The Series III Page
by Takeo De Meter
I bought my first S III twenty-two years ago, a 109 ragtop diesel which I managed to drive into the ground in 9 months flat. So that was that. Then I saw the first Stage One offered for sale in Belgium at the Brussels Motor Show in 1981 and bought it. Nice ragtop (again) that actually did some effort to accelerate. On day two I threw the limiters out of the inlet manifolds (135 ponies now) and I was even more pleased. I still got it and it has been my fun / holiday truck for twenty years. Now, she has reached the rebuild stadium. And the girl I have been madly in love with for the last 6 years or so, now has her own Stage One. I don't think there are many couples around, today, both owning a Stage One.
So what about the other S IIIs ? Hmm...good question. All there is to know about the Series III has been written somewhere allready. Yea, maybe, BUT this is the ILRC. And we tend to take a "lighter" look at things, which means that, for instance, Land-Rover "problems" are not actually problems, but built-in therapeutic issues meant to keep the owner sane, to keep him on his/her toes, stimulate his/her driving awareness and to keep the owner in overall good shape. Did you know that Series III owners perform better at "work" ? No ? Heheh.
Like
a guy I used to know, for instance. His S III 88 would run fine for about
ten miles, then the engine would die for some ten minutes, and so on.
For months I told him that he had a vapor lock problem and he didn't believe
me till the day he took the thermostat out together with the problem.
We had a good laugh about it. And since laughing is the best therapy...
So please fire away your questions and they will be answered as soon as possible.
e.g. Q: Is a Series III a good truck ? A: It is a Land-Rover.
Q: How do I set up the ignition on my 1972 SIII 2.1/4 litre ? A: RTFM
So what am I going to write about then ? Try these:
Workshop:
* Swivel bearing play NEW!
* NEW:How
to cope with Bolts, threads and nuts
in Series vehicles: Read all about Whitworth, BSF and BA.
* Imperial tool conversion table
or which sizes can you replace by metric tools? NEW!
* Broken
front halfshaft NEW!
* The dark revenge - or Series III electrics
* Maintenance: Lubrication and brake bleeding
New additions!
* Steering wheel play
* Adjusting your brakes
How it works
* NEW!
Free wheeling hubs ?!
* Leaf
spring suspension
* Heater (yea, right)
* 12 x 12 Series III (YEA, I said 12 x 12 ! dammit)
* Chassis & Bulkhead preservation
* Oil filter relocation
* Vapor lock (NEW!)
* Non-linear physics of a 109 truckbed (NEW!)
Many thanks:
Workshop reports would not have been possible without the patience and
help of Geert Van De Putte, who owns the garage across the road.
New Links will be added here whenever we experience more Stage One fun.
(Linked Pages under construction, PLEASE don't try them now!!)
Bumper bar
modification
Exhaust
Carbs
Takeo