Is it worth it? - Land Rovers Only

smileyq · 07-19-2006, 08:27 PM

My local dealership has a RR 1981 two door that I have test drove twice and fell in love with. The intererior is in decent shape. Well everything but the seats that is. The speedometer no longer works and appears to have stopped at 41,000 miles. Because of this obviously I have clue how many miles are on this puppy but it runs great. They are asking 4995 for it but said he would give it to me for 4500. I'm a disco guy so I have some questions about the 1981 two door model. What engine? 3.2, 3.6 V8. What type of TCase etc.. Is $4500.00 a decent price for one?

Funrover · 07-19-2006, 08:30 PM

Price sounds about right if it's in really good shape...... I think the 3.5 in the engine!

rmuller · 07-19-2006, 08:31 PM

Nice thing about the 1981... is that its the most recent legal import! 25 year limit.. As for the price of it.. not sure what they are valued.. Steve Young from DAP would be a good resource as he had a 1974 and has done a lot of research on them.

smileyq · 07-19-2006, 09:21 PM

One of the main reasons I'm really considering it is I can wheel her hard and not feel too bad about it. The lockers are a huge plus to. Anybody know of any great websites that talk about the classics? And thanks for the input so far.

Funrover · 07-19-2006, 09:23 PM

www.rangerovers.net

p76rangie · 07-19-2006, 09:41 PM

It will be a 3.5ltr with a 4 speed manual transmission. The transfer case is part of the transmission and is not seperatable (is that a word). Most of the mechanicals are interchangeable with any of the classic models. So you can go and get a 4.6 motor and bolt it straight in. The 4 speed autos need the transmission tunnel to be made bigger, or just put a body lift into it. The tail-gate, roof, front guards, bonnet and grill etc are interchangable with later classics.

Easy to fit large wheels to as you do not have to worry about rear doors when cutting the guards.

The doors are heavy and a bugger to open if the car is on a lean, they also tend to drop over time, so make sure they open and shut smootly. Check for rust in the front floors and the rear inner wheel guards. Particularly where the seat belts bolt through.

For here is well over priced, but you Americans seemed to value Landrover products highly.

Bene · 07-19-2006, 10:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by p76rangie

For here is well over priced, but you Americans seemed to value Landrover products highly.

supply and demand, my friend

RageRover · 07-20-2006, 01:20 AM

Sounds like a mighty fine deal if you ask me!

I would so go for it, and just build it up over time, and make it the trail truck. Plus it being a manual must be fun.

AfroRover · 07-20-2006, 02:13 AM

I've got a 1980 RRC 2 door. The things I would look out for are rust in the floor, especially in the front footwells and underneath the spare wheel. Also
have a look at the wiring, having been exposed to the heat in the engine compartment for 25 years, the plastic gets very brittle, cracks off and shorts out. Have a good look for leaks on the hydraulics (steering box, brakes, clutch) as these repairs esp on the steering box can be expensive. Backlash on the drivetrain can be a sign of a whole army of problems - I'm going to have to replace all my half-shaft splines to sort mine out. Price of mine was about $3100 at todays exchange rate with about 180 000+ miles on her so your price seems reasonable. And check that your diflock is working !!! esp as you want to use her off-road.

Lot of tech specs at this link : http://www.rrr.co.uk/Classic/Technical.htm

Paul Grant · 07-20-2006, 05:08 AM

If you're able to, I'd say grab the truck. Considering how rare they are in the US a 2 door for the kind of price you're talking about isn't that far out of line. I just don't know it I'd want to turn it into some off road monster. Again, they're pretty rare over here and it might be the sort of truck to keep reasonably original.

Paul Grant · 07-20-2006, 05:15 AM

I just reread your post but didn't see where it had lockers on the truck. The LT95 (or is it LT85, I always get those two confused) used a vacuum locked center differential but there were no lockers on the front and rear differentials. The locking mechanism for the center differential is very different that what you would find on an LT230. One thing to think about if you want to "build the truck up" is that you'll have a much harder time finding certain parts for the truck on this side of the pond. That goes especially for the transmission and transfer case.

