New Rangie

[pw8757]

Hi Range Rover Forum peeps....hope you're as friendly as the Disco forum....

Having completely dismantled my Disco to the point where the chassis is now sitting on my driveway waiting to go to the galvanisers, I got caught out during the last lot of snow, without a 4x4 to my name for the first time in fifteen years.

Wandering around the house looking like one of our Labradors obviously had the desired effect, because Mrs PW suggested that it would be an idea to get and old landie to make sure we still had transport to get out of the village in poor conditions. Eventually the "well-known auction site" featured a potential winner in Leeds and a short test drive later, I was the proud owner of a Range Rover Classic, with 124k clocked, 12 months MOT and Tax until May.

It's obviously had an engine swap at some stage, because its got a 3.9efi petrol in it, running fine, with an auto box. However, the speedo seems to under record the speed - I suspect it should be a 3.5 carburetted engine, so if there has been a total swap of engine and transmission, will this account for the apparent under recording of MPH?

Also, it's got new BFG's all round, but today I discovered that the offside wheels have inner tubes, whilst the nearside ones have "normal" valves.

Any explanations would be gratefully received.

[Bowie69]

Speed shouldn't be out due to the drive being taken from the transfer box output, but it is possible that the drive gear is the wrong one.....What year is it? Are you sure its not a factory 3.9?As for inner tubes and not, could be the fitter ran out of tubes.....

[pw8757]

Thanks for that -

Its an "F" (in the front) reg - 1988? When its light I'll get the VIN - or whatever it was called back then...!

Didn't know they put 3.9's into the Classics.

A mate of mine said that tubes were fitted because the wheels were meant for them - they're original and colour coded - I'll head off to ATS this morning with the one that is losing air like a gun-slinger after the final shoot out and perhaps get it sorted.....

[Bowie69]

If it is an F, it could be one of the first factory 3.9s, they arrived in 1990....<br /><br />As for the tubes again, the wheels, if alloy, will have 'tubeless' cast into them around the rim, along with the size.

Also, the 'F' could be a private plate

[pw8757]

Well, it's certainly had an engine change!

VIN translates as:

Region S Europe

Country A United Kingdom

Manufacturer L British Leyland / Land Rover

Model LH Range Rover Classic

Wheelbase A 100"

Body type M 5-door station wagen

Engine L 3.5-litre, V8 EFi Petrol ('flapper' ECU)

Steering / Transmission 3 RHD, Automatic

Model year F 1989

Assembly location A Solihull, UK

Serial number 354***

Regarding the tubes, very interesting. The ATS guys at Thirsk - also keen on the Green Oval - took the tube out. The issue was that the wheel, being alloy, corrode and that causes a poor bead seal. Plan "A" - inner tube. Little bits of metal flake, wear out inner tube, flat tyre. Plan "B" - use wire brush to renovate bead seal area and also get rid of surface corrosion elsewhere. New valve, pumpy pumpy, balancey balancey, £15 to you Guv'nor and all's well.

Mind you, see my next post to look at what I found when the wheel came off.....

[elbekko]

I've never had a tyre fitted without the bead being sanded first and then getting some sort of grease/glue. If you don't do that, you're just asking for it really