Registry of Ex Military Land Rovers
REMLR Member Sheds => REMLR Member Sheds => Dennis M's Shed => Topic started by: DennisM on July 07, 2016, 06:42:09 PM
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Back in 1998 @ Cooma I rekindled my affection for the Series 2A 88" GS, a friend had one back in the early 70's and I loved it better than my old Series 1 88", anyway it was @ Cooma
where I saw a few of them including Ross C's 'Castrol', he was in the parade with his wife & 3 kids, also seen was a lady I would meet years later and a forum user I AULRO 'Mallee Fowl'
aka as Mary she had distinctive rego plates 'KGB'-***, anyway I digress somewhat.
I was driving around Cooma and saw a bunch of ex-mil Land Rovers parked up at the Cenotaph, so a quick U turn Ross C was there as well as Graham D, but with my poor hearing I didn't know
that this was the first meeting of REMLR, anyway I came away with a resolve to try n find a Series 2A 88" GS, the hunt was on, it took me almost 8 months, and it was found almost in my
backyard.
A chance conversation with Graham D aka 'Judge Dredd' I mentioned that I was in the market for a shortie but not just any shortie it had to be ex-mil 2A, well anyone who knew Graham
would know that he doesn't suffer fools/idiots nor does he respond quickly (but I knew this from being around him @ maitland pistol club where we were both members at the time)
Graham's response was "I bought one of them about 5/6 years ago, I will make some enquiries n see if it's still there" I was a bit puzzled by that response, ?? why would you not know where
a vehicle was that you had bought !!!, I had to wait about a week for the reply, it's still there, where I asked, Seaham he said, I said lets go, we did the next morning.
What greeted me when I first saw it was a sadness as Graham had said it was this BLAH/blah/blah, but what had happened to it in the ensuing years was parts were sold off it etc., etc.,
this is what I saw
and from another angle
(http://i659.photobucket.com/albums/uu319/DJM110/Chloe%20112-501/Lot%20359%20aka%20Chloe_zpslwsryjvt.jpg)
I took a deep breath and looked past the obvious, I lifted the bonnet grabbed the 8 blade fan, pressure on the belt the motor swung over, well at least it wasn't seized, so that was a relief
I noticed on the bonnet painted roughly was "Lot 359" that must have been it's reference number @ auction somewhere a long time ago, the person who's property it was on bought it
and transported it home to Seaham, only to let it rot where it stood (GUNNA) I've met a few over the years, anyway he gave us an ultimatum a week or I'll bury it, **** I thought he was fair dinkum
but I needn't have worried, next hurdle was to sweet talk the wife LOL.
Within the time frame (or I'll bury it) I rocked on up with the 'Judge' and picked it up, the tractor wouldn't start so he couldn't bury it even if he wanted too LOL
(http://i659.photobucket.com/albums/uu319/DJM110/Chloe%20112-501/Fetch%20Rover_zpshcmhgjrx.jpg)
I dropped Graham at his home in Morpeth (NSW) and headed off, within an hour I had removed the rear tub and put my Stihl pressure washer to good use, getting rid of wasps/spiders ++
(http://i659.photobucket.com/albums/uu319/DJM110/Chloe%20112-501/Day1%20pix2_zpslcdx8xds.jpg)
Now anyone who has been here will know how small my yard is, so I had to carefully pick where I wanted to start on this, as I was only going to do it up as a vehicle that was reliable to use
as a shooting vehicle, but that all changed the day after getting it home.
I connected a battery, and using 'start U bastard' sprayed down the throat of the carby, to my utter disbelief it started, oil pressure was 60psi+, the engine was quiet no noise just a whisp of blue smoke
valve stem oil seals went through my mind at the time, the mould was set, I was going to restore the vehicle not use as a shooting platform.
I started stripping it down, it was a mess from standing out in the weather for years
(http://i659.photobucket.com/albums/uu319/DJM110/Chloe%20112-501/Rust_zpsjnn9yhww.jpg)
the bulkhead was a mess, rust n this horrible green stuff which was sprayed on it, it looked like compressed chip board, mixed with glue n painted green, I later found a few items that were 24V
so it could have been set up as a comm's vehicle, anyway the strip down continued until it was a bare chassis
(http://i659.photobucket.com/albums/uu319/DJM110/Chloe%20112-501/Stripped_zpsdwqubgd2.jpg)
around this time we had a small Pomeranian called Chloe, she suffered terminal heart condition and had to be put down I was heart broken as I loved that little critter and we were both 'Poms'
I decided to name the vehicle after her, she was a gorgeous little creature
(http://i659.photobucket.com/albums/uu319/DJM110/Chloe%20112-501/Chloe_zpszevcgy6q.jpg)
Several locals quizzed me as to why I took on a Land Rover to restore, my answer was why not!!, I found Ross C through an add in a magazine and went to meet him, I took some photo's with me
now remember this is all before digital cameras Ross took one look and exclaimed 'Your gonaa restore that!!!!', I said yes I'm going to restore that and I think I mentioned That I would have it done
before Anzac Day 2000 (this was May 1999) the deadline was on, so was the pressure.
