1975 Defender 88

KTRIC

I'm looking at buying a restored 1975 Defender 88 from the UK. I love the look of these 4x4's but I don't have any expierience with them or classics.

Can anyone give me advice on what to look for and an idea on VRT and insurance on vehicle like this.

Thanks

junkyard

VRT is only 50 or 60 euros once its over 30 years of age. Once the chassis is O.K. everything else is replaceable (the chassis is replaceable too but its a bit of a dose) There's a huge market in modified parts and replacement parts, checkout Landrover Magazine for more info, you can get it in Easons. Insurance depends on you circumstances i.e. age, license, etc., but you can insure them as a classic as far as I know.

Anan1

K-TRIC wrote:

I'm looking at buying a restored 1975 Defender 88 from the UK. I love the look of these 4x4's but I don't have any expierience with them or classics.

Can anyone give me advice on what to look for and an idea on VRT and insurance on vehicle like this.

Thanks

You might want to try driving one too, just to make sure it's what you're expecting.:)

Daxklynsmith

Good Point, Anan,
I took my wife for a 2000km spin through Mozambique in my rebuilt 1973 Series 3 Station wagon.(Ok, it was slightly upgraded, 4.2l Chev,Fairey overdrive, Springs and Shocks etc)
Came back from the trip to have the following comments:
"I understand your love of off-road vehicles and support it.However, I am not going anywhere with you in any vehicle where I have to wear a sports bra
to be comfortable! Your choice!!"
Exit Landie, enter 3.0L Nissan
I still miss my Landie

KTRIC

Anan1 wrote:

You might want to try driving one too, just to make sure it's what you're expecting.:)

Anyone here have one ??

junkyard

Had a 1985 7 seater years ago and it was a tractor tbh. You'll probably need to get it out of your system though.:)

tomaxcars

Hi K-tric,

Pop on over to our club forum - http://www.clri.net/ - and i'm sure one of the many series owners will give you the run down.

Parts availability is second to none for LR's and they have plenty of personality. We run a 2004 Defender as our day-to-day motor and we are re-building a 1976 RRC at the moment (check out the details on our site: http://www.tomaxcars.com)

Also for insurance you can check out: http://irishvintage.net/_wsn/page3.html

As mentioned above - VRT is flat fee €50.

Cheers,

Andrew.

Blue850

Had an 82 long wheelbase, very basic and a nightmare on tarmac although 3 bald tyres might have been an issue there:D but off-road the thing was unbelievable, met a guy once who had a Perkins engine from a JCB in his landrover!!

Eric318

If it is a 1975, it is not called "Defender" yet, it is called a SII or III, 88" SWB or 109" LWB.

The Defender, later (1982?) was given coil springs and lots of plastiky bits. Was voted "Canada's Worst of the Year" several times round.

I have had countless 4x4 in Africa including a SIII 109" that I rebuilt by the kerb on an Edinburgh street before shipping it over and a ex Portuguese army SIIA 88" reconstructed from ground up out of 2 wrecks (15 months project interrupted right before fitting the headlights by civil war...). I demonstrated twice the good ole principle that you cannot have a LR AND a woman at the same time. For many reasons the two are mutually exclusive.

The two greats things about a SI-III are its looks, impossible to beat and the fact that whatever the breakdown is, you will always find a way to fix it with whatever you find at the scrapyard or in the village's chief's mudhut + a hammer. Other than that, drive Japanese (my kingdom for a Land Cruiser G...).

It is an easy car to restore as all bits are available and rather cheap. The complete rebuilt of the SIIA cost me £1500 including a s/h engine from a Peugeot 505 Turbo diesel (I had a bellhousing to fit a 504 engine on the LR box, a blessing).

At least tell us that you are not going Diesel??

For the same fuel consumption and same money you could get yourself a Jaguar... Women prefer that but hey dont let me influence you

KTRIC

Eric318 wrote:

At least tell us that you are not going Diesel??

Thanks for the review

The one I'm looking at is a diesel, why would that be bad ?

Eric318

oooooh man... please do try one before you buy...

Does it at least have an overdrive?

I also have a 1952 Citroën Light 15. This car's technology was ahead of its time when it came out in... 1934. Well, my 1979 LR SIII was worse than the Citroën on all dimensions on open roads: handling, steering, braking, acceleration, top speed...

Try twice, buy once...

It all depends on what you are after in the end.

