Gaydon Heritage run

ON the 1st of May, my partner and I took SEB up to Solihull for the 63rd anniversary heritage run. We ran down to Gaydon in convoy, then spent the day looking around the various vehicles.

All in all an enjoyable day, if a little quiet compared to previous years.
I found this photo of SEB online which I think is very impressive.

I have somehow lost the tail lamps though so I will need to get them repaired before the next trip out.

Berkshire Laning

I was invited out to do some laning on good friday, so we filled SEB up with petrol (eeekk!!) and headed off.
It was all new lanes to me, not toio challenging, and some lovely scenery.
I was joined by a 1958 2-litre 88" series II, in fact one of the oldest series IIs in existance, as I think it was made in the first few days of production.
The other vehicle was a 1970 109", also a six-cylinder, which seems to have led an interesting life and done some travelling over the years.

Tyres

900x16 tyres are not easy to come by these days, being something of a sthrowback to the second world war era, however Landrover decided to offer them as standard on the Forward Controls starting in 1962, and so they were inherited from there onto the 1-Ton IIA when it was launched.
The options at the time were limited to Dunlop RK2A or 3s, and Avon Traction Milages. Some other patterns may have been offered, an early IIB was seen in factory photos fitted with "Banana Bargrips" which I think were a goodyear pattern.

Anyway, a good friend of mine managed to track down a set of Avons on 101 rims, he only wanted the rims, so I was offered the tyres.

I fitted them one friday evening and knackered myself in the process, but here is the result.

Of course I couldn't resist a spot of greenlaning to see how they worked,

The spare wheel on the bonnet is a Dunlop, and was quickly put back in the load bed.

Snow

Just a couple of snow pics...

Sadly we didn't get much, perhaps it will come later in the winter.

Heater

Today I got the heater refitted, it *seems* to be working, but I am not sure the wiring is correct.

I was also pleased to learn that another 1-Ton (a series 3) has appeared, been hiding in a barn apparently...

Intro

So, this is mine:

which was like this when I found it:

Its a 1969 109" 1-Ton, with hydralic winch, ex-Southern Electricity, gradually being improved...
I bought it in 2005 and since then have been either repairing it, showing it, off-roading it or improving it. By that, I mean making it more like it would have been in the mid 1970s. Unlike most restorations, I don't want to just chuck a new chassis under a load of new body panels, stick and ID plate on and call it a rebuild, I would prefer where possible to keep the slightly dented, scuffed or twisted panels, the slightly worn gearbox, the unusual axles etc etc...

The engine is not the original, that one threw a leg out one sunny day up near York. The current one is out of a Swiss fire tender.

The gearbox is stamped up 22900008A, making it an early one, close to the chassis number 22900013A. By date, it was the eighth 1-Ton Landrover ever completed.

Its working life was with Southern Electricity Board, in the Portsmouth region we assume, as there where it was registered and the address of the first keeper. They disposed of it in 1984, after nearly 15 years on service. By 1984 I expect it was being used only occasionally or for training or some other specific duties, as by then most of the old "leafer" fleet had been replaced with 110s and 127s.