1963 Land Rover Series 2a

1963 Land Rover 7 seater 88” Station Wagon, very original condition
Road tax exempt
Rare with inset lights, one of 8000 made

Vehicle description
1963 Land Rover 7 seater 88” Station Wagon, very original condition
Road tax exempt
Rare with inset lights, one of 8000 made
• Desirable petrol engine
• Smiths heater
• 4 x Individual rear seats – “Elephant Hide”
• 3 x front seats – Deluxe Grey Vinyl
• Safari “double skin” roof
• Station wagon rear door
• Sliding side windows
• Full roof headlining
• Full “Elephant Hide” rear trim
• “Elephant hide” front and rear door trims
• Free wheeling hubs
Mileage: 34000 APPROX
5 new tyres (2 spare rims and inner tubes)
Chequer board replacement floor in rear under rubber mat
Original patina on body (new doors at some point)
Bumperettes available

The Station Wagons saw the first expansion of the Land Rover range. Station Wagons were fitted with a "Safari Roof" which consisted of a second roof skin fitted on top of the vehicle. This kept the interior cool in hot weather and reduced condensation in cold weather. Vents fitted in the roof allowed added ventilation to the interior. While they were based on the same chassis and drivetrains as the standard vehicles, Station Wagons carried different chassis numbers, special badging, and were advertised in separate brochures. Unlike the original Station Wagon, the new in-house versions were highly popular. I have always had landies, this one has such style and causes one to smile! I had hoped I could occasionally tow with this one but I am too spoilt with more modern cars and have put a hitch on my 5 series which is much easier to tow with so this one has to go!
I have owned it since June 2022 and carried out the works below
Winter 2022

Ignition system
New points, gapped
New plugs, gapped
New distributor cap
New rotor arm
New coil
Cleaned solenoid and starter connections

Fuel system
Fuel tank sender unstuck
Carb rebuilt, still poor running and unable to tune, therefore carb replaced
burst fuel pipe replaced
fuel pump rebuilt

Oils
Changed engine oil and filter
Steering box oil. Fine
Rear differential - big hole - plugged but not perfect (previously had a braze repair). oil refilled
Front differential oil filled
Transfer case oil drained and replaced
Main gearbox oil fine

Suspension
Shock absorbers - all rusted and rotten, all 4 replaced

Steering
Swivel ball seal gaiters ripped - replaced and re greased. Swivel joints noted to be very pitted and rough

Brakes
Terrible brakes - taken down, new springs throughout, new shoes all round, shoes chamfered, front and rear drums swapped, drums sanded and cleaned, reset, bled thoroughly
transmission brake (hand brake) taken down - fine

Doors and Seals
Back door seal very worn - replaced
Rear window channels all rotten - all replaced
Bulkhead vent seals worn - replaced
Front door seals bad - all replaced
front door sill seals bad - replaced
all door hinges worn - all replaced
some hinge mounting points are not holding. the internal fixed locking nut has rusted free. would require to cut open bulkhead then replace and repair

Electrics
No indicators - new flasher unit, repaired some connections, rebuilt indicator unit on steering column (very worn but very expensive to find old replacement), replaced a bulb, new ground to front near side
Horn sounds when turning steering wheel - contact rebuilt but not as good as original which is now very expensive to replace
Generator checked by professional - working fine
Battery not charging - probably needs new voltage regulator - expensive
Battery hold down fitted
Instrument panel lights not working - new bulbs
Burnt out wiring to front offside side lights replaced

Cooling system
Water pump rebuilt with new impellor, bearings and gaskets
Radiator flushed out
Some new radiator hoses
New antifreeze
Squirter motor repaired and re-wired

Internals
Blower heater not working - removed, rewired, tested, new rheostat
Front seat tie downs, applied
Bumper behind backrest, inserted
Replaced gear shift grommet
Roof vents rusted shut, failed to open them
Sloppy gear stick - worn end - expensive to replace
gear shifter reverse gate tightened
new dashboard retaining bolts

Engine
Front crank seal oil leak - timing cover removed and replaced with new gasket, timing chain good, crank seal replaced, crank seal dust cover refixed
Sump dropped, cleaned, replaced with new gasket
Rear crank seal oil leak through flywheel housing - would need engine removing to repair
Statically timed
Valve clearances adjusted hot and cold
New tappet housing gasket

Ideally needs doing:
New voltage regulator, battery doesn't charge;
New suspension springs and bushings;
Rear engine oil seal;
Door hinge support brackets;
New swivel joints;