Fall 2000 Rovers North News

By Jeff Aronsont took months of planning and a lot of hardwork, but RoverFest 2000, held August 19-20, in Killington, VT, came off spectacularly. Theevent attracted 170 vehicles and hundreds of

enthusiasts from as far away as Madison, WI, andNorfolk, VA.

My trip started less spectacularly. Unable toleave early Friday morning as planned for the 7hour drive, I joined several thousand vacationers

and commuters on Rte. 1 and the Maine Turnpikeon a sunny Friday afternoon. There may be worseways to travel in a Series IIA than clogged highwaytravel, but I haven’t learned them yet. As I crossedinto southern Maine and New Hampshire, I battledwith thousands more vacationers and commuters.Finally, the traffic eased in western New Hampshireand southern Vermont. I managed to get within 20miles of Killington before the rain began and I hadto put the top back on the QE I. By the time the

extra traffic and the weather delays had stretchedthe time for the trip, the sun had set and the dark-ness on this moonless night had become complete.That enabled me to miss the signs for the event anddrive some additional distance before I realized Ihad gone too far.

The Killington Resort sprawls over an areaabout the size of Rhode Island and encompassesseveral ski mountains. Finding the “Grand Hotel” ona dark road in a dark night

INSIDE:It Takes a Land Rover . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1Rover Fest at Killington . . . . . . . . . . . 1Ask Rovers North . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2Rovers North Tech T i p s . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 - 3Employee Profi l e . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3The Long, Long and Winding Road. . . 4Switching Gears . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5First Impressions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6Billing 2000. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 1S i g h t i n g s . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 2Letters To The Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 3Behind The Steering Wheel . . . . . . . . 1 5Rover Snaps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 6

© 2000 Rovers North Inc • 1319 VT Route 128, Westford, Vermont 05494-9601, USA • 802.879.0032 • e-mail [email protected] • www. r o v e r s n o r t h . c o m

Continued on page 14.

By Jeffrey Aronson [The Rev's. Lou and Joan Mattia are mission -ary priests for the Episcopal Church in centralTanzania, in the Diocese of Mpwapwa. Theyare Directors of a Christian Training Centerin a remote mountain valley 10 km outsidethe small town of Mpwapwa. Thanks to GenePage, Micanopy, Fl, for alerting us to this storyof making a difference - with the help of a LandRover -ed]

Twenty years ago, civil engineer Lou Mattia, and hiswife, Joan, lived in Fairfax, VA, fairly certain of thecourse of their lives. A young seminary student fromUganda had became active in their local Episcopal

Church and had asked congregants to help himestablish his ministry upon his graduation from semi-nary. The following year, the Mattias joined a groupvisiting Uganda; the tail end of the Idi Amin regimewas a dangerous and unpleasant time to enterUganda, but the Mattias were moved by the experi-ence and returned the following year. In an interview

inSeptember ‘99 in theGainesville [FL] Sun, Lou Mattia recountedhow “we learned it’s a very rich culture. The peoplethere were extremely warm and embracing.” In 1985,the Mattias both enrolled in Virginia TheologicalSeminary and were ordained in 1988. They served in

Virginia and moved to Gainesville in 1991. In January,2000, they made another move - this time toMpwapwa in central Tanzania to help establish a sem -inary. Before they departed, they spoke in supportingchurches from Florida to Pennsylvania “in hopes ofraising the money to buy Continued on page 14.

Rover Fest at Killington!

It Takes aLand Rover

I

That’s not a Firestoneexchange - it’s partof the “Muddy OvalChallenge”. Tiresmounted onwheels call onmuscle power aswell as willpower .

RoverFest was a family affair ,as the Bogg’s Family will attest

No Automatic Manual

I recently purchased a 1996 Discovery.I love the vehicle but the dealership didnot have the Owner’s Manual. Do youknow where I can find one?

Land Rover only produces Owner’sManuals for approximately two yearsafter the vehicle production run. My

suggestion would be to look in Hemmings MotorNews for businesses that specialize in used auto-motive publications.Thank you.Dave Sangerhausen, Ext. 229

Smartly Handled

I did not realize I could hand crank theengine in my Series IIA. I have heard thatthis can be dangerous, so I have yet totry it. Do you have ant suggestions beforeI give it whirl?

Hand cranking can be dangerous if youare not paying attention to the properprocedure. Many people have received a

broken hand or a thumb from improper handcranking. Most people make the mistake of start-ing to hand crank with the handle in the 12o’clock position and placing the handle betweenthe webbing of the thumb and forefinger. Handcranking in this manner is the worst thing youcould do. If the engine misfires, (which is com-mon during hand cranking) the full force of themisfire will kick back on the crank handle, andsubsequently against the person’s hand.

If you would like to give it a go, this is what Iwould suggest.

Ensure the ignition is OFF , the gearbox is inneutral, and the transmission brake is set. Installthe hand crank and rotate the crankshaft untilthe hand crank handle is in the six o’clock posi-tion and there is engine compression resistanceagainst the handle. Set the engine controls. Forexample, if you normally have to use the choke,set the choke to the proper position. Turn theignition ON . Grasp the crank handle while keep -ing the handle out of the webbing between yourthumb and forefinger. Quickly pull upward on the handle. Repeat the above steps until theengine starts.Thank you.Dave Sangerhausen, Ext. 229

In The Clutches OfC o r r i s i o n

I recently inherited a Series IIA 88” LandRover. It has been sitting for 10 yearsand I’m trying to get it on the road. I

was able to get it started, but I am unable to putit in gear. No matter what gear I try they allgrind. Is the clutch or maybe the slave or mastercylinder not working?

It sounds to me as though the clutch isstuck to the flywheel. This is a commonoccurrence in vehicles that sit for a

while and would also explain the gear-grindingproblem. If you have an open area in which todrive the vehicle, you can try to break it free bystarting the vehicle with the transmission in gear.With the engine off, place the gearbox in 4thgear, depress the clutch, and then start theengine. Keep in mind that once the engine starts,the Vehicle will begin to drive off, so make sureyour have plenty of room in front prior to start-ing.

The clutch will usually free up on the firstattempt. If not, try it a few more times alwayskeeping the clutch depressed. With the clutchdepressed, the load of the pressure plate is takenoff the clutch and the only thing holding theclutch and flywheel together will be the built upcorrosion. The torque from the engine should beenough to break the corrosion bond of the twocomponents.Thank you.Dave Sangerhausen, Ext. 229

A Likely List

I purchased and installed new leafsprings about a year and half ago. Sincethat time I have finished the restoration

and have noticed that the vehicle has started tolean to the left when viewed from the rear. I’m abit troubled by this since the springs are brandnew and the vehicle has never been driven. Are the springs defective, or did I do somethingwrong?

One of the worst things a Series Rovercan experience is extended times sittingidle. This leaning problem is common

on vehicles (with old or new springs) that arenot driven on a regular basis. Most of the timethe problem can be corrected by swapping thesprings from left to right. However, the best fix isto install a new set of springs once you are readyto regularly drive the vehicle.Thank you.Dave Sangerhausen, Ext. 229

Too Latched

I own a 1994 Range Rover LWB.Sometimes, when I try to open the dri-ver’s door, I have to pull the handle allthe way out before the door unlatches.

At other times I have to work the handle in outbefore the door will unlatch. Is there a simplesolution to this problem or is the latch mecha-nism wore out?

Most of the time we find that the prob-lem lies with the rod connected betweenthe handle and latch. This rod is a turn-

buckle-type and can be adjusted. In this case therod needs to be shortened. If you remove the

interior door panel you can see the rod runningbetween the two mechanisms. Disconnect therod, shorten it a few turns, reinstall it, and checkoperation. If the latch/handle is still difficult,repeat the procedure until operation is to yoursatisfaction.Thank you.Dave Sangerhausen, Ext. 229

Weights And Measures

I own a 1997 Defender Station Wagonand am interested in towing a trailer.The trailer does not have brakes and

weighs 2,000 lbs. According to the Owner’sManual the maximum allowable weight I can towusing a trailer of this type is 1,650 lbs. Thisseems awfully light to me. After all, the unladencurb weight of the Defender is almost 4,000 lbs.Do you know if these statistics are correct, or ifthere is anything I can do to increase the towingcapacity?

I was able to verify the same towing sta-tistics that you provided. Therefore, wecan assume they are correct. There is

nothing I can recommend to increase the vehi-cle’s towing capacity to accommodate the traileryou wish to pull. You may want to move up to atrailer with brakes. This would increase yourcapability to 3,500 in the High transfer range.

Based on my experience here at RoversNorth, this type of question is very commonamong various Land Rover owners. While LandRovers are indeed heavy and have plenty ofpulling power; many other factors have to betaken into consideration when it comes to pullinga trailer. The first is stopping ability. What I amreminded of here are the strongman contestswhere you see a person pulling a freight trainengine by a rope clenched in their teeth. Surethe person is able to get the engine to roll, butare they able to stop it? Similarly, you may be ableto pull a much heavier rolling weight than that ofyour Rover, but is your Rover capable of stoppingthe weight/momentum within a reasonable dis -tance. This is especially true if you are driving aSeries Rover or a U.S spec. 110 which has drumrear brakes. Also, there are vehicle-handlingcharacteristics that are effected when a trailer isattached. Vehicle weight transfer is changed dur-ing acceleration or braking when up to 350 lbs.of trailer tongue weight is pressing down on therear of the vehicle. In addition, cornering, evenon long steady highway-type curves can be dra-matically changed.

Thank you.Dave Sangerhausen, Ext. 229


Tech Tips - ZenithCarburetorWoesBy Mike Searfoss

e often get calls from Series Roverowners with Zenith carburetors. They came standard on later SeriesIIA’s and Series III’s, but over time have

appeared on a number of different model Rovers.You will find the Zenith name stamped on the bottom mixing bowl, when viewed from the leftfender.

The symptoms include a sputtering car, or theneed to pull the choke out in order to get the carto idle. Adjusting the mixture screw seems to makeno difference in the way the engine runs; resettingthe timing doesn’t help either. Don’t be discour-aged - this is an easy fix that can be be resolved inabout an hour using a piece of glass some fine gritwet/dry sandpaper, and penetrating oil.

The problem arises over time as the carbure-tor’s float chamber can take on a warpage fromengine heat. This warpage exacerbates a problemwith milling defects. What results is an incompleteseal and an air leak, disrupting the air-fuel mixtureinto the carburetor. Here are the parts you’ll needand the steps to rectify this problem.

Tools and Parts: 12” x 12” sheet of strong glass3 sheets of wet/dry sandpaper 160-180 grm.1 can penetrating oil1 ea. carburetor rebuild kit # 6050931 ea. small pick (for removing cotter pins)1 ea. small screwdriver (flat head)1 ea 7/16ths box end wrench1 ea. can brake cleaning spray (it dries and cleansbetter than carburetor cleaner )1ea. 6in ruler with millimeter designations

First, remove the carburetor. Drain theremaining gas into a container (not on the grass)and remove the cotter pins (two each) from thelinkage. Disconnect the spring from the top hous-ing. Now separate the top of the carb from the bot-tom by removing the four screws. Now, flip the topover and separate the emulsion block from the top

A.

Q.

A.

Q.

A.

