Series Rover guru's, need some help/advice!

First question is, what exactly IS she, a Series II? What years would she be from?







Second question is, how much would she be worth? She is sitting in the front yard of a towing business with tall grass underneath and tires that have permanent creases in them from being low and never moving. The undercarriage is all rusted, though the frame looks solid (no flaking or areas that have rusted through). I didn't pop the hood since I couldn't find an owner, but I could see signs of oil seeping down from the engine and transmission.






I saw her sitting on the side of the HW and immediately thought PROJECT CAR! How much would I expect to pay for something like this, and how much (rough guesstimate of course) would it cost to restore her? I'd be interested both in a real restoration and or modernizing her with new engine/transmission. Any advice is much appreciated!

Clark White

P.S. No fellow Taco fans, this does not mean I would sell out and get rid of my beloved Toy, just add a second "toy" to the inventory. :chowtime:

While I am no Guru, I can see your possible future though. I see lots of money and lots of time spent. I am a sucker for old Land Rovers and this one is a project.
It appears they have put Series 3 wings on an older truck. Nice tropical top and deluxe bonnet. Defender upper hinges and mirror. Later model steering wheel. Overdrive ?, Lots of rust every where. I would imagine the fire wall and door sills are real rusty. Will need new springs as they are on the bump stops and are tired anyway.
Like I said, lots of work.

Blair

Wow, that is a lot of rust! Take a hammer and go to work on the frame. I'll bet you can punch a few holes in it very easily. And if the frame is that far gone, you most likely will end up replacing all the aluminum that it is in contact with. So unless you have another frame and another body laying around... hey, wait a minute...:cow:

Clark White said:

How much would I expect to pay for something like this, and how much (rough guesstimate of course) would it cost to restore her? I'd be interested both in a real restoration and or modernizing her with new engine/transmission.

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Looks like a $300 truck to me.

The frame looks like toast to me. Notice the holes in the frame in the second from the last photo. Still, pretty much there and finding a 109 project is getting harder and harder all the time. If you're serious about doing this truck you need to go into it with enthusiasm and deep pockets. Expect to spend $10k to get it back on the road, exponentially more to "restore" it whether you modernize it or keep it stock.

Mercedesrover said:

Looks like a $300 truck to me.

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Yup. That is a good parts truck. A resto? More than 10K is involved. More than 3 years are involved. More than one ex-spouse could be involved.

Go with cash and a trailer.

I was going to say $500, and I wouldn't call it a great candidate for restoration. There's going to be a lot of stuff to replace on that one, and I doubt it would be a great candidate for a rolling refurb. That one needs to be stripped down to the ground and built up.

What would you get with your initial investment? Probably a title, some drivetrain components, and some usable body panels. You could probably gut the drivetrain and get back some of your money. The 2.25L will be seriously underpowered for that kind of vehicle. Then the real project could start.

If the bulkhead is rusted, you can get most of the repair panels for the lower sections (footwells). The upper sections are more difficult, but not impossible. It really depends on how much money you want to spend.

That $10K estimate is just about right for parts alone, and that's just to get it road-worthy. That's not a purist, rivet counter estimate. A lot of time wrenching will be required before it will be safe to drive.

If you're willing to go down that road, it will be a lot of fun and a great project. However, I bet you could find a running 109 in better shape for $5K and be better off.

Trust me, I bought a $500 Rover.

Definitely no more than $500. Looks straight and fairly complete. I'd buy it as a project but not as a "restoration" project. Doing all my own work, welding, painting and mechanical work I could get that truck up to a reliable trail rig for not too much money but this would take lots of imagination and fabrication work. About 12 years ago I bought a 1969 IIa that was not far from what this truck looks like. I spent a few thousand on it and it was my trail rig for several years. I didn't buy a new frame, I took a wire wheel to the frame to clean it up and cut and patched the rotted parts. I also left the body looking weathered. Like the above said, offer $300 or less and be willing to walk away if he wants more than $500.

So what your all saying is that it's pretty much a write off...just go and shoot my dreams all the heck, I see how it is! I'm kidding, I sort of had a sneaky suspicion it wasn't worth the work and money. But hey, anyone need a parts rover!?

