I was loth if to post this or not, as I *hope* there won't be much welding content in it, but here goes.
I was hunting down a 101fc GS for quite a while, it had to be lhd, and I really wanted the canvas pickup version not a ambulance. Trouble is, so did half the continent looking for them and quite a few buyers from the USA too, so every time I found one it had just sold. And prices were on the up, most definitely. Things I was expecting to sell for x, sold for x+40% while I was watching the market etc.
Eventually I came across a likely candidate described as "all hard work done, just a few jobs to finish". I was up for turning up with a box of tools and get me home stuff but the seller advised me against it as it had no brakes at all and wouldnt bleed up despite him rebuildng the brakes.
So, sums were done by finance (my wife), and common sense prevailed and it was cheaper to get a company to collect it and drop it off than pay 14mpg and road tolls, ferry crossing etc. Boring because I fancied a road trip and imagined collecting stuff on the way and I like to see things for myself before handing money over.
So, financial sense prevailed and a company was booked to move it, and do a inspection on it prior but they had issues with the weather and truck and never made the inspection rendezvous. They offered to go back for a few hundred quid extra fee. And meanwhile I was dicking the seller about missing dates etc, so I did something stupid and against all the advice I would give someone I put a deposit down on it sight unseen to secure it and decided to find someone local just to verify its condition. The last thing I need is yet another long term project to join the list.
Then an old friend who lived nea offered to take a look for me, make sure the seller was on the level etc. I briefed him, make sure the chassis isnt rotten and that its viable as a quick project, has a vin, v5c that matches etc but I know it had brake issues and probably needed a fuel tank as it was being ran off a can "to save fuel evaporation from the big tank".
Jon did the deed and sent me a short video of it cold starting and running and said yes, it was a good base to work from.That'll do me, so paid for it in full (again I'd never dream of advising someone to do this) and the seller offered to get some stuff from Craddocks for me, so a grille and some series bench seats were bought for it so they could be shipped easy.
The original transport was contacted, and the late may/early june date they were going to do evaporated, and after a few weeks of the date getting further and further away, I put the job on shiply and ended up using a guy on there who really knew LR's and treated it properly.
So, less text and pictures, it arrived when he said it would. Great service after the other experiences.
back view
again
The footbrake didn't do anything as I already knew, and I need to reconnect the fuel tank as we couldnt start it, but there was 3 ignition keys, one normal, one round and one battery cut out key.
In the end just lowered it off on winch and towed it into the barn with my 90. Time to roll sleeves up and get stuck in.
And so it begins...
I was hunting down a 101fc GS for quite a while, it had to be lhd, and I really wanted the canvas pickup version not a ambulance. Trouble is, so did half the continent looking for them and quite a few buyers from the USA too, so every time I found one it had just sold. And prices were on the up, most definitely. Things I was expecting to sell for x, sold for x+40% while I was watching the market etc.
Eventually I came across a likely candidate described as "all hard work done, just a few jobs to finish". I was up for turning up with a box of tools and get me home stuff but the seller advised me against it as it had no brakes at all and wouldnt bleed up despite him rebuildng the brakes.
So, sums were done by finance (my wife), and common sense prevailed and it was cheaper to get a company to collect it and drop it off than pay 14mpg and road tolls, ferry crossing etc. Boring because I fancied a road trip and imagined collecting stuff on the way and I like to see things for myself before handing money over.
So, financial sense prevailed and a company was booked to move it, and do a inspection on it prior but they had issues with the weather and truck and never made the inspection rendezvous. They offered to go back for a few hundred quid extra fee. And meanwhile I was dicking the seller about missing dates etc, so I did something stupid and against all the advice I would give someone I put a deposit down on it sight unseen to secure it and decided to find someone local just to verify its condition. The last thing I need is yet another long term project to join the list.
Then an old friend who lived nea offered to take a look for me, make sure the seller was on the level etc. I briefed him, make sure the chassis isnt rotten and that its viable as a quick project, has a vin, v5c that matches etc but I know it had brake issues and probably needed a fuel tank as it was being ran off a can "to save fuel evaporation from the big tank".
Jon did the deed and sent me a short video of it cold starting and running and said yes, it was a good base to work from.That'll do me, so paid for it in full (again I'd never dream of advising someone to do this) and the seller offered to get some stuff from Craddocks for me, so a grille and some series bench seats were bought for it so they could be shipped easy.
The original transport was contacted, and the late may/early june date they were going to do evaporated, and after a few weeks of the date getting further and further away, I put the job on shiply and ended up using a guy on there who really knew LR's and treated it properly.
So, less text and pictures, it arrived when he said it would. Great service after the other experiences.
back view
again
The footbrake didn't do anything as I already knew, and I need to reconnect the fuel tank as we couldnt start it, but there was 3 ignition keys, one normal, one round and one battery cut out key.
In the end just lowered it off on winch and towed it into the barn with my 90. Time to roll sleeves up and get stuck in.
And so it begins...