The 110 moves again after 9 months.

[Gromit]

What a happy day today was. I drove my 110 off the driveway today, where it had been sitting immobile, ignored and unloved for 9 months.

During this period, it was home to: a cat and kitten (who thought it was a cozy glass house in the sun), a dead bird (who also probably thought it was cosy, till he met the cats), some unknown animal that knocked over my carefully placed bellhousing nuts, and finally 2 birds, who were freed by me before the cats woke up.

To back track, 9 months ago, the gearbox was making terminal noises, so I swapped it for another one. A day later, the other one let some smoke out and stopped working altogether, so I took it out, put it in the garden and went into the house in a huff.

So disgusted was I with the whole thing, I went off and bought another car, somthing fast, something german, something rear wheel drive, something slightly classic.

What a time I had. I experienced instant heat in the mornings, speeds way in excess of 65mph, handling (someone had explained it to me once, but I never really understood it) , electrics that worked 2 days in a row, seats that were dry after thunder storms; I could go on.

All this hedonism did not go un noticed by the 110.

It would stare at me through the living room window, with its water filled headlights and snarl its dented bonnet. Being camped in the middle of the driveway, it blocked anyone else parking at my house. It got in the way as I struggled to the door with the shopping, it hid tools. It even had the cheek to knock me over once (possibly twice) as I returned home late one night from the pub. There was only so long this mutual disdain could continue.

Then one day in town, I meet vinny in his 90. There he was, sitting all smug cause his truck was working, and wondering where my 110 was. Well I don't know if it was inspiration or pure jealousy, but that afternoon a call was made to Mr. Ashcroft for a recon kit for my gear box.

The following week was spent, like a child with lego, on the floor of the shed, surrounded by gears, springs and levers, assembling them in various combinations that, while looked nice, but were of little functional value.

At the end of a week of playtime, with the box assembled, I discovered that while refitting the selector yoke, one could dislodge the reverse selector inside the box. You kept that one quiet David! With the box apart again and the reverse selector refitted, today was spent refitting the innards to the 110.

A few hours later, the 200tdi fired up on the first turn of the key. The clutch worked, gears worked, brakes and steering still worked, so I went for a spin.

As I went for a test drive with no floor and deafened by the gearbox and engine, bird poo on the dash, cat hair on the seats and a dead bird somewhere under the rear seats, I suddenly realised it had been too long since I'd sat with my elbow out the window, trundling down the road.

Is there a point to this story? Sometimes you just need a break from your loved one. Then sometimes you need just a mate to give you a kick up the ar*e.

**** Normal LR4x4 content follows ****

Ralph, I've some vibration in my inverter. would you have a part number for a 37" slave poly sprocket anti-roll switch with ruts?

Thanks,

[chrisp]

Gromit - what a lovely post- if you are not a writer - perhaps 9 momths of writing might yield a book or screenplay?

Regards

Chrisp

What a happy day today was. I drove my 110 off the driveway today, where it had been sitting immobile, ignored and unloved for 9 months.

During this period, it was home to: a cat and kitten (who thought it was a cozy glass house in the sun), a dead bird (who also probably thought it was cosy, till he met the cats), some unknown animal that knocked over my carefully placed bellhousing nuts, and finally 2 birds, who were freed by me before the cats woke up.

To back track, 9 months ago, the gearbox was making terminal noises, so I swapped it for another one. A day later, the other one let some smoke out and stopped working altogether, so I took it out, put it in the garden and went into the house in a huff.

So disgusted was I with the whole thing, I went off and bought another car, somthing fast, something german, something rear wheel drive, something slightly classic.

What a time I had. I experienced instant heat in the mornings, speeds way in excess of 65mph, handling (someone had explained it to me once, but I never really understood it) , electrics that worked 2 days in a row, seats that were dry after thunder storms; I could go on.

All this hedonism did not go un noticed by the 110.

It would stare at me through the living room window, with its water filled headlights and snarl its dented bonnet. Being camped in the middle of the driveway, it blocked anyone else parking at my house. It got in the way as I struggled to the door with the shopping, it hid tools. It even had the cheek to knock me over once (possibly twice) as I returned home late one night from the pub. There was only so long this mutual disdain could continue.

Then one day in town, I meet vinny in his 90. There he was, sitting all smug cause his truck was working, and wondering where my 110 was. Well I don't know if it was inspiration or pure jealousy, but that afternoon a call was made to Mr. Ashcroft for a recon kit for my gear box.

The following week was spent, like a child with lego, on the floor of the shed, surrounded by gears, springs and levers, assembling them in various combinations that, while looked nice, but were of little functional value.

At the end of a week of playtime, with the box assembled, I discovered that while refitting the selector yoke, one could dislodge the reverse selector inside the box. You kept that one quiet David! With the box apart again and the reverse selector refitted, today was spent refitting the innards to the 110.

A few hours later, the 200tdi fired up on the first turn of the key. The clutch worked, gears worked, brakes and steering still worked, so I went for a spin.

As I went for a test drive with no floor and deafened by the gearbox and engine, bird poo on the dash, cat hair on the seats and a dead bird somewhere under the rear seats, I suddenly realised it had been too long since I'd sat with my elbow out the window, trundling down the road.

Is there a point to this story? Sometimes you just need a break from your loved one. Then sometimes you need just a mate to give you a kick up the ar*e.

**** Normal LR4x4 content follows ****

Ralph, I've some vibration in my inverter. would you have a part number for a 37" slave poly sprocket anti-roll switch with ruts?

Thanks,

[vinny]

Well done Cian B)

My 90 stoped working last week must be some sort of curse that passes from one lr to another

[daveturnbull]

Brilliantly written - love it! Especially the way it knocked you over on the way back from the pub. B)

[western]

Superb story, as if the 110 would knock it's owner about, more like far to much beer

a 37" slave poly sprocket anti-roll switch with ruts

totally confused now

you been on the fizzy pop again

[bishbosh]

You must have been really pished for a barge 110 to be able to catch you and knock you down!!

[dantd5]

-- Splendid.. ... Daily Star

-- An author is born... New York Times

B) -- A true story teller... Land Rover Monthly

[Gromit]

Thanks for the comments guys.

Here's how it looks at the moment - breezy

Apart from all the missing bits, I've a few niggles to sort; the box is weeping a bit from the selector, the captive prop bolts are no longer captive, the diff lock lever is broken and one of the clutch slave bolts is stripped.

Nearly there though.

Vinny, I'm sure you're 90 will be twice as good (and more fireproof ) once it's back on the road.

[dirkthe1]

jesus-how big is the tin worm that ate all that!

[western]

it's the fred flintstone special 'save the environment' edition