Daxklynsmith

@Eric318,
Every now and again, someone ,somewhere casually drops in a little snippet of Info that arouses my curiosity.
Eric, did you drive it through Africa, where were you, which civil war interfered with the restoration?Angola or Mozambique?
Forgive my Afro-centricity(Is that an accurate description?)but as most of you know Ireland like the back of your hands, I have a love (but no longer a desire to live in)of Africa and am curious about your experiences

Daxklynsmith

K-TRIC wrote:

Thanks for the review

The one I'm looking at is a diesel, why would that be bad ?

from 0-60 you use an alarm clock, not a stopwatch.
If you want to listen to music while driving, get headphones.
If she's still with you after the trip she is A)seriously the one !!
B)Seriously desperate
C)Did'nt have Bus-fare
D)Is starting to enjoy the
special way the seats vibrate
You have been advised to drive before you buy.
Do So!!

Blue850

My 82 was a 2.25 diesel, only drove it on the road once, the day i bought it. 40mph was its 'comfortable' cruising speed. get a petrol, or , if you really want 4WD get a Range Rover

V8_Series_2a

Okay, so comfort may not be one of the Series Land Rover's attributes, but it can be greatly improved by replacing those rusty 30 year old leaf springs and tired shocks with new parabollic springs and gas shocks. This won't bring it quite to the level of a modern car, but it will make a big difference.

Even though the ride isn't the most comfortable, it's always entertaining. Unlike modern cars, you're not completely insulated and isolated from the road - there's a lot of feedback, and more demands are placed on you as a driver. Sure, the brakes aren't great, the steering's vague, and the acceleration is unspectacular (unless you fit something like a Range Rover V8 in there ), but that's all part of the fun. Plus for those brief few days of summer, if you're so inclined, you can take the roof and door tops off and drive topless

As Andrew (tomaxcars) says above, drop by our forum and ask any other questions you have..

Eric318

Hi Daxk,

Africa: 9 years and 7 countries, doing wildife conservation for various governements, NGOs, funding agencies, also had my own Safari Company (my business partner "acquired" my fantastic 1981 Nissan Patrol 2.8 Petrol DOHC, King Cab, 120bhp, now that was a hell of car: on full load (6 people including the cook, + trailer) going up the Zambezi escarpment you could actually feel the car pulling more and more on full throttle!!! What a machine.
Civil war: Guinea Bissau, only ever got 1/5 minute on CNN as there was no massive bloodshed to film or diamonds to be had so nobody cared. Lasted a few years on and off (I was also in Moz during war and that was no fun).

Talking more would take us a loooooooooooooooong time But hey for a beer, I am quite happy to talk Invitations??

mozz

i picked up on this thread on the clri site

---

Get one you might never drive around mozambique or other parts of africa but parts of dublin are just the same anyway

---

dont be put off by the different stories/opinions/one upmanship--- i got my first one 4 yrs ago it a 1970 ser 2a carawagon and its great if someones selling you a 75 defender dont buy it its not a defender its a series as for diesel 15/20 to the gallon is better than 5/10 to the gallon in a petrol 2.2-1/4 as opposed to a 2.2-1/4 diesel with an over drive that will raise it slightly to a bit more per mile its tough on the bones sure but thats the fun of it put in modern seats. a rover sherpa engine will fit [even a 2ltr montego turbo fits in] with a bit of modifying has to be a rover engine though the ford /peugeot wont fit your best bet is a site like www.clri.net ask andrew[tomax] has said , for info you dont go to a ferrari site for a fiat so go to the sites that know what there talkin about. were having our jamboree in fairy house in august details on the site be very careful though uk chassis are laced with salt from the roads over there and are prone to rust buyer beware
you can see mine in various states of restoration at www.freewebs.com/carawagon

good luck whatever you decide
maz

Eric318

Hey Mozz Maz, nice machine youve got!

Makes me remember that I had fitted mine with a "bed" inside. Essentially, just two MDF boards one fixed behind the rear seats all the way to the rear door and another on top that would slide forward and sit on top of two wooden braces themselves sitting on the windows sills. It made a great double/triple bed: safe dry and cosy. The first time I used it was in Dover on the docks waiting for the ferry after my one night stand stood me up and out in the cold... I was freeezing my b.... could not wait to reach Africa... I dont remember any woman finding anything remotely attractive in a LR...

I always lusted after one of those roof tents... but always ended up sleeping rough.

K-Tric: yeah your better off asking those who are passionate about LRs. Please try one before you buy and... fit better brakes BEFORE the faster engine...