The chassis was grit blasted etch primed
(http://i659.photobucket.com/albums/uu319/DJM110/Chloe%20112-501/Etch%20primed_zpshm80y0i9.jpg)
(you may have noticed in other images chassis had been painted in red rust proof paint etc, I didn't like the way wire cup brushes left the steel so grit blast was the order of the day), the diff/housing were next
(http://i659.photobucket.com/albums/uu319/DJM110/Chloe%20112-501/diff%20housings_zps5qtvx16f.jpg)
it was time to put the chassis back together so I could move it around
(http://i659.photobucket.com/albums/uu319/DJM110/Chloe%20112-501/Rolling%20chassis_zps4gvzlrl6.jpg)
with Fluffy the wifes cat, this made the job a lot simpler as I could now move it about when I needed too.
the bulkhead was next on the agenda, it had significant rust issues, so I set about rectifying that situation, the footwells were removed,
(http://i659.photobucket.com/albums/uu319/DJM110/Chloe%20112-501/Footwells_zpsw1tlxucc.jpg)
new replacements sourced and after a week most of it had been tacked together, to check the alignment
(http://i659.photobucket.com/albums/uu319/DJM110/Chloe%20112-501/Footwells%202_zpsac77l9yj.jpg)
and from the side with Sooty (cat) and Tookie (Pomeranian) in the image
(http://i659.photobucket.com/albums/uu319/DJM110/Chloe%20112-501/footwell%20check_zpsrtpbzqyy.jpg)
It was all coming together nicely, no real issues that I can remember except that I don't have many images of it all going back together
here it is with most of the body work on it, but the head had been removed to do a valve grind, the rear main oil seal had been replaced
@ Modern motors Dungog, it still doesn't leak
(http://i659.photobucket.com/albums/uu319/DJM110/Chloe%20112-501/Headjob_zpso7azbigi.jpg)
Anzac day came n went 112-501 (or 109-088 as I had replica plates made for the occasion as we didn't know about the Big Blue Book @ the AWM
until Mike Cecil contacted me about the ARN I had on my Bloodbx, but that's another story in itself LOL) the vehcle performed faultlessly during the
parade, accompianed by Ross C in 'Castrol', here is the first image taken when she was first on club plates
(http://i659.photobucket.com/albums/uu319/DJM110/Chloe%20112-501/Lovely%20little%20Chloe_zpsvywxt7h2.jpg)
The next show we went too was Corowa I towed her behind the 110 on an A frame, the Judge sat in her down n back, here he his driving her
(http://i659.photobucket.com/albums/uu319/DJM110/Chloe%20112-501/the%20parade%20Corowa_zpsfnizpkq0.jpg)
Since her restoration 112-501 has taken part in a few parades in Newcastle, here she is with 112-655 ( a few years later)
(http://i659.photobucket.com/albums/uu319/DJM110/Chloe%20112-501/Long-Tan%202_zpsqvqxavwx.jpg)
and during the parade
(http://i659.photobucket.com/albums/uu319/DJM110/Chloe%20112-501/Long-Tan%203_zpsnqk7l0gu.jpg)
Later that year 2000, we had the first R&R on Stockton beach, I just can't find any images in the storage thingy, but this one
(http://i659.photobucket.com/albums/uu319/DJM110/Chloe%20112-501/RampR2000_zpsnlbqoxyk.jpg)
it is a still shot from my video camera, of the bar treads off 112-501 as they left their impressions in the sand,
so I scratched 'Bartreds in sand' it was a great weekend, sadly we will never be able to do it again, not on Stockton
as it's now under control of the local indigenus tribe and other greenies, anyway I hope that gives newer members
an insight as to how to do a restoration, well it's my preferred way if I get time and I probably will as the rain has set in, cheers Dennis
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:D
A real trip down memory lane there. Some photos I don't think I have seen, one or two at least.
I think I am missing out not having a dog or a cat all these years. Too many kids and not enough cash perhaps.
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Excellent story Dennis. . . . . Thank you. :)
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Thank you Dennis, I really enjoyed reading that.
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Thanks Dennis. great story and a beautiful shorty.
Gaz
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Some portraits - Chloe, Dinty and Dr. Dunlop, Esq., Phd.(L.R.), Emeritus Prof., University of Land-Rover. Castrol and Chloe parked after the march, ANZAC Day 2000.
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Sounds easy but experience says not as easy as it sounds ;D