Q.

A.Q.

A.

Q.

A.

Long FC 101 crank handle used to help illustrate correct hand grip& rotation in a clockwise motion. Series handle will be shorter .

Looking from inside a Range Roverdoor at the handle mechanism.

Ask Rovers North

Q.

W

continued on page 3

Arthur Patsouris

hen you hear Arthur Patsouris explainit, the distance between classicalhumanities, archaeology, family restau-rants and Land Rovers is not that far

at all. Rovers North's newest staff member, Arthur

Patsouris, grew up in Norwich, CT. If you're of acertain age in that area, you might well have dinedat Dino's - and it's likely that Arthur, or someonein his family prepared your meal or served you.Arthur graduated from George WashingtonUniversity in Washington, DC, with a degree inclassical humanities and a concentration inarchaeology.

He returned to Norwich and for 21 years ranthe family restaurant - an eon in the restaurantindustry. His interests in the classics extended tohis automobiles; a succession of old Jaguar sedansand MG Midgets followed.

Arthur's interest in Land Rovers began whenhe would see them as a college student inWashington. When he returned to Connecticut, heregularly attended the British By The Sea autoevent; "I would catch the show and see Roversshow up. "A friend who worked as a farrier had a

109" diesel used for his work, and we struck up aconversation at a Norwich shop. That's when Ireally began to search one out."

Finally, in 1989, Arthur purchased his firstRover, a '69 late Series IIA Bugeye. As Arthurremembers, "the car had sat on the lot of a dealer

who once sold Land Rovers.He always had few on the lotand a friend suggested that Imight look at it. It had a snowplow on the front, and notmuch else to recommend it,but I bought it on the spot.That started my associationwith Rovers North, too. Ibought mine on the spot -and learned the hard waywhat Rovers were all about!”

In 1996, Arthur sold thatLand Rover to enable him tobring over a 109" pickup towtruck from England. As some-one who " loves the utility andthe adaptability of LandRovers, Arthur is nowinstalling a Mercedes Benz 5-cylinder diesel ["it was givento me, free!] engine. AGerman manufacturer has aconversion kit that will permitme to use the standard LandRover transmission. I had tosource the flywheel, whichcame from a G Wagen distrib-utor." His goal is to have it

completed for the ROAV Mid-Atlantic Rally inVirginia in early October.

Although Arthur admits that he's "not muchfor originality on British cars," he notes that as aRovers North customer for over 15 years "I'vegone the initial price shopping direction, but in thelong run, you can't beat the Genuine Part route.“It's refreshing to see a company so dedicated tomaintaining quality. In the food service, you'd seethe impact of lower quality immediately - and sodid your customers. It's terrific to work withGenuine Parts."

As a Series owner, Arthur said "the learningcurve of the new products has been a challenge,but I had worked on a friend's '91 Range RoverClassic over the years and had come to see manysimilarities in engineering concepts with LandRovers. Initially, I had shied away from the ECU-based generation of drivetrains, but that's quicklybeen eased as I learn more about the vehicles."

Arthur lives in St. Albans, VT, with his wifeDeanna, and young children Dino and Alexa.

cover. To do this, remove the float, the twoscrews, and the needle (float) guide. You will alsohave to remove the throttle linkage by removingthe nut and the c-clip, and pulling the throttlelinkage out of the top. The last piece you have toremove is the accelerator diaphragm making surenot to loose the small spring. This is located ontop of the top cover and is held with three smallscrews.

Now that you have the carb disassembled youare ready to “lap” all three mating surfaces. Thisis where you will need the piece of glass, pene-trating oil and sandpaper. With the sandpaper onthe glass spray the sandpaper with the penetratingoil. Now take one of the carb plates with the mat-ing surface down, and sand them in a circularmotion. Do this until the surface is flat and free ofany warpage and/or milling marks. You will knowwhen you have achieved this when surfaces are allshiny from your efforts, rather than a combinationof shiny and dull. All three pieces should be sand-ed in the same manner. Once finished, spray eachpiece with the brake clean, making sure that noneof the jets or airports are plugged.

Once the pieces have dried it will be time toreassemble the carb. First, attach the emulsionblock to the top cover, (making sure the gasket isinstalled correctly) install the float, and set thefloat level to 32mm. Now you can assemble thetop and bottom halves, hook up the linkages andreinstall the accelerator diaphragm. Then, installthe throttle linkage. Once the carb is installed,prime the fuel pump and start the vehicle. Withthe engine running, set the idle so the mixturecan be adjusted. Turn the mixture screw in(clockwise) until the engine starts to stumble.Once this happens, turn the mixture screw out(counter clockwise) until you reach max RPM.Now you can set your timing and readjust the idle.Congratulations! You have completed a carb rehabilitation that will make your vehicle performproperly.

Tech Tips -Eliminating Stalling- Air Gap and BaseIdle Settings on theLand Rover EFI V8By Mike Searfoss

e receive many calls each week fromshops and owners complaining thatthe vehicle idle is not steady and/or itstalls when coming to a stop. This can

even occur when they have completed a basictune up. Often, we will ask about "setting the air-gap" and "setting the base idle?" If these are unfa-miliar steps to you, they may be the root of yourproblems.

Air Gap These two steps are as important as changing thespark plugs. To set the air gap you will have toremove the distributor cap, rotor arm, and thedust cover by removing three screws. (Be carefulnot to drop the dust cover screws, they are real

small and you won't be able to find them.) Setyour feeler gauge, which must be non-mag-netic (most people use brass or plastic), to.010. On the distributor shaft you will notice whatlooks like a wagon wheel. Turn the engine byhand until one of the wagon wheel spokes alignswith the eye of the pick-up mounted to the dis-tributor base plate. Insert the feeler gauge. Doesit feel loose? If yes, loosen the two screws holdingthe pick-up and adjust the gap to .010. Once theproper gap is achieved, tighten the pick-upscrews and reassemble the distributor.

Base Idle Step #1 First, at the top of the throttle body you willnotice a small round plug. If it's not alreadyremoved, you will need to drill a small hole inthe center of the plug. Once the hole is drilled,insert a small self-tapping screw into the hole.Using a pair of needle-nose pliers between thescrew head and the plug, pry the plug out of the

throttle body. With the plug removed you willnotice an Allen head screw, whose adjustmentyou will tackle after step #2.

Step #2 Find the black hose connected between the sideof the throttle housing and the rear of theplenum. Disconnect this hose and plug bothports. While you have the hose off the plenumchamber, spray a little brake or carb cleaner intothe plenum and with a brush, scrub out any car-bon that might have accumulated in the cham-

bers.

Step #3 Start the engine,and with the prop-er Allen wrenchadjust the idleRPM by turningthe screw clock-wise to decreaseRPM or counterclockwise toincrease RPM.The base idleshould be set at525 +/- 25rev/min. Once thisis done, turn theengine off, unplugthe ports and

reinstall the hose. Now you should set your tim-ing to 6 +/- 1 Before Top Dead Center.

The car should now idle smoothly at rest andrun cleanly when coming to a stop. If you haveadditional questions or problems, call RoversNorth at any time.Thank you,Mike Searfoss, ext 225

EmployeeProfile


Round Plugwill belocated inh e r e

Black hoseremoved andplugged atboth ends ofp l e n u m

Black hoseremoved andplugged atboth ends ofp l e n u m

Distributor with dust cap removed and feeler gauge inserted

W

W

By Eric Evans

[Correspondent Eric Evans, Naples. FL, hasworked in the theme park, live event and tele -vision industries. When he began withLandscape Florida, a full-service, outdoorlandscaping business, he left the warmth ofFlorida in February, 2000, to purchase an ex-MoD 109” from Rovers North -ed.]

:00am, Naples, FL: A balmy southwestFlorida fog hovered low as I brought mycar to a stop below one of an endless lineof parking lot lights. I could smell thethick musk of the nearby wetlands mixed

with the stinging scent of jet fuel,as I

looked back to see lightbreaking through the palm trees and illuminatingmy solitary vehicle. I lumbered down the jet way,boarded my flight and left on schedule.

Destination - Vermont. Shortly after take-off, I reached into the seat backin front of me to examine the airlines’ route map.It was the first time I had considered, visually, thegreat distance I would have to travel to returnhome. This would also be the first indication ofwhat lay ahead.

My body could sense the bitter cold just bylooking our my 737’s window at the crisp, whitelandscape as it approached Burlington Inter-national Airport. There was snow everywhere - on the ground, on the trees and increasingly inthe air. I hadn’t seen this since I lived andworked in Alaska.

The cab ride to Rovers North lasted about 25minutes and my driver, an elderly life-long resi-dent, made the short trip a pleasure. Most helpfulwere her hints on which local roads to use at thestart of my journey, heading south. We were sopreoccupied by conversation that we drove rightpast my Westford destination - Rovers North. Ican pick out the front wing of a Series truck onan Outback Steakhouse commercial, but I droveright passed an entire field of Land Rovers with-out seeing a one? Go figure - perhaps my visionwas affected by the cold.

Upon arrival, I was greeted by a handful ofhappy dogs that helped me find my way to MarkLetorney. He showed me around the shop, partswarehouse and garage and we eventually woundup in his office. When all the necessary paper-work was complete, Mark presented me with themilitary release papers, an original military issueworkshop manual and the keys to my 1966 ExMoD 109”. The last time I recall being that excited was when I got the keys to my D90 a fewyears back.

We headed downstairs to the garage (I couldhave spent days in that garage) for a quick,Rovers North introduction to my new truck.

Having never driven a Series truck, my lessonwould be a long one. Mark went through all thefeatures and functions (yeah, it’s a long list to aD90 owner) of my apparently pristine specimen.According to Land Rover records, she came offthe assembly line on May 24, 1965 and since thattime had only accumulated 37,227 miles. RoversNorth made a few changes for me, including: seatbelts, reverse lamp, new seats, an 8:1 head, newcarburetor, new ignition and a cab top. After tak-ing me down to the corner gas station for a com-plimentary fill-up, Mark snapped a quick photofor me and I began my long trek home.

The second sign of what I was in store foroccurred within minutes of leaving Rovers North.I had followed my new friend, the cab driver’s,advice on the shortest route to the interstate andhad just reached maximum speed. I was fiddlingwith the dual electric windshield wipers when Isuddenly found myself being overtaken by anentire “wide load” convoy of manufacturedhomes! This was going to take some getting used to.

Progress was most certainly not the name ofthe game that first day. Snow, darkness and aneophyte driver made sure of that. I made it asfar as White River Junction, VT [only 110 miles- ed.] and decided to play it safe and get somesleep - of which I needed much of after luggingmy full length hoop set and canvas top up

three flights of stairs to my hotel room. The following morning I woke to the sound

of a tourist bus loading up with kids, presumablyon a ski trip. As the bus pulled out of the way, Igot my first aerial view of the new beast. A shortwhile later, I braved the frigid temperature,expecting trouble. To my amazement the engineturned over and was running before I could getmy hand off the starter button. What a machine!However, I was so cold I feared the day’s driveand couldn’t wait to arrive to a more moderateclimate.

