This Land-Rover was bought from a filling station in the Styrian part of Austria in 1989. It had been fitted with a home-made snow plough two years previously and had been run into the ground. It had been put on one side due to electrical problems and leaking clutch hydraulics which had made gear changing rather difficult. Its owner whilst under the influence of drink had attacked it one night with a spray can, and then left it to rot with a tree fallen over the left-hand wing! It was by pure chance that I heard of it from a work colleague who had filled his car at the filling station. Within a fortnight of hearing about it, the Series II had been purchased (cash) with the promise to arrange collection later. The very next Friday I got a phone call at work saying that I was to find an off-loading ramp as a lorry from Steyr which had filled up at the filling station, had agreed to bring it back to Steyr for a small consideration! The problem was how to find the ramp in a hurry. Luckily the driver (Hr.Harry Poschinger) knew the powers-that-be at the railway station and so the Land-Rover was unloaded there. The air had been let out of the tyres in order to get it into the lorry, so first problem was to fill the tyres up. But I won't bore you with all the gory details of getting it the 2 miles back to my garage. See picture in links below to realise what a state it was in.
Rebuilding has progressed very slowly as the needs of a young family plus building a new house have taken priority. The state of the chassis can be seen (appalling!) but it has now been repainted and hopes one day to be reunited with engine, body etc.
The original engine has already been rebored + 40 " and has severe scoring on cylinder 4. A replacement engine (ex. Series III) with matching gearbox has been obtained and one day a summer holiday in England might see the original block being reworked. Certainly the cylinder head of the replacement engine will have to be reworked so that the standard austrian lead-free petrol can be used without problems. A new fuel tank has been obtained as the original had the usual mud trap and slow leak on its underside which is very common on this vintage.
Summer 2000 saw me at Billing once more and there I found on
the Simmonite display a second hand safari roof, which looks
jjust a bit better than the original one. This roof is probably
off a series III, and came comple with rear seats in a grey tweed
trim. The year before I also acquired a blue canvas soft-top for
fair weather motoring.
Summer 2005 saw me again at Billing and taken lot more
photographs of anything that looked like a Series II. Many thanks
to all the fellow members at Series II stand who let me crawl
under their vehicles taking pictures of clutch linkages
etc.
Spring 2006 has seen a little more activity on parts inside
the house waiting for the weather to get warmer. The rear tub was
getting in the way in the garage so has been balanced on the
chassis. Two very second hand military wings were obtained in
February from a member of the Series 2 club, but have the
advantage of being off the same vehicle, at some stage the
correct front panels can be replaced as now the side and
trafficator lights are vertical and not horizontal. Thanks to a
dealer in the UK I now plan to fit a series 3 steering column and
steering wheel, as this saves time trying unsuccessfully to
locate a safe wire spoked wheel. Many pictures have been added to
my picture list, but at least I now know where to find them. I
have also added links to some of them relating to queries on the
Series 2 club's new
internet formum. Also thanks to ebay and internet I have now
accumulated quite a bit of documentation about Series 2
Land-Rovers in general, some of which I have linked to below.
Special tools have also been located and acquired notably the
gearbox shaft tool, the transfer gearbox extracter, and engine
lifting frame.
Autumn 2006 was quite warm so little details have been sorted.
Main problem was the steering relay locating plate to the chassis
as the chassis supplier had cross-threaded the holes in the plate
on the inside of the chassis, these were bored out and rivnuts
fitted, we will have to see they hold up the loads. Major news is
that the major components have finally been spray painted in
mid-grey and are now stacked in the celler awaiting warmer
weather (spring?) when the bulkhead at least can be wax-oiled
upside down.The only component not yet attacked is the seat-base
which is still very dented, missing its tool box under the
left-hand seat, and is covered in decaying tacky green carpet. At
least now the end seems to be in sight....
Originally I had four pictures, but so many people have asked to see more badly taken photographs that I have now included almost every one ever taken by me !
| November 2001 |
Bulkhead :
On Monday 19th. November 2001, after a long absence the
bulkhead has finally returned. It went in June 1990 to be
welded, but unfortunately the welder got something in his
eye (fortunately from another job) and then was off sick
for some considerable time. He wasn't able to get round
to it, but luckily kept the bulkhead in his garage.
Meanwhile he went off to South-Africa, and now is in
England. By pure chance I discovered his e-mail and on
one of his rare returns to Austria he was able to bring
it back...
I have gone mad with a borrowed digital camera, so that the state of the bulkhead can be assessed. It is none the worse for its stay away from the rest of the vehicle. Some work will be needed on the footwells, and also replacing large chuncks removed by brute force by some previous owner. |
| May 2004 |
At last the assembly of axles and chassis has happened.
It was a terrible job getting the old spring shackle
bushes out of the chassis.
The rear "tub" has had the rear panels replaced so that the rear lights will be of proper Land-Rover type |
| May 2005 |
In the last year considerable (relatively!) progress has
been made. Finally took the plunge and acquired a brand
new chassis from Designa of Doncaster England, into this
have benn plumped engine and gearbox, and the springs and
axles have also been fitted. The bulkhead has now been
stripped, and this time properly welded, and now sits in
red-oxide primer waiting to be fitted. Similarly the
front panel for the radiator and headlights has also been
prepared. The ultimate has to be getting the handbrake
operating lever polished and chromed by a pure chance
contact.
Only another 16 years to go .... |
| August 2005 | After another year, a push before the autumn to screw a bit more together, and also to organise painting of the bodywork. |
| May 2006 |
Yet another bash, trying
to screw bits together before they themselves rot
away.... |
| Oct 2006 |
Major components, wings
bulkhead, rear tub, front rad panel spray painted
mid-grey Steering relay fitted, Hand-brake fitted |
| Chassis No. | 144002080 |
| Engine No. | 151010013 |
| Gearbox No. | 151010033 |
| Original owner | ÖRF = The Austrian Broadcasting Corperation |
| Date of Manufacture | 15 th. December 1959 |
| Dispatch date | 17 th. December 1959 |
| Date of first registration | 5 th. May 1960, Vienna
W 491.982 |
| Original Dealer | O.J.Aulehla Wien III, Marxergasse 6-8 |
| Current owner | Dipl.Ing. Roger Morgan, St.Ulrich, Austria |
| Girling Catalog |
Brakes |
| Lucas Rover Catalogue for 1960 | Lucus Part Number CCE 905J |
| Owners Instruction Manual |
Rover Part Number 4215 |
| Copyright © Roger Morgan / 1997-2007 | last change 19. August 2007 |
