Land Rover Series I (1948 – 1957) Review

Land Rover Series I (1948 – 1957) At A Glance

The original Land Rover, still accepted eveywhere, and still unbeatable off-road

Noisy, crude and slow on the road

Ask Honest John

What's a good project car to dismantle with my son so he can learn about cars?

"I want to find a car that I can take apart with my eight-year-old son so he can learn about how a car is put together. It should be small so the components are light, not too many sealed electrical bits and the more dismantlable the better. I don't want a badly crashed one and it would be nice to have something that we can get some residual value by selling bits on eBay so he can also learn about commerce. Do you have any suggestions of what and where to buy? Should we be aware of any safety issues when dismantling? "

Ideally, you'll want something classic. Is there a particular aspect that you're looking to highlight? Something like a Triumph Herald or a Ford Anglia 105E would be perfect for the mechanical side of things - although neither are cheap now. Perhaps you could look at Series Land Rover? The older the car is, the easier it will be to see how it works - but the more expensive it will be. Have a look on eBay for a 'spares or repair' car near you - if you've got a trailer or a way of moving it, that's going to make it a bit easier. When it comes to dismantling the vehicle, then there are plenty of things to be aware of. End of life vehicles are normally handled by authorised treatment facilities that have the proper facilities to dispose of hazardous waste such as oil, brake fluid and batteries. You'll need to look at what facilities are available to you locally. Be mindful of the paperwork - keep the DVLA informed if the car is off the road or if it's been scrapped. If you don't, you could be fined up to £1000. Finally, be courteous to your neighbours. While there's no law on working on a car at home, angle grinding at midnight is unlikely to make you many friends. And if you have a pile of hazardous scrap metal dumped on your drive, then expect problems - store the car and the parts you remove safely.

Answered by Keith Moody

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Land Rover Series I (1948 – 1957) Buying Guide

Bodywork

• A sound chassis is critical – get underneath and inspect every inch of the metal.
• Box sections tend to corrode from the inside out, so tap as much of the metal as you can.
• Spring mountings and rear crossmembers have often seen better days.
• Rear bump stops clog up with mud and corrode.
• Chassis outriggers can also rot.
• Check the back of the chassis for rot behind the spring hangers – this is expensive to repair.
• A rotten rear crossmember means you’ll have to remove the fuel tank before welding.
• Inspect the bulkhead because this can rust and is tricky to repair.
• Door pillars can rot badly, but repairs here are easier than you might think.
• Trafficators or flashing indicators are now a legal requirement and an inconspicuous 6 volt set can be obtained from Holden Vintage & Classic.

Engine

• Parts for diesels can be hard to find.
• Watch out for cracked cylinder heads and faulty injectors on oil-burners.
• Six-cylinder petrol engines are durable but the valve gear is fiddly to set up so often sound tappety.
• Tappets on four-cylinder engines wear quickly.
• Oil leaks are common, especially from the flywheel housing, which can be expensive to fix.
• Core plugs can weep and so can the water pump.
• If the temperature sensor at the back of the cylinder head is wet, the head gasket may have failed.
• Rubber valve guide oil seals can dry out then disintegrate unless the car is used regularly.
• Check the thermostat housing bolts on all engines as they tend to corrode and seize – a proper repair means removing the cylinder head.

Transmission and running gear

• Listen for clonks from worn universal joints.
• Make sure the clutch isn’t on its last legs.
• Listen out for differential whine.
• Gearboxes are also tough, but jumping out of gear means there’s a problem.
• Diff’s are generally strong, but the rear will wear the fastest.
• Series II and IIA long-wheelbase cars can suffer from broken half-shafts.
• Vague steering could be caused by worn ball joints.
• Inspect the swivel housings (they look like a ball and socket on the back of each front wheel hub).
• You’re checking the chrome surface isn’t pitted – if it is the seals have leaked and that’s an MoT failure.
• Front and rear semi-elliptic springs usually rust between the leaves.
• The leaves should also be a consistent thickness end to end.

Land Rover Series I