I made my way south past Brattleboro,Springfield and Hartford and eventually woundup in Darien, CT. Having graduated from DarienHigh School and not having returned since leav-ing for college, I decided tomake a quick stop. Talkabout deja vu - nothing hadchanged, not in 13 years.After a quick lunch at an oldhangout, I headed out for mynext big challenge - The mean streets of NewYork City.

As I made my way out ofConnecticut and entered theouter realm of the Big Apple,I realized that something elsehad remained the same forthe last 13 years. Everything was under construc-tion! Friendly New Yorkers pointed and laughedas they passed me on the Cross BronxExpressway. I guess sight of a tourist bouncingaround violently and swearing at every potholewas amusing to them. I got a beautiful shot of thecity from the George Washington Bridge and thendisappeared into the vast expanse of the NewJersey Turnpike. Actually, the Turnpike was one ofthe more peaceful parts of my trip - its well main-tained and recently paved!

I spent the evening of my second day some-where in Maryland. This is the portion of myjourney that sort of becomes a blur. For the nexttwo full days I made my way down the East Coast.I passed through Washington, D.C. thinking “boy,

wouldn’t it be nice to get a shot of the MoD infront of the Washington Monument or the WhiteHouse.” I then considered the possible securityresponse to a camouflaged military truck in frontof Bill’s house and decided to continue on.Besides, it would have taken a half a day out ofmy “schedule.” I was battered by freezing rain intwo consecutive states and was nearly crushed byseveral 18-wheelers who didn’t notice that I wasonly doing 50mph until they were right on top ofme. I am not proud of this, but at one point Iactually considered calling it quits and climbingaboard the “Auto Train” in Virginia. Charleston, SC was a welcome sight. My back wasaching from the bouncing around, my neckcracking was every time I turned my head and mylegs had been asleep for so long I forgot theywere there. One of my best friends from mycareer with Disney World now lives in Charlestonand I jumped at the opportunity to spend a nighton the town with him (we took his car.) I hadtraveled for four days and made it fromBurlington, VT to Charleston, SC. Having felt that Ihad indeed made significant progress, I decidedto look at the map. Mistake. Take a look at theeast coast on a map. I was beyond my halfwaypoint, but not far beyond it, not for four days oftraveling. I was now depressed.

The next evening I faced the anti-climacticmoment of the trip. I passed through the briefsection of I-95 that cuts across Georgia and hitthe Florida State Line. First came the “yes, I’m inFlorida, finally”, followed by the “but I live as farsouth in the state as you can go and its on theopposite coast.” Yes, arriving in Florida was agood thing, but I still had a long 12 hours of dri-ving to go. I decided to get the “other coast”issue out of the way first and at the same timeavoid the traffic nightmare that is Orlando. Justoutside of Jacksonville, I cut across I-10 to I-75and turned south. The temperature was muchmore agreeable than where we had started thisdrive and the MoD was still running beautifully. Iended up my marathon fifth day in Ocala, justnorth of Tampa.

I woke up the next morning excited, ready toget home. I found myself counting the exit num-bers from the 60s to the 50s and slowly down tomy exit - 16. The last three exits were the longestpart of the entire drive. I wanted to scream “justget there already!” When I finally stopped andparked at home I fell out of the truck, sat on thecurb and stared, contemplating my feat. Six daysof driving at 50 mph in a 34 year-old military

Land Rover. Wow. Hoochie,as she is now called, hasnever returned to the inter -state. She is driven almostdaily around town and hasspent several thrilling daysin the Florida Evergladesmudding and swimming. Ithas run flawlessly since itspurchase. I want to extend a special

thanks to Rovers North andto all those who offered

assistance along the way. Could you do it?Absolutely, but only in a Land Rover!


6

The Long, Long and Winding Road

Map background ©2000 Rand McNally

ATTENTION ex-MoD owners!A ny Rovers North Military 109 owners [with the heater contro lb e t ween the seats] that have purchased an ex-MoD vehicle fro m

u s , please note; we now have laminated dash graphics available free of charge, i l l u s t r a t i n gthe correct operation of your heater.Please notify us if you would like oneof these and we will ship it to you fre e.

1672.7 miles in a 34 yearold Ex-MoD Land Rover 109!

[Scott Preston, Yarmouthport, MA, has been aLand Rover enthusiast for many years; his mostrecent Land Rover is a Series IIA on a Designacoil spring chassis. But just when his wife, Elly ,was due to deliver their first child, Harrison, hadto shift gears in a hurry. Read on -ed].

The Sunday before my wife, Elly, was due at the hos-pital, my gearbox decided to bite the dust. I beggedChris Laws, the owner of Badger Engineering, aLand Rover interior shop in S. Dennis, MA, to let me

use his shopand keep outof the weather.I figured thatas I had justcompletedbuilding thewhole truck ayear ago and ithad a remov-able crossmember... sono big deal,right??? Well,

that when it started to go downhill fast. I found outthat when you galvanize a new chassis, you bolt theremovable crossmember in place so the framedoesn’t twist from the heat. However, you don’t nec-essarily clean off the bolts that hold the crossmem-ber on afterward. So, they are just about impossible

to get off by hand orwithout an impactwrench. After spendinga whole hour prying offone bolt, I quicklydecided to remove thegearbox the old fashionway and pulled out theseats and seat box.

On the otherhand, all the boltsbeing new meant every-thing came apart quick-ly. I disconnected theheader down pipe, the driveshafts, disconnect thespeedometer cable and pulled out the overdrive. Iused the shop engine hoist and quickly got thegearbox out of the truck and on the bench wherethe real fun started. Did I mention that I have neverpulled apart a gearbox before?

A few friends gave me some ideas of what theproblem might be and they were right. I had brokethe 2nd and 3rd synchro-mesh units and the springclip on the mainshaft,sheared the locating pinson the end of the shaft andbroken the bronze sleeveinto two pieces. In additionto replacing all the brokenbits, I decided to replacedall the seal, gaskets, andbearings in the gearbox andtransfer case.

I called Mike atRovers North and he helpedme identify all the parts I needed as well as some Ididn’t know I needed. Peter Janney, a Land Roverenthusiast and Bay State Rover Owners Association

officer, gave me reassuring advice that the gear boxonly goes together one way and to stand it upright ina bucket while disassembling and reassembling it.This small tip made a huge difference with aligningall the gears. I also used a cardboard box to labelthe mainshaft and layshaft so I didn’t confuse them.

Once I got the parts in, my biggest problemwas setting the float on the mainshaft. The newbronze sleeve was very tight and I had to drift it on

and off with a rubber mal -let every time. I tried toreuse the mainshaft in thebeginning because the onlyproblem with it was thatthe pins had been shearedoff. Forget it!!! I couldn’ tget those pins out to savemy life. The new ones evenhad to be drifted in!!! Inow own a very expensiveclutch alignment tool.Setting the float was pretty

straight forward in the shop manual except that Ihad to buy a $100.00 worth of extra shim washersand whack on and off the bronze sleeve with the

mal-let. What a sight!Changing the bearings at the end of thegearbox wasn’t easy either. Those snap ring clipsare huge and getting them in and out was a bear!Once the bearings were replaced and the float set,and I stood the gearbox case on end in a big bucketand dropped everything in. It really did only gotogether one way! Thank God!!!

I torqued everything down and did the ever-amusing “shifter fork dance.” I have taken theforks in and out a few times and it just never getseasy. Once again, I got the engine hoist out, andwith a hand from Denis Nault, lined up the trans-mission with the engine. I bolted in the driveshafts,exhaust, and seat box, and took it for a ride aroundthe parking lot to see if it worked. Thankfully it wasall good.

All told, it took 34 hrs from the time I startedto disassemble the Rover until I drove it home. Idon’t think it was too bad considering I never tookapart a transmission before. Not to mention thatwhile I was working on the Rover every time I heardthe telephone ring I thought that Elly was calling meto say that it was time to go to the hospital. Nowthat’s pressure!

In honor of the gearbox replacement, and myson’s birth, I bought him a tiny Land Rover cap ashis first article of clothing. It shouldn’t take him toolong to learn the shift pattern on a IIA. Now, Elly andI have to learn to shift gears and becomeparents!


Shifting Gears

[Dana Ferenc, Atlantic Beach, FL, attended herfirst-ever off road event in Maine during June,2000. Her impressions of 4x4 vehicles had beentainted by her boyfriend’s endless problems witha mid-’80’s Jeep Wagoneer, so we hoped that thisDowneast Land Rover Club event would convinceher of the delights of off-roading. Here are herfirst impressions -ed.]

I’m hooked! For the first time I have experienced the capabilitiesof Land Rovers off road and met a few Land Roverenthusiasts. On June 24, 2000 the Downeast LandRover Club held a club gath -ering on 269 acres of landin central Maine thatincluded off-roading, rockclimbing and a hilltopbarbecue at the end ofthe day. As many of youmay have deduced, I amnew to the idea of off-roading and, for thatmatter, the idea ofLand Rovers. JeffreyAronson, the editorof the Rovers NorthNews, and I hadworked togetheron other projectsand I had lis-tened to himprattle on end-lessly aboutLand Rovers. To shut himup, I finally accepted his invitation toexperience Land Rover’s and write about my first impressions of off-roading.

Rule #1 - Listen to your WifeThe day began with Jeff introducing me to variousclub members and their vehicles. Talk about over-whelmed with information. Everything seemed to go

in one ear and out the other. Jeff was telling meabout the different engines, suspension and all thosethings that this chick knew nothing about. I met theclub president and founder, John Cassidy, who alsoserved as one of the marshals for the event. Johndrove his wife’s 98 Discovery but because “the car’sfor sale and my wife told me not to scratch or dent

it up”, he took it only on the after-noon greenlane run.

Rule #2- Don’t Choose Favorites! At 10:00 a.m. it was time to pull out and test thevehicles and driving skills on an extreme course.Before we left I was encouraged to ride in different

Rovers and see what each one had to offer. Ed Bear,an avid Land Rover enthusiast and owner, chal-lenged me to choose my favorite vehicle at the endof the day. I had a feeling that I had no right tojudge the vehicles since I reallywould have no idea whatI was talking about. Atthe end of the day I didcome to the realizationthat all the vehicles havespecial characteristics that

made them unique intheir own way and those

unique characteristicsinclude the drivers [see Rule

#1 above].

Rule #3 - Where’s the Trail? I rode first with Jeff in his ‘66Series IIA. I had ridden with himbefore but never in an off-roadsituation. My first impression fromJeff’s Rover is that both driver andRover are die-hards at keeping things original - nospecial amenities like clean seats without duct tape,carefully-packed containers of off-road necessities,or a winch. My second impression was that this mis-erable road we were traveling must also be part ofthe off-road trail. I quickly discovered that this wasa foolish question because we were just on the roadout to the starting point.

Six Range Rovers, Defenders and Land Roverstook the extreme trail. I had enough of Jeff’s SeriesRover early on, so I jumped in with Mike Smith, thefounder of East Coast Rover, who was driving Ed

Bear’s heavily-optioned Defender 90. I asked Mikewhy there were not many women drivers. Mike saidthat he thought many times women may have asense of intimidation of off-roading because of thelarge number of men in the sport; “it is surprisingbecause as an off-road instructor many timeswomen were better drivers because of their lack ofpreconceptions about what off-roading is about.”

