My Friend, Paul the Welder

Among all the different parts we received when we purchased the 109 were five original folding steps. All of them had some percentage of the orginal rubber mat and all of them had quite a bit of rust damage. In addition, the mounting arms on two or three of them were bent pretty badly. It looked like the truck had either caught them on a rock or stump or had actually settled its weight on them, folding them upwards towards the door sills.

Sand blasting the steps removed a lot more material than we were expecting. A couple of spots on the steps looked like swiss cheese afterwards but there was still enough steel in them to support at least 190lbs (which is what I weigh). We had the steps powder coated in a gloss black. Then, I took a strip of the left over horse matting that I used to make floor mats and cut out new treads for each of the steps. I drilled holes and bolted the treads on. It is not stock, but it looks pretty good. See the attached pictures.

About midway through this project, my wife and I were talking about how the 109 does not have much side impact protection. Aside from the ouriggers, there is nothing but thin sheet aluminum for eighteen inches or so before you get to the main chassis. And in those eighteen inches are the seats in which the driver (my wife) and our kids sit most of the time. So we decided that instead of installing the original folding steps, we would have some side step/sliders fabricated. In addition, I thought one of the rear steps that I have seen on Defenders would be nice to have.

This is where a good friend of ours, Paul Koch, comes in. Paul is a master welder and fabricator (Affordable Pordable in Duvall, Washington) and has the enviable ability to just look at something and then go make it out of steel, aluminum or whatever. Just before we left for a short vacation to Whistler, B.C. we described what we were looking for to Paul and left the 109 with him. When we returned, we had a pair of heavy duty side step/sliders, a rear step that is, essentially, a bumper and a bunch of other bonus items including:

1. an oval plate to mount three auxiliary gauges in the lower dash,

2. a box that mounts where the original auxiliary panel mounted that included three 12V power outlets, three switches and two expansion holes.

3. One of the switches now powered the light bar the previous owner had installed, but never hooked up. The other two are for the interior LED lights we are installing.

4. a completely reworked accelerator pedal and linkage that actually allows us to use the full power of the Chevy 6. As it turned out, the pedal/linkage had been adjusted such that when the pedal was on the floor, the throttle was only open 1/3. Now, it is possible to actually smoke the tires!

One interesting little detail Paul discovered while installing the side steps was that the body of our 109 does not sit on the chassis straight. It is actually off by about and inch over the lenght of the truck! Fortunately, he built the side steps to be perpendicular to the chassis so everything will line up when we do the chassis swap.

Christmas Lights!

After some trial and error with the carburetor adjustments, we managed to keep the Chevy engine running once we got it started. Now it was driveable around town.

Now to get it into the Christmas spirit! We've had a tradition in my family of hanging Christmas wreaths on the front of our cars for years. So my wife got a nice big wreath and zip tied it to the bull bar. But that wasn't quite enough for me.

As a surprise for her, I bought a small cigarette lighter inverter and two strings of multi-colored LED Christmas lights. I wrapped the two strings of lights around the roof rack and sand ladders. After running a power lead from the battery up through the center access panel in the seat box and running a ground from a bolt on the chassis, I installed a temporary cigarette lighter/12V power source just above the transmission tunnel. The inverter plugged in there and an extension cord plugged in to the inverter and ran out the front door, up the A pillar and to the light string plug. When it was all plugged in, the lights looked great!


Since it is dark from around 4:30pm til around 8am in late December, we drove the 109 with the Christmas lights on just about all the time and it really brought out the smiles, waves and "thumb's up" from people. We did the same thing last year and, as we are coming up on our third Christmas with the 109, we will do the same this year as well.

Floor Mats

The 109 arrived with bare aluminum floorboards throughout. As much as I wanted the Exmoor molded flooring/insulation kit, I just could not justify the cost--especially when it did nothing for the middle row or rear tub.

In Monroe, Washington, about 30 minutes from our home, there is a store named Del's Farm Supply that sells horse stall matting. These are recycled rubber mats that are available in 4' x 8' foot sheets either 1/4" or 1/2" thick. I purchase two sheets of the 1/2" thick mats for about $80. One side is smooth and the other has a raised dot pattern. They are very heavy, but that is just what you need to dampen at least some of the road and vibration noise from the floorboards. In our 109, it also helped to cover up several empty bolt holes (not rust holes) in the passenger footwell which is locate right next to the exhaust manifold on the Chevy 6. No surprise that there are a few exhaust leaks so covering up those holes really helped.

