LAND ROVER 109 Series 3 / Defender / Safari / 4X4 / Vintage / Classic

Description for Land Rover Other 1979

Extremely clean. unrestored. non-abused. original Land Rover. The basics:Not a show truck. but an extremely clean. well maintained truck. Original paint has it's blemishes. but overall looks very nice. 2. 25L Petrol engine starts immediately. hot or cold. idles perfectly and delivers power smoothly through the rpm range. 4 speed transmission shifts precisely and smoothly with no strange noises. Truck is fitted with factory Fairey Overdrive. which also operates smoothly and quietly. I've driven this truck for hours on end at 65 mph. Brakes are excellent. All electrical works as it should. even down to the windshield squirters. Door locks work with latch or key. all seat latches. sliders. windows. vents etc. operate smoothly. Windows have both small glass handles (which always break off) and both windows lock easily. Rear seats are all original galvanized frame Land Rover. (seats even have original fabric retaining strap and hook. ) This is a truck of many great original details. and if you are Land Rover experienced. you know from the images. If you are not Land Rover experienced. show the images to someone who is and get their opinion. The important Land Rover stuff:Bulkhead: The bulkhead is the nicest I've seen on any Land Rover ever. Original paint. no rust. nothing hidden. Cosmetically I'd give it a 95 out of 100. Structurally. I'd give it 100 out of 100. Chassis: The original frame/chassis has it's original paint and again is the nicest I've ever seen on an unrestored truck. No patches. paint. undercoating etc. to hide issues. I occasionally spray WD-40 all over it and cosmetically I'd give it 90-95 out of 100 (has many little chips etc. ) and structurally I'd give it 100 out of 100. If you know Rovers. you know these are the two concern areas and this is a spectacular truck in both categories. Other items of interest:Factory 1 ton frame with military (stronger) rear bumper. This also means it has the 1 ton shackles. so it sits approximately 1-1. 5" higher than a standard Land Rover. Tow loops and hooks for air lifting are still in place on all 4 corners. Rear axle is the heavier duty Salisbury. Front swivel joints have the military leather gators to protect them. Shocks are 1 year old. 5 matching BFG tires on original rims. All British lighting as original. (Many Rovers have lenses which have been replaced with aftermarket) This truck retains it's original Lucas lenses. Unipart headlamps. High output alternator. Weber carburetor jetted perfectly. Pierce manifold. "Series" logo Land Rover rubber mats. Locking hubs in front for better mileage and better power or better traction when locked. All fluids recently changed: engine oil. transmission oil. transfer case oil. overdrive oil. rear axle oil. front axle oil. left swivel oil. right swivel oil. brake fluid. radiator coolant. I believe in fresh fluids. They make for a better driving truck and a more reliable truck. What makes this truck special:While this truck runs. drives and performs flawlessly. without a doubt what makes it special is it's original condition. Living in dry climates has been very good to it and all of it's owners have taken great care to respect this truck. Note On Roof Options: The auction price is for one top - currently the soft top on the truck. This uses a tailgate. also currently on the truck. But there are two other roof choices available: 1) The original aluminum sides with windows and aluminum roof (non safari roof) can be substituted for the soft top and I'll deduct $1. 00 if this is selected. I'll also install it for you. (This roof is in some of the photos and has very nice paint inside. but has some peeling on the outside. ) 2) I also have a Safari roof which could be substituted for the soft top and I'll deduct $500. 00 from the close of auction price if this is selected. The truck comes with one top only. (In the event buyer is interested in multiple tops. we can work that out. I don't really need them. but didn't want to include them in the auction in case a buyer didn't want to deal with storing extra tops. But if they are wanted. we can work that out. )Both hard tops use a full size rear door which has original paint and is in excellent condition. This will be included should either hard top option be selected. In summary:Close of auction price = truck with soft top and tailgate. -or-1) Close of auction price less $1. 00. 00 = Option of aluminum window sides and non safari roof with large rear door. -or-2) Close of auction price less $500. 00 = Option of aluminum window sides and "safari" roof with large rear door. Comments:I am a Land Rover enthusiast. I've seen many of these trucks and most have lived hard lives. as they were designed to do. Theres nothing wrong with a well used Land Rover. other than the fact they may be mechanically or cosmetically challenged with issues. rust. etc. Still. all can be fixed. But sadly. most such trucks when put up for sale are sprayed with undercoating. touch up paint. and the blemishes are disguised. I've seen many trucks sell for far more than they should have. because un-savy buyers didn't know what to look for and were fooled by the shiny paint or fresh undercoating. The other extreme is a "restored" Land Rover and although that term gets used often. very. VERY few are restored correctly. There are many parts on these trucks that aren't painted for example. and re-spraying everything is not "restored". In my opinion. that ruins the truck. as it's not "original" and not as Land Rover intended it. Just my opinion. but I'm admittedly a purist and restorations should be done correctly. Sadly. the vast majority aren't. which is why an original truck in good condition is so special. So the choices on old Land Rovers are usually 1) a heavily worn truck. or 2) a beat up truck with a "lipstick on a pig" approach by the seller to make it look better than it is. or 3) a "restored" truck that most of the time is restored incorrectly which ultimately detracts from it's value. Every so often however. there is a truck that just got lucky and had a good life with good owners who didn't abuse it and kept it pure. This is such a truck. I could go on and on. but the photos will tell the story. It's a very honest truck that absolutely deserves a good home. I believe in using things. and I've used this truck a lot. But I have always respected it a great deal and always felt that as I used it. I should work toward making it better than it was the day before. This respect has led to trust in it's reliability and integrity and I've had it in some very remote places in Mexico with my wife and two daughters. People think I was nuts to venture into such places with 3 women. and once I was called "irresponsible". But I know this truck. I respect this truck and I trust this truck. It could be driven to Panama tomorrow without concern. It's ready. But being 36 years old in the shape it's in. it may be time to simply preserve it. That will be up to it's new owner. But whether your interests are preserving it further. or taking it to Panama. it will serve you well and won't disappoint. Thanks for looking and my apologies for the long ad. Lots to cover. Note 1: If you are not familiar with Land Rovers. please show the photos to a qualified and educated Land Rover mechanic. They will help validate the amazing condition for an unrestored Land Rover. Note 2: I reserve the right to cancel the listing or end the auction at any time for local sale. Note 3: I'm hoping it is obvious which images are current and taken for the ad. which is most of them. I have. however. included some older images to show the hard top. some travel etc. These are for reference and not all items (roof rack for example) are included in the auction. What is included is what is shown in the recent photos and what is mentioned in my ad. If you have any questions. let me know. Thanks!Note 4: International Shipping: Once the vehicle is paid for in full. I am happy to assist in any way I can. such as delivering to the Port of Long Beach or a local shipping broker. Note 5: Reserve is set low for value of truck. With the discontinuation of this iconic Series/Defender style body. the value of the few nice original examples of these early trucks will skyrocket in years to come. Note 6: Should go without saying on this truck. but the body ID tag and the VIN on the frame match. Lots of Rovers get frames replaced and since this is all original. I thought it worth the mention.