Next, I rode with Ed Bear, Stratton, ME, in hiscustom Military

Lightweight. Hisadvice, and I quote - “sit down,

shut up, and hold on!” which is great advice for aninexperienced off-roader like myself. I did have ahard time with the “shut up” part. Ed’s Rover ishighly modified [Range Rover 3.5, coil springchassis conversion, front/rear lockers and winch -es, sill protectors -ed.] and looks as if it can goanywhere. Indeed, as the trail progressed to a 250-300 ft. rock climb, it did go anywhere.

Now I jumped into the highly-modified [300Tdi, 5-speed, full time four wheel drive, coilsprung frame, front/rear lockers, winch, customrollbar] ‘71 Series IIA of Chris Komar, an off-roadenthusiast, Land Rover Experience instructor, and amechanic with East Coast

By ScottPreston

First Impressions -Off Roading

continued on page 13.

Kaan Karakaplan,Bayside, NY ,challenges a difficult rocktrail in hisRange RoverClassic at theDELRC FallMeeting


[David Pound, Stowe, VT, loves his Defender 90 asmuch as his family, but something was missing inhis life. He began the restoration of a Series II lastyear and chronicled his efforts in the Rovers NorthNews. An expatriate and graphics designer, Davidcontinues the story of his RHD ‘59 Series II ‘88 named “William” ed.]

LM 945, the name on his registrationplate, now lies in piles all over my base-ment flo o r, totally stripped from its rustychassis. Business commitments and

home improvement responsibilities, such as paintingthe house (whoever invented the Wagner powerpainter should be given a medal), have slowed theprogress on my Series II. However, I did manage tocomplete all necessary repairs on that majorheadache of rot and wear - the bulkhead.

The bulkhead of WLM 945 was in bad shape;both footwells were rusted-through and many holeswere either drilled or sawn through the metal in

order to accommodate later additions. For strengthand safety, the bulkhead must be strong and secure.As with the frame, it’s one of the few steel pieces inthe Rover assembly, so corrosion can, and oftendoes, rear its ugly head.

Removing the bulkhead turned out to be easierthan I had originally feared, owing to the fact that itwas secured in only four places: on each bottomside, one large bolt connected the chassis outriggerto the bulkhead, and on the tunnel side of thefootwells connections were made to a bracket whichattaches to the chassis. Along with the aboveitems, the steering mechanism and wiring allhad to be removed. I left the pedal assemblyin place at first and disassembled them oncethe whole bulkhead was out of the vehicle.When you are ready to remove the bulkheadmake sure you have help as this item is notonly heavy, but awkward to maneuver aroundthe chassis.

Once removed, I disassembled all items thatwere connected to the bulkhead, such as pedals,instrument panel and umpteen seemingly unneces-sary bolts. The naked bulkhead was then loaded inmy D90 and taken to Rovers North where MarkLetorney gave it the “once over” and suggested thevarious parts that were needed to restore the it. In mycase, I needed two new toe boards (RNF003 andRNF002) and two new door posts. I used the 18 3/4” posts (CHAS 17 and CHAS 18),

since my bulkhead door posts were only rusted atthe bottom [Rovers North does supply 25” doorposts if required]. Other bulkhead pieces, such askick panels and center tunnel sections, did not needreplacement on this Series II, but fortunately, LandRover still manufactures, and Rovers North carries,those items. The quality of toe boards and doorposts were immediately apparent; with the toeboards being galvanized, I should not have to fearcorrosion for a long time.

I decided to have the bulkhead sandblasted sothat all the parts could be welded on a clean surface.It was also a good way of getting rid of decades ofsurface rust and grease. Once sandblasted it was onto the most challenging part of the bulkhead repair,that is, to make sure all unnecessary holes weremarked to be filled at the welding stage. I had to do

a lot ofresearch of old factoryphotos, and examine other Series II’s ,to make sure I was filling the correctholes. An aftermarket heater had beeninstalled so additional holes had been drilled close to the original Smith heater holes.Also, large 2 1/2” holes were made through the shelfmetal in order to accomodate the wider hoses of this

h e a t e r. All of this had to be corrected asI’m seeking a historically accuraterestoration. I used a red grease pencil tocircle all the holes I needed to be fil l e dand set off for the welding shop. Asmentioned in my last article, I am verylucky to have a true artisan as a localw e l d e r. I am very impressed with his abili-ty to perform tasks with both steel and alu-minum. It is so important to do your researchand find a welder with experience and talent. By thetime you have arrived at the welding stage you haveinvested a great deal of time and money; you don’twant that to be wasted on a bad job.

My bulkhead came back from the weldingshop looking like new. All holes were filled asrequested, certainly a credit to my local welder. Oneimportant thing, make sure you keep the old rustedout footwells, you may need them as a template if

you need to fin dlocations for

foot dimmerswitches andthe like.L a s t l y,because of

the bare metalstate of thebulkhead acoating of etch-primer fin i s h e dthings off until itsfinal bronzegreen paint.

“Those are as rare asrocking horse manure.”

Parts for a Series II defy the usual ease with whichSeries owners find Genuine Parts; since this modelwas in production only from 1958-1961, manyparts unique to that model went out of production.For many Series II owners, the answer lies ininstalling parts from Series IIA’s - rarely a diffic u l tswap. However, I’ve been determined to keep mySeries II a complete Series II. So last June, I joined

thousands of Land Rover enthusiasts at theLand Rover Owner International -

sponsored rally at Billing inEngland.

At Billing, I asked a LandRover enthusiast fromYorkshire whether he knewof a source in England forrear Sparto lights for mySeries II. “Those are as rare

as rocking horse manure”, hereplied. He was right; while I

had a great time in England, Icould not find a set at the event.

H o w e v e r, as a result of my previous article inthe Rovers North News, I received an email from agentlemen living in southern Vermont. It turnedout he was the original importer of WLM 945 andhe had old parts and documentation of the vehicle,if I cared to pick them up. Id i d n ’t have to be askedtwice and made a tripto Manchester, VT(about 2 hours fromme) the followingweek.

Awaiting mewhere old photos ofWLM 945 in England inthe early 70’s; it was likeseeing an old friend from thepast. The original registration documentation andinvoice were also right there. And over in the cor-ner could be seen a box of bits that the originalowner no longer needed. I looked through thebox hurriedly, old switches and breather caps, vari-ous bulbs and wait! Could it be? A full set of Spartorear lights! “You should keep those, they’re quiterare”, said the previous owner. “Like rockinghorse manure”, came my reply.

With the bulkhead finished and the exteriorrear lamps on hand, I’m now psyched to begin thereconstruction process. My wife would like thebasement back, too. Perhaps the trip to the BritishInvasion in Stowe in September will motivate me toset aside design work and complete WLM 945s o o n .

Restoration ofKing William

By David Pound

Typical rusted-out hole in the footwell.

Bulkhead-before repair work

Bulkhead-afterrepair work

W

[Les Parker, Cadyville, NY, has worked at RoversNorth for 5 years and owns a 109” ex-MoD softtop, a ‘60 Series II under “slow restoration,” anda ‘67 Series IIA 88” ex-MoD.]

hat I did on my summer vacation “ is atale told by schoolchildren worldwide.Mine consisted of a recent sojourn towhat is reportedly the largest ever gath -ering of Land Rover vehicles, their

associated paraphernalia and of course, theRoverphiles (like you and me) their friends andfamilies, all set in the green and pleasant land ofNorthamptonshire, UK, on the weekend of July 21-23 2000.

After an uneventful flight from Mirabel Airportin Montreal, Canada to Gatwick Airport, nearLondon UK, a four-hour trip north took me to visitmy family in Lincoln, in rural Lincolnshire. It hadbeen about a year since I had last been home. Formy companion, Debby LaBombard, a U.S. citizen, it provided a great introduction to the best part ofEngland. We stayed overnight in Lincoln andenjoyed the majesty of Lincoln Castle and LincolnCathedral; they looked even more spectacular at night.

The following day, still suffering from the effectsof jet lag, we traveled the fairly direct route toNorthampton and saw a sample of the delights tocome, a few variants of Series vehicles and the morecommon (not in the USA) Defender. A rather shyexample, with the badges of a local utility company,Hi-cap crew cab and workshop attached, tookexception to being photographed. Perhaps we inter -rupted their break? So we moved swiftly on beforewe were treated to the wailing of the local constabu-lary siren.

Around mid-day we exited the A45 at the Billingoff-ramp and drove into the usually serene facility

called The Billing Aquadrome. However, during thetwo weeks of late July, there is a vast transformationfrom serenity to utter mayhem when the GreaterRoverphile (a.k.a. the “Anoraks”) Nation flocks tothe shores of the lake and pastures of GreaterBilling in Northamptonshire. The organizers hadplanned for over 20,000 visitors from all over theworld. From the crowds I saw, it looked like theorganizers had done their sums correctly.

For my companion Debby, this trip not onlyintroduced her to the culture of Great Britain butalso to the phenomenon known as “The Land RoverEvent”. Most of the thousands of people who werein attendance on Friday had planned many monthsbefore to use this week as part of their annual holi-

days (vacation time); some hadarrived either the previous weekor had plans to remain for thefollowing week to enjoy theirexcursion to the fullest.

I was amazed at the size ofthe crowds in attendance and thewhole place buzzed with excite-ment. For Land Rover restorers,the vast array of used or NOS(new old stock) parts wasbeyond belief. Not long into theday we bumped into a familiarface from Vermont, David Pound,a Rovers North News contributor,and his family. As he describedhis purchases for the restorationof his Series II, I became certainhe would have to repack his suit -cases so he could carry all the materiel he bought on histravels.

Rovers North had arrangedto share a stall on the area adja-cent to the main Arena, courtesyof Eddie Priscott, proprietor ofFrogs Island 4 X 4. Also in our

immediate vicinity was Chris Brown of Brownchurch(London, UK) fame. Between us, we represented avast well of off-road equipment knowledge andexperience.

My “work” while there was to introduce andpromote the NRP stainless steel exhaust system inEngland, as Rovers North is the exclusive distributorof these systems worldwide. No sooner had wemade our introductions to Eddie and his staff thanwe had visitors to our stand. The reception we expe-rienced during the week-end was friendly and posi-tive, especially the uniqueCatalytic Y Pipes that we hadon display, so the time spedby remarkably swiftly. Theweather was perfect, a balmy+80F and the pleasant sur -prise, for both Debby andmyself, there was a distinctlack of flying, biting insects -a definite plus, in our opinion!

Friday evening weretired to our hotel, ready

for an early start on Saturday, report-edly the busiest day of the event. Thelocal hostelry was also full to the seamswith folk of like intent, although unbe -knownst at the time of planning ourtrip, there was also an Elton John con-cert. Due to these elements there werehordes of people wherever you ven-tured; still it made for some introduc -tions and conversations other than theweather!

Saturday morning dawned with adramatic change in temperature; theskies were overcast and sweaters/woolies/jackets were definitely theorder of the day. With the assistance ofEddie and Richard of Frogs Island, we were allready for the hordes of Land Rover enthusiasts todescend on us for another day. Again, the size of thecrowds, so much greater than North Americanevents, just overwhelmed you.