Paul Grant · 07-20-2006, 05:20 AM

Here's one site for a little bit of background on old Range Rovers.

http://www.fulham-farmers.pwp.blueyo...uk/default.htm

daway · 07-20-2006, 06:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Funrover

Price sounds about right if it's in really good shape...... I think the 3.5 in the engine!

X2 on 3.5. the RRC were borned w/ a 3.5 alloy v8. '89 LR put in a 3.9. in '73 power steering was added. only thing in '81 they started to make 4 dr. '83 they added the 5 speed manual. an '82 auto-trans was an option. i always liked the look and few elect. options that the 2 drs had. http://www.csse.monash.edu.au/~lloyd...r/Range-Rover/
some info.

gordo · 07-20-2006, 09:00 PM

I wouldnt wheel it either. Too damn cool, and yes that is a good price if it is fairly solid. Gordo

smileyq · 07-20-2006, 10:00 PM

Here are some pictures of her tell me what you think.

07-19-2006, 08:27 PM	#1 (permalink)
smileyq Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Nashville, TN Posts: 653 Gallery: 0	Is it worth it? My local dealership has a RR 1981 two door that I have test drove twice and fell in love with. The intererior is in decent shape. Well everything but the seats that is. The speedometer no longer works and appears to have stopped at 41,000 miles. Because of this obviously I have clue how many miles are on this puppy but it runs great. They are asking 4995 for it but said he would give it to me for 4500. I'm a disco guy so I have some questions about the 1981 two door model. What engine? 3.2, 3.6 V8. What type of TCase etc.. Is $4500.00 a decent price for one? __________________ "Good saddles ain't cheap, and cheap saddles ain't good."

07-19-2006, 08:31 PM	#3 (permalink)
rmuller Moderator Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Northern NJ Posts: 2,359 Gallery: 0	Nice thing about the 1981... is that its the most recent legal import! 25 year limit.. As for the price of it.. not sure what they are valued.. Steve Young from DAP would be a good resource as he had a 1974 and has done a lot of research on them. __________________ Ryan :: Off-Road/Accessories Moderator :: Gallery 2001 Discovery II \| 1994 Defender 90 #416

07-19-2006, 09:21 PM	#4 (permalink)
smileyq Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Nashville, TN Posts: 653 Gallery: 0	One of the main reasons I'm really considering it is I can wheel her hard and not feel too bad about it. The lockers are a huge plus to. Anybody know of any great websites that talk about the classics? And thanks for the input so far. __________________ "Good saddles ain't cheap, and cheap saddles ain't good."

07-19-2006, 09:41 PM	#6 (permalink)
p76rangie Ian Matthews Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Melbourne Australia Posts: 1,900 Gallery: 0	It will be a 3.5ltr with a 4 speed manual transmission. The transfer case is part of the transmission and is not seperatable (is that a word). Most of the mechanicals are interchangeable with any of the classic models. So you can go and get a 4.6 motor and bolt it straight in. The 4 speed autos need the transmission tunnel to be made bigger, or just put a body lift into it. The tail-gate, roof, front guards, bonnet and grill etc are interchangable with later classics. Easy to fit large wheels to as you do not have to worry about rear doors when cutting the guards. The doors are heavy and a bugger to open if the car is on a lean, they also tend to drop over time, so make sure they open and shut smootly. Check for rust in the front floors and the rear inner wheel guards. Particularly where the seat belts bolt through. For here is well over priced, but you Americans seemed to value Landrover products highly. Last edited by p76rangie : 07-19-2006 at 11:01 PM.

