Lightweight Nat Posted September 15, 2005 Share Posted September 15, 2005 My fantastic (read shite and rusty) series 3 lightweight is my daily driver. i've had it for about 4 years and its the only vehicle i've ever owned. I've rebuilt most of the major components sine buying it, as i accidentally bought a nail this includes a full engine out rebuild, new clutch, new hydraulics, steering, radiator, fuel pump and various other bits. It's a 1974 FFR, and when i bought it it had been bastardized with a hideous 12v/24v ignition mix. i junked this and went back to full 24v, which rocks! I'm afraid i'm not keeping it standard or restoring to concours military spec, but slowly building it into an amateur challenge truck. somepics will follow, when i can find them , and they should tell the story better than words, especially at this time of night! These are the most recent pics, i'll try and dig out some older ones with the full tilt and the rank 205 tyres that it had when i bought it. I've just put a truck cab and new door bottoms on it (bought new tops too, but not fitted) and painted it gloss black. It's running on Fedima Xtreme 235/85 R16 tyres which are the absolute dog's danglies, i can't rate them highly enough! If you were at billing this year, you may have seen it as it was one of the Marshall's vehicles on the Offroad course this year, as I was a Marshall. It was also at Peterborough Land Rover Show last week. Cheers all, Nat[/img] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sean101ryan Posted September 16, 2005 Share Posted September 16, 2005 Hi Nat, another name from elsewhere. Glad you kept the 24V system, good for wading!! People are too afraid of them for no good reason, plenty of advice and spares out there. Apologies for slagging your Weber carb off on the other thread though, well it is late and the Glenfiddich is flowing. Should get out of this late night posting habit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jack Posted September 16, 2005 Share Posted September 16, 2005 Nice pics Nat and welcome aboard! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lightweight Nat Posted September 16, 2005 Author Share Posted September 16, 2005 I shouldn't worry too much about slagging me, or my truck, i'm prety thick skinned, i'm from http://www.ORRP.com , I'm used to it! mine seems to run well on the weber. it had a knackered weber before, when i bought it, so i just replaced like for like. going from weber to zentih seemed like a step backwards so i went weber. and they were on special offer from paddocks at the time! :lol: I'm thinking about dropping a 2.5 petrol in mine, with a stage 2 head from Turners, and tubular manifolds. then building the block up with 24v ancilliaries so i can keep it looking original and retain me 24v system, but have a nice go faster engine 8) It's either that or drop a V8 in it, but i'd have to find one/build one to FFR spec, like the 101's used to have, and i suspect parts will be like petrol. disgustingly overpriced! :evil: Hi Jack, nice forum!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sean101ryan Posted September 17, 2005 Share Posted September 17, 2005 Hi Nat The 2.5 petrol sounds like a good option, basically the same engine so eveything should transfer accross. RPI did have some ex MOD rcon 24V V8s but wanted about £900 for them. Not sure what differences there are over civvy other than the water pump and some bracketry. Mines a 12V so can't tell you how the generator is mounted other than its high up on the right. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lightweight Nat Posted September 17, 2005 Author Share Posted September 17, 2005 i'm hoping that a 24v V8 would have waterproofed/shielded ignition, and a stonking great alternator 8) I'm still undecided, i know i shouldn't fit a V8 as it means cutting the bulkhead amongst other things, but it would be bloody fun wouldn't it??? To be honest, having talked it over with some mates, if i was to fit a V8, i'd run a fairly standard 12v alternator and battery to deal with the ignition and starter, and a 24v boat alternator (designed for harsh environments) to deal with winches etc and the lights and other items on the truck which are already happily 24v. two discrete systems. one reason is that you can then fit performance ignition which can make a big difference to performance. (also performance ignition spares, and 24v ignition spares would be comparable in cost anyway, if not the 24v stuff would prolly be more expensive!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sean101ryan Posted September 17, 2005 Share Posted September 17, 2005 Yes, V8 24V is a fully shielded system with a dustbin sized generator same as lightweight. What you are proposing dual voltage is how 90/110 and wolfs are powered, 12V alternator for vehicle systems, 24V generator for radios. A well tuned V8 is great, mine runs on a pair of rebuilt SUs and luminition ignition. Goes like stink (well relatively for a 101!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lightweight Nat Posted September 18, 2005 Author Share Posted September 18, 2005 Cool, 101's rock. They need rangey ratio diffs though, then you get a bit of speed and economy back instead of just barnstorming acceleration 8) got a mate, He's just bought a coiled 101. I know its a bit of a heinous thing to do, but it wasn't him that did it. It was built on a scratchbuilt new chassis anyway, so it wasn't like a perfectly good 101 was chopped to make it. Its basically a rangey underneath, same 4spd manual gearbox, although the gear change is even fucking worse as the whole engine and transmission has been shunted back 10 inches to improve weight distribution. Full cage as well. about as much iron and steel on that motor as went down with the titanic. the radius arm and trailing arm chassis mounts are so massive that not even god could break them :lol: not exactly lightweight though :? rambling thread on it here: http://www.orrp.com/smf/index.php?topic=12311.0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lightweight Nat Posted November 27, 2005 Author Share Posted November 27, 2005 Well, unfortunately Nat's Excellent Series 3 Lightweight is not as excellent as it once was, after i accidentally drove it into a world war 2 concrete pillbox last week. :cry: And it's TEMPORARY replacement is neither sexy, nor cool, nor particurlarly in theme: However, i can now utter the immortal line :Adolf Hitler F***ed my Land Rover" The chassis is buggered so it's either new galvo chassis time or it'll be rebuilt as some form of hybrid. At worst it'll be broken for spares. Not sent down the scrappy, which for some god unknown reason mum expected me to do with it. Nat[/img] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
