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Main Section => Welcome to our virtual Pub Meeting ... => Topic started by: Ratty2A on May 03, 2022, 04:12:12 PM
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I've tried to engage over on the Series 1 club forum in the past and it seems to be quite a closed shop, but I know a fair few S2C forumers also have S1s, so thought I'd ask here.
I'm giving serious consideration to letting one of my SIIA project vehicles go and replacing it with an 80 inch. The main driver is workshop space, I've just finished setting up my garage to a really lovely standard... but its small. I think I can just about cope with a 88" project vehicle, but an 80" would be far more comfortable.
But I just don't understand the current pricing. The only visibility I have is eBay, where everything S1 is priced at £a-gazillion. I'm sure that the enthusiast network is more sensibly priced.
I'd be looking for a rough, possibly ex-trialler vehicle with the majority of its original fixings but I don't mind if some of the running gear has been lost and replaced with later parts, I can cope with a lack of originality when it comes to the running gear as long as the bracketry/instruments/switchgear/etc are present and as long as the body work is salvageable, even if it needs some riveted repairs. I'll be aiming to bring it back to as an original a standard as I can, but won't cry if I had to use a (for example) SIIA transmission or engine.
Could anyone advise me on a sensible budget for such a thing and some good places to look? It would go to a good home and would be rebuilt to keep not sell.
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Hi
Sorry that you found the S1 club forum a closed shop, I can understand, I can reassure you it's not in my experience, a reflection of the club as a whole, in real life we are generally a helpful friendly bunch.
As to values, it's a really tricky one. As you have spotted anything wit the words Series one in the title seems to be a license to print money, even when it's complete tat. That said I've seen a few signs that things are starting to get a bit more sensible.
The biggest issue is finding a suitable project. 80" are the most sought after, so most of the good projects have been bought up. Something with later running gear will of course be more reasonable, and to be honest a lot more cost effective to rebuild as the 2ltr /1600 inlet over exhaust engines are getting pricey to rebuild properly compared to the later 2.25 where most parts are still available fairly cheaply.
Another option is to consider an import from Australia, and maybe one that's had a holden 6 fitted - would be nice to see one of those actually up and running on the road, rather than reverted back to a (non original to the vehicle) 2ltr.
Try Marc pedersen (exmod.co.uk ) in stourbridge. Though he's not got much at the moment I think he has another container load arriving soon, so he might having something suitable and his prices, whilst not cheap, are usually fair.
It's a dangerous path to travel though, a bigger workshop might be cheaper i the long run :D
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Hi Ratty2A,
Prices are everywhere with series 1s especially 80inch wheelbase as they are in the most demand.
I was in a similar situation to you when looking for one a few years back, it’s a bit of a minefield especially with no guidance. A lot of people get a bit carried away on values when they see what Land Rover classic sell there’s for.
I think you best option like what I did was sit down and write down what exactly I wanted, like you have said on condition etc but the year also as that’s a big factor especially cost wise. A 1953 80inch will be cheaper than a light behind the grill. Also how original do you want it.
An Australian import vehicle is usually a good solid vehicle but has been hammered especially body work and I have noticed a lot of the imports have a lot of the correct bits taken off due to there individual value.
On eBay there is currently a project lights behind the grill 1949 ex fire service I think, a good starting point and in my view a fair price especially being a original uk vehicle and having a lot of the expensive bits there.
I hope this helps you a little
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You could go for a Minerva like I have recently bought. Running gear is Series 1 80" (steel body not alloy) but not so ridicules in price.
As above Marc Pedersen is the one to call..... :phone
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I do find the S1 forum can be a bit "stuffy" and woe betide you if you stray even slightly off topic (or mention an S2 :shakeinghead). The mag seems to be featuring far more "no expense spared" restorations. Most of the "real" members however are absolutely like us!
Problem with Aussie imports nowadays is getting them UK registered. DVLA want a "build date" and a lot were CKD with no record of when they were actually built up, so steer clear unless someone has already sorted this. On the plus side, the fact that prices are high means more remanufactured parts are available the there were say 20 years ago.
My feeling is an 80" now. even with the wrong engine but reasonably complete for restoration, is probably around £10k today. An 86/88" in similar condition around £6K. I stand to be corrected though.
To fully rebuild a 2 litre engine will set you back at least another £6k.
Unfortunately, the cheapo days would appear to have gone forever. 30 years ago my 86" cost me £200, with a chassis that is still on it now. More than just inflation!
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Two series ones on done deal Ireland ai the moment 1952 80 inch at 25000 euro really lovely with a dealer . the other is 1956 not so lovely and ls fitted with a v8 asking price 9500 and is in Northern Ireland
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Hi,
My experience of various classic car clubs (several) wasvthat your status within the club depended on several factors, ranging from how new your car was if the marque was still in production, to the size of your business, if you specialised in trading/repairing that particular marque.
e were even members of one club, where selected members were invited to join a sub-club, according to the sub-committees preferences ... participation in competitions, servicing the needs of other club members spares/repairs, etc. We ceased to be members, as we did not see why we should finance somebody else's hobby or business.
