well, my wife said either the old land rover goes
or she goes... she has a job, is working, and makes a
good salary, so i am selling...
BACKGROUND: it is a long story, but, i flat-towed this
old 61 short wheel base rover in from breckenridge, colorado
behind my 88 izuzu trooper... that was about 1991, and i had bought
it for $750usd sight unseen and the engine was "in the back"...
it was left-hand drive and had a kodiak heater...
a short ad in the "aluminum workhorse" land rover magazine
was all i had to guide me... it was a colorado car and so
i knew it had not suffered from weather related deterioation...
(i have mostly stored it in a garage)... the first few years, i
replaced many of the aged rubber parts and had a lot of the
components rebuilt... the engine in the back was scrap and i put
in an identical engine from a 69 that i had earlier parted out...
in the mid 90s and up to about 2009, i was interested and active
in land rover activities including about 5 colorado club trips...
ebay wasn't around, but you could find parts via specialized
suppliers, through specialized magazines, through your buddy list
that you built, and the land rover mailing list... lots of work
and fun... because it was a rover, during that time, rebuilt
generator, starter, rebuilt radiator, kodiak heater radiator,
replaced waterpump, replaced voltage regulator... oh, the
transmission got rebuilt during that time with a rebuilt clutch
plate and pressure plate...
but since 2009, it has sat mostly unused... about 2 years ago,
i put on new tires, flat-towed it to a mechanic (no plates) and
had repair work done, including carb, brakes, axle, and a new
battery... state inspections, insurance, and licensing was a
hassle, and i finally got historic plates about 1 year ago...
the wife then made her statement, and i relented... i drained the
old fuel, put in non-ethanol fuel, replaced the fuel pump and
it started and it runs... not being used causes problems, too, and
i am tinkering on them as i get it ready to sell...
THE GOOD: the old rover patina is there and all panels are the same
color, even the motor compartment... there is modest rusting on the
frame and steel body panels, but they appear strong... it has galvanized
16-inch rims (painted) instead of the stock 15-inch... i added a
spin-on oil filter adapter, and a front hood spare mount kit... it has
warn lock-out hubs on the front, and some replacement seats... i will
try to find the origional seats, including the back ones... it starts
and runs and i drive it to and from its garage to tinker on it and
detail it... about 2 years ago i sent the fairey overdrive down to
rovers down south and they rebuilt it for $750usd plus shipping both
ways... it has less than 50 miles on that rebuild...
i put on 4 bf goodrich MT tires on it and they have less than 50
miles on them -- that was $1250usd... they have some sort of
beads in them for balancing like the big trucks... also, about 2 years
ago, my mechanic worked on the brakes and axles... new pinion seal and
wheel seals on the back, new swivelball seals and wheel seals on the
front... brake repair including new drums, shoes, cylinders... also
a new brake master cylinder and a rebuild of the brake and clutch towers...
and a carb kit into the 15 year old solex carburator...
his bill was $1750usd and i supplied about $600usd of parts... oh, and
a new battery... but it sat because of licensing efforts...
THE NOT SO GOOD: the body color is consistant and the patina is
origional, but several body panels have damage... the front fenders
and 3 door skins are bolton or crimpon... the
rear tub panels are more complicated -- need probably an aluminum
welder or a buddy with one... i have the replacement panels, but
these replacements are not part of this sale... you need to make
a committment to repair them all and then repaint... i chose to
wait and enjoy it the way it was... as part of the rear tub
repair, the rear crossmember needs replacing -- more welding...
some of the body rubber is old and needs replacing if the body panels
are done and painted... a commitment...
DISCLAIMERS: 1) 1961 series rovers did not have seat belts... a
state inspection in the long ago past was only passable if i
put them in... i went to a junkyard and put these in... along
with some brackets from the parted-out 1969... i have wanted to take
them out, but haven't... 2) the front blinkers have some sort of ground
loop problem and are disconnected... 3) there is a ford starter solenoid,
but that is the way i bought it... 4) the xfer case pops out of
low-range under extreme downhill, hence, a stick (included)... 5). the
rear wheel hubs have been replaced with s later style... hence, the
lugnuts are the later style... don't remember doing this, but i guess
i did...
RAMBLINGS: i will work with buyers... you can pick it up
at my house in columbia, missouri... driving it
home is probably a bit risky, but hey... bring a
trailer or flat tow it... i don't know the ins
and outs of auto shipping, but maybe you do...
i will work with you if shipping is your choice,
but you need to make the arrangements and pay the
shipping costs...
i have a paypal account... i set the starting bid
at $6000, no reserve, and a seven day sale...
what else? it was a great 25 years or so, and a fun 25k
miles or so, but that was then and this is now...
email me thru ebay or harderr@missouri.edu, or call me at
573-424-7446 and i can answer your questions... i am
including some of the pictures i took yesterday...
ray