• Rebuilt and galvanised bulkheads
• Galvanised chassis

• Remanufactured engine with rebuilt gearboxes, overdrive and FWH

• 1,801 miles since rebuild

• Enthusiast owned with stacks of paperwork

In 1968, Rover launched the Series IIA Lightweight Land Rover, which was designed to be Air-transportable. After several attempts through the 1960’s, the Series IIA was at last a success, after meeting the criteria of being able to sit two-abreast inside the Argosy transport aircraft carrier.

Although weighing in at half a ton, the Lightweight was easily able to be taken apart and transported in sections, removing items such as the windscreen, doors, bonnet and bumpers. Doing this brought the weight down to ¼ ton, which enabled the Land Rover to be transported by helicopters.

The Series III came along in 1972. Other than moving the headlights to the wings, as on the civilian model, the Series III was mainly the same as the Series IIA. There were some exceptions, such as the one we have here, which is the (FFR Fitted For Radio) ,and these were fitted with a 24 volt electrical system to cope with the radio electrical needs.

Buying the Land Rover as a project, the seller knew what work was involved in bringing the Lightweight Series III to its present glory. 

However, the time has now come for something maybe a little bit easier to drive and manoeuvre with power steering.

The V5 is present and shows that there are two previous keepers since 1986, and prior to that, it was registered for Military use. It is now registered as a Historic Vehicle.

There is an abundance of paperwork, with every invoice saved for all the parts the seller has purchased during the restoration. We are sure that if you added up the cost of everything, plus the amount of labour, you would probably think twice about selling it. 

Included with the Land Rover is a Series III workshop manual, which doesn’t particularly cover the Lightweight FFR, but some of the information is relevant to the vehicle. 

What is included is the ultimate of manuals, it's a full parts manual for that particular model, listing anything and everything you may need, and there is also the User manual for the Lightweight Series III.   

There is no MOT on the vehicle as it is exempt. The last MOT was carried out in 2018, which passed with no advisories and had 718 recorded on the remanufactured engine.

For your safety, inertia seat belts have been fitted and mounted to the dedicated galvanised framework. 

The layout of the dashboard is original with the addition of some extra gauges. It has been hand-painted to match the exterior and is well presented. The water and fuel gauge are original, whilst the original broken odometer has been replaced with a new unit, which now shows 1,801 miles covered since the restoration.

The Lightweight Land Rover is in 24 volts for the main electrics, but the seller has fitted a 24 volt - 12 volt converter, which supplies the USB and charging socket to cater for phone chargers and suchlike. 

There is a high lift jack, wheel brace and fire extinguisher present and just behind the seats is the AC-DC converter bringing the power from the generator and converting it to 24 volt DC.

To help reduce some interior noise, sound deadening pads have benefitted various panels to reduce any resonating. We also need to mention that the Land Rover has had fitted the main bulkhead, the one round the air intakes and the one in front of the radiator all galvanised. The rear section of the floor has been replaced. 

The 1976 Land Rover has been finished by being hand-painted in Dark Bronze Green. The decision to hand paint was made by the seller, as he didn't want a show vehicle, but one easily touched up if it was scratched in use. Reliability, durability and practical usage were the watchwords of the build. 

Starting at the front, the galvanised bumper has been re-plated. Just above the lights look to be originals and are damage free. The bonnet aligns as it should, and uses galvanised hinges held in place with stainless steel bolts.

At the rear, the canvas roof will untie to gain access inside. The plastic window is in nice condition with no obvious scratches to mention. The tailgate has had the inner section replaced, so is free from any corrosion.

All the hinges and framework around the vehicle have been re-galvanised to protect for many years to come. The lights are in good condition with no cracks or splits, and there is an adjustable height tow bar hitch with an electric socket should you wish to tow anything. 

Fitted with a 2 1/4 litre petrol engine, this has been remanufactured for the seller with new pistons fitted, new valves, guides and seats to enable it to run happily on unleaded fuel. The fueling has been taken care of with an SU carburettor fitted with a K & N air filter and the gases are taken away through a 4 into 1 header manifold. The engine has a high torque camshaft and a 1:9 compression ratio.

The gearbox, transfer box and front and rear differentials...no noises coming from the transmission. There is an overdrive and FWH. Two new fuel tanks of 10 gals each have been fitted. 

On the chassis side of things, the seller has fitted a new galvanised chassis. There are new suspension dampers and a steering damper, and the land rover now handles and rides as it should, capable of taking you wherever you fancy on or off road.

A nicely restored 1976 Land Rover Series III Lightweight, which has been built over the past 9 years, with all the important parts taken care of, such as the galvanised chassis and bulkhead. 

It hasn't stopped there, with all the other exposed steel also re-galvanised, which has seen the Land Rover future proofed for many years to come. Topping it off is a rebuilt engine and transmission, which is running as it should. 

Ready to be used on or off road, the lightweight Land Rover is looking for a new home, will you be the one?