Good Afternoon

[75series3]

Just signed in a short time ago........my brother gave me his
75 military 88" and she still lives in Ga and I am in Tennessee. Soon as I can i am going to get her up her. It would be a long long 200 miles or so with no over drive and top speed around 50mph.
She is a 75 series 3 , 88"
radio truck from the Belgium army
all 24 volt system
nice site that is going on here.

[Bogatyr]

75series3,
Welcome! Ah, nice truck. Some of those Belgian trucks were only 2wd...hope you don't fall into that category.

Bogatyr

[75series3]

Originally Posted by Bogatyr

75series3,
Welcome! Ah, nice truck. Some of those Belgian trucks were only 2wd...hope you don't fall into that category.

Bogatyr

Yes she is a 2wd but you know that is ok..........she will be a play truck and around here you don't see to many older land rovers.......a few mod discos and a bunch of range rovers ...........it the 17 years I have lived here I have only seen one series 3........

[Moeras]

well well
First time I have ever heard of a 2wd Landy.

What does the front Diff look like?
And the Box? Surely it would not be to difficult to convert to a 4x4?

[Snagger]

The front axle would be a straight tube with the std swivels at each end (no diff housing). There would be a rounded cone shaped cover plate in place of the 4wd mechanism on the front of the transfer box.

It is possible (fairly straight forward) to convert to the normal 4wd system, but if you do, PLEASE safeguard the bits you take off and keep them with the vehicle! These 2wd models are comparatively rare, and many have been callously upgraded with no respect to their heritage (fair enough if you reatain the bits). A collector may come calling one day, and would want the original 2wd spec parts intact.

[75series3]

At this stage of the game I am planning on keeping her in the original state with military markings and all. The only change I may make would be changing her out from 24 volt to 12 volt.
I will have to see what that would be like after doing some research on it.

[Snagger]

A good idea considering the cost of 24V parts. Again, keep all the parts you remove in you garage or loft for safe keeping; you may want to refit them in the future for shows or sale to a collector.

[Greg S]

Why does it only do 50 mph? Is it broken?

Even if it only goes 50 mph, I enjoy driving my Land Rover and 200 miles is nothing. I am slowed to 50 on some mountain highways, even as low as 40 if the hill is particularly steep and long. Some day I might even hook up the radio my son installed for me but for now I enjoy driving along with my Rover and my thoughts.

My higher speeds might be due to a petrol engine. Being military, is yours deisel?

Greg S

[75series3]

Originally Posted by Greg S

Why does it only do 50 mph? Is it broken?

Even if it only goes 50 mph, I enjoy driving my Land Rover and 200 miles is nothing. I am slowed to 50 on some mountain highways, even as low as 40 if the hill is particularly steep and long. Some day I might even hook up the radio my son installed for me but for now I enjoy driving along with my Rover and my thoughts.

My higher speeds might be due to a petrol engine. Being military, is yours deisel?

Greg S

no she is not broken...........just old and tired......the tires are more than likely not balanced and at 50ish my brother said she starts to shake rattle and role.....
she still has the military skinnies on her and they do have some cracks and traveling up the interstate where i have to go the avg. speed is about 80mph. I would get run over by a truck with out a doubt.

A friend of mine here at work has offered to take his dually and a 45' foot fifth wheel down to get her. hopefully in the next couple of weeks she will be here. My neighbor behind me has about 3 discos and a range rover so if i have any questions i think i have someone to ask. he has done all the work on them from the winches to the lift kits etc and does in fact use them to go off roading.......and not just to roll around the malls

oh she is petrol by the way

[Greg S]

Old and worn bias ply tires sometimes tend to grab the road at certian times and cause some steering problems, that might be the "shake, rattle and roll" he talks about. Radials are much more forgiving and easier to steer, they give a smoother ride too. Past experience has taught me to not worry about balancing the tires. At Land Rover speeds it generally isn't needed. Most tire shops (all of the ones I've found) haven't got the right equipment to balance Land Rover wheels unless they are the newer ones. The older ones, steel wheels, have to be balanced from the mounting studs as the center hole is apparently not centered. Usually tire balancers slide the center hole over a cone and then spin the tire. They are now starting to use a device that centers them using the mounting holes but the adapters don't go big enough for the Land Rover pattern.

