Quote from: Tom on Dec 29, 2023, 07:33 PM

Quote from: Exile on Dec 29, 2023, 05:32 PMTook Legless the diesel IIA on a road run, in a convoy of at least ten other local Series II/III's.

Saw photos of that on Facebook, looked like a good run out. I was particularly fond of the yellow lightweight. That looked very smart!

The yellow lightweight was really cool and a well restored example, and I don't usually like lightweight land rovers. It was a great runout.

Out on the Christmas pudding run in the Yorkshire dales.  The rain was biblical and caused us to miss out one lane but we still had a good day.

Peter

 

Same as Peter, another brilliant Xmas pudding run from Masham to Ripley castle.

It was cold, it was wet......       but it was fantastic.

Thanks to everyone 

Not so wet but a round trip of about 150 miles for the Severn Valley "Indigestion Run".

Just about finished the school holiday service and general check over. Noticed  one of my brake drums has a nice crack in it though so off to Rimmer bros on Tuesday 

Well spotted. I wonder what caused that? Usually its something near a wheel stud hole. Maybe it got dropped at some point?

I'm quite sure the studs are clear and there wasn't anything on the hub flange. What appears to be the epicenter of the crack looks to have some historical damage or casting imperfection so you may well be right  The lip on the other side is missing on 50% of the circumference so it's obviously been abused in its life.

I sold it!

After 23 years.  23 years and it only ever let me down once.  I've never owned a more practical, capable vehicle, and one that drew so much affectionate attention from complete strangers.

The strange thing is that I had expected the selling of the old thing to be much more of a wrench than it turned out to be.  I had expected to be really sorry to see it go, and to miss it.

That hasn't happened.  Maybe because I had been thinking about doing it for best part of the year. I have realised that my time running a classic vehicle has come to an end.  I don't have the strength to use the starting handle, removing the tilt and fume curtain, and replacing them in the winter, had become a chore for my 80 year-old body, and the speedy cut-throat driving of some lunatics around my neck of the woods was beginning to be a challenge when I was pootling around, not a real pleasure anymore.
I never maintained it my self, being incapable, and was using it less and less.

So, no regrets.  Just lots of fond memories, and the faint feeling of melancholy that my advanced years have changed me, not the Series II.  It will go on and on, and I won't.....

But I've a new (to me) vehicle to pootle around in, much more in keeping with my advancing years. It's an early Discovery 4, which will be much, much more costly to maintain, but is still a Land Rover, and in my view will be a future classic...

So I'll still be around a while yet, and may still meet some of you at the annual Rally, or a Club meet somewhere, and I'll stay a Club member and Forum contributor. 

A very Happy. Healthy and Prosperous New Year to all....   

Sorry to hear that Crumbly, but I know this horrible decision will come to us all.   I just refuse to think about it.

But I think you have made a good choice in the Disco 4.    It is the last Land Rover to look like it might be a Land Rover.

My son has acquired his Mothers well-maintained Disco 3 and is looking after it like it's a classic, and my Land Rover fanatic friend of nearly 30 years is buying a Disco 3 too. (If you buy one of these prior to a certain cut-off date the road tax is cheaper too).

Best of luck for the future.

Reassembled the transmission brake Friday (new drum and shoes arrived) ready to go back on. At some point...

Cleaned up the chassis today where the gearbox sits ready for some rust treatment/paint. Noticed the outriggers where the tub sits have been badly welded on as well as the front ones i already knew about. Sigh.

Love my Disco 4, sure you will too.

Quote from: Exile on Dec 31, 2023, 05:57 PMSorry to hear that Crumbly, but I know this horrible decision will come to us all.   I just refuse to think about it.

But I think you have made a good choice in the Disco 4.    It is the last Land Rover to look like it might be a Land Rover.

My son has acquired his Mothers well-maintained Disco 3 and is looking after it like it's a classic, and my Land Rover fanatic friend of nearly 30 years is buying a Disco 3 too. (If you buy one of these prior to a certain cut-off date the road tax is cheaper too).

Best of luck for the future.

Thank you for the kind words Charles. Yes - the Disco 3/4 may well be the last most practical true Land Rover. Even allowing for the much reported and well known range of faults. With a completely flat floor, 3.5 ton towing ability, and " go anywhere" understated ability coupled with distinctive classic looks, it is a vehicle that's hard to beat.


For me, there IS a difference between a Land Rover Discovery 3 and a 4 with "Land Rover" on the bonnet, and a Discovery 4 with just "Discovery" on the bonnet. So a big raspberry to JLR for dropping the Land Rover name.

But as this is the Series II Club Forum, I don't want to provoke a discussion about Discoveries. Suffice it to say, I still consider the Series II the finest of the leaf-sprung Land Rovers. More practical than its much loved and worthy predecessor, and more sturdy and better built than its successors. My 1959 Series II will always hold a special place in my life's memories, and I just trust the new owner to learn to care for it as I did.  He's on a steep learning curve, bless him....

I finished my underseat storage box and started cutting ali scraps for replacement sill brackets.

Prepped my chassis 'middle bit' last few days as time allowed - before putting the gearbox back in.
Not too bad on the sides, just the tops and edges that are poor.

Did the first coat of RE tonight.
Haven't done the outer sides as the outriggers are likely coming off at some point.