1973 Land Rover

109 Pickup truck

4 - Cyl.

Manual

SALLBCAH1AA182220

Gasoline

This is a classic one of a kind vehicle. It is a 1973 Land Rover Series 3 109" right hand drive truck. It was originally a Royal Air Force Truck that was brought into the US 10 years ago. As soon as I saw it, I fell in love and it has been part of my life ever since I moved to San Diego. The RAF takes very good care of their vehicles and I have been just as rigorous about keeping her running well with frequent oil changes, and staying on top of the maintenance. The 109" refers to the length of the wheel base and is really what makes this Rover unique (besides being right hand drive). This is the long bed model, and I have yet to see another one since I have owned it. If you want you can put safari seats in the bed that can easily seat 8, although I have had way more than 8 people in the bed. (You will find that this truck car will make you instantly popular :-) Don't be surprised when people stop you to ask about it, because this will happen often. I have done a ton of work to it and now is kind of a bad time for me to be selling it because of how nice it is running, especially with the start of summer. On the highway it likes to cruise at 60-65 although if you push it I’m sure you could do 70, but please don't. If you feel the need to run it at or above 70, I would highly recommend putting in an overdrive. Although I haven't done too much off road driving, I took it out a few times with my friends Wranglers and it hung without a problem. It crawls up and down steep hills and I really don't think that it is possible to get the truck stuck in the mud or on the beach. The 4 wheel drive works great, as does the low setting. When I got it I had it painted blue. There was a bit of rust on the frame and undercarriage so I had it sprayed with a rhino-liner-like finish and now the frame is in way better shape with no signs of rust. The engine was running rough two years ago so I sent it off to have the top end rebuild. Now she runs like a top. While the engine was being rebuilt I sent the transmission and transfer case up to British Pacific* to be rebuilt. They sent it back and ever since it shifts perfectly. Before installing the transmission I had a new clutch plate, and master/slave cylinder installed. Check out this video to hear her start and get going a bit: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gtV39yxlntQ About 6 months ago the alternator died and I replaced it along with the battery. The brakes were replaced a couple of years ago including the drum, calipers, and lines. (The brake lines should last longer than the truck) Since the truck is so light I doubt the brakes will ever need to be touched again. I recently bought a set of new front seats that were a little tricky to install but they have worked perfectly and are fully functional to store stuff behind them. The middle seat is very tattered and if you are going to start working on her looks, that would be a good place to start. I did have a canvas roof but it was stolen out of my garage a few months ago. If you buy a canvas top, and I advise that you do, British Pacific has them in stock and feel confident that all of the fittings are ready to go just through the top on and go. The headlight mounts, signals, and fog lights are all completely new and give the truck a very distinguishable look at night. The windshield wiper motor is also brand new. I replaced it because I thought the motor was out but it ended up being an electrical issue, but I just left the new one in and chucked the old one. Because of the electrical problem (see below) I also replaced the thermostat and radiator about 6 months ago, but it ended up being a phantom reading that is now fixed. The choke works well to get it started although in San Diego, I have yet to turn the key and need the choke, it starts up fine even after a couple of weeks without use. About a year ago my friend and I drove it to Colorado to see if we could, and we made it there and back without a problem. Speaking of which the heater blows hot, but don't expect it to keep you warm when you are heading over the Rocky Mountains when it's 20 below and snowing. I just riveted new weather stripping inside of the doors so they seal tight. You have to close the door pretty good to get it to shut but then it's water tight. In case you are ever in the middle of no-where the windshield folds down by loosening two bolts, which is actually very fun. The locking mechanism in the door can probably be fixed, but I never thought it necessary to lock it. This Rover is almost certainly unstealable since it is so uncommon. I replaced the fuel filler line and added another full size fuel tank under the passenger seat and both indicators work well. To flip them there is a switch underneath the driver seat. To fill the driver tank there is a cap on the outside. To fill the passenger tank you have to pull the seat up and remove the board. The odometer is accurate as far as I know. Since I have had it, I've never messed around with it but I honestly don't know if the RAF rolled it or messed with it. Enough good here is the bad: I have to emphasis that I know nothing about electricity. This truck has taught me more than I ever thought I would know about how they work, but the electricity is my downfall. I had everything working perfectly since the phantom reading incident (which is now solved) except I couldn't figure out why I couldn't get both high beams to work. I took the front light connectors apart and totally screwed it up. As of now you are going to have to take my word that the lights do work but I cant figure out which wire connects to what. The other big problem is that as of a few days ago, when I turn the ignition off the car keeps running. To get it to turn off you have to either stall it or unplug the battery. The window washer has never worked, but has never been a problem for me so I never bothered to look at it. The faceless stereo worked fine but it now falls under the electrical problem category. It has one speaker and works fine when you are hanging out but when you are cruising it is hard to hear. If you understand how electricity works I'm sure you can both of these problems in minutes. If you are learning by doing, count on spending a few hours or dollars to get it fixed. I don't think it would be necessary but if you choose to replace the front wire harness, BP sells them for $400. The tires are not in great shape. There is a lot of tread left but the rubber is looking a old. I ran over a nail a few days ago and I will include a new tire of your choice to the winner, or I will discount the truck by $150. You can currently run it for a day but leave it overnight and the tire pressure gets bad quick. The spare wheel on the hood is the rustiest by far but the wheels are all original and it is difficult to find them in better shape. Discount tires has offered to get me knew wheels, but I kind of like the originals. When you get new tires, count on getting it aligned also. Although it doesn't pull it rides a little off center. If you have any questions or want to see it please shoot me an email: brian@calikites.com Thanks and happy bidding. * A note about British Pacific: These guys have been wonderful ever since I bought the truck. I have yet to find a part that they did not have in stock (besides the brake light covers). They are inexpensive and a resource that I defiantly could not have gone without.