[75series3]

[quote=Greg S]Old and worn bias ply tires sometimes tend to grab the road at certian times and cause some steering problems, that might be the "shake, rattle and roll" he talks about. QUOTE]

It could be those old skinnies. I am still trying to figure out how and when I can get her up here from Georgia to Tennessee............bad time of year to be planning things and doing remodeling on the house..........etc etc

Thanks for the information

[75series3]

Well it has been a long time a coming but today i finally got my 75 up from ga to tn.......yea.....now the fun begins!!!!!!

[Greg S]

Welcome back and welcome home to your 88. Any problems?

Since I posted about the bias ply tires making your vehicle unsteady on the road at speed, I got some radials mounted. WOW what a difference! Now I can drive straight and can chew gum at the same time I'm steering. Proved to myself what I already knew. Of course I only had bias ply tires because I'm a dinosaur and insisted on them. The tire dealer even had to special order them as nobody seems to sell anything but radials anymore. The radials I have now are half-worn BFG M/T's. HUGE improvement in ride and really good both on and off road, including in the snow. Of course I had them siped when I had them mounted so I don't know what a normal M/T would be like in the snow.

Now that the 88 is home, what needs to be done? And you haven't said, is it petrol or deisel? When are you posting pictures?

Greg S

[75series3]

Welcome back and welcome home to your 88. Any problems?
NO PROBLEMS GETTING HER HOME .........I RENTED A TRAILER AND SHE RODE IN STYLE BACK TO TENNESSEE. ABOUT AN HOUR OR SO SOUTH OF OUR HOUSE THE SKYS OPENED UP AND AS THEY SAY AROUND HERE
"POUR'D DA RAIN"



Now that the 88 is home, what needs to be done?IT HAS BEEN A BIT SINCE MY BROTHER DROVER HER SO GETTING HER STARTED, TN LIC PLATES AND INSUREANCE........... And you haven't said, is it petrol or deisel? When are you posting pictures? SHE IS PETROL AND AT MY SIGN LINE THERE IS A LINK TO WEBSHOTS AND THERE ARE SOME PHOTOS OF HER.

DISCLAIMER caps were used not to yell as some may think just a way to reply without posting the question or comments again.


Greg S

[Greg S]

You should be as proud as could be. It is beautiful!

When you said your brother gave you his old truck I envissioned and old wreck of a thing with fenders and doors dragging on the ground. Not a pristine little beauty like in the photos.

It is historic and still in full dress. Keep it as original as possible and drive it to enjoy it. Replace ailing items with as alike as you can. They are very capable machines and long lived. The radial tires that are on it are no longer manufactured but can be obtained from different places. They don't look to be in bad condition so the shack and shimmy might be due to incorrect pre-tension on the swivels, loose wheel bearings or toe in is wrong. The aggressive tire on it won't give you a great ride on the road. By replacing then with a good radial AT tire you will notice a change for the better on the road. Tires will last a LONG time so get something good as you will have them a long time.

What size are the tires? If 7.50R16 you should be able to go 70 mph. Install a small tachometer discreately so it can be removed without harm incase anyone wants to do a restoration some time in the future. Consider the "red-line" to be 4500 rpm. Don't be afraid to take it that high or keep it there if the motor is in decent shape.

What to do first? Check compression, plugs & gap, points for cleanliness, timing, clean carb, new fuel filter(s). Change oil on rear diff, front hubs, tranny, transfer box & motor. Lube drive-line and steering joints. Top up oil in steering box. On the front frame cross member is the steering relay. Undo two of the 5/16 head bolts in the top of it. (front one and back one are easiest I find) use a nut driver to do this, it is far easier than a wrench. Drip gear oil in one hole till it comes out the other hole (about a table spoon if it is low). This may be the reason for a steering problem. How old is the gas in the tank? Check hoses and replace as needed. Check all your lights and then go for a drive.

Greg S