79 series III with Holden 202

[uptomynutsinruts]

Hi all,

Looking for a river truck and found a series 3 ready for a 202 to fit in, can run duel fuel.

Anything to watch out for?
Good points and bad points?

Cheers

[Sadam_Husain]

cant think of any good points other than the holden motor, chassis rust and firewall rust are problems, the drum brakes take a lot of maintenence as all drum brakes do especially if used in water a lot, diffs and gearboxes are ok but still not hard to brake without trying too hard, the wiring and lucas bits in them are shit

despite the landrover bit its an old truck and will suck up plenty of maintenence time as worn out old bits of junk do

[uptomynutsinruts]

Come now no need to be all negative haha
Thanks mate

[Sadam_Husain]

Come now no need to be all negative haha
Thanks mate

haha I grew up with landys and had a long association with them

[Jerry]

haha I grew up with landys and had a long association with them

Where are the pics

[Sadam_Husain]

Where are the pics

[uptomynutsinruts]

Yea PICS!!!

[uptomynutsinruts]

Do you reckon they make good river vehicles?

[zukmeista]

I would think that for river driving you would want something nice and heavy so it won't float away.

[NJV6]

Yip, thats what a landie is, leave the doors off, water holds them down well!

[uptomynutsinruts]

Haha MINT Always wanted a Landie, pretty keen to get one and get it kind of legal for winter as my rover 75 aint cut out for the snow here in Ashburton in mid winter haha

[DieselBoy]

You will love it!!!!

Super easy to work on, so basic there's fark all to go wrong, and they look cool

The 202 conversion is ok, its exactly like a SB chev fitted to a FJ40.

Its a good conversion, the power increase is good for the weight of the vehicle, but like the FJ's, you have to watch the driveline. It just means you have to pick and choose the moments you give it everything its got

I think waterproofing the 202 will be a tricky job as the dizzy is mid way up the block as opposed to on top like the standard 2.25 L.R motor. And its a car engine, so water proofing wasn't a consideration.

For the right price it would be a good wagon, even better with a fairy overdrive

[uptomynutsinruts]

Cheers DB!!

Its got live plates on it too, so might end up as a road going ute as well

Pretty keen to get it, the fellas pretty good about paying it off in chunks as well which helps, its got V8 diffs that come with it too to handle the 202 power, and I think it may have the SII gearbox which is stronger as it has the straight cut 1st and 2nd gears (double clutching gear grinding awesomness haha)

[Mud Camper]

I've had exactly that beast in years gone by - Series 2 A actually, with a 202, cam,headers and a Holley fitted. No offence Landie fans, but it SUCKED. Drove like a pig, no leg room, awful electrics and leaked like a seive, even with the roof and doors on! Great entry and exit angles. The positives stop there in my opinion.

Compared to my FJ45...... well there's no comparison really. The 45 was pretty well rooted, but drove like a ferrari in comparison to the Landie and never let me down. Oh - the windscreen kept the water out too!

[uptomynutsinruts]

Im trying to pick up a reasonably cheap river truck that I might possibly get on the road someday haha

I know there will be faults with the truck but I can rewire it if I feel the need, have spare cable and plenty of rainy days at work (not allowed up power poles in the wet unless its an emergency)

Quick question, are the 2 and 1/4 litres any good? I know a guy who has a few engines just lying around and just wanted to see what the general consensus is, because then I wouldnt have to get the truck certified, which would minimize problems and cost at my end haha

Cheers all

[Mud Camper]

To be fair, I had a mate with a LWB 4 cyl one. He loved it. Had all the same issues as mine, but he could get boozed and sleep in the back!! As long as you don't expect it to be fool proof, you may like it as much as he did. And they are pretty inexpensive....

[uptomynutsinruts]

Yea I just love the look of them and that they're basic, no engine management shite, no computers or anything to worry about in water, just a little waterproofing on the engine and a drainpipe snorkel and she'll be a thing of beauty

[007]

I had a series 2 ute. Heaps Of fun And a colt classic, really a love hate relationship. But as you would exspect for something so old breakages and lots of breakages. Which means lots of time and money spend working on it. Fun though

[Mud Camper]

Just remembered one wee trait which you might want to bear in mind with the 202. Steep descents would make the carb flood and kill the engine. No big deal - unless you are dropping into a river. It was fine going up hill.

I can't recall the carb model, but it was a 2 barrell Holley which were pretty common on the 202s. I messed around lowering the float levels, but it didn't help.

[uptomynutsinruts]

Thanks mud camper,

Heard the brakes are shit too so downhill not really an issue, will be going too fast for it to cut out haha

[Mud Camper]

That's the spirit! Make sure you wear a nut protector though - that steering wheel is bloody close!

[uptomynutsinruts]

Haha Roger rubber ducky, I'll add another $19.99 for a sports cup

[uptomynutsinruts]

Ok so looks like if it checks out ok this weekend she'll be all mine

are there any simple things that I should do first off that I've probably overlooked?

What is the opinion on welding the fornt diff locked? Whorey, I know, But it comes with complete spare diffs and I can't afford a locker at the moment haha

[LR90NZ]

What is the opinion on welding the fornt diff locked? Whorey, I know, But it comes with complete spare diffs and I can't afford a locker at the moment haha

Don't do it. You will regret it if you do.

[lokrite]

Had a 2a with a 173 hi compression motor out of the 73 ute it went like a raped ape 70 mph up ngauranga gorge also a s3 with 186 with 202 head but the s3 gearing was really to low for road. The main trick I learnt was to get the engine front as high as possible which can be done with hi and low std rubber mounts ,lowest on gearbox and highest on engine to improve water circulation.I only had cut a small amount out of fire wall for starter and well worth it with no overheating at all .

[oldyella]

This is my old landy at Sheffield,

S2a with 186, welded rear diff

Problems with 186 - stripped fibreglass timing gear on motor reasonsably easy fix. Strongburg somethingarather carby was crap.

Problems with landy - rust in chassis so offroad only



Pic of co-pilots head almost going through windscreen due to front scraper blade.

You just have to take the roof off and never put it back on. Ever.

[uptomynutsinruts]

I remember an old landy at sheffield this year, was that yours? Pretty sure it had a white roof on it though...

[oldyella]

Haha na think that was 2008.

The main thing with a landy is getting one rust freeish. They rust at the front bumper mounts and the rear spring shackel mounts in my experiance.

They also rust in the firewall, the middle radiator panel thing. Steel door frames and steel door tops rust badly to but easier to fix.

Just about everything else is alloy and unless its off a dairy farm, the alloy shouldn't be corroded.

If the one your looking at has the V8 diffs thats good. The rear should be a salsbury and the nuckels should be a lower ratio so it will go faster on the open road so you can make use of some extra grunt.

Im sure someone will correct me if im wrong.