Authentic?

[stuck]

Gent's,

My dad ( a life long LR devotee) retired yesterday after 40 years of teaching reprobates.

As a surprise present my mother & I would like to buy him a decent series 1 (about which I know bugger all) with a budget of around £6000.

For that money I'm not expecting ( & don't think he'd want ) a concourse example but would like something original (ish)

I've seen what looks to be a nice one on Autotrader, it's offered as a 1957 Diesel.

My question is was a Diesel an original option back in '57?

Thanks in advance,

Mick.

[ejparrott]

IIRC '57 was the last year of SI and first year of Diesel engines

[tacr2man]

if its a 1.9 diesel which was first offered ,IIRC they had a lot of probs , so be careful , the petrol was much more reliable , and dont know aht diesel parts availability is like , the series 1 register and forum would be a good place to look HTSH

[Team Idris]

That makes it sound as though there wasn't a diesel S1?

I thought 1958 is the last year with 1118---- in short wheelbase. The S1 88" replaced the 86" as the extra frontage was needed to fit the Diesel.

First S2 is an S1 with a fancy S2 body. Rover don't like change

[discomikey]

i would go for a petrol engine if your going standard engine route, otherwise its TDI.

the petrols have a little more driveability with the weight of the land rover. (again unless TDI)

[stuck]

Thanks very much for the advice Gent's.

Greatly appreciated.

Mick.

[Les Henson]

I bought a Series 1 welder a few years ago and it had a 2-litre diesel in it with the original arc welder in the back and a generator run off a pto/belt assembly off the transfer box.

Les.

[secondjeremy]

As has been mentioned the reason for the S1 88in was so that there was enough room for the 'New' diesel engine to fit without the front end striking the diff under extreme conditions.

The engine was (approx) 2052cc, an all-new OHV design (rather than the ioe 2 litre petrol engines) and was a wet-liner design. Its output was about 50BHP - ie about the same as the petrol but it didn't rev much over 3500 rpm due to the lack of advance facilities on the pump.

The engine wasn't really Rover's finest effort - although the 2 litre diesel continued in production for the life of the S2. The S2a saw the use of petrol 2.25 blocks for the familiar LR diesel engine we all know and love.

Its actually quite rare to find an 88 still with the 2 litre engine. Even more unusual to have the original one as most were replaced with Rover overhauled engines - which have the original number removed and a brass plate screwed to the crankcase.

[Gazzar]

Welcome to the world of LandRovers! You are wise to buy your father a Series Landrover, its a very satisfying vehicle to own and work on, keeps you young and fit.

Buying landrovers can be fun, they evolve and fit their owners over time. This makes buying one tricky, as everyone will have modifications and changes.

You need to decide whether to go for 'original' or not. Many changes that are made to landrovers are worthwhile, necessary,even, so an unoriginal vehicle is no bad thing.

For your budget you should get a very tidy, original vehicle.

So, how to know its original?

First, you need a chassis number - it's on the chassis. If it isn't then walk away. Not original.

Armed with that you need to contact Gaydon, the British Heritage car people. They have the records of most landrovers ever built in the UK. They will sell you the information you need to check the engine, axle and gearbox numbers.

Then you have a good idea as to how original it is.

Of course, if you decide to buy unoriginal, then all you need to check, numbers wise, is that the V5 and the vehicle match. You may note that the chassis has no number, this is quite normal, as the area where the chassis number is stamped can corrode, and is often repaired.

What could be a good approach is to continue what you have done here, and, for each vehicle you look at, post up what details you have and ask for help.

G.