix (or not) as time goes by.

I would strongly suggest you tell your specialist to only use Genuine parts for anything that turns, seals or is safety critical.  They are more expensive but my experience says they are better value in the long run (unless you enjoy lying underneath, being covered in oil, trying to fix it - again). 

I used to have a Turbo Diesel - and it was a great engine!  Mine was always smokey when it first started (new Valve guide oil seals will help a bit), and it was lumpy as hell on cold days - until it warmed up.  Then it was really nice to drive - much smother than the newer Tdi's.  I eventually fitted a Webasto heater to it which was on a timer.  In the winter particularly, it pre-heated the engine, so it started easily and was smooth from the off.  The cab being warm immediately was also great.

Si

[jeremy996]

My LR110CSW started off with a 19J and at 140k miles had four cracked pistons. The engine has probably had an easier life in a 90, so keep an eye on the blow-by and expect to rebuild it sometime. Compared to a 200Tdi, the easiest replacement, the 19J is quieter, smoother and provides more heat to the heater.

Keeping things original is good for resale, so fix stuff that needs fixing and don't go mad with the customising unless you keep it forever.

[Emma Stanger]

On 6/1/2022 at 11:17 PM, simonr said:

As others have said, what you consider "bad points" are in fact "Features" 😉 - most Land Rovers have some or all of them!

Get your specialist to fix anything that's dangerous or is likely to become dangerous soon.  Anything else, you can just fix (or not) as time goes by.

I would strongly suggest you tell your specialist to only use Genuine parts for anything that turns, seals or is safety critical.  They are more expensive but my experience says they are better value in the long run (unless you enjoy lying underneath, being covered in oil, trying to fix it - again). 

I used to have a Turbo Diesel - and it was a great engine!  Mine was always smokey when it first started (new Valve guide oil seals will help a bit), and it was lumpy as hell on cold days - until it warmed up.  Then it was really nice to drive - much smother than the newer Tdi's.  I eventually fitted a Webasto heater to it which was on a timer.  In the winter particularly, it pre-heated the engine, so it started easily and was smooth from the off.  The cab being warm immediately was also great.

Si

Features 😉  Like it!  I have had it fully inspected now and done as you suggested, fix all the dangerous bits and anything that would be an MOT fail or advisory.  At least this gives me the option to keep and use safely, or to sell and feel happy that the new owner is aware of all the 'features'/

There are quite a few items that would be an MOT fail or advisory, suprised that the previous 'clean' MOT didnt pick these up with only having covered a further 500 miles....    (scratches head)

[Emma Stanger]

On 6/2/2022 at 12:47 PM, jeremy996 said:

My LR110CSW started off with a 19J and at 140k miles had four cracked pistons. The engine has probably had an easier life in a 90, so keep an eye on the blow-by and expect to rebuild it sometime. Compared to a 200Tdi, the easiest replacement, the 19J is quieter, smoother and provides more heat to the heater.

Keeping things original is good for resale, so fix stuff that needs fixing and don't go mad with the customising unless you keep it forever.

good advice, thanks!  not planning on customising other than maybe softer/road use springs/dampers.  all the rest will be safety and maintenance

[simonr]

MOT inspections are more variable than you might think!  Also, servicing agents tend to be overly pessimistic about what constitutes an MOT fail (in the hope you'll ask them to fix it).

Once, ATS tried the whole teeth sucking act with me, telling me my brake discs were looking very thin.  I knew it was nonsense as I'd replaced the discs a couple of months before.  I think it's just a standard scam / thing.  Let an MOT inspector decide whether it's a pass or fail!

Si