bought another rangie

[MUSKIE]

sold my last one on ebay as some of you pointed out a while ago. just bought a 1985 "c" plate v8 carbed manual which was what i wanted, dont like ECU's and auto boxes they can leave you stranded :( . so i have spent some of this hols inspecting and buying bits. i cant believe how solid the vehicle is :shock: , it has never had any welding done and the sills/rear x member/A,B posts are as good as new the inner wings still look as solid as the day it was built. i have been looking around to try and buy the newest i could afford to get a solid one but i have now bought an older vehicle which is better than any of the H,J plates i looked at.
i am very pleased with the new rangie and it would appear i got a good base for my next offroad toy :D . a friend of mine has bought a B reg and is almost as good. why do some of the older ones seem better??

[muddyweb]

Carburettors and Manual boxes can leave you stranded just as easily... but that's a whole other debate :-)

Land Rover went through a lot of 'phases' in their production quality.   Different grades of materials, different suppliers, etc.

At one point, it wasn't unusual for the 90 chassis to be an inch out of alignment across the rails, which is really quite poor.

On some of the vehicles, you will also find that over time, the grade of material has changed.   A series 3 hardtop roof is a struggle for 1 person to lift... a Defender hardtop roof (which is bigger) is noticably lighter as it is made from thinner material.

[Range Rover Blues]

Some of it is down to the very first owner.  Some of it down to the last.

Lots of bits of our car are like new but then other bits just break for no apparent reason.

[MUSKIE]

Carburettors and Manual boxes can leave you stranded just as easily... but that's a whole other debate :-)

true they can leave you stranded but, you can get towed with manual where you are not supposed to tow for any distance with an auto, and you have the option of bump starts, carbs can be rebuilt by me i no nothing about ecu's and expensive injectors. dont get me wrong i really love the auto and injection but my offroaders will always be relatively old so when it goes wrong becouse its old and worn out i would rather have old school, it really is just a personal  pref.

[davidlandy]

I suppose also you have a good chance of actually seeing what is, or could be wrong.  maybe difficult to just look at an ECU.

not so sure about Autos, but then again witha manual you could loose gears rather than the whole unit.

perhaps

[muddyweb]

Put the transfer box in neutral and you can tow an auto.

Snap the mainshaft or layshaft in an LT77 and you can't go far..... ask me how I know ;-)

The auto boxes tend to last much longer as they are better engineered than most of the manual boxes LR used.  (with the fine exception of the LT95 !), they also absorb much of the shocks caused in driving due to the viscous coupling of the torque converter.

The discussion of electronic vs mechanical is an old one, the theory is that a sealed electronic unit will go wrong much less often than a mechanical device, so repairing is less of an issue.  Some of the LR electronic units do tend to suffer from the 'Price oif Darkness' touch though... so the theory doesn't always play out.

That said, a fuel pump dying will stop you no matter what you have on the induction side of the engine.... and I've had far more of them fail than any other fuel system components.

As you say, all personal preference, and the level of personal knowledge / comfort with any given system.    One thing is for sure..... it absolutely, unequivocally without a doubt must have at least 8 cylinders ;-)

[MUSKIE]

funny you should say about fuel pumps my last rangie left me in bedford town centre, and your right there is nothing you can do. when the AA man arrived i quizzed him about towing with the transfer box in neutral. he showed me his computer and it said, i quote " can be towed in neutral for a max of 15 miles at a speed of no more than 30mph" now i dont know enough about autos to comment i am sure others will have other opinions, i suspect this is a rule the AA work to so they are not liable for any gearbox damage should it occur.

incidentaly which gearbox is fitted to an 85 rangie 5 speed long stick any clues.

[muddyweb]

<groan>

That will be the LT77

I have 2 spare ones here if you want.... one has a broken mainshaft, one has a broken layshaft....   horrible, nasty things :-(



As for towing... I prefer not to tow any LR on the road too far.  Some of the manual boxes have oil pumps in them which need to be driven in order to provide lubrication.  If you are going to pull it a long way, I reckon you are better off taking the props off at the diff end and be safe.

[muky-kid.]

:D Sounds like youve got a gooden there, give it a good coat of paint underneith and waxoyle the chassis,doors,inner wings f+r, and sills. And it will last for a long time yet before any welding is required. :D

[MUSKIE]

yep, painted sills and filled with waxoyl, waxoyled inner wings, A/B posts  and started to wire brush underneath yesterday. only thing i have found at the mo is a slight weep from the steering box, well i think that is where its from, not sure at present. and to my surprise even the swivel housings have oil in, my last three rangies have always been empty when i bought them. still i think i paid a couple of hundred over the top for a 1985 rangie £875  but its taxed and tested to april.  just spent another £500 on 2" lift suspension/service items and steering which i shall fit once waxoyled, so for £1500 i should have a descent offroader that will last a good while.

well thats as long as the LT 77 gearbox lasts, i shall be constantly paranoid about it now

[muky-kid.]

yep, painted sills and filled with waxoyl, waxoyled inner wings, A/B posts  and started to wire brush underneath yesterday. only thing i have found at the mo is a slight weep from the steering box, well i think that is where its from, not sure at present. and to my surprise even the swivel housings have oil in, my last three rangies have always been empty when i bought them. still i think i paid a couple of hundred over the top for a 1985 rangie £875  but its taxed and tested to april.  just spent another £500 on 2" lift suspension/service items and steering which i shall fit once waxoyled, so for £1500 i should have a descent offroader that will last a good while.

well thats as long as the LT 77 gearbox lasts, i shall be constantly paranoid about it now

Sounds great that. Yeah ive heard a lot about the LT 77 box, some thing about output shafts or something. Dont worry about it till it happens, if it happens at all. Considering its age it might of already broke in the past and been replaced. Just go out and enjoy it m8... :D