Phil H
Posted a lot
Posts: 1,448
Club RR Member Number: 133
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Nah - you want to track down an ex-Police minibus. Rover V8 and 4 speed autobox . Apparently the steering is ineffective up to around 40mph if you give it the beans off the lights. They need the twin rear wheels too for traction.
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Last Edit: Mar 3, 2019 20:27:52 GMT by Phil H
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Part of the appeal is that they are unappealing.My late Dad had one for a works van doing heavy plant and machinery. He did, nigh on, 120,000 in it and all it ever had was basic maintenance. Snobbery has much to do with peoples views on them, I've driven company Transits for nearly 30 years and they are the most overrated commercial vehicle out there.Go for it!!! Please do continue to add your replies, opinions etc guys. I quoted Zeb as he got a few points that I agree with. If I look at my motoring history, I like to be just off the centre of ormal. Slightly different, ugly ducklings etc appeal to me. Hell, one of my cars is now in a German museum. Right now, I am learning from all of you, and this forum has some amazing talent, knowledge, experience and opinions, all,of which I love as a resource.
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voodoo57
Club Retro Rides Member
That's not 2 metres! come a little...Closer!
Posts: 2,849
Club RR Member Number: 137
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Buy one, change the engine, box, suspension, replace the front rear and middle panel, remove the lights and 99% of the interior, replace all removed parts with something 'fitting' and you shouldn't have a problem!
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I am quite surprised how few of them are on eBay! The ones that are there show the likely reason - rust!
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Owned a few of them and never had any problems. I had an ex police v8, was a cracking old bus that would rock when you throttled up at the lights. Unfortunately some **** stole it from the garage that was changing the brake servo and wrapped it around a set of traffic lights.
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1984 Rover SD1 Vanden Plas 2600 Auto 1985 Rover SD1 2300s Auto 2005 MG ZT 1.8 Manual
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283389517779 ebay its auto and i think a big engine.
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Peace,Max signature height = 80px
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V8 air Suspension would make a nice camper
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Peace,Max signature height = 80px
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Ritchie
Club Retro Rides Member
Posts: 767
Club RR Member Number: 12
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Only ever remember king pins where an issue due to poor maintenance ie not greasing em 😏😏 Hehe, your comment brought back memories of hacksawing big washers in half, slotting each side in the the sloppy king pin gap and migging the two halfs back together. Then slather with grease to keep them hidden.
Those were the days.
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Thank you for all the replies guys.
About 90% hate it, either by experience or hearsay.
I still think it’s another turd that can be covered in chocolate sauce and served up. (It would still be a turd, but with sprinkles on top)
Comment elsewhere.
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jamesd1972
Club Retro Rides Member
Posts: 2,907
Club RR Member Number: 40
Member is Online
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Neighbour has a perkins powered tipper one and struggles for spares like exhaust parts. There are a couple of spares specialists up north but I think the spares situation for the peugeot powered ones is a bit better. Goes well for the about 55hp it has but top speed is not much over 60 - so nice and low geared then. Remember driving a works one with a 2L petrol engine which was very rapid compared to my mini in a straight line at least. Always wanted one of the 4x4 ones but they are rare and often stripped for the desirable transfer box set up. They have dana axles and are a lot closer to a jeep than a Land Rover despite coming from the same company. James
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dazcapri
North East
Enter your message here...
Posts: 1,058
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Neighbour has a perkins powered tipper one and struggles for spares like exhaust parts. There are a couple of spares specialists up north but I think the spares situation for the peugeot powered ones is a bit better. Goes well for the about 55hp it has but top speed is not much over 60 - so nice and low geared then. Remember driving a works one with a 2L petrol engine which was very rapid compared to my mini in a straight line at least. Always wanted one of the 4x4 ones but they are rare and often stripped for the desirable transfer box set up. They have dana axles and are a lot closer to a jeep than a Land Rover despite coming from the same company. James I remember reading a road test on the 4x4 when they were new and it was leaving the Range Rover support vehicle behind off road
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Mk3 Capri LS
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olduns
Part of things
Posts: 326
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my Dad used to do all the signwriting at Wednesbury Motors years ago and whenever i was with him there was ALWAYS at least one Pilot/Convoy being pushed around the garage with engine / gearbox issues. gearbox was the same/similar to early Disco's? 400 rings a bell? however there are people out there who use them for trips i wouldn't even entertain in one.....middle of Spain 4-5 yrs ago, real ratty Convoy, usual faded Red, chugging along, braver than me! in the Summer at any channel port you're likely to see one, hand painted, ladders on the rear doors, steel panels where there were windows, stickers galore and most likely a pair of ermmmm, how to put it politely?...ex Hippies?
there is a worse van out there...Maxus, curse word thin panels that dent just looking at them!
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Uni I went to had an ex-police v8 powered one, that s fun to hustle round.
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don't think i've ever seen one being driven by anyone other than a postie or a soap dodger!??
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'80 s1 924 turbo..hibernating '80 golf gli cabriolet...doing impression of a skip '97 pug 106 commuter...continuing cheapness making me smile!
firm believer in the k.i.s.s and f.i.s.h principles.
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I know very little about them, other than reputation amongst my friends as tough but crude, although, some years back I went to a talk by a retired Leyland manager who pointed out the LDV badge looked like a skip.
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74 Mk1 Escort 1360, 1971 Vauxhall Victor SL2000 Estate.
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scimjim
Club Retro Rides Member
Posts: 1,503
Club RR Member Number: 8
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Surprised you haven’t come across them before Grizz - we had them in the military throughout the late 70s/80s/possibly even into the early 90s as Sherpa/Freight Rover/Daf until everything went white fleet. We used them for everything a series 3 Rover wasn’t available for (such as driving non-stop from UK to Bavaria to go skiing for a week!) I have a lasting memory of stopping on a mountain road in Norway so that everyone could abandon the Tilly wagon before the fuel tanker coming down the hill sideways hit us (it straightened out at the last second and just took the mirror off)!! Pretty squaddie proof and seemed to go on forever - but we had proper B mechs then
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ahhh...original sherpa...nearly as cool as the ads. soooo 70's!
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'80 s1 924 turbo..hibernating '80 golf gli cabriolet...doing impression of a skip '97 pug 106 commuter...continuing cheapness making me smile!
firm believer in the k.i.s.s and f.i.s.h principles.
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I think the only people that own them are people with 10 kids to cart around or crusties that live in them . Never seen one without DIY Scandi band stickers all over it I also reckon you should get one. If I had a few grand knocking about, and a bit more mechanical know-how, I'd be jumping at the opportunity!
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Last Edit: Mar 4, 2019 21:54:43 GMT by baronim
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