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#Post#: 97491--------------------------------------------------
Series chassis & bulkhead strength - years to avoid?
DIR By: CaptainSlow
Date: May 12, 2015, 6:35 am
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OK, so my first question since joining the forum :)
I'm after a 109 but I vaguely recall the quality of the steel
used in the chassis and bulkheads varied greatly over certain
years. IIRC the Series II and IIA were all good old heavyweight
stuff, but some later years weren't so lucky. Was it '75 onwards
that got the poorer quality/thickness steel?
Is there any benefit to buying an ex-MOD one? I've heard they
were painted and protected pretty well? (Apart from the Marines
ones that went into the sea of course lol)
Thanks!
#Post#: 97492--------------------------------------------------
Re: Series chassis & bulkhead strength - years to avoid?
DIR By: Peter de Dawg
Date: May 12, 2015, 11:53 am
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After going 'British Leyland', quality would tend to diminish
spirally thru the 70s I'd say! ... However, it's prob more
important the life the vehicle has led and what it's been
exposed to, as you say, anything dunked in the sea is on a death
sentence !
The MOD thing of spraying thick setting underseal over the
chassis is a double edge sword, I've chipped this off to find
chassis like new underneath, but conversely, when water gets
underneath the stuff it creeps along & rots the chassis
spectacularly, and I've seen both extremes, again reflecting
what's happened to the motor during it's previous life..
#Post#: 97494--------------------------------------------------
Re: Series chassis & bulkhead strength - years to avoid?
DIR By: Albert Ross
Date: May 12, 2015, 12:36 pm
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73-79 tend to be the worst ones. A lot of recycled steel was
used. I know of a 109" 6 cylinder 12 seater that's coming up for
sale soon. No test, but not far off it, lots of new parts. Close
to Doncaster too. Interesting history too. It's a 1980 though,
so VERY late for a genuine 6. It won't be as cheap as some, I'm
attempting to get a test on it before it's offered for sale to
keep the value up.
#Post#: 97495--------------------------------------------------
Re: Series chassis & bulkhead strength - years to avoid?
DIR By: NoelC
Date: May 12, 2015, 12:46 pm
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I'd agree wholeheartedly with Jim and Peter. Useage has a
bearing but generally speaking the 2/2a and first series 3s seem
to be better than the bulk of the 70s and 80s stuff. I've had
some corkers of ex-MoD motors and the odd rotbox, navy the worst
to be expected. RAF arguably the best.
#Post#: 97504--------------------------------------------------
Re: Series chassis & bulkhead strength - years to avoid?
DIR By: Sunny Jim
Date: May 12, 2015, 3:39 pm
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Any vehicle over 20 years old could have anything wrong with it,
let alone one 30, 40 or 50 years old.
I would judge a vehicle by its condition rather than age, unless
you have a preference for a particular model or year (you would
still have to look at condition anyway!)
Mine was less than 20 years old when I got it in 1978, and had
already had some chassis repairs, plus needed more work. Mine
was bought with the view to doing work on it over the years and
keeping it till it was around 40 years old before getting
something else. In the end I rebuilt it on a new chassis.
So you could get one from the nadir years that has been looked
after, was inexplicably better than its peers or has already had
a quality rebuild.
Sunny Jim
#Post#: 97507--------------------------------------------------
Re: Series chassis & bulkhead strength - years to avoid?
DIR By: Doug_T
Date: May 12, 2015, 5:24 pm
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As far as the MOD stuff goes, one of my logistics chaps a couple
of years ago was ex-REME back when the Series 3 was very much in
service. He said the Series vehicles pretty much had it sorted
where maintenance was concerned - the stores had warehouses full
of spares, and they wanted for nothing. However when they
rolled out the One Tens they didn't have the spare part backup,
and he frequently had to drive out to Otton's (the main stealer
in Salisbury) to get even the basics like oil filters and brake
pads!
My 109 had a new chassis shortly before leaving service (it even
still had the bar code sticker in place on one of the rails)
which I suspect that was probably due to accident damage as the
bumper had evidence of an impact, and the O/S wing was a
replacement. I wouldn't have thought they would bother doing
that to an obsolete vehicle that was going to be disposed of,
but evidently not.
#Post#: 97513--------------------------------------------------
Re: Series chassis & bulkhead strength - years to avoid?
DIR By: divie
Date: May 13, 2015, 2:07 pm
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I think it is all down to previous life of the motor. My first
Landie a 1969 petrol 109 I bought in 1976 and that required a
body off restoration to weld the chassis !!! Yes it was only 7
years old....
#Post#: 97537--------------------------------------------------
Re: Series chassis & bulkhead strength - years to avoid?
DIR By: ferretjuggler
Date: May 17, 2015, 2:45 pm
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From the ones that I've stripped down I'd definitely say that
the mid seventies were the worst years for quick rotting.
In fact as the BL juggernaut slid deeper into crisis the build
quality of everything hit rock bottom.
I'd steer well clear of anything ex military unless military
vehicles particularly float your boat.
Doubly so for anything 24 volt
If you want to know why get on Craddocks website and compare the
spares prices with civvy.
Those big military front bumpers are good and strong, but prang
one and you're looking at over £400 new.
Pattern civvy front bumper £37
#Post#: 97542--------------------------------------------------
Re: Series chassis & bulkhead strength - years to avoid?
DIR By: DarrenH
Date: May 18, 2015, 5:23 am
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--- Quote from: ferretjuggler link ---
> In fact as the BL juggernaut slid deeper into crisis the build
quality of everything hit rock bottom.
>
--- End Quote ---
this is also, ironically, why the ninety/one-ten/d-fender even
exists. LR were planning something a bit more exiting along
the lines of pajero/shogun - J60+J70 land cruiser but was vetoed
due to development costs
#Post#: 97544--------------------------------------------------
Re: Series chassis & bulkhead strength - years to avoid?
DIR By: selectcase
Date: May 18, 2015, 11:30 am
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my 1983 model's chassis is shockingly bad but that could just be
its treatment over the years
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