07-20-2006, 01:20 AM	#8 (permalink)
RageRover Crazy about Rovers and more... Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Westland, MI Posts: 2,887 Gallery: 0	Sounds like a mighty fine deal if you ask me! I would so go for it, and just build it up over time, and make it the trail truck. Plus it being a manual must be fun. __________________ Pat Albaugh, Midwest Moderator "Diffage" -the point at which the truck's differential makes contact with the ground. http://www.cardomain.com/id/RageRover42Visit my RRC and others here!(updated as of September 15, 2006) 1995 RRC LWB -LT265/75R16 Pathfinder All Terrains -RTE 2" Lift Springs -Pro Comp ES9000 Shocks (from DAP Enterprises) -KMC Front Diff Guard -4 Desert Fox 55 watt Lighting -Radio Shack CB Radio (never know when signal fails on a cell phone) -2 Halogen Super Sport 100 watt forward lights -Brush Gaurd, meant for a Jeep Grand Cherokee, now fitted to the RRC -Lowe's Special "Homemade" Snorkel -T-Case out of an 92' RRC

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07-20-2006, 02:13 AM	#9 (permalink)
AfroRover Member Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Cape Town, South Africa Posts: 15 Gallery: 0	I've got a 1980 RRC 2 door. The things I would look out for are rust in the floor, especially in the front footwells and underneath the spare wheel. Also have a look at the wiring, having been exposed to the heat in the engine compartment for 25 years, the plastic gets very brittle, cracks off and shorts out. Have a good look for leaks on the hydraulics (steering box, brakes, clutch) as these repairs esp on the steering box can be expensive. Backlash on the drivetrain can be a sign of a whole army of problems - I'm going to have to replace all my half-shaft splines to sort mine out. Price of mine was about $3100 at todays exchange rate with about 180 000+ miles on her so your price seems reasonable. And check that your diflock is working !!! esp as you want to use her off-road. Lot of tech specs at this link : http://www.rrr.co.uk/Classic/Technical.htm __________________ The holes in the floor are to drain the water leaking in through the windows right? 1998 VW Golf 2.8 VR6 (Sold) 2000 Mitsubishi Pajero 3.5 V6 GLS (Sold) 2001 P38 4.6 V8 HSE (Sold) 2006 Renault Megane 2.0T Sport 1980 RRC

07-20-2006, 05:08 AM	#10 (permalink)
Paul Grant Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: CT Posts: 845 Gallery: 0	If you're able to, I'd say grab the truck. Considering how rare they are in the US a 2 door for the kind of price you're talking about isn't that far out of line. I just don't know it I'd want to turn it into some off road monster. Again, they're pretty rare over here and it might be the sort of truck to keep reasonably original.

07-20-2006, 05:15 AM	#11 (permalink)
Paul Grant Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: CT Posts: 845 Gallery: 0	I just reread your post but didn't see where it had lockers on the truck. The LT95 (or is it LT85, I always get those two confused) used a vacuum locked center differential but there were no lockers on the front and rear differentials. The locking mechanism for the center differential is very different that what you would find on an LT230. One thing to think about if you want to "build the truck up" is that you'll have a much harder time finding certain parts for the truck on this side of the pond. That goes especially for the transmission and transfer case.

07-20-2006, 05:20 AM	#12 (permalink)
Paul Grant Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: CT Posts: 845 Gallery: 0	Here's one site for a little bit of background on old Range Rovers. http://www.fulham-farmers.pwp.blueyo...uk/default.htm

07-20-2006, 09:00 PM	#14 (permalink)
gordo Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Bradenton, FL Posts: 277 Gallery: 0	I wouldnt wheel it either. Too damn cool, and yes that is a good price if it is fairly solid. Gordo __________________ Gordo www.floridalandroverclub.com 00 P38 4.6 blinging 92 stocker RRC 73 hybrid wheeler

07-20-2006, 10:00 PM	#15 (permalink)
smileyq Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Nashville, TN Posts: 653 Gallery: 0	Here are some pictures of her tell me what you think. __________________ "Good saddles ain't cheap, and cheap saddles ain't good."

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