Spring 2001 Rovers