Expedition Portal: The Land Rover 109 IIA Build

[modrover]

Wow, glad to see that Ralph is still humming.

Great upgrades! My 1976 Series III has the diesel 2.25, so consider yourself lucky in the power department! Soon, it will have a 300 tdi and many other upgrades to keep it living a long life.

Here's a pic:

View attachment 376429

Wow! That's a great looking 109 you've got there! That Tdi will be fantastic!

 

[modrover]

Weather conditions today dictated use of the family wagon to forage for the perfect Christmas tree. 👍

 

[modrover]

Gave Ralph's bumper/bullbar a slight upgrade. I never liked the dual hoops (in front of the wings) NOT joined together with a bracing bar. I get that a person could do the carry-JerryCans-inside-the-breakfast thing without having a bar there, but structurally speaking... the bumper wasn't done. So, I welded a nicely coped section of pipe... and cleaned up the rest... followed with a pisscoat of black. This vintage overland bumper/bullbar is still completely sealed and can carry a full engines worth of oil (not that I''m ever going to fill it... just love keeping it totally functional). Good old Ralph... 🍻

 

[modrover]

This is a late IIA... and always hated that PLASTIC side grill. Well, it finally cracked apart so I made an aluminum replacement. Painted it limestone to match the top and rims. Full metal jacket! 😉

 

[modrover]

Matches the roof and rims... why not. That limestone is lovely.

 

[modrover]

Southwest WA, USA finally got cold enough for all that rain to change over! Fun day working the 4by!

 

[modrover]

Just about time for the air conditioning "mod" 😄

 

[modrover]

Good old reliable Ralph... I've done a lot for him & he continues to do a lot for me (both physically & mentally). Family wagon duties to working the land... always in his own time, but that's part of the 70hp charm.

 

[modrover]

Oh, and Ralph has a stablemate now in the aluminum workhorse shed. A 1967 IIA 109 utility... great story attached to this rig. I used to work on this truck 20 years ago when I worked for Ship’s Mech (Rover shop) in Portlandia. This was owned by a lovely older couple who had a farm. Sold at the Seattle dealership back in ‘67 and has only seen a handful of owners... all in the PNWet. I will, like Ralph there, keep this one stock and maintained like a good custodian of the faith should. Welcome home, Big Red.