These mats can be cut with ease using a serrated knife. The downside is, it leaves a somewhat ragged edge. You could try a jigsaw if you are able to hold the mat down on both sides of the blade--otherwise the blade just grabs the rubber mat and jerks it up and down instead of cutting. A carpet knife or box cutter could also work and would probably produce a cleaner edge, but it will take a really long time.

As for cutting them to shape, I just eyeballed it using a tapemeasure to determine the length of each cut in relation to a starting/reference point. The rear tub is easy--just one big rectangle with cutouts for the center seat and seatbelt mounts. The middle row is the same except for some minor trimming on the corners to clear the door stops. As for the front seat footwells, I used the sills of each door as the reference point and just measure each cut from there.

In retrospect, the one thing I would do differently is to have the raised dot side facing down. This is because our door seals are not the best and I think that the raised dots would allow the water to drain--and dry--better.

One other idea I have is to buy one of the thinner mats and cut pieces to fit the seat box. If I can find a glue that will bond this type of rubber, I think I could end up assembling a box out of all the cut pieces that would not need to be glued to the actual seat box panels.

Wipers & Upper Dash

Since it rains nearly every day for about 5 months in our area, I placed a rush order to Rover's North that same morning for all the parts we would need to get the wipers working again. Two days later, I installed new arms, collets and wiper blades but still the wipers would not work for more than a couple of passes.

The next day, I found posts on various Rover forums describing how the drive cable can become bogged down in the old factory grease along with instructions on how to remove, clean, regrease and re-install. That night, I took the upper dash apart and removed the wiper assembly. This was late December so the grease was more like gritty wax than grease. I set everything in a dish and soaked it for a couple of days in parts cleaner.


Since the upper dash was off, I succumbed to a mild case of shipfitters disease and reupholstered it. The original dash had several sun-baked deep and wide cracks, mostly clustered in the center. The vinyl was so dry, I just snapped off the crack edges that were sticking up above the level of the rest of the dash. I didn't bother to fill in the cracks--the foam would smooth them out. I purchased about a yard of 1/4 inch closed cell foam (48" wide) and the same amount of automotive vinyl from JoAnn's Fabrics plus a can of heavy duty spray adhesive. These pictures give you some idea of the outcome. Here are the steps I took:
1. Clean the dash with soapy hot water, rinse and let dry:
2. Cut the foam and vinyl to size leaving about 2 inches on either end just in case. Cut about 1 inch circles out of the foam for the screws that attach the dash to the bulkhead. Also, trim about 1 inch off either side in order to fit the end caps.
3. Spray the adhesive on each surface--the dash and foam first and, later the foam and vinyl--and let it dry for a minute or so.
4. Leaving the 2 spare inches overlap, start at one corner and smooth the material over the dash surface. Make sure there are no bubbles or wrinkles. Also, don't stretch either material.
5. Secure the foam and vinyl to the back of the dash using the factory spikes.
6. Reinstall.



After cleaning all of the wiper parts, regreasing every peice and reinstalling it, I found out the problem was with the switch... Also, I installed the passenger side wheel box upside down so that wiper doesn't stop at the bottom of the windsheild like it should. Oh well, another project for another time.

I wasn't quite ready to pay $115 for a new switch so I found a similar looking single speed pull switch at a local auto parts store and, within minutes, the wipers worked!

The 109 Arrives!

It was a gray, rainy morning about a week before Christmas when the trucker called to say he was ready to unload our 109 at a nearby grocery store parking lot. My wife and I rushed down, anxious and excited to see the "new" 109.

Part of shipping a vehicle is getting an initial condition report at the time the trucker picks it up. The report for our 109 simply read "dents, scratches and dings all over." Although that was true (and still is), it certainly gave the trucker quite a bit of latitude in how he treated the 109! We had received about a five minute video from the seller who did an exterior walk-around as well as some interior shots and, fortunately, the 109 arrived without any additional damage.