There was worse, but not for discussion here.
602
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Lots of good practical information given above. I’ve been a member of the S1 Club since 1979, although not quite a founder member. As in all clubs there are the keyboard warriors and the nerdy types which sometimes gives the impression that the Club is very cliquey, however there are a lot of real enthusiasts who are ready to offer help to someone new to Series Ones.
Unfortunately the days of a cheap Series One is well over unless you are extremely lucky. I have a couple of ex Australian Series Ones, and they can be a great starting point for a rebuild which has already been mentioned. They can be quite hammered mechanically but in many instances the chassis and bulkheads can be in very good condition compared to a U.K. vehicle. Do not however buy one unless all the correct paperwork has been seen to especially written conformation of the build date in Australia and if not already registered speak to Mick Burn is the S1 Club VRO equivalent of our very own Peter Holden.
Decide what you want from the finished vehicle, if you want to return it to original spec then be prepared to pay, as nothing is cheap. I have an 80in which is extremely original and another S1 which is mechanically modified but still looks like a Series One. I like them both equally. Good luck with the search and as you can see there are lots of people with copious knowledge of Series Ones both on this forum and the S1 forum if you need to ask questions.
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There's a fairly honest looking 80" in the next Brightwells auction, a UK vehicle rather than an import.
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Re: The Series One Club Forum, I keep being very tempted to share the antics of this guy and what he dose with his series one on that forum:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xU7JXOh116M (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xU7JXOh116M)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m6jbmQ4xAX0 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m6jbmQ4xAX0)
But am worried I might get banned or start WW3, although maybe it's a reminder what kind of things people used to do with there old Land Rovers when they were just old Land Rovers... :RHD
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Is his name Wayne ?? Wayne Kerr ?? :whistle :-X
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Saw an ad for a 80" for sale on FB at the weekend, the guy wasn't far from Newark showground and was going to take it there.
No pics but his details below, worth a punt ???
07949 328421 Mick
[email protected]
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https://www.brightwells.com/timed-sale/5240/lot/569333
https://www.brightwells.com/timed-sale/5240/lot/571232
:wooly-jumper :tiphat :RHD :RHD
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Can I just echo what john Robinson (Bronze Green) has to say about documentation of CKD vehicles, thay are not just Australian they can be from places like South Africa. They can be a nightmare to register even with what appears to be the correct documents proving the assembly date.
Also S1 engines are expensive to rebuild and some parts are scarce, In am rebuilding one at the moment to go in my S2 - it actually came out of one of John Robinsons S1s which is also a 58. My nephew and I are also building a 1948 sideplate engine that I took out of a land rover in 1948 and the parts for that are eyewatering. We also have another early engine in process of being rebuilt again courtesy of John Robinson. In all by the time we have finished we will have rebuilt 4 S1 engines but it is a very slow process as we have to wait for funds to build up.
We are fortunate that all our land rovers are UK built and with one exception (a 1952 ex mil S1) all had the right documents.
Marc Pederson who used to import loads of Minervas from Belgium has slowed down because of the difficulties in registering them and he knows the system inside out. BTW a minerva can be made to look like a land rover to the untrained eye as most of the land rover body parts fit
Peter
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I paid £5000 for this a year or so back. 1955 86"
It needs a lot of chassis repairs or a replacement chassis if you aren't happy doing the amount of welding I will be doing in the near future. The bulkhead is also beyond help even for me, there is nothing left...
Engine, gearbox and running gear however are original or correct for the year as far as I can tell and off course it has the station wagon roof, rear door and all the fittings that are quite hard to find.
Some may say I overpaid, others say I got a bargain, I was happy with it.
I have stripped the 2 litre engine, New bearings, new rings, new cam and a few other parts has already cost about £1500
There was also a 1953, 80" being sold at the same place and a friend of mine bought it. He has fitted a replacement chassis and is putting it back together pretty quickly but I never asked what he paid for it.
Craig.
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Craig, our 107 is on its original much welded chassis but we ended up buying a Radford bulkhead for it some years ago and we had towait 2 years for it. I understand that there are others who make S1 bulkheads now.
Peter
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I will be using Radfords chassis parts. I need a few new outriggers and maybe a rear crossmember but looking forward into getting stuck in to it. I bought another 1955 chassis for £120 that has very solid main rails. The right hand rail on my chassis has dissolved under the drivers floor but using both chassis frames I hope to create one very solid one.
As for the bulkhead I was contacted a few months back by a friend who changed the bulkhead on his 88" for a new one and asked if I'd like the old one. I paid £300 for it and all it needs is new footwells and some back-dating to make it an 86" looking bulkhead.
Trying to do this one on a budget but see how we get on. Might need to spend a lot of money on paint stripper as that green paint is everywhere inside, even on the inside of the roof panel!
