Practically Classics Forum

Maaarrghk wrote:Oh, and if you choose a Land Rover, the NFU offer some good rates.

A little thirsty but a 5 star spares rating I thought of buying one myself. An early Series 3 (Tax free), with overdrive would have been good.

A mate of mine just sold his ex-army series 3 LWB soft top for £600 without telling me. I could've booted him!

I'm tentatively on the lookout for a series 2a SWB, but it's got to be left hand drive as I intend to export it to my tropical hideaway before I retire. It's all jeeps and modern Japanese stuff out there. There are very few landies and they are all Defenders, so an old leafer with a rag top will be just the job. Individual, but doesn't scream "Big money over here!"

A bloke over the road from me owns the first series 2 landi ever produced, thought that's worth mentioning

Maaarrghk wrote:I'm tentatively on the lookout for a series 2a SWB, but it's got to be left hand drive as I intend to export it to my tropical hideaway before I retire. It's all jeeps and modern Japanese stuff out there. There are very few landies and they are all Defenders, so an old leafer with a rag top will be just the job. Individual, but doesn't scream "Big money over here!"

Are you looking for a project or something that's already been restored?
I have a project 2a 88" that I haven't started on yet, plus a NOS chassis ready to go under it. The Land Rover is RHD, but the chassis is multi-purpose with two holes for the steering relay, so it could be built up as LHD or RHD. As the instruments are in the centre of the dash, I don't suppose it would take much to convert a project like this to LHD. I can't remember off hand, but I wouldn't be surprised if the steering boxes are symmetrical once the drop arm has been moved over. And unlike the S3, the heater is central too. It could all be quite straightforward.

I could be persuaded to part with it if you're interested, but would need £1400 to cover all the bits.
Downsides - it's a hard top; on Anglesey so probably a long way from you; needs a full rebuild, obviously; you could find a roadworthy one cheaper, but probably needing major chassis work.
Good bits - chassis is a genuine, unused LR replacement, not a pattern part. It'd be very hard to find another like it; Bodywork is very straight; Spare bulkhead that just needs minor tidying; spare S3 axles & engine (2.25 petrol) included if needed.

On the matter of the steering box; switching the drop arm from side to side without changing the worm would surely give you a steering wheel that you'd need to turn in the wrong direction!

JPB wrote:On the matter of the steering box; switching the drop arm from side to side without changing the worm would surely give you a steering wheel that you'd need to turn in the wrong direction! ;)

Hehe, that could be fun!
Mind you, trying to suss out whether you're right is doing my head in. Because if the relay is the other side, then its action might be reversed too, so it might balance things out?
Or perhaps you just connect the trackrods to the opposite ends of the relay's drop link. I think I'll have to crawl underneath with some chalk...

[edit] Then again, the drop arm from the steering box will still pull backwards and forwards whichever side it comes out:

OK, I know it can be a head f**k without having both LHD and RHD boxes and idlers sat on a bench in front of you but taking the Reliant Rebel as an example, its box and idler - in RHD cars - are sourced from the LHD versions of the Standard 8 and 10. But the side arm is at the other side of the hub as, if fitted in exactly the same way as the LHD Standards' steering box and idler, the act of moving the box to the other side of the car would cause the clockwise movement of the wheel to turn the car to the left, hence Reliant's last minute adoption of the LHD parts for the Rebel. Their own steering column design had to be abandoned so it was decided to go with the Standard one and that, in the shorter car, meant that the box had to be further forward, so ahead of the front hub centres.
Had Reliant had their way and used a bespoke column for the Rebel, then the RHD box would have done the job if fitted where it was to be found in its native location; on a Standard 8 or 10.

Another comparison although these steering boxes are worm driven and don't contain a crown wheel per se, is with a rear axle. Turn a live axle upside down (maybe to increase ride height by offering the saddles to the underside of the rear springs instead of the tubes sitting on top of it) and, because the crown wheel is then on the other side of the pinion, whose direction hasn't changed, the car will have one forward gear and several reverse gears. same is true with the drive direction of a worm gear on its peg.

Thanks for the offer Willy. Sadly, I have too many projects on around the house getting everything toddler-proofed for next summer.

I am very tempted and if I get an unexpected winfall, might be in touch. I was thinking of a project to go on a galvanized chassis with a 200TDi engine. But it has got to be LHD as they do not let RHD into the Philippines. Climate is tropical and coastal, so galv' chassis is a must have.

Roof would not be a problem - I would run it here as a hard top then fit a soft top when I export before I retire.

I am in West Yorkshire, so not such a big problem getting to the Holy Isle if all will fit on a trailer, but I guess it will have been snapped up by the time I get around to affording it......