Our relatives who picked up the 109 in El Paso had told us that it was tempermental to start and then hard to keep running and they were right! I purchased some starter fluid from the grocery store and soon got the Chevy engine to start up only to learn that the carburetor and throttle linkage was adjusted such that you had to keep your foot on the gas just to keep the engine going. We also learned that the wiper blades were shot (who needs wipers in the hot dry Chihuahuan desert of New Mexico?), the passenger wiper arm was missing and the one driver's wiper would only operate for a couple of passes before stopping.

Nevertheless, my wife drove her dream car for the first time that day beaming, with a huge smile on her face, and none of these little things mattered one bit.

109 Details and Specifications

According to the letter the previous owner received from Land Rover, our 109 was built at Solihull on or about October 15, 1977. The Certificate of Permanent Export from the British Department of Transport indicates the 109 was first registered in England on December 22, 1977 to a gentleman in Blakeney. Twenty-one years later, in April 1998, the 109 was sold to another gentleman in Southampton followed three years later by another sale, presumably to EH Landrovers of Chippenham Wilts. The Army Captain from whom we purchased the 109 bought it from EH Landrovers in May 2002 for 2000GBP while he was stationed in Germany.

He brought the 109 back to his base and drove it around Germany until he returned to the U.S. in June 2002 when he was reassigned to Fort Benning, Georgia. One of the last things he did before leaving Europe was to purchase a reconditioned transmission from Paddock Motors for a total of 746GBP delivered to Germany. The 109 was imported to the United States and arrived on a RORO ship at the port in Brunswick, Georgia on June 26, 2002.

The right rear quarter panel of the 109 still bears the mark ( a crease in the aluminum) from the day the previous owner collected it from the Port Authority. As the story goes, the 109 came off the RORO boat with some sort of ignition fault. When he jumped the contacts on the starter, he did not realize the 109 was in gear (reverse), so the original 2.6 liter engine fired up and immediately drove by itself, backward, across a parking lot and through a chain link fence! Welcome to the U.S.!

The U.S. Customs form indicates an assigned value of US$12,000 which is a pretty nice paper profit from a 2000GBP investment about two months earlier!

The 109 has the following notable features:
1. seats 12--3 in front, 3 in the middle row and 6 on the two bench seats in the rear.

2. the middle row is three separate seats that fold & tumble (70/30)

3. safari roof with roof vents

4. Salisbury rear axle

5. 1 ton springs

6. deluxe bonnet

Over the 5 years the Army Captain owned the 109, he made several improvements (in our opinion) including:

1. Fairey Overdrive

2. Full length galvanized roof rack/ladder

3. Belleview 6000lb winch with in-cab cable controls

4. Light bar with 2 floods and 2 pencil beams

5. Chevy 250 6 cylinder with Scotty's Adaptor

6. MAP freewheeling hubs

7. Bull Bar with stainless steel brush wires connected to the roof rack

8. Pair of sand ladders

9. Hi-Lift Jack

10. Optima Yellow Top Battery

11. 12" electric radiator fan

Auto Transport Lessons

After winning the auction on Ebay, we arranged for the seller to deliver the 109 to El Paso, Texas, where we had family members pick it up and pay the balance due.

Now came the challenge of getting the 109 from El Paso to Redmond, Washington. For those of you who have never had a car transported, here is the tip that will save you alot of headaches: take the lowest bid you get and add about $200 to it. That is the amount that will actually get your car moved. Then pick the company that quoted you that higher price to begin with and engage them as they are the more honest of the pack. Or, just hire Phoenix Auto Transport out of Vancouver, Washington and get the job done right from the start.

This was our first time to transport a vehicle by truck and so we went with the lowest bid. In the course of shopping around for the lowest price, however, it turns out one of the companies we called for a quote went ahead and listed our 109 on the "boards" without telling us. The "boards" are, apparently, the place where vehicles needing transport are posted and where the truckers go to choose the jobs that fit their planned route. The company we actually did choose also listed our 109 on the "boards." After three weeks of no activity, we managed to find Phoenix (ask for Kathy) and learned how the process really works.

First, the pick up city and drop off city are what really determines the price and timeframe within which you will receive your car. We learned that the El Paso/Redmond combo was nowhere near the well travelled routes taken by these truckers. Second, the lowest price rarely draws the attention of a trucker. Third, multiple listings of the same vehicle (like what happened to us) virtually guarantees that nobody will pick up the vehicle. This is because there is a possibility that two different truckers will agree to haul the vehicle but the one who arrives second wasted their time and fuel to get there.

