Description
** FURTHER PRICE DROP** 2286cc petrol with overdrive, owned by me for the last 26 years. Zero tax and MOT exempt. Marsland galvanised chassis and parabolic springs. Bodywork is reasonable, 127, 900 miles, and regularly DIY-serviced by me (I'm a qualified aircraft maintenance engineer). Fairly recent major refurbishment with a respray and significant electrical upgrades. Recently serviced. Includes a Disklok for the steering wheel, an 'Ardcase lock for the pedals, manuals, a box of spare parts, tools, oil, manuals, and a stack of receipts and MOTs.
I'm the third owner. The first was the City of London School, on the Embankment. I bought it from a dealer in Hertfordshire in October 1999 with 65k miles on the clock. It's lived in Norfolk ever since. I've got a stack of previous MOTs and invoices for the work and parts it's received.
I'm selling it because I just don't use it any more. For the first five years it was my only car, and I did about 50, 000 miles. Then I got a 'normal' car as well, and its usage dropped. Since the beginning of lockdown in 2020 I've worked 100% from home and I've hardly driven it at all. This is a vehicle that needs to be used and enjoyed on a daily basis by someone who can give it a purpose.
The V5 has been updated to show that it's registered as a Historic Vehicle, so it's MOT exempt and zero-rated for road tax. I'll be happy to take prospective buyers for a drive as a passenger. If you would like to test drive it yourself, you will need your own insurance.
The chassis was replaced with a Marsland galvanised one in 2007. I jacked up the body in one piece on the driveway and rolled the old chassis out so I could swap all the parts over. Fitted new British Springs parabolics, nylon hanger bushes, and a new petrol tank at the same time.
In 2005 I did a partial engine overhaul with a decoke, in-situ cylinder bore honing, new piston rings and new big end shell bearings at about 117, 000 miles. I fitted a Turner Stage One head in 2007 at about 119, 000 miles, a much better Distributor Doctors condenser in 2024 at 126, 000 miles, and a new oil pump in 2025 at 127, 000 miles.
When I bought the vehicle it had been modified to use a Weber 34 ICH carburettor, which suffered terribly from icing-up that would stop the engine. I looked into refitting an original Zenith 34 IV and saw it had a reputation for warping and sucking air in, causing rough running. I stripped and rebuilt a new Zenith with better sealing and an extra top cover bolt to prevent it warping. It's worked faultlessly ever since.
On the gearbox, the synchromesh on 2nd gear has been worn out since before I bought it, so I've always had to double-declutch when changing from 3rd to 2nd. That makes it drive exactly like a Series II, which never had 2nd gear synchro. Double-declutching is easy, so I use it on all the down-changes to make them smoother.
All five doors were replaced and a heated rear window fitted in 2021. I've always had the spare wheel on the bonnet, because the weight of it had distorted the original rear door. I removed the spare wheel hanger from the old rear door and fitted it on the bonnet, in place of the standard spare wheel fitting. Now the spare wheel has the valve on top, so it's easier to check the tyre pressure.
All window runners have been replaced with plastic ones, so all the windows open (which is more than can be said for a lot of Safaris on the original steel runners). The roof was removed in 2001 and re-sealed against the rain channel frame.
A same-colour respray in Bronze Green and Limestone was done in 2021, over the original cellulose paint. I asked the sprayers to leave all the dents and dings exactly as they were. They're part of its history, and I didn't want it covered in filler that would eventually fall off. Defender door seals were fitted, replacing the standard lip seals. The front seats have been replaced with new high-back deluxe ones. They're on fixed-position low-profile mounts, which allow for the seat bases being thicker than the originals. The old adjustable seat runners are included in the spares box, if you want to refit them.
I fabricated a new between-the-seats cubby box, with a padded lid. It removes easily with six screws for checking the overdrive oil level.
The rear seats were removed and sold in about 2015, because for the past 20 years it has mostly been used for moving cargo (for which the rear side doors make access much easier). I was never comfortable with carrying passengers in the rear with low-back seats and no seat belts. If you want to fit decent high-back rear seats with seat belts, then it's a blank canvas for you to do that in your preferred way.
All of the interior trim has gradually perished and been removed. It was just vinyl and foam over hardboard, which doesn't last, certainly after a few decades with the standard door 'seals'.
The windscreen demists well from the heater. Fresh air ventilation (without a fan) is excellent when moving with the front vents open, and hurricane-force with the rear windows open as well.
The electrical refurbishment is a major improvement in usability and reliability. I fabricated a new fuse & relay box, sitting in the middle of the bulkhead. It takes the heavy loads off all the dashboard switches. The instrument panel can now be removed without first removing the steering wheel. The connecting wires are long enough for it to sit on the front seat while being worked on (see photo).
I've done a complete new wiring diagram for the whole car, using a free online drawing application called "diagrams. net". It will be provided as two A2 hard copies, and a USB stick containing a PDF file and the editable diagram file.
The windscreen wipers now have variable intermittent operation, plus 'push to wipe once' on the main wiper switch. The screenwash now works on a separate pushbutton. There's another knob (supposedly for an electric guitar) which turns to control the intermittent frequency and goes in & out to control the continuous normal-fast operation. I fitted a couple of extra pushbuttons intended for rear wash and rear wipe, but never got round to fitting the system.
I rotated the indicator stalk switch around so it's on the left instead of the right. That matches most other cars in the UK, and avoids interfering with the other switches on the instrument panel. The heated rear window works using a timer-relay that automatically switches it off after 10 minutes.
The main instruments are now illuminated with multiple white LEDs around the edge, instead of the original single bulb. It makes it much easier to see your speed at night. The interior light, fog light, and reversing light are now also LED. The reversing light isn't automatic from a switch on the gearstick. As standard, it's manually operated from a switch on the dashboard.