polecat paul Posted November 28, 2005 Share Posted November 28, 2005 What price would you sell the vehicle as is mate Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lightweight Nat Posted November 28, 2005 Author Share Posted November 28, 2005 Not for sale. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jack Posted November 28, 2005 Share Posted November 28, 2005 Blimey Nat. That looks prety bad, were you ok? Just one thought, did you not see it :shock: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ashley Posted November 28, 2005 Share Posted November 28, 2005 Well i dunnno Nat, looking at the picture of the pillbox i am sure i can see a facial expression and it is smiling/laughing Ashley Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paul connor Posted November 28, 2005 Share Posted November 28, 2005 i hope you have not damaged the pillbox!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lightweight Nat Posted December 5, 2005 Author Share Posted December 5, 2005 Yep, i was fine, it was quite a slow thing really, but you don't have to hit those bloody things very hard! I skidded on some mud left over the road by tractors. Good news however, i've just agreed the rent of a fully equipped workshop (and i do mean, FULLY, PROFESSIONALLY equipped. mig set, spray booth, chain hoist engine crane, metal lathe, full panel beating/dent pulling eqpt, 3 phase compressor etc etc) for several months. i have exclusive use of it, so the landy is going in next weekend and i'll begin stripping her down and selling off the bits i don't need. i'll probably buy another buggered lightweight for the front end, and then i plan to build a 100" lightweight, based on a cut down 109 chassis (with leaf springs 8) ) and probably a big V8, decent gearbox, and rangey axles modded to take leafs. I'll get the chassis galvo'd once i'm happy with it and work from there, and hopefully the whole truck will be built to a very high standard. (it'll need to be, it'll be SVA'd at the end.) I've had friends do a mock up of a 100" lightweight using photoshop, and we think it looks really good, so that's my winter/next year project sorted. Hope i haven't upset too many of you by suggesting this, but, my V5, my truck, so my project. I'd be interested to hear peoples views on the subject. Cheers, Nat Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest matt Posted December 5, 2005 Share Posted December 5, 2005 Hi Nat, Sounds like an interesting project! lets face it no one can say you are cutting up a historic vehicle by building from parts,the local scrappy has often cut up old Landies and a local farmer buried a 1958 88" series 2! Good luck with it! Matt. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Degsy Posted December 6, 2005 Share Posted December 6, 2005 Hi Nat Land Rover built a prototype which from memory was for a proposed Swiss army contract, it looked like a lightweight on steroids. I have seen pics of it several times, if you could look at these it might give you some ideas. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lightweight Nat Posted December 15, 2005 Author Share Posted December 15, 2005 i take it your talking about the three 100" defneder prototypes built for the swiss army? V8 engines, 24v electrics, one was a hard top, one a truck cab and one a rag top. I've seen one in the flesh at Dunsfold, and it is indeed very nice. I wont be using that as a base idea though to be honest, i've got plenty of knowledge of hybrids in all shapes and sizes, and i'll draw on lots of different inspirations to hopefully come up with something truly unique! trouble is every time i come up with a new idea, someone else has done it already. It's so hard to come up with something truly orginal. :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Poptopshed Posted December 16, 2005 Share Posted December 16, 2005 Nat, The big Ltwt that Degsy refers to was built way before the coil sprung 100"s. It used a 6 pot engine and had other nice things like air tanks for airbraked trailers. Its in the Dunsfold collection. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Poptopshed Posted December 16, 2005 Share Posted December 16, 2005 Found a picture. I would love one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Degsy Posted December 16, 2005 Share Posted December 16, 2005 Thanks,thats the one,I had a vague idea that Phil at Dunsfold had it but my memory is not much good these days and didn't want to mislead too much. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Poptopshed Posted December 16, 2005 Share Posted December 16, 2005 There is some great pictures of interesting Landrovers on the Dunsfold collection website. The swiss 100"s are on there too. I want a Vampire 101. :shock: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lightweight Nat Posted December 16, 2005 Author Share Posted December 16, 2005 Ooh, funky... cheers chaps btw hello poptopshed :wink: nice to see you over here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.