The Land Rover Page


Beautiful?
It looked good 2 years ago with it's new shinny paint job, but with the harsh use it has reverted back to it's original well used look.

Originally owned by the Ida Valley Rabbit Board down in the South Island, back in 1958. It made its way to the North Island some 30 years later.

I have used it for

• General farm work, transporting materials about etc.


• Towing boats


• Launching boats


• Hunting trips into the mountains
  
• Lots of recreational off roading. River crossings, (submerged bonnet type stuff), sand play, mountain adventures


• Have been towed home twice, and have driven home twice on the front diffs

Specs

• 1958 Land Rover, with 161CUI Holden motor. Original cost NZ$400
• Rebuilt a 186CUI Holden Motor and replaced 161 Holden motor
• Long Wheelbase front springs
• Monrole heavy duty shocks
• Land Rover Hydraulic winch with new twin steel reinforced pipes throughout
• Falcon power steering
• Widened rims and 750 deep tread mud tyres
• Full paint job - looked good for about 6 months!
• Front bush refurbish
• New driveshalfs brakes etc etc
• Roll Cage

So far the machine has broken 3 diff heads (one a diff-lock $$$ ouch), 5 half shalfs, two free wheeling hubs.
This Landrover goes everywhere. Outperforms most new off-roaders but is a little fragile when doing extreme 4x4'ing.

It is uncomfortable, reasonably quiet, faster than a lot of Japanese 4x4's on the road, drafty, and cold in the winter - but she performs well.
The hydraulic winch is amazing. It can be run all day and counted upon to pull you or, more often that not, others, out of trouble. The cable length is about 70 metres. The Landie has been used as the winch vehicle on various trips.

The body work has become a bit shabby over the years with the continued bush bashing. The new paint job soon lost it's luster when in a sand storm when we were around the the south cost. The paint work was pitted all over as if attached by a long range sand blaster.
The guards were damaged when I drove through gorse thicket on the farm.
I managed to reverse into a steel fence on the farm and a hole was pushed through the back guard. (doing a 100 point turn on the apex of a steep hill)

The vehicle is almost rust free with only some rust on the bottom sheet metal sections of the middle cross members. (to be replaced soon)

With tIme permitting the diffs will be strengthened as this is a serious weakness when out in the wilderness. I even got to the stage of carrying a spare diff head and rear axles on some trips!

The old girl now sits unused in the garage beside the Rangie waiting to be repaired. (overheats, power steering unit requires bearings and seals, petrol tank top hose leak - almost there!)

Some Pics:

Mud slide, Rallywoods near Wellington city.

Zero traction with mud holding chassis up. Brother in Law pictured, preparing to winch.

Playing in some water around the south coast

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email Bryan
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