The day remained overcast with low cloud,enough to stop the British Army’s crack parachuteteam, The Red Devils, from giving the awaitingcrowd the benefit of their enthralling display.However, being the out and out enthusiasts that weare, we were not deterred by this small inconve-nience. The Show continued brilliantly with displaysby the various clubs, organizations and businesses;sadly, due to some organizational misunderstand-ings, the winching demonstration sort of fell by thewayside, much to my disappointment.

I also watched in envy as hordes of trials partic-ipants and off-roaders enjoyed the challenges of thecourses while I worked behind the booth. Duringthe less busy times I meandered around the vastacreage of trade stands, meeting some longstandingfriends and acquaintances, also perusing the goodsfor sale. I could only marvel at the diversity of thegoods on offer, from (in my humble opinion)absolute recyclable material not really fit for sale, to many new take-off parts and some new lineaccessories. Some great deals will become avail-able from Rovers North; watch out for our Specialsand Rovers North News issues for new lines andalso some “hard to find” and NLA parts, both newand used.

Towards the end of the day, with events on theoff-road course coming to an end, the Main Arenaonce again became bustling with folk looking for “input” of new products and information to satisfytheir quest for the ultimate idiosyncratic Land Rovervehicle. During this time we bumped into Pam

Nelson from Kalamazoo, Michigan among someother folk from the western side of the “pond”.

So the daycame to a close,unfortunately ourlodgings were notin the immediatevicinity, thus wehad to take anearly departureand miss the Bar-b-ques, camp firesand general lettingdown of ones hairthat occurred onSaturday evening.Judging by the faces that weencountered on Sunday morn-ing, we missed a tremendousevent. At least we had a goodsnight’s sleep and could face a fullEnglish breakfast; the mere men-tion of fried eggs made a fewfriends’ faces turn green atleast a natural Land Rovercolour).

Sunday was on the same par as Saturday. Onceeveryone had regained their composure, they foundthe skies had brightened up a bit. With this, theatmosphere of the event changed, depressionseemed to lift and some of the stall holders on thetrade stands decided to become market traders. Thecrowds flocked to see how many bargains could behad. I suppose reloading all that wonderful LandRover material onto their trucks was too much forthem. Their benevolence came shining through,selling their goods and chattels at bargain basementprices. There certainly were many contented folklate Sunday evening as we packed up our stall andbade our farewells to our friends from Frogs Island4x4 , Mantec, Safety Devices and the many othermakers of fond memories during our all too shortvisit to the Billing site.

Since our return, we have learned of organiza-tional changes that will occur for Billing 2001.Hopefully matters will sort themselves out for nextyear so that once again the thunder of EP90 drip-ping vehicles of the Best 4 X 4 marque can be heardin the generally tranquil green belt of Northamp-tonshire, UK.


The sight of 101’s is always special to Land Rover enthusiasts.

The UK Camel Trophy Owners Club always put on award-winning displays.

Billing 2000 - LR’s in the UK By Les Parker

A Defender 130 Crew Cab is quite versatile, but this bicyclist might have foundthe most unique use.

Baby Land Rover enthusiasts start earlywith the basics. Maybe he can find therest of the parts from vendors at Billing?

“W

ome readers know that the Sightings fea -ture gets compiled at the Editor’s office onVinalhaven, an island off the coast ofMaine. Recently, our postmaster left the

island after only one year; a postal worker, hand-ing me yet another package of Sightings from alertreaders, let me know that she saw the connectionbetween the volume of Sightings and his departure.It was just too much work.

So, on a nice summer day, I’m once againpouring through the mailbags to sort out the flot-sam from the Mug winners. With Land Roverimages everywhere these days, we wanted to rec-ognize as many of you eager Sighters as possible.Congratulations to all the new Land Rover ownerswho join us each issue.

As always, it’s important for you rookies toreview the rules for Sightings - and it wouldn’t hurtif some veterans would take a look again, too.

Rule # 1 - All Sightings receive recognition andour appreciation, but not necessarily a mug. W ereward only those Sightings that capture theunique qualities of Land Rovers and their own -ers, and display them in a unique way .

Rule #2 - If your Sighting does not really sur -prise you, it won’t surprise us, either, and youwon’t get a mug. We’re delighted, but not sur -prised, that Land Rovers appear in British tele -vision programmes, British publications, filmswith British themes, and shows and publica -tions about Africa. You shouldn’t be surprised,either, and should consider looking for otherways to get a coffee mug.

Rule #3 - At an ever-changing date beforepublication, we close off the Sightings. If we’ve

mentioned the Sighting in an earlier issue, wewon’t mention it again. If you’re new to thefamily of Land Rover enthusiasts, you may nothave seen your Sighting in an earlier issue.

Rule #4 - We’re not outfitting your kitchen. If you qualify, one mug per Sighting per issue.

Rule #5 - Sightings that are Land Rover refer -ences in books go to our Literary Land Rovereditor for mention, but only when space permits.

Rule #6 - Psst... if we can’t read you name andaddress because of atrocious penmanship, wecan’t recognize your Sighting nor send you amug. Psst...E-mail submissions - remember wecan’t send a mug by e-mail. Send us your realname and shipping address, too.

Rule #7 - Grudgingly, very grudgingly, theEditor admits he might make an error. Let meknow if you think you’ve been jobbed, but alldecisions of the Editor are final.

Television loves Land Rovers. *SteveSchumacher, Deforest, WI , watched “3 min-utes” of American High and is pretty certain hesaw “4 guys crusin’ in a Defender 90.” Only thetwo sliding windows and a door top identified thecar. Steve admits he “didn’t see any outside shotsof it, but I didn’t want to watch it any longereither.” But Steve could not pull himself away froma Hostess Ding-Dong commercial, in which arhino feels that the spare tire on a Land Rover he’spursuing is a snack cake. The rhino hits the tireup front and asks, “Where’s the cream filling?”Advertisers know that Land Rovers help sell prod-ucts. Even though L. L. Bean has signed on withSubaru to produce a designer version of theOutback, *Charles and Laura Aftosmis,Greensburg, P A noted the use of a Defender as aprop on several pages of the Fall catalogue. So,too, did *Bill Rice, Columbus GA, who alsopointed out that the wing of Series Rover appearsthroughout the same catalogue.

*Bud Brown, Temple, P A, noted that Orvisput a 109” SW on the cover of its Summer 2000catalogue. Now that’s a way to draw in readers. Anunusual use of a Defender as a cover car is on theDraper’s & Damon’s “ladies fashion” catalogue. Amodel in a frumpy, coordinated outfit stares at amap while leaning against the hood of a clean,white Defender. “Imagine my amazement,” wrote*Mark Paradis, Lebanon, NJ - imagine our’swhen we saw the cover!

*Nick Jacobs, New York, NY , noted thatthe latest Merrill Lynch VISA affiliate card rewardcatalogue includes a 2000 Range Rover for only3,000,000 points! Lesser point totals would garnera go at the Land Rover Driving School at TheEquinox or Land Rover Gear luggage. *J. MitchellStockdale, Evergreen, CO , spotted a Bud Lightcommercial featuring a Series III Limestone 88”.It’s the best thing about light beer, that’s for sure.Harry Drabik, Hovland, MN , found thatHerrington’s catalogue features - once again - ascrub brush for washing “a Suburban, Expeditionor Any SCU/Minivan,” but chooses the show thebrush in action on a Discovery! Land Roversappear in the likely places. The July issue ofJournal of Military Ordnance is sold at the Barnesand Noble in Portsmouth, VA, where Jim Wolfspotted a nice article on the aptly named “Wolf”Defenders. And in unlikely places - Wolf also notedthat a new Series II Discovery was in the back-ground of an advertisement for Autopilot, anonline service for the Hampton Roads, VA area.

*Staci (age 13) and Sarah (age 12)Adriansen fear for their father, who they report

has not won a mug for his previous Sightings. Theycame up with some of their own, and the lyrics ona Country Grammar album do mention, promi -nently, a Range Rover - though not for reasonslikely to bring a smile to Land Rover’s marketingdepartment. The remaining lyrics would be unlike -ly to make Tipper Gore’s favorite hits collection,and we’ll have to pass on them, too. Staci andSarah also noted that Ashley Judd’s Eye ofBeholder movie features a Range Rover. RobertSedivy, Richmond, V A, watched a 1975 LinaWermuller film, Swept Away, which featured abright blue Range Rover at a southern Italian port,“presumably to suggest the yacht owner’s goodtaste as well as their wealth.”

It’s been a rainy summer in parts of NewEngland, and Mike Madden, Laconia, NH ,found a photo in his local newspaper of aDiscovery Series II “surfing” down a street along-side Lake Winnipesaukee. As Mike asks, “where isthe Navigator or Explorer, or even the Sportage orRAV4?”

Two surfing fans, one on the West Coast andone on the East Coast, caught a RHD Series II orearly Series IIA SW in the July Surfer magazine. A great photo of Randy Rarick driving his LandRover accompanied the article. Thanks to*Maurice Patrykus, Los Angeles, CA , and*Amiee Ingram, Rowayton, CT , for noting howimportant the Land Rover was to the story.

*Mike Knapp, Shoreham, VT , found apolitical cartoon by Vermont’s own Jeff Danzingeron the travails of Tony Blair. It has Blair using aSeries Rover as a soapbox to hype himself. AsMike wrote, “it seems that at least those cartoon-ists with their fingers on the pulse of currentevents realize that the Land Rover is still the quin-tessential icon of Britain.” In other news, JanStaller, New York, NY , found a photo in the NewYork Times of a Defender 110 set up as a speakingplatform for Uganda’s president [see rule #2].

If you had your choice, would you select a1965 “Landrover Range Rover Station Wagon” or a1988 Lamborghini LM 002 Sport Utility? BruceBurnham, Salt Lake City, UT , notes the KruseAuction catalogue offers one of each. What kind ofcar is that first one, though? Finally, for a “lyricalSighitng,” Bill Rice, Columbus, GA , wrote “ It’sfrom an old Housemartins song off of their album“The People Who Grinned Themselves to Death.”The song is “I Can’t Put My Finger On It.” The“anti dumb-rich-kid song” includes: I should’vedone his Land Rover To let him know I’d been,Instead I wrote “F’ off” On the dirt across hisscreen.

. . . . .I wish I’d let them know that I was here.A drop of arsenic in the wine,Sulphuric acid in the beer.This charming ditty was part of Bill’s heroic, andsuccessful, effort to land a coveted Sightings mug.As Bill wrote, “Not to start out by being ingratiat-ing, but as an aside, I’ve chatted with you a fewtimes (Downeast ‘95, maybe somewhere elsetoo—probably British Invasion ‘97). Drove (andstill do) a marine blue SIIa 109SW. Enjoyed meet -ing you and love the QE I—your utilitarian seriesowner perspective always makes me laugh. I willassiduously avoid making any rash statements like“please send my mug to . . .” like I did last time Isent in a Sighting, several years ago. The implicitscolding I received for that bit of impetuosity haskept me from sending a sighting in for years now.Rejection’s tough to face. But I’m now older andwiser and understand that the whole thing’s acrapshoot, so why not have a go?”

Surely he doesn’t think that complimentsabout my Land Rover guarantee a mug! Rumorsthat I will be driving the mug directly to his homein Columbus, GA are entirely without merit.

