Working on the basis that we will probably get a Landy sometime (probably not a lightweight .. tried to get in my mates yesterday and it would probably be ok if I had 18" cut off my legs and my eyes lowered by 6" (so I don't have to look through the roof) .. or do tall folk just scrunch up / develop a 'Landy stoop'?).
Any good (but not too expensive) books that are good for showing the models through the ages with 'basic' notes re each (I'm not ready for
*another* anorak yet) please?
Or if anyone has a spare of such they want to sell .. etc ..?
On or around Wed, 29 Sep 2004 07:32:55 GMT, T i m enlightened us thusly:
very basic info in LROI magazine in their buyer's guide.
the definitive history of LRs is probably James Taylor's, but that may be a bit too anorak for you right now.
since you look like you're after a fun play vehicle for the most part, you have, essentially, 2 choices, really, if you plan on doing it cheaply:
Old series vehicle which is tax-exempt. This will be a SII, SIIa, or very early SIII. Leaf sprung, limited comfort or heaters or suchlike, very basic and an absolute hoot off-road, if you get a SWB and put big (7.50 or so) tyres on it. I recently spent some time at sister's BF's place driving his completely shagged SIII around the farm - the brakes take 2 pumps to operate, the whole thing is rattly and it's still loads of fun. major grin factor. Best fun-factor of the lot is a soft-top, fit a rollcage if you're planning serious off-roading, remove anything that might hurt from being damp, make sure the seats are waterproof, and enjoy it. On rare days when it's sunny there's nothing to beat it with the canvas taken off completely. You can have huge amounts of fun with not much outlay, provided you're capable of fettling the mechanics and welding up the chassis etc. yerself.
RRC or early disco, bought cheap 'cos it's rusty and/or a thirsty V8. Coil sprung for more comfort, comfy seats, heaters, even aircon if yer lucky. Technically, you can get a tax-exempt RRC, but they're getting rare and therefore more expensive - people are starting to restore the early ones to tidy condition. Not quite so capable off-road "out of the box", but you can do suspension lifts, bobtails, and the like if you really want an offroad toy. V8s make a lovely noise, and it's a sweet engine to work on. same comments apply about fun/cost/fettling and welding.
There's not much point in buying a later-than-1972 Series, you don't gain anything noticeable in the comfort, performance etc. stakes and you have to pay road tax.
You can of course if endowed with slightly more money go for a 90, but they, being newer and more practical, hold their value and are more pricey to buy
- the engine-of-choice is the TDi, and they're newer and pricier still to buy. Supremely capable off-road, 'specially if you lift it and fit bigger tyres etc. as for the disco/RR etc.
Like my one for instance, that has now got a full top on it, and will be topless for summer once the weather improves. Good fun offroad, looks sort of "different" with the late front, tax exempt, cheap to insure, reliable (thus far), and *cheap* (about 800 quid with our equivalent of an MOT).
What with crimbo only three months away, I'm gonna start getting asked what I want for pressies. I can't normally think of anything other than tools, parts or beer. A book detailing Land Rovers history would be ideal I think.
Amazon list several books by him, which one were you thinking of Austin?
I've never sat in a lightweight, but i was under the impression that they were the same as other series landies (as far as seats and seatboxes go).. I'm fairly tall and sit confortably in series 2's and 3's (and 101s :-). Has your mate replaced the seats in his with some that are taller?. You should try one with the original seats or decently chopped/low replacements.
On or around Wed, 29 Sep 2004 22:57:40 +0100, "Larry" enlightened us thusly:
I had an 86" for a while, but that was rather cheating as it'd had a 2.4 Jag engine shoehorned under the bonnet. Wonder where it is now... JTX267 ISTR.
It seems that at 6'2" I seem to me long in the leg AND have a long torso? I have trouble with headroom in many std cars also. When we built the kit-car I carefully fabricated a sub frame for the Recaro style seats that would accomodate me at 6'2" (seat right back and not too high) and the 5'4" missus (seat long way forward and not too low).
Has your mate replaced the seats in his with some that are
Now you come to mention it I think he said they were Defender seats, The squab and back were pretty thin and seemed to be sitting pretty low (he had to lift the drivers squab up to get to the diesel tank?) ?
. You should try one with the original seats or decently
Ah, ok. The height issue mat not be a problem but it looks like the rear bulkhead is the stumbling block for moving the seat back much (gibbon arms)? Is there a 'common' solution to this please?