Phoenix helped us get the double listing off the boards and relisted it for us at a higher price. Within 3 days, a truck was on its way to pick up our 109. One week later, my wife had her 109.

In a later posting, I describe how we went straight to Phoenix when we purchased a second 109 for parts in Sonoma, CA.

On a Whim

Now, with my wife's interest piqued and, more importantly, with her blessing, I set off to find every Series Land Rover for sale at that time in the United States. We had quickly realized that the olive drab 88 in Oregon would not work for us. With two kids, we needed rear seats and living in the rainy pacific northwest, we really needed a roof!

I searched Land Rover Exchange, Craigslist and Ebay and, within a couple of weeks, found a tan 109 for sale in New Mexico. My wife took one look at it and knew that the only Series Land Rover she wanted was a 5 door 109.

The starting bid was reasonable and I added it to my watch list. A couple of days later, I sent off a list of questions to the seller along with my phone number. He called soon afterward and for the next hour I learned that none of the questions I had asked were relevant to Series Land Rovers. He walked me through his ownership of the 109 and taught me about breakfasts, footwells, outriggers, crossmembers, frame horns, T posts, Fairey Overdrives, Lucas Wiring and Scotty's Adaptors. I finished that call with about three pages of notes and immediately jumped back on the internet to look up and learn more about all he had told me. Over the next few days, I told my wife what I had learned and called the seller a few more times to wring every little detail there was to know about his 109 out of him. All the while, the 109 sat on Ebay with no bidders.

On the last day of the auction, with only a few hours to go, I placed the first bid on the 109. Then I told my wife what I had done. Her eyes turned into saucers and, instead of the response one might expect (You did WHAT!?!), she ran to the computer to watch the auction tick down. For a while, we were the only bidder and, I'll be honest, my feelings ran from elation to trepidation and back. Then another bidder joined the action and we were out of the running. Just before that second bidder showed up, I was deep in the trepidation swing of my emotional cycle while my wife was riding high on her elation cycle. Those roles reversed the moment we were outbid. But there were still several minutes to go before the auction was over.

My wife said it was better that we would lose, but her eyes said the opposite. With twenty seconds to go before the auction ended, I raised our bid by $100 and the 109 was ours. My wife couldn't believe it! She was jumping up and down with excitement--she finally had her dream car.

Caught the Bug

This blog is about my wife's Land Rover Series III 109 RHD 5 door truck and the work we have put into it in the two years we have owned it. I have spent countless hours searching the web and reading similar postings from other Land Rover fans around the world and I have learned quite a bit. My hope is that this blog will contain some information, hints or tips that other Land Rover Series fans will find useful or maybe just amusing.

My wife and I have both had, and still have, a fascination with old Series Land Rovers. "Born Free," "Daktari" and "The God's Must be Crazy." We first encountered these iconic vehicles the same way most people did.

For a couple of years in the early 1990's, I lived in Costa Rica and I was amazed to see how many Series Land Rovers were in use throughout that country. My sister and her family were also living in Costa Rica at that time and they had a pastel green Series IIa 109 5 door with the 4 cylinder diesel. I drove that truck all over San Jose and the surrounding cities and, even though it was slow, loud and smelly, I loved it. It never failed to start and it never failed to bring me home. Not far from the house in which I lived, there was an old green 88 sitting on the side of the road, on its axles, with a tree growing through the engine compartment. Every time I passed that 88, I dreamed of bringing at least one back to the U.S. and dropping it onto a modern truck frame. (I suppose a warning is needed at this point: neither my wife nor I are Land Rover purists--after market and non-standard parts and accessories are just fine with us.)

Fast forward about ten years. During that time, about the only attention we paid to Land Rovers was when we would (rarely) see a Defender drive by. My wife called them "Destroyers." I thought that was a fitting name for them. We had moved to Dallas, Phoenix and, finally, Redmond, Washington where we met some friends who had just bought an eight year old shiny black Range Rover. Seeing that car reminded me of Series Land Rovers and of the old green 88 with the tree growing through it back in Costa Rica. I began to troll on Craigslist and quickly found an olive drab 88 in Oregon with no roof, a V-8, and a huge custom fuel tank filling the rear tub for $4000 OBO. That seemed so inexpensive and so obtainable! When I told my wife about it, her eyes lit up--she caught the bug too. This was late November 2007.