Tag Archives: series
First Overland
Cambridge
The Oxford & Cambridge Far Eastern Expedition left London on September 1, 1955 on their way overland to Singapore. Traveling in a pair of Series I vehicles provided by Land Rover, the expedition was the first to make the drive from the English Channel to Singapore.
Oxford
Cambridge & Oxford, along with the Land Rovers’ six man crew, took 6 months and six days, traveling 18,000 miles through France, Monaco, Germany, Austria, Jugoslavia (Slovenia, Croatia and Macedonia), Greece, Turkey, Syria, Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, Nepal, Burma, Thailand, Malaya to reach Singapore.
“First Overland” the book on the adventure written by Tim Slessor was originally published in 1957. The film donated by the BBC thanks to David Attenborough to chronicle the trek, was broadcast originally on BBC for their “Traveller’s Tales” series. It has been remastered and edited and is available in documentary form on DVD.
“…one might reasonably claim that both the journey and its telling are now regarded as classics of their kind…”
—David Attenborough
The Rover gets hitched
I wanted to replace the old hitch with a receiver hitch on The Rover. A previous owner must have backed up into something, because the tab was bent upward, causing the trailer ball to lean inwards towards the truck. They must have been moving pretty good, because that is some beefy metal that was bent.
Unlike some parts that I’ve bought for vehicles, the replacement hitch mounted up perfectly. In fact, I think it was one of the easiest replacements I’ve done. My only complaint, is that if a company is going to send a set of fasteners to mount the thing, please send a complete set. And since I’m on the Parts Soapbox: If you’re going to send grade 8 bolts, why send grade 2 nuts? It’s a hitch… let’s go whole hog and make it a proper, and complete, set.
Still, it looks good and the new tow bar for the Beetle hooks up quick & easy.
Moving The Rover to the front of the line
Now that the scent of autumn is in the air, it’s time to put The Rover back together. Zipping around without the top has been fun, although it has been raining since I took the thing off. I think taking the top off will become a summer tradition. A soft top may have to be procured.
The first order of business is to replace the weatherstripping at the bottom of the windscreen. Other than the two ends, it was in surprisingly good shape. The snow leakage came from the top of the windscreen.
I probably won’t make a habit out of driving with the windscreen down, with the drag the wiper motors make.
Speaking of the wiper motor: Who would have thought that the underside of that Lucas motor would be that dirty?! It’s not like Lucas electrics leak…
Running Topless
I took the top off of The Rover earlier in the week. It is the first time I’ve lifted the top, and my main reason is that the seals between the top and bed really need to be replaced. Not to mention the fact that snow flies into the cab from between the lid and windscreen when I’m driving down winter’s road. There is nothing enjoyable about that.
What is enjoyable, is zipping around town without the roof. It’s a blast, so I may have to test drive it a bit more to get the feel for things before I replace the roof. Maybe even pull the spare tire off the bonnet and drop the windscreen down.
There’s nothing like driving with the top down through the smoke-filled air of Interior Alaska.
2 Million
Land Rover announced in May that they have built 2 million Series and Defender model vehicles.
A 1955 Series I
Starting in 1948 with the Series I and ending in 2015 with the Defender, 2 million have rolled off the Solihull assembly line.
The 2 millionth Land Rover Defender.
The 2,000,000th vehicle is a silver Defender 90, which will have several special features including custom upholstery and, of course, logos. A team of dignitaries and celebrities, which included Tim Slessor of First Overland fame, took part in the “wrench turning” on the special Defender 90.
The two millionth Defender will be auctioned off in December.
New Carburetor
Time to get back to some Rover-izing.
I’ve wanted to replace the old Weber carb on the Rover for some time. The obvious choice, was the Rochester B, which was a popular GM carburetor back in the 1950’s & early 60’s. The Rochester B, appeared on many 216 & 235 Chevy motors.
The mounting holes on the Rochester B flange needs to be elongated for it to fit on the Rover 2.25L, which I have done. The linkage also needs to be adapted for the Series Rover, which I am in the middle of doing.
Luckily, there are quite a few Rochester B carbs out there, and rebuild parts are very easy to come by. The “B” carb has the manual choke and the “BC” version has an automatic choke.
The Rochester B alongside the Weber 34ICH.
Heritage Driving Center
Land Rover has announced its Heritage Experience Driving Center where one can drive examples of their iconic fleet at the test track facility at Fen End, Warwickshire.
Starting with a 1948 Series I, one can then move onto a Series III 109 wagon, a Military 101 Forward Control, a 70’s era Range Rover as well as the models currently available today. If the off road vehicles don’t have enough speed, you can leave the off-road for the pavement in an E-Type Jaguar.
Photos & video courtesy of Land Rover
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