An SIII that’s something special
Bob Weir travels to Perth and Kinross to uncover an unusual Series I 107"
This 107” fortunately came into the hands of a Land Rover Experience driver. It’s excellent, if unusual
While old Land Rovers are no stranger to the Scottish Highlands, and the majority started life being used on the land, a few were adapted for other purposes. One such example is Andy Bird's Series 1: a converted 107 that spent most of the 1960s and 1970s slogging around the backwaters of Europe.
“I first got interested in Land Rovers back in the 1980s when I was still living in Staffordshire,” Andy recalled. “One year we had a particularly bad winter, and my Ford Escort got stuck in a snow drift on the M6 motorway. The rest of the traffic had also ground to a halt, and the only vehicles that seemed capable of moving anywhere were Land Rovers. I promised myself there and then, that I would buy one as soon as possible.
“The first Land Rover I acquired was a second-hand Range Rover Classic. I’ve owned 32 Land Rovers in my time, and currently have another Classic, a Series I 80in, a station wagon version of the Series I 107; a 90; a 101 and a new Discovery 4. In addition my partner owns a Classic and a Lightweight. We both admit to being a bit Land Rover daft.”
Andy was originally brought up in the Midlands, before moving up to Scotland. He is an electrical engineer by profession, but now has a far more interesting job as an instructor for Land Rover Experience Scotland.
He said: “I worked for Scottish Power for over 25 years. This was an interesting job, and took me all over the country. Fortunately, I was allowed to take early retirement, and my first thought turned to working with Land Rovers. I had already taken part on several Land Rover Experience courses as a customer, and thought this would be an interesting and fun thing to do as a part-time job. I went along for an interview, and joined the company four years ago.”
There are currently nine Land Rover Experience centres in the UK, and Andy works at the Scottish operation based in Dunkeld, Perthshire.
“The centres are an off-shoot of Land Rover, and are there to provide customers with an opportunity to go off-road and put the vehicles through their paces. When customers buy any new or approved used vehicle, they are given a voucher which entitles them to a half day’s tuition at any one of their nine centres. I believe there are around 50 centres worldwide, so the operation has become very popular indeed.
“We have a 270 acre site at Dunkeld, plus another 300 acres up in the nearby hills. We
also have access to several other locations including the Athol estate, which I believe is the largest privately-owned estate in the UK. The topography presents a wide number of different challenges, which allows customers to put the vehicles to the test.
“I am a senior instructor. There are 15 of us, and our job is to take the guests out for two- or three-hour sessions. The centre has a fleet of brand-new cars all painted in white, and normally guests go out in a car similar to the one they have recently purchased. The idea is to have a bit of fun, but we also teach the owners about the various off road controls and buttons so they can get the most out of their own particular model.”
Although Andy is fond of all his Land Rovers, he openly admits that 992 FVW is a bit special.
“The 107 pick-up (serial no 270600232) was made in 1956, and I’ve owned it for about five years,” he said. “The vehicle is a RHD model built for the home market and is wearing an Essex registration number plate. I believe the Land Rover has changed hands several times over the years, and its early history is a bit of a grey area. What makes the vehicle particularly interesting is that it was modified by one of the previous owners back in the 1960s. By all accounts, he then used it as a makeshift camper to tour around Europe. I’ve been told that he fitted the extended cab, cut the tub back and put in a bed. He must have been quite a small fella, as the bed space isn’t that long by modern standards.”
According to Andy our intrepid traveller also made several important modifications to the mechanics.
“I believe he also fitted the Fairey overdrive, which is still an integral part of the vehicle,” he explained. “I would imagine this would have been a useful extra for long journeys, especially as fuel prices were quite volatile during the late 1960s and early 1970s. More importantly he exchanged the existing petrol engine for a Rover 2.6-litre straightsix lump.”
Historically, Rover used straight-six engines in many of its saloon cars. Introduced in the 1930s these engines were popular in the company’s post-ww2 models, like the P3, P4 and P5. The engines were available in a variety of capacities, including the 2.6-litre (160 cu in). In 1968 Rover began using the 2.6 as an option in LWB versions of the Land Rover. This option proved to be so popular in fact that it continued until 1980, long after production of other versions of the straightsix had been discontinued.
Andy said: “I believe the owner of 992 FVW eventually moved into a retirement home and decided to sell the vehicle on. The pick-up
then did the rounds a bit, before I came across it. By the time I arrived on the scene it was in a bit of a sorry state, and had obviously been neglected. The front of the Landy had also been significantly altered. The lights were in the wings, and it looked more like a Series III. The front panel had also been pushed out to give space for the engine. My task was to return the vehicle into looking more like a Series I.”
Although Andy was able to take care of all the electrics with relative ease, he had to learn the rest of his refurbishing skills on the job. This included figuring out how to handle a welding torch, and all the myriad number of things that go into completing a successful restoration like this.
“The first thing I did was set about repairing the chassis,” said Andy, who is a member of Tay 4x4 Club. “Because I was working at Land Rover Experience, this obviously had to be done in my spare time. Fortunately, a lot of parts like the axles and gearbox are still the originals. The engine was also quite tired, and needed a complete makeover. Everything had to be stripped down and put back together again. I suppose the whole job took me the best part of three years. Obviously most of the work had to be done under cover, especially during the long Scottish winters.
“The engine in 992 FVW actually started life in a Series III. I believe these were quite popular with Land Rover, and were used in other vehicles like the Forward Control and 1-Ton. The 1-Ton in particular only used the Rover straight-six. I haven’t had any problems with the unit, although the it does have a longstanding reputation for running a bit hot.
“The vehicle doesn’t get a lot of outings now and needs plenty of warming up especially if it has been standing outside in the cold. Once it is up and running however it performs very well, and handles pretty much like any other Series I”
Land Rover restorers usually pay a lot of attention to the tyres they use, and Andy is no exception to that as he explained: “I decided to fit a set of 7.50/16 Security LTS. I wasn’t looking for anything special in terms of being able to use it off-road, just a set of tyres that would look nice and fit in with the period. I like the vehicle and intend hanging on to it for the foreseeable future.”
"By the time I arrived on the scene it was in a sorry state and had been neglected"