Craig.
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I reckon it's a bargain for a Series 1.
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If it's of any use as a fairly current price, it's public knowledge anyway as I bought on ebay £3750.
Perkins engine, poor bulkhead now repaired with pegasus and some home fabrication and the chassis all around the gear box is poor, but repairable.
I'm pleased with my purchase but if had seen it before bidding I might not have bothered but I bidded blind. I'm enjoying the work anyway.
Michael
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Re: The Series One Club Forum, I keep being very tempted to share the antics of this guy and what he dose with his series one on that forum:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xU7JXOh116M (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xU7JXOh116M)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m6jbmQ4xAX0 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m6jbmQ4xAX0)
But am worried I might get banned or start WW3, although maybe it's a reminder what kind of things people used to do with there old Land Rovers when they were just old Land Rovers... :RHD
Fantastic!! :-* :-*
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Re: The Series One Club Forum, I keep being very tempted to share the antics of this guy and what he dose with his series one on that forum:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xU7JXOh116M (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xU7JXOh116M)
Shame he seems to crack the windscreen right across at about 10 mins in.
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Shame he seems to crack the windscreen right across at about 10 mins in.
He's going to have broken thumbs too quite soon unless he learns to hold the steering wheel correctly.
David
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Hi,
I have had a little experience driving RAF 80", and frankly I didn't like them ... specifically the foot pedal,s which felt they were moving up and down, rather than back and fore.
Me? I would rather start with an "identity" and enough parts to be legal, rather than a complete vehicle with no UK identity. I remember the advice .... which probably doesn't apply to Land Rovers ... Why pay for the filler when the holes are free?
602
PS. I knew of a couple of places in the Swansea Valley, where dead S2s used to lie, rotting away. PM me if you are interested, and WILL follow up. I will only tell one person ... don't want hordes of people disturrbing the natives
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Probably all gone by now John but hey ho as I'm sort of just a few valleys over I'll happily pop over to take a look.
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"IF STANDS STIFF IN A POOR MANS POCKET"
Hi,
I don't think I can regard myself as "poor" any longer, but have commitments, and my knees hurt (don't bend more than 90*)
Many on this forum have said that it is impossible to get a rebuilt Series through an IVA. I've said it myself, but I was thinking in terms of knees being vunerable to non-rounded corners, and seat-belt location.
But years have passed, the supply of new replacement parts has improved .... and I wouldn't want a ICE, nor a CIE engine anyway, which takes emissions and fuel systems out of the equation. Which leaves seat-belt mountings.
JAGO (kit car manufacturers) managed to get their "WEEP" through the IVA jungle. (see the white plastic thingy currently appearing in TV ads ... I can't remember what they are advertising. ???). Does anybody provide a link?) The roll-over bar is very substantial, and supports the upper seat belt mounts. Surely something similar could be added to new heavy duty Series chassis, arguing that it improves safety .... eight bits of angle iron welded to the chassis rails?
I'm temped, but Barbara will chunter on about me not being able to walk.
602.
PS. Why did the chicken cross the road softly? Because she couldn't walk hardly.
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Craig, our 107 is on its original much welded chassis but we ended up buying a Radford bulkhead for it some years ago and we had towait 2 years for it. I understand that there are others who make S1 bulkheads now.
Peter
Often, a Dutch (Belgian?) chap called Jean Dexters was quoted as doing the best SI bulkheads.
Years ago Radfords used to be quite poor, but I believe have improved since.
Many years ago I bought the first 88" SI bulkhead that that Jean Dexters made. It was excellent.
All these years later it is still in my shed, waiting to be fitted to something.
(Shame I fell out of love with the SI scene and the attitudes that were creeping into it, and so lost interest in the "SII prototypes") :coffee
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There are still a lot of nice genuine folks in the Series One scene but alas Charles there are some who inhabit the S1 forum who are clowns and hence I’m not much of a contributor these days.
Anyway enough of Series Ones, early coilers are the future eh Charles, especially ones with a V8 :coffee
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Early coilers are indeed the future John. :-*
As we are both LRSOC members of over 40 years (member numbers 74 and 76?) I think we saw the best times of SI ownership - and certainly of prices!
I just hope the young of today can keep affording Series Two's.
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Almost correct Charles, my number is 69. :cheers
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Hii,
Ref earlier mention of my knees.
One of Barbara's health care workers insisted that MY knees are bad enough to entitle me to Attendance Allowance, and has submitted an application on my behalf. I'm not sure I agree with her, although if I want to travel more the 25 yards from my front gate, I take the car. Mowing my 20ft by 30ft lawn (rotary mower) is spread over three days. Character building! Thinks back forty years ... I built an edifice (Planners description) with the two kids bedrooms each being 20ft by 10ft. Whatever, an extra £80 per week going into the household kitty could extend my horizons ... like a new galv 80" chassis, under an JAGO WEEP bodyshell.
I've already bought the mouthwash, but how to climb in will need some thought.
602