(Ok, I *could* drive it but it's like sitting in a kids go-cart for me ,,)
There's more (arm / leg) room in my Messerschmitt KR200 bubble car!
We are talking about Land Rovers here aren't we (not a MKII/III Volvo truck?) ;-)
Whenever I mention getting series Landrover to other Landy folk they often look at my height and say 'hmm, you might have trouble getting in one...'?
course you do get idjiots who fit
Well, when my mate finishes this 109 Stationwagon I can test that out ;-)
18 1/2" collar size?
as for standard
My standard proceedure when trying to drive most cars ..
1) Get in (often a struggle because of all the 'vertically challenged' folk out there .
2) Slide the seat back to the stops.
3) Recline the seat slightly till my head stops hitting the sunroof rim ..
When in 83 I was looking to get a new Company car to replace my MKV Cortina Estate, they had just stopped the Cortina and started the Sierra and I resented Ford for doing that so I discounted the Sierra on principal. I took the Co's 8k into the Renault dealer and said "what's the biggest thing you do?'. They tried to sit me in a R 21 and when I couldn't (too low) that was Renaults out of the question ... This continued with most of the other makes except for an SDi Rover (my boss wouldn't let me have one) so reluctantly ended up with the Sierra Estate (and have still got it ).
Maybe sort of an inverse logic thing then .. ;-)
My tall mate who is doing up the lightweight said to drive this you first need to open the window to give yer right arm somewhere to go (and remove the fixed internal door handle before you smash yer elbow on it). Or best just try to steer with yer left arm ... ;-)
I have to say, when I read the following, I understood Kerry's claim that he was debating George Orwell:
In the middle of an answer, during his lip-sinc debate, Bush said, "now let me finish" as if someone was interrupting him- yet nobody did- he was talking to the person in his earpiece.
To quote Bush directly, he said "I-I-I -let me finish" and then, George Bush managed to complete this sentence; "The intelligence I looked at was the same intelligence my opponent looked at." Needless to say, his earpiece was intelligent enough to complete a sentence
-isn't wireless wonderful?
The irony of course, is that according to media-spin, John Kerry was supposed to debate himself, not some slick Republican, behind George Bush's earpiece.
Isn't it time to stop pretending that George Bush is taller than he really is?
I had a volvo once needles to say I managed to trade it in for a landrover within a month or so even made a slight profit, absolutly horrible vehicle UGGGH!
I have no trouble even with a hat on, we must have a completely different version out here in the wilds of East Norfolk. Or are we in the realms of big dog small ***** land!
How about the bit where you can't actually move your legs at all, even a little bit!
I had a Renault 18 loads of room, plenty of head room and I could wear a hat in that one, also went like shit off a shovel, when I parted with it the local copper bought it said it was fastest thing he ever drove mind he trashed the gearbox in a couple of months! I seem to remember the 21 was a lot smaller. There was a big bulge of dash occupying the same space as required by my knees. The 3.5 Rover SDi was brilliant until it magically turned into brown powder, only car I ever owned where the carpets were an integral strengthening component part of the body shell.
Fiat Tipo was another car with a reasonable amount of room.
Mark 2 Jaguar was a joy but some of the later ones are impossible to drive with size elevens; especially with work boots on.
And the Vauxal Viva HA had masses of legroom but only in white or so I have been reliably informed.
Ah, that explains it .. from Norfolk! I believe (and this is fact) that many generations of being stooped over cutting reeds makes you the perfect shape to fit in a series Landy .. whereas us Lundners have had to evolve stood upright to try to breathe over the smog .. ;-(
Well that was sorta supposed to be step 1) .. My missus is 5'4" (reasonably average height for a lady in GB) yet when I try to get into one of the cars after she has been in there my legs just jammed inbetween the seat and the dash / pedals ..
Ah, that explains it .. I would of thought the 'bigger' cars (up the range) would have been ... em ... bigger inside? (obviously not!) ;-)
There was a big bulge of dash occupying the same
Been there, dented that ;-)
Ooops .. Mind you it sounds like this 109 my mate is doing up .. every time I go round there the holes seem to have got bigger. One day there's some old tatty patches and the next a 1' length of chassis missing it's bottom or side!
Funnily enough, I seem to remember I could fit in a Fiat Panda !?
Nowt as strange as cars eh .. ;-)
The grey one I sorted for my sister was quite roomy (considering) .. ;-)
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