Winners William J. Rice, Columbus, GA

Mark E. Paradis, Lebanon, NJ

Bud Brown, Temple, P A

Mike Knapp, Shoreham, VT

Maurice Patrykus, Los Angeles, CA

Amiee Ingram, Rowayton, CT

J. Mitchell Stockdale, Evergreen, CO

Nick Jacobs, New York, NY

Steve Schumacher, Deforest, WI

Charles and Laura Aftosmis, P A

Staci and Sarah Adriansen [?]


The new coveted Rovers North Sightings Mug

SIGHTINGS

All Land Rovers should be this happy! Bob Raffensperger’ sDormobile sporting a smile at Rovers North.

S

Dear Rovers North, Really enjoy the Newsletter. However, in the articleon propshafts, you did not mention one of themost important points - to make sure that the u-joints are properly “indexed.” Correctly assem -bled, the u-joints should be dead in line with witheach other - no other position. In other words,they would lie parallel to each other in a line.

The slip joint marking is a good idea; how-ever, most old Rovers have been apart a few timesin their lives and not always reassembled by com-petent mechanics.

Fred SissonNorcross, GA

[Good point, Fred. When I had to replace the u-joints on my rear propshaft for the article, I didnot disassemble the shaft at the splines. It canbe easier to maneuver the shaft, however, if itis apart -ed.]

Dear Rovers North, On a trip from Wisconsin to Alabama this pastApril with my ‘92 Range Rover and trailer to pickup a horse-drawn beer wagon (imported fromEngland where it hauled beer on city streets until1999), I picked up some bad gas in southernIllinois.

When I got down to 1/4 tank north ofNashville, it lost power and the engine soon wassounding very bad. It was late at night and I wasin the middle of nowhere but found a lonely con-venience store/gas station so I filled up the tankand added some dry gas. Then I retired for thenight in the bench seat of my “Rover motel.”

In the morning, it fired right up and idledsmoothly, but I drove several times around the lotbefore proceeding on my trip. Since the “CheckEngine” light was on I looked in my book andfound a Rover dealership south of Nashville, about70 miles away. I drove there and arrived earlybefore they opened, but in a hard, pouring rain.The dealership was a Land Rover Centre, a beauti-ful lodge in a very well-to-do area. I guess Ishould have washed my Range Rover before I left

the farm as I left quite a lot ofWisconsin soil inthe parkinglot. Theywereverynicepeopleas theyagreed tolook at theRover rightaway, despite thecomment on themud left in my park-ing space (I did get ashovel and broom andcleaned it up).

The Rover checked outOK; an oxygen sensor wentoff which could have been aresult of the bad gas. As I wasleaving I asked if anybodyfamous lived in the big houseswith the gated and arched driveways so close toNashville. “Oh yes, Waylon Jennings just livesacross the road and Alan Jackson lives a littleways down the road - he drives two Rovers.” Nowcorrect me if I’m wrong, but doesn’t he do theFord commercials? Maybe he knew somethingbefore we all did! By the way, the Rover did finethe entire trip despite the horse wagon being a bitheavier than I thought. It ran great up and downthe hills of Tennessee and Kentucky.Sincerely,Chris NestorMelrose, WI

[Alan Jackson did sing about how life was bet -ter in a Mercury, so maybe you’re right, Chris.It’s good to know that your Range Rover per -formed so well and that Land Rover Centres willhelp a traveler in need -ed.]

Dear Rovers North, Just received the latest Rovers North News. Asever, it is excellent, informative, readable, and

witty. It is a welcomed bitamongst the bills and offersfor new credit cards.

However, in the mid-dle of your Spring

Selections, you teaseus Series ownerswith an item I’vebeen looking for, formany months - boxsection doorsill pro-

tectors. You offerthem for themodern mod-els only! Life’sso unfair.

I notedin theFebruary ‘99issue of LandRoverMonthly thatin one articlea featured

Land Rover had a set of 4” sill protection bars,Basically, they look like sections of a typical Seriesfront bumper, galvanized and bolted to the frameoutriggers. They replaced the flimsy alloy modestyskirt panels beneath the doors and between thewheel wells. I wrote the English firm mentioned inthe story [R. J. Harvey] but got absolutely nothingin return.

I’m wondering if a set of the things you offercould be adapted to fit a Series Rover. My onlyother option would be to buy two new galvanizedbumpers, have them stripped, shorten them, cutoff the standard brackets, fabricate and replacenew brackets, and them have the bumpers re-galvanized. It’s possible, but a lot of work. This isthe same frustration for bull bars for the frontend. No one that I’ve found makes one specificallyfor the Serious Rovers. They all have a verticalmember smack dab in front of the narrow head-lamps. Unacceptable! I suppose I could simply fita set of the military bumper overriders and bedone with it.

My own Series IIA is currently at Cooper

Technica to be fitted with a soft-top - thanks toRovers North. The tropical rood will go into stor-age for a bit. But you know how one thing leads toanother. Well, the truck is now in the middle of acomplete and major brake job. It didn’t start outto be a complete job - just to check why it waspulling violently to one side (a failed front wheelcylinder lubed the drum very effectively). But ofcourse, one brake thing led to 40 other brakethings.

In the meantime, I’m driving David Cooper’sown Series III. Apart from the fact that it lookslike the wrath of God and that several bearingsappear (audibly) to be about to go south, thevehicle is quite perky. His engine is a bit biggerthan mine is, but I think the main reason for thisunexplained perkiness is the fact that his has anelectronic ignition unit. I think I’ll need one ofthose soon. Cheers, Glenn ShriverChicago, IL

[Rovers North has explored fabricating protec -tive sills, or rock sliders, in place of the cosmet -ic sills for the Series Rover, but the positioningof the underseat gas tank in an 88” makes it adubious proposition. The dimensions of thetank would demand that the protective sills beenormous. And if they were sized to the gastank, they would interfere with ground clear -ance while off roading. Rock slider or box sillprotectors work on the Defender vehiclesbecause the gas tank sits in the rear. They maybe some custom fabrications for Series vehiclesout there; let us know if you’ve found a suc -cessful assembly .

As for electronic ignitions, they canenhance the spark of a Series vehicle, but theyalso have no adjustment; when they fail, they’retoast. If your own distributor is sound [nowobble at the shaft], if it has properly adjustedpoints, and if it’s timed correctly, your car willrun as “perky” -ed].


Top Dog Photo

Contest!Rover. We climbed up the treacherous mound withno problem - which I could not believe! My impres-sion when talking to Chris was that he has been off-roading since he could reach the pedals.

Rule #4 - Off-roading is about patience, expe -rience, scratches, dents, and the occasionalbroken part.This rule was put to the test for a few drivers on thispart of the run. Ian Cook, Warren, ME, served as amarshal on this part of the course. He showedtremendous patience in guiding everyone’s Roverfrom one boulder face onto another. He had a viewof the rocks and could tell people what the best nextstep should be. Kaan Karakaplan, a Range RoverClassic owner, and Marty Amedeo, owner of a ‘97Discovery, both traveled to the event from LongIsland, NY. These guys drove eight hours to test theirdriving abilities. Not only do these two have skillthey have amazing amounts of patience and enthusi-asm, also.

Rule #5 - You Shouldn’t Do What You Don’ tWant To Do Several owners generously offered me the opportu -nity to drive the rest of the trail before lunch, but Iwas reluctant at that point because of what I saw atthe beginning of the extreme trail. Chris Komar saidthat was fine and there was no pressure to drive.That was when Rule #5 came into play-You shouldnot do what you do not want to do, especially in off-

roading. I was lucky to be off-roading with a groupof guys who knew what they were doing. They knewhow to get themselves and others out of trouble, andput no pressure on anyone. I advise any first timeoff-roaders to follow my example when given thechance - find an active club and join them on theirruns to learn how to off-road, or take an off roadinstruction course from a certified instructor.

Rule #6 - Follow the Advice of Your Marshals During a lunch break a few more Rover fans joinedthe group. Julie and Peter Rosvall drove their ‘72Series III from Wolfville, Nova Scotia convoying withBen Pooley in his 1982 ex-military Series III 109from Lockeport, Nova Scotia. Jesse Ware, York, ME,showed up in his ‘93 Defender 110 NAS. Fortifiedwith more vehicles and a great lunch, we began thegreenlane trail run. When everyone was about topull onto the trail, Jeff offered to let me drive. Ireceived enough coaxing from him and decided thatI should give his Series IIA a try. I had driven a man-ual transmission before, but on straight Floridaroads, never on Maine trails. Okay, I ll admit I wasnervous and I did stall just a few times. Once I start-ed, I then felt a sense of excitement until I made itto a short rock climb that unnerved me. Jeff had medrive downhill, jumped over to the driver’s seat andgot us over this first obstacle. Then, I stepped backinto the driver’s seat and that was it - my point ofbecoming hooked to the sport. I made it through achallenging corner of thick mud, with Jeff guidingme (“Where’s the power steering,?” I asked). I wasso pleased I grabbed the CB and screamed, “Don’tworry guys, Dana’s still back here!” It was quite the

accomplishment and my adrenaline was pumping.At the next corner the mud was even thicker thenthe previous turn and the Rover sank to its frame.Chris Komar winched us out and we continuedalong the trail. I never thought that going so slowcould be so much fun!

Rule #7 - Never Underestimate Your Rover ,Just Learn Its LimitsAt the gathering we did take a few more runs whereI drove with a few Rover owners of the new vehicles.There was one rock climb that many club memberswanted to test themselves. I went up the rocks in themodified Series IIA with Chris driving and once withMarty in his Discovery. At one point I said to Marty,“Your not going to make it up this!!” The Roverseemed so large and awkward to make it up therock. Marty definitely proved me wrong.

Rule #8 - Go Off-Roading! Many of the rules I covered in this article may makeme sound like I have had Land Rover experiencebefore this gathering. Actually, I was just luckyenough to have my first Rover experience with agreat group of men and women who were patientand informative. Despite the differences in age andtype of Land Rover, the drivers shared a strongenthusiasm that is common among most Rover own-ers. This enthusiasm is contagious and is not limitedto the male genes. I hope this article gives you -female or male - the impetus to take advantage ofthat urge to give into the immense rush and go off-roading, in a Land Rover, of course!

First Impressions

Here’s how the contest goes, first you have todecipher what Land Rover vehicle our friendhere is sticking his head out of. Then you mustsend your answer to RN accompanied with yourown dog-in-Rover picture. To win you mustguess correctly, and send a photo as unique asyour Rover is. If it’s the most unique and itmeets the photo quality standards of our artdirector, you will receive, none other than, astainless steel Rovers North thermos! All photossubmitted become the property of RoversNorth. Winning photos will be published at alater date. Good Luck with the contest.

