Just some more photos with the XS tyres fitted. They coped quite admirably on the mud on a local greenlane.

The Avon Traction Mileages fitted to SEB have been showing their age ever since they were fitted, so finally the opportunity was taken to fit some more modern rubber. A set of 900R16 Michelin XS tyres was spotted on ebay and bought a few weeks ago. The tyres are not new, but still have plenty of life left in them considering the "retirement milage" SEB does these days.

Today I took them down to the local ATS (They also supply tyres to Landrover at Gaydon!!) and had them fitted.

The MOT is due in a few weeks, and after that there will be a 1-Ton Register stand at Eastnor Castle show in August. 

Some new photos

Just as proof that the oldest 1-Ton still on the road really is still on the road. As part if BFHVC's "drive it day" I went and did a few miles locally.

Today I scored myself some much-needed rivet counter points by fitting the correct turned aluminuim screen washer jets, these were NOS items from seriespartsworldwide (http://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/seriespartsworldwide/m.html)

All I had to do was make up some connectors using the old thicker pipe, as the pipe supplied (which is a translucent blue rather then clear) is a bit thinner. I didn't worry too much about it as I think the original pipe was supposed to be black anyway, not clear, which is possibly just a generic item. As a point of interest, my 1-ton uses a hand-operated fluid pump on the dashboard, not a fancy modern electric item!

The accouncement

The following document is, I think, the way Land-Rover announced the release of the 1-Ton to their customers. It is dated June 1969, by which time there were already a handful of 1-Tons a couple of months old. I apologise for the poor quality scan. Whats interesting is that Land-Rover claim to offer the vehicle with the 2286cc Petrol as well as the 2625cc six-cylinder petrol - we know of course that no 4-cylinders were built other than the special batch for the MOD (TACR1s)

Why are they almost always Land-Rovers?

"Back in the day" very often breakdown trucks were indeed Land-Rovers, and very often 1-Tons at that. This Land-Rover advertisment points out that fact. I have no details on the vehicle, its clearly not a UK numberplate and the company name does not bring anything up on a search. But I'm 99% certain this is a 1-Ton, possibly on its second or third lease of life by the time the photo was taken. If anyone has a larger scan I would be very interested in seeing it.

BNV745K

Superb photo of a IIA 1-Ton with East Midlands Electricity Board. Vehicle reg was BNV745K.