Description
A unique 1968 Land Rover Series 2a lightweight V8 automatic with astonishing off road capability.
I have owned this vehicle for over 20 years and it's in all-round great condition and really looks the business in desert storm matt paint.
This, however, is no ordinary Series 2a lightweight, it has the following features:
200BHP 3. 5 litre Rover V8 engine with Holley 390 4 barrel carburettor, Offenhauser inlet manifold, performance camshaft, 4. 6 heads and custom-built, stainless steel, tubular exhaust manifolds and system which all sounds absolutely glorious - recent oil and filter change. The engine and gearbox were fitted without moving the front panel forward so from outside it looks like a normal one.
Type 66 Borg Warner Automatic gearbox (Ashcroft rebuild) with external oil cooler radiator.
Custom made full width aluminium radiator with large electric fan.
5 x Discovery 1 wheels fitted with BF Goodrich MT tyres and with wheel arch extensions.
Dual circuit brakes - recent brake master cylinder and servo unit and has a really effective standard drum brakes setup with steel braided hoses.
New under seat fuel tank with dual electric fuel pumps.
Range Rover 3. 55:1 differentials in the original 1/ 2 ton axles.
Series 3 front wings (with the headlights in the wings rather than in the front panel) with alloy treadplate tops. Series 2a wings and front panel restricts airflow to the radiator.
Parabolic leaf springs and off-road shock absorbers.
Custom dashboard based on the later Series 3 type.
New seat cushions, inertia reel seat belts in the front and a Smiths cabin heater unit.
A hard top with galvanised roof rack, ladder and side hinged tail door available with the car if required - not desert sand colour.
Regarding the soft top - I don't have any of it; to fit the body hoops the mount tubes would need to be reinstated as the previous owner cut them out when they fitted the hard top - zoom in on the pictures of the rear body. Lightweights were never designed to have a hard top and you need to fit slim wooden spacers between the body tub and hard top to bolt it in place. These spacers are included although you would probably make new ones.
This awesome machine needs a new loving home and has hardly been used since the engine and gearbox rebuild which was done some years ago but they have each done less than 1000 miles. There is a huge pile of history since I have owned it. UK MOT test and Road Fund exempt.
All Lightweight Land Rovers are ex Military and were correctly known as 1/ 2 ton; they were made from 1968 to 1984 and only about 39, 000 were made; they were used by around 20 countries. They were specifically made to be air portable and were fitted with the normal aspirated 2. 25 Litre Land Rover petrol engine. I have owned this for many years and it was my every day car for a year or so around 2001. It has had a lot of upgrades since then and has only covered about 1000 miles since, if that!
It's fully road legal and it it sounds flipping awesome and always draws attention whenever it is shown at our local events.