Letters tothe Editor

a Land Rover for transportation.” As Joan Mattianoted in the interview, “there’s only one paved roadin the country.” I tracked Lou Mattia down throughthe Internet at his in-laws in Frenchville, PA, justbefore his departure for Tanzania, and asked himabout his choice of vehicle. “We’ll be looking for aLand Rover around Mpwapwa, where we’ll take upour duties. I’ve been told that trying to import a newone is expensive, so we’ll be looking for a used onewithin the country. Other missionaries recommendthat the best way to find one is to get there and lookaround. I’m hoping that someone leaving the countrywill want to sell one.” In Tanzania, Lou heads up adiocesan school of 100 for students interested inordination as well as lay ministry. “We want to trainand equip leaders for the church. We also want totravel and lead continuing education to villages,which is the real reason for the Land Rover.” “We’realso looking to establish an institute for churchdevelopment in the country, providing consulting andmaybe exchanges between the United States andTanzania. We hope to bring doctors, dentists, andother professionals for volunteer medical and devel -opment work” Lou Mattia noted that the LandRover’s reputation for durability and toughness isalive and well in East Africa. They have spoken withLand Rover owners in Africa and the United States todetermine which model will serve them best, andLou does not sound afraid of maintaining the Roverhimself. Lou describes Tanzania as “beautiful,rugged, and very poor. People are mostly subsistencefarmers and have little if any cash. Average salariesfor those who have employment is about $25 amonth. It has been very dry for the last couple ofyears so even the crops have not been very good. Butpeople are generally surviving from what they growand seem to be happy. The roads are absolutely theworst. Rutted and rocky. We have found that we needa vehicle very, very badly because of the need tomove around to get supplies or to begin our min-istry. The school is 6 km from our house up a roadthat looks like a creek bed. In fact, we cross tworivers to get up to the top. Land Rover enthusiastswould love this. Getting around to all the villages isequally difficult. A few kilometers can seem like for -ever when you’re bouncing up and down.” Livingconditions at their first home in Tanzania fall belowthe standards of comfort which they experienced in

Gainesville. “We have had a bit of a shock really as[when we] settled in. It's very different to live in arural area of Africa. Our house needs a lot of work,and appliances, but we have electricity and we have atelephone next door at the home of another mission-ary couple from Britain. The water only runs in themiddle of the night so we really need to put in a tankto collect it then use it later. Also the house needs tobe painted in the inside very badly and the cementfloor would be much better if it were painted too.The curtains are very strange colors and the curtainrods are the British system so they need "hoods" tocover the rods, which we would have to have builthere. The bathroom toilets are rusted down to themetal and they leak a little.” Conditions at theirschool should give all North Americans pause. “Theschool itself is really run down. The saving feature isthat it sits in a lovely mountain valley up high whereit is cool and green. It has solid buildings but theywill need new electrical work to meet the codes tobe connected to the national electrical grid. This isreally important for the future of the school. It isalso historic, having been built in the 1880's.”Presently, the Mattia’s report that the 30 studentsstudying with them are thrilled, not only with theircoursework, but with the fact that “they are so excit-ed about getting electricity installed that they applaudeach time we give an update. They simply want to be

Land Rover Heaven by The Rev. Louis J. Mattia

Where do Land Rovers go when they get old? WhyTanzania, of course! While many visitors have come tosee the magnificent animals in some of the world’sfinest game parks in this East African paradise, theymay have missed one of the truly African phenome-non, Land Rovers of every shape and variety caravan-ing across the open wilderness.

When people begin to age and retire they want togo where it is warm and where they can engage intheir favorite activities like golf, fishing, or perhapsjust sitting on the veranda and enjoying the view. SoLand Rovers are no different really then we are. Theywant a nice warm place where they can enjoy theirfavorite activity, bumping over impossible roads with asmile on their rugged front grills. While Land Roversmight enjoy an occasional jaunt on asphalt roads,they long for the great outdoors. In fact, there is nobetter great outdoors than the African landscape.Mount Kilimanjaro, the Ng’orong’oro Crater, the hugeSerengeti game reserve, the vast range lands of theMassi warriors; these are the true homes of the Land Rover.

In Tanzania it is possible in a brief outing to see abroad spectrum of makes and models of Land Rover.The oldest one we’ve seen is over 40 years old, an oldSeries I pickup that plies its way around town. Thenext oldest is a 1974 Series III which is driven by aBritish doctor, Dr. Rachel Tarling, who lives next doorto us in Mpwapwa in the central region of the country.This wonderful old gem of a Rover had seen a full lifeof faithful service in Ireland before it was wrecked.Students at Tralee Regional College in southwestIreland restored it in 1994 putting in a new 2.5 liternaturally engine along with new electrics and otherrepairs. It was donated to the St. Luke’s MedicalCenter and has now “retired” to Africa. For nearly 5years now it has continued to work in charity, givingD r. Tarling lifts to and from clinics and villages. Manylives have been saved and improved by its unwilling-ness to seek the comforts of an easy retirement. At


this time, the most populous among the Land Roversis the 110 Defender Station Wagon. They seem to beeverywhere, old and new, going up and down thebyways. White is the favorite color, a good choice tomute the African sun which can cause real heat prob-lems in a darker skin color. The 110 is also spendinga lot of time touring game parks. It doesn’t mind thehoard of human beings who climb all over it and evensit on the roof. No, it just takes the jostle in greathumility and patience. At least it gets its admissionpaid ($30) into the park every day to see the animals.People somehow feel safe in the Defender, even whenlions are close by. Sometimes they will get out of thecar and stand near the animals. This is not recom-mended, but people tend to relax around this strongand dependable car and they feel somehow less vul-nerable. Safari companies always search for good,used Land Rovers. You really can’t take an offic i a lsafari in anything else.

H o w e v e r, it is not all fun and games here in theporini (Swahili for bushcountry). Work must still getdone. So we can’t forget to mention the 110 Defender200 Tdi pickup. Godfrey Tarling has one next door togo along with his wife’s Series III. He serves as abuilding engineer for the Anglican Church in theDiocese of Mpwapwa. He has built clinics, churches,classroom buildings, and many other facilities in thepast 6 years. When his truck arrived it was brandnew; apparently it sought more opportunities thanEurope could offer. It arrived as an adventure seeker,being young and full of energy, but it now wears thescars of heavy work and many close encounters withthe difficult and unpredictable terrain. One day, forinstance, it ran into a four-foot hole on the side of theroad and the front axle was buried up to its bumper.Another day, when it was ferrying a survey crew up to6,000 foot Mount Kiboriani without any road at all, itran under an overhanging tree limb. The cab roof isstill bent and scarred but it hasn’t slowed it up any.The Defender accomplished a marvelous feat of off-roading one day when a road crew had blown up along stretch of mountainous road, leaving boulderseverywhere on the path. Using its winch and a lot ofdriver ingenuity, the Defender moved the boulders out

Tanzania continuedable to study at night! On Tuesday the building engi -neer picks up all the electrical supplies in Dar esSalaam.” Some of their students are sponsored at anindividual cost of about $240 per year. “That hashelped so much we can't describe. We have boughtfood, 5 more mattresses, performed a few criticalplumbing repairs, and paid teachers salaries forAugust. This program of scholarship is ourlifeblood.” For Lou Mattia, the highest recommenda -

tion for a Land Rover came from a Tanzanian.“[Bishop] Simon Chiwanga confirmed that the LandRover would be the best vehicle for us. This is anation of 100,000 miles of dirt road. We saw a photoof a Land Rover being pushed through this huge rut -the roads can be that bad. Simon’s recommendationof a Land Rover was based partly his own experienceand his own preference.” [If you would like to con -tact Lou and Joan Mattia you may send them let -ters at PO Box 2, Mpwapwa Tanzania, or e-mailthem at [email protected]. If you’re interested inassisting the Mattia’s, you can do so through theirNY office: The Episcopal Church Center, MissionPersonnel, Attn: Rebecca Sang, 815 SecondAvenue, New York, NY, 10017. If you would like tocontribute, please identify your donation as“Mattia-Land Rover.” -ed].

of the road to make way for a larger delivery truckcarrying cement bags to make it up the mountain.Like any older beast of burden, the Rover remainsstrong as an ox even though it suffers from a littlearthritis in its joints.

They say that Land Rovers will last forever. Webelieve that is true. With a supply of spare parts theycan keep on going even in the most remote parts ofAfrica. Timing chains can be changed under a treealmost as easy as changing a tire. Many missionaries,charity organizations, and government offic i a l sdepend on them for their life and work. They are nota machine but are part of the extended family.

Yes, sometimes, on rare occasions, a Land Roverwill be crippled and sometimes, after many years ofservice, it will be laid to rest. But where else in theworld could you expect an old car to take a promi-nent place in daily life even after you couldn’t move itanymore? Here in Tanzania, those Rovers have foundtheir final reward parked in front of houses andbuildings for everyone to see them. No they are nothidden from site or taken away to some junkyard;they rest where they served, right next to their ownersso they can forever be revered as elder statesmen.Over time their parts may be borrowed to help otherRovers make it through a tough time. But in this wayyou could say they keep on living and giving to others.

We invite you to come to Tanzania and see foryourself that what we are saying is a true report. And, whenever you see a Land Rover disappear fromyour home area, remember it has only done what allLand Rovers must do; it has gone to its great rewardin Africa.

The Rev’s. Lou and Joan Mattia are missionarypriests for the Episcopal Church in central Ta n z a n i a ,the Diocese of Mpwapwa. They are Directors of aChristian Training Center in a remote mountain valley10-km outside the small town of Mpwapwa. They arehoping to buy a Land Rover for their work and areaccepting donations through their NY office.

seemed hopelessuntil the complexpoked its way outof the gloom.Two terracedlots lookedfilled withLand Roversof everydescription,fromSeries I’sto 101 ForwardControls to the latest Range Rover4.6’s and Discovery Series II’s. Although some

enthusiastscamped in theparking lot atthe event site, Iwelcomed theevent hotel after along day.

Saturdaydawned bright, cooland glorious, andthe day went up

from there.Rovers North

established a “Muddy Oval” competition,which included a mini-Camel, tire changing

and transporting timed event, and a tough“feely-meely” box to identify Rover parts. The

4 x 4 Center, Williston, VT, set up and operatedthe trials course at nearby Bear Mountain. The

challenging course utilized the mogul-laden hill-side to create a descent-oriented course with

many tight turns and twisties. Water seeping up tothe surface made some portions slippery and

muddy, only adding to the enjoyment. East CoastRover, Warren, ME, brought over their teeter-totterwhich tested every enthusiasts’ knowledge of thebalance of their Land Rover.

The organizers had established green lanerides and more challenging off-road rides. Both

Rover Fest continued

The Iron Man Competitionrequired muscle and dexter -ity. This tire change was onlypart of the challenge.

continued on page 15.


By Jeffrey Aronson

Driving back this August from RoverFest 2000 inKillington, VT, I convoyed with George Bull andJoanna Cameron, Effingham, NH, behind their well-used, very original Series IIA. As we wound aroundthe back roads of Vermont and New Hampshire, wenoticed that the tall, narrow, square look of theclassic Series Rover contrasted with the melted-plas -tic-on-a-stove look of contemporary cars. It takes asharp eye to tell a Daewoo from a Hyundai, but tod-dlers will point to a Land Rover and distinguish itfrom ordinary cars.

It also takes all your others senses to drive aSeries Rover. Smell, sound, light, vibration and tasteare all required to use a Rover daily; indeed, youwill become acutely sensitive to all sensationsaround your Rover. You will come to believe thatevery woodstove burning is your car smoking, everyhouse light reflecting on your windshield is an elec-trical problem, every truck coming up behind youon the highway is your propshaft falling off the car.Even after 10 years of driving the QE I, I cannotshake the assumption that the odd odor or sound isnot my Rover in trouble.