Clark White said:

So what your all saying is that it's pretty much a write off...just go and shoot my dreams all the heck, I see how it is! I'm kidding, I sort of had a sneaky suspicion it wasn't worth the work and money. But hey, anyone need a parts rover!?

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I don't see it as a lost cause. I guess I'm a glass is half full kind of guy. Heck I replaced my exhaust for $89, replaced rotten outriggers for the cost of scrap steel and found a good sale on springs and shocks at British Pacific. If your motivated and don't have aspirations of turning it in to a show truck you can get this thing in good shape at a reasonable price.

That grill is worth more then the rest of the vehicle. Nothing like a good braai flavored with fresh bug juice and mystery protein.

kellymoe said:

I don't see it as a lost cause. I guess I'm a glass is half full kind of guy. Heck I replaced my exhaust for $89, replaced rotten outriggers for the cost of scrap steel and found a good sale on springs and shocks at British Pacific. If your motivated and don't have aspirations of turning it in to a show truck you can get this thing in good shape at a reasonable price.

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If that frame is scrap, what am I looking at to get a new one? $2k? More? How is parts availability for something like this? Wish Jeeps you can go anywhere for parts, but with a Rover am I going to have to go to Land Rover, or can I go to someplace like NAPA for bearings/bushing, etc? I can do all the welding and such for outriggers, but I don't know about frame repair, steering knuckles and that kind of thing.

Actually, galvanized frames are fairly reasonable ($2K range) if you can work out the shipping. Look at places like Rovers North and British Pacific. There's a few really good parts houses in the states that can get you whatever you need. Shop around.

I wouldn't call it a write-off, but it's a serious project for the guy who wants one. With that rig I would be in the custom mindset, and look at engine and drivetrain swaps with a host of other modifications- much like I'm doing with my Rover pile. Not for the casual guy by any means. I hate to see good Rovers turn into dust, but if you're not into it you're wasting your time. That would be a hell of a parts rig if you can locate the right buyers for the components and know what they're worth.

Mercedesrover's project is a 109 5 door, to give you an idea of what is possible.

Parts are pretty easy to get.
www.britishpacific.com
www.roversnorth.com

Just two of the now many companies that sell rover parts. I always kept a Rovers North catalog in my truck, they had exploded views of the different parts of the vehicle. I don't know what frames for for these days, price would depend on galvanized or not. I live in California so rust is not an issue and no need for a galvanized frame. For you a galvanized frame would probably be wise.

Some parts can be bought at NAPA and other auto parts stores but you need to find the cross reference for the parts. I recall there being a website that had a list of common parts that could be bought at neighborhood auto parts stores but cant remember it off hand.

Check out the for sale section on www.landroverexchange.com for trucks for sale in your area.

There are good trucks out there.

Certainly not a lost cause but definitly a labor of lust....I mean love... If you can do the work yourself and aren't on a time table so you can wait on good used parts then this can be a relatively reasonable project. I would echo others thoughts, that frame looks like it's toast for sure. Think of it this way, you would have a blank canvas to start with! A valid title would be worth more than the sum of the parts IMO.
Jason T.

I wouldn't call it a lost cause but it will be something you'll need to go into with enthusiasm and a fairly large budget regardless of what your expectations are in the end. My 109 was in worse shape than that when I got it, plus it was mostly dismantled.

The frame alone for that truck is $2900 plus shipping. If you think you can get this thing up and driving for cheap, it probably won't happen. But problems with this trucks are pretty predictable and from your pictures a list of things you'll need to replace/repair is fairly easy to make.

Offer they guy a few hundred for it and at least get it home. Don't be like new Series owners and begin to tear it apart first thing! That's how lots and lots of Land Rover projects begin and a good number are never finished. Look it over, start making lists of what you need and what needs to be done. Search your soul and see if you're willing to give up a good portion of your salary and most of your free time for the next couple of years to rebuild this truck. There's no shame in realizing it's not for you. I wish more people would do that. If it's not for you, there's still a complete truck for someone and you can certainly sell it and get your money back.