CabbMech Posted April 13, 2014 Share Posted April 13, 2014 Need a little help and expertise please. I have been offered something that I don't know much about and due to its age am unsure of whether it would be a sensible purchase. I am told that it is a 1949 - Series 1 80" that spent its life in the army and eventually ended up being used as a recovery vehicle for a garage in or around 1969/1970. take a look and tell me anything you can about it please as this is really my field. Appreciate your input. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony B Posted April 13, 2014 Share Posted April 13, 2014 Is well worth restration! Obvious checks are chassis state and bulkheads, if you are EXTREMLY lucky it may be a rare aluminium bulkhead, which saves a fair amount of work. Has it got military plate on it? Should be on the side of the seat box. Gaydon will probably have the history. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ivor Ramsden Posted April 13, 2014 Share Posted April 13, 2014 (edited) It certainly looks like a 1949-early 1950 Land Rover, going by the way the front bumper is fixed to the chassis. The registration suggests that it was civil-registered much later than 1950 so the ex-WD description is probably right. Have a look under the bonnet and you should find its brass identity plate on the front face of the bulkhead on the passenger side. That will give you the chassis number (see below) and its Army registration number which will look something like 03BC54. The numbers will be different (unless I've made a lucky guess), but the letters will be BC or, just possibly, ZC. It might also have an Army rebuild plate on it somewhere - often under the bonnet on the passenger side front wing near the exhaust. It would have had a spare wheel holder on the bonnet originally but this seems to be missing. This is most likely due to the bonnet having been replaced or the worst case scenario is that the vehicle's a ringer - a civilian L-R that's been given an ex-Army vehicle's identity. It's not very likely but it wouldn't be the first time, so have a good look for the identity plate. The chassis number is also stamped on the chassis. It's on the top of the left hand engine mounting bracket - the bit that's welded to the chassis, and it should be something like R0610xxxx for a 1950 model or R866xxxx for a '49. It is certainly worth restoring, keeping as many of the original features as possible. The Series One Club forum is full of information. The winch isn't original but it's a nice period piece. You could restore the 80 as a garage truck or sell the winch to finance some parts for it. Go for it! 80s are the best Land Rovers ever made! More pictures please! Edited April 13, 2014 by Ivor Ramsden More guff about 80s Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CabbMech Posted April 13, 2014 Author Share Posted April 13, 2014 Ivor, that is a truly informative reply and with that in mind I will try and find out some more info. I doubt its a ringer as this guy has alsorts if military type items that seem to backup his claims about the origin of this vehicle. Really decent old fella actually that has come to his 8th decade of life and just wants to start sorting out his belongings before as he said he dies. I will be back with more info and questions no doubt. Thanks again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Starfire Posted April 14, 2014 Share Posted April 14, 2014 Nope, horrible vehicle. You really don't want it. I guess that I'll have to help the old guy out and take it myself, to save you all the trouble Really, though it's a nice find and provided that the chassis is in good shape, it should come up wonderfully with a little work. Cheers, Terry Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RattlesnakeBob Posted April 14, 2014 Share Posted April 14, 2014 Can only agree with all that's already been written above..it's doing a good impression of a pre 1950 80" .. and even if it's actually in a dog worse state than it appears in these pictures it's worth grabbing by the neck very quickly.... 80" and other Series Ones..... they only acquired that name after the Series 2 came out by the way..before that, the 80"s and the 86"s and very late 88"s Series Ones were simply sold as / known as 'Landrovers' ......... suffered greatly throught the 70's and '80s and even into the 1990s ...their problem was..... there were a lot of them about.. .they could be bought cheaply as most folks wanted one 'a bit more modern' so consequently fellas in the All Wheel Drive Club and lots of other off road clubs bought them up by the hundreds and after usually modifying them.... proceeded to batter them to death in Trials and Safari Events Here I will hold my hand up and admit I must share my part of the blame....I found a gorgeous and very straight 1955 Series One 86" languishing as a disused breakdown truck in a little garage in Ross on Wye ....promptly fetched the 2 Litre Side Valve motor out for a much more exciting high compression P6 Rover V8..which I then 'tuned' ....fitted a full roll cage..chopped off the front wings ..fitted competition springs , shocks etc too and........then beat her to a slow death ..a few years ago after eventually realising my mistake... I attempted to track her down , only to find she had been unceremoniously scrapped as part of a farmers clearup in about 2003 .ah well........ Thankfully ...around (I'd guess) 2000 ish.. folk suddenly realised the 'Series One' (of all wheel bases but especially the 80") had become a rare beast .........So ..prices have been on the up ever since.... This one appears to be fairly straight and un-molested as they say in the trade and even if she is actually rotten underneath and needs a new chassis I would definitely grab her ..... Looking forward to watching you work on her and thanks for sharing !...Incidentally ...I'm chuffed that Series Ones and 80"s are still out there to be found ...so give yourself a pat for finding her ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brooky Posted April 14, 2014 Share Posted April 14, 2014 Very nice find Suggest you join the Series 1 club and have a look at the forum they have Full of good stuff and advice Well Done!! (Very jealous!!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wally dugan Posted April 14, 2014 Share Posted April 14, 2014 A rare find in deed in this day and age the 80 inch wheel base land rover started to be released in the late 50s from the military the early ones were indeed in the series BC from the army and AA from the raf lot number 176 a army one others in this sale from 1959 including 11 BC 14 17 BC 32 AND 47 ZC 60 as well as the RAF ONES there were also a number of 80 inch landrovers from the ROYAL NAVY Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony B Posted April 14, 2014 Share Posted April 14, 2014 When are you getting it then? :-D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CabbMech Posted April 14, 2014 Author Share Posted April 14, 2014 Negotiations are currently ongoing as there is a pre 1971 Mini Van involved too. Thanks for all the info though and I do believe his story about being ex-mod etc. as he said that after buying it there were no reg plates etc. and he had to register it with the number now on it. Chassis is good nick too and don't know if this makes any difference but it was still painted in an eggshell blue type colour minus the off putting colour of oxide orange. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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