George K. spotted this beauty in Columbia, MO yesterday. I had heard rumors there were some older Land Rovers up there but this is the first sighting.
UPDATE: Got in touch with the owner of this 1969 Series IIa. “It is largely original except the frame has been replaced and the charging system upgraded with an alternator. I just use it around the farm and for hunting and fishing. I bought it off the estate of an obstetrician in Pennsylvania. The doc used it to get around the mountains to deliver babies.”
We started the day with Barb taking me to pick up the newest addition to our automotive fleet. She has been fully supportive of getting an old pickup truck but had only seen photos of the new ride which she immediately proclaimed the Official Truck of the Bittersweet Garden Club.
I used the truck for some errands this morning before meeting George for lunch and a quick ride in Minty Fresh (we were unable to come up with a gayer name). George observed I was dressed the part for a beat up old pickup and there would be no need to add some Carhartt gear to my wardrobe.
Next it was a half hour at the Department of Motor Vehicles where I got a set of historic plates for the truck, followed by a safety inspection. A few (relatively) minor things need fixing before we do much driving (not that we’ll be doing much) but she has 40 years of wear and tear, some of which will get fixed, most will simply add character. I did use up a roll of Gorilla Tape on the seat which will have to be replaced or repaired eventually.
It was fun banging around in the truck but it will — for me — always have back-up status. Used for chores that would otherwise fall to Barb’s Lexus or my Land Rover. I was missing the Rover by the end of the day.
Gonzo Mechanic George Tergin went with me to “take a look” at the old truck I’ve been trying not to buy. It’s a 1977 Ford F150. Straight six engine. Manual 4-speed in the floor. Beat to shit, but in a good way. The current owner got it from a guy in Colorado who was, I think, the original owner. It looks…lived in…but that’s a topic for another post. Mechanic George saw nothing that alarmed him and gave me the green light. We tried to dicker a little but I had my checkbook in my hand, so…
Now I have two trucks. The pickup is called Minty Fresh (by the guy who sold it to me) because… it looks like mouth wash? Once it’s got plates and all that it will live in a storage unit from which Barb and I will retrieve it it for hauling, yard and garden work, or — god forbid — when the Land Rover is in the shop.
Don’t know what the original owner did with the truck but the bed is beat to shit (“distressed”). Driving this truck will up my Testosterone Index by five or ten points. Watch this space for updates.
Shortly after getting the Land Rover in late August I discovered I was unable to engage four-wheel drive. There’s a plunger-like doodad (with a bright yellow knob on it) you push down to switch from two-wheel to four-wheel drive. Mine just never worked and I had visions of owning the only Land Rover in America without 4WD (sob!).
My friend (and wizard mechanic) George Tergin investigated and determined some of the linkage in the transfer case (look it up) was worn so we ordered replacement parts. Since some of them had to come from the UK, it took a while but today he fixed the problem. After which we took the truck for a drive on the Tergin Motor Sports Off-Road Test Track (a field behind his shop)
Turns out it was a combination of worn parts, wrong parts and improperly installed parts. And he let me look over his shoulder (and occasionally assist) for three hours, patiently explaining what he was doing and why.
We’ll eventually get a big snow in mid-Missouri and I’m ready now.
Paul Bandelier loves old cars but he’s got some sweet old trucks sitting outside his shop and I’ve fallen in ‘like’ with one. I’m hoping he finds a buyer for it before I brake down and buy the thing. Yesterday I stopped by his shop and introduced myself and he showed me his latest acquisition.
I can’t recall the year but he said he found it in Colorado and plans to “fix it up and find it a good home.”
The history of Land Rover is rich and long and you can read about it here but the video above tells you all you need to know. My truck was assembled in Spain by the Santana Motor Company (which makes it something of a bastard to Land Rover purists). Over the last 18 months I’ve come across the abbreviation “CKD” but never knew what it meant until I found the following reference in the latest issue of Rovers Magazine:
Santana, or more formally, “Metalurgica de Santa Ana, SA,” started in 1956, and by 1958, had signed an agreement with Land Rover for CKD [Completely Knocked Down] kits; literally, a shipment of parts from Solihull that when assembled at their Lenares factory, avoided steep tariffs. Given their contemporary road conditions and weaker economy, the “Land Rover Santanas” provided the country with a workhorse that could tackle the challenging environment.
As Land Rover wound down Series III production, it chose to end its CKD agreement with Santana in 1983, just prior to the introduction of the 90/110 coil sprung models. Santana continued to manufacture its own version of the Series III with worthwhile enhancements. Santana introduced comfort features, such as better seats and a more stylish fascia, and by the 1980s, had created more contemporary styling than just the plastic grille and “safety dashboard” of the Series III. As Spain attracted more ex-pats and vacationers, Santanas became more lifestyle vehicles, although the Spanish police forces retained them for their use.
Ed Starr, the owner/operator of Resurrected Rovers, Chocorua, MM, has worked on them and become a fan. “Santana made some needed modifications to the Series Land Rovers to make them even better,” Ed noted. “They put an oil cooler on the base models before Land Rover introduced them on the MoD ones. A different sized oil bath filter made it easier to service. And, of course, they went to parabolic springs to improve the ride over the standard leaf spring. They’re just as easy to work on as a UK Series Rover.”
If your truck wasn’t one of the first hundred to roll off the assembly line in jolly old Solihull, England, well, it ain’t a real Rover, mate (to The Purists). You’d have to sneak in to the Tri Delt house to find a snobbier bunch of ladies.
I’m hoping I have the self-discipline to not buy this truck. I don’t need this truck. I don’t have a place to put this truck. But this is just sort of clunker I’ve been dreaming about. The idea was Barb and I could use this to haul mulch and rocks and shit for her yard and gardens. (Uh, our yard and garden) And on the rare occasion when The Truck is in the shop, I could fire this thing up for a few days. Lord, I hope someone buys it fast.
I’ve become acquainted with some really great people thanks to the Land Rover project. A few I’ve met, most I have not but feel like I know them. Charlie has been encouraging me to take some road trips in The Truck.
I took my Rover on a 4 day road trip up north to VT a few weeks ago. Had a blast – put about 400 miles on her and she ran like a top. I use a windshield mounted phone holder (suction cup) and set my iPhone’s Google maps APP to “avoid highways” and see a lot of towns/back country that way. Takes a lot more time but way more fun that trying to keep up with traffic on highways (and a lot more safe). forces you to slow down and actually see things you would otherwise blow past on a highway. This year was my 4th time doing the trip – you meet some great people and I stay at some nice Inns along the way.
That “slow down” thing is big zen mojo for me. Here are a few pics from Charlie’s trip.
Looks like they’re still making Land Rovers. Just not for me. From Digital Trends:
It will be available with features like adaptive cruise control and hill descent control, and you can safely bet your next paycheck on the fact that the Defender will have a massive touchscreen in the center console. Bluetooth connectivity and voice commands? Check and check. Well-equipped models will even boast creature comforts like leather-upholstered heated seats and, possibly, a digital instrument cluster, features the original truck could only dream of.
What, I wonder, is the essence of a Land Rover? Is there such a thing as essence for a vehicle. It’s like going to see a legendary rock band whose original members are all dead. All that’s left is the name. Can you really say you saw the Rolling Stones if Mick and Keith are gone?