So, as I trailed behind George and Joanna, Ibecame very concerned when strange, flaky objectsflew into my open-topped car. I was convinced thatthese represented a catastrophe in the making.Were pieces of the engine disintegrating? I lookedahead with concern, and then noticed George andJoanna sharing food, which looked suspiciously likepeanuts. Sure enough, they shelled them and Joannathrew the empty husks on the ground - so shethought. Once tossed out of their open car, they flewup in the airflow and landed in my car. Fortunately,they had only a small bag to share and the assaultended within 15 minutes.

Much relieved, I continued on our way. At 45-55 mph on two-lane roads, we had the perfectcruising speed and conditions for these cars. Since Iwas alone in my car, I also had plenty of time todaydream. A wonderful commentary from theBritish magazine Thoroughbred and Classic Carsran through my mind. An editor suggested that “tofully appreciate idiosyncratic British cars, you needa flair for pointless traditions, scornful disregard forbad weather, and a pronounced madness. Owningone becomes a way of life - you’ll never be the sameagain.”

What a great way to approach ownership of aLand Rover. Whether we’re talking aboutBirmabright fenders on a Series Rover or wood-accented trim on a Range Rover, we must admit thatthese are ‘pointless traditions’ to the average man.Rover owners know why light weight matters on anSUV, and even Mercedes owners respond to woodand leather trim, but we must admit that millions ofowners do just fine with overweight SUV’s andbland, vinyl interiors. All Land Rovers, from a SeriesI to a Discovery Series II, allow their owners toshare a ‘scornful disregard for bad weather.’ Ofcourse, a Series Rover requires a scornful disregardbecause the bad weather outside can become thebad weather inside, too. The ‘pronounced madness’is self-evident if you’re using a Series Rover on adaily basis - the combination of noise, vibration and

maintenance seemsindecipherable to thegeneral public. Nor caneveryone understandwhy Discovery ownersbuy cars from dealerswho might be hundredsof miles away, or whyDefender ownersbecome maniacal abouttheir cars.

In addition to theadherence to tradition,scoffing at the weatherand pronounced eccen-tricity, denial is alwayspart of British car own-ership. I know this firsthand, for in addition tothe ‘66 Series IIA, I usea ‘78 MGB and a ‘78Triumph Spitfire forwhat I’ll call ‘dailytransportation.’ A common usage of that phrasewould include reliability, comfort, convenience, longperiods between recommended maintenance, andpracticality. In Land Rover circles, that’s called ‘zerotolerance.’

When asked about reliability of these cars(remember, the sports cars benefitted from BritishLeyland quality control), I assume a Presidential airand suggest, “it depends on what ‘reliability’ is.”When calling for assistance, or even a tow truck, Ifollow the lead of Vice President Gore and respondthat I’m not certain if I actually made the call, andanyway, there’s “no controlling authority” at work. Iftruly pressed, then Governor Bush’s example -”Idon’t really want to talk about it, it’s in the past” -permits selective amnesia.

As for the Land Rover, I’ve been reminded thatwhen I see Land Rover friends at events, myresponse to their question, “How’s it running,” isalways “No problem.” Apparently, many enthusiastshave ceased to believe me.

Not long ago, a friend asked me to help himpurchase an older car which would serve as a rentalon the island. We went off island in the Land Roverto a very-used car dealership along Route 1 inMaine. In order to explain to my buddy what I mightlook for, I opened the bonnet of the Rover to sug-gest how to read engine leaks, examine engine oil,and judge overall maintenance by the dreaded P.O.[previous owner]. We left the bonnet open while wetested other cars. Mike Seaman, a mechanic at EastCoast Rover in nearby Warren, saw the QE I andpulled in to the lot, assuming he’d have emergencywork to do. I suggested huffily that there was “noproblem” and sent Mike on his way.

You see, it all depends on how you define‘problem,’ or whether I need to answer the questionaccurately, or whether it’s a part of my past that youhave no right to judge. Perhaps I should start say-ing, “No comment.”

I woke up from this reverie in time to makethe turn from Rte. 4 to Rte. 104, following Georgeand Joanna into the back side of New Hampshire’sLake Region. Within an hour, I left them at the

turnoff to their home,right near the NewHampshire-Maine border.And, no, you don’t needshots to enter Maine ifyou’ve been in NewHampshire._____________________

As I filled the gas tank onthe QE I one day, abystander in an Americanpick-up truck asked me“what kind of mileage doyou get in that thing?” Ireplied that I get 19-20mpg on the highway, and16-18 mpg in town. Hewas stunned. “I couldbarely get 10 mpg in myold Jeep,” he replied.

It reminded methat Land Rover once had

to pay attention to gas mileage. When the first LandRovers appeared in 1948, Great Britain still rationedpetrol and taxed it heavily (even today, 70% of thecost of petrol in the UK results from taxation). Likeother nations in postwar Europe, fuel economy mat-tered, whether because of the high cost of fuel orthe purchase taxes exacted on higher capacity, lesseconomical engines. Generally speaking, enginesunder 2 liters were taxed less than their highercounterparts. The upshot was that British cars couldnot defy the laws of physics; they had to be reason-ably sized [to weigh less] and engineered [toextract the most horsepower from smaller engines].Manual transmissions ruled - no room here forpower-robbing automatics.

It wasn’t until 1941 that an American car, theNash 600, advertised a combination of range andeconomy; a 20 gallon gas tank would take the 30mpg car 600 miles. Clearly, it did not start a trend.When World War II ended and auto productionresumed in the US, mileage ranked near safety inconsumer interest; two-tone paint jobs and ‘road-hugging weight’ mattered much more.

By the ‘60’s, not much had changed. With gasbetween 25- 35 cents per gallon [did I just datemyself? -ed.], gas mileage between 6-10 miles pergallon didn’t bite the wallet very hard.

In its heyday, my ‘66 Series IIA must havedelighted the good folk who ran the old MobilgasEconomy Run. Those balloon-foot drivers receivedmuch ridicule from the Sports Car Graphic, Road &Track and Car and Driver writers whose advice Iconsidered as gospel truth. Generally, an AmericanMotors [see Nash] Rambler, or some similarlyunderpowered car won each year; Ramblers wonfrom 1961- 1964. The driver would extol the virtuesof coasting, deceleration, brakeless slowdowns, and,of course, Mobilgas. None of this did a lot to sellcars, though.

Daily use of my Land Rover means that I’vebecome very familiar with the range of the 12 gallontank (I’m including the filler neck, too). Since Itend to fill up often on my working trips, I’vebecome all too familiar with the rise this year

in gasoline prices. What used to be a $16.20 fillupbecame a $22.20 fillup in rural areas; on my homeisland, it’s now a $25.92 fillup.

As we go to press, the Lundberg Report, an oilindustry newsletter, reported that the weighted aver-age for all grades of self-serve and full-serve gaso-line was roughly $1.62 a gallon, an increase ofnearly 30 cents from the same period a yearago. In early September, the national weighted aver-age price of gasoline, including taxes, at self-servepumps was $1.5734 for regular, $1.6699 for mid-grade and $1.7552 for premium. For full-serve,prices were $1.8896 for regular, $1.9798 formid-grade and $2.0560 for premium.

In rural parts of North America, cars of anysort cannot be luxuries alone; they are necessitiesfor work, family and leisure. No effective publictransportation network exists to supplant the auto -mobile. We have little choice but to feed the beast.Europe’s geography and commuting patterns meanthat people often travel fewer miles than their NorthAmerican counterparts, but their total cost of opera-tion still exceed ours. For example, have you everseen ads for tires in British Land Rover magazines?

We can, however, be thankful that we’re not inEurope where gas prices have historically beenhigh. In July, 1998, when US average prices for pre -mium gas ran about $1.10, Dutch drivers paid$4.00 per gallon, German drivers around $3.50,French drivers around $3.20, and British driverspaid about $3.40 per gallon. This July, Dutch driverspaid $5.00 per gallon, German drivers around$4.30, French drivers around $4.10, and Britishdrivers around $4.00. By September, pricesthroughout Europe surged to over $5.00 per gallonand widespread protests captured the world’s atten-tion. In Sweden, the Finance Ministry received over80,000 protesting the high fuel taxes, that in a coun-try normally tolerant of a high taxation rate.

Europeans have long endured prices thatwould have Americans in open rebellion, but manyLand Rover owners are starting the feel the pinch asgas prices rise rapidly this fall. Frank Gampeitro,Schaumburg, IL, an occasional correspondent to theRovers North News, called me this summer to notethat as gasoline prices rose in the Chicago area toover $2.00 per gallon, he felt forced to question thedesirability of his ‘94 NAS Defender 90. He loves thecar, his third Land Rover, but the fuel prices werejust becoming too much. As Land Rover continuesto deny NAS owners the Tdi diesel option, the chal-lenge of owning a V-8 powered Land Rover will onlyincrease.

You have to pay attention at gas stations thesedays. In Woodstock, VT after RoverFest, George,Joanna and I pulled into a gas station where one islewas already occupied by a Discovery and a SeriesIII, both from Massachusetts. Imagine, all 4 pumpstaken over by Land Rovers! I hardly ever see evenone Land Rover at a gas station. When I went in topay, out of habit I said to the mechanic, “I have thegas on the Land Rover.” He looked out the windowat the four Rovers, turned to me and replied,“You’re going to have a large bill.” We settled onwhich Land Rover and I continued on my way.

Behind TheSteering Wheel

proved highly entertaining.Largely, the green lanerides seemed to be ski-cator trail access road routes.They were highly scenicwith wonderful vistas, andsome fine climbs anddescents. The off-roadroutes included mountainbike and hiking routeswhich, because they werethinly disguised stream beds,

were quite muddy in spots from recent rains. WhenI took my Series IIA on thisrun, I found myself in the mid -dle of Range Rover Classics, aFC 101, some Defender 90’s,and another IIA 88” justup from Pennsylvaniaafter an owner restora-tion. It was the owner’sfirst trip and off-roadingin their “new” Rover.

Rover Fest 2000was the brainchild ofthe West Connecticut

Land Rover Club, under the leader -ship of Mike Ladden, Pat Macomber,Chris Velardi, Ed Messenger, and ahost of other volunteers. The eventalso drew upon the resources and

support of dozens of other clubsthroughout the US East Coastand Canada. It was a worthy suc -cessor to the ANARC’s 50thAnniversary Rally at Greek Peak,NY, two years ago, attractive tofamilies and newcomers as well asveteran event participants. We’reready to return!

Rover Fest continued

Rovers North now accepts American Express,Discover Card, Visa and MasterCard.

Fred Sisson, Norcross, GA, tows his 1938 Morgan F-type "Tryke" behind his "modern" '67

Bob Raffensperger’s Dormobile showing off his immaculate restoration and teak wood bumperettes.

SnapsLand Rover

The Rovers North Newsletter is a publication of Rovers North, Inc. • Publisher: Mark Letorney • Editor: Jeffrey B. Aronson • Art Director: Thompson Smith

A robust 67 year old farmer from Quebec, CNproudly displays his agricultural spraying unit.

Documents

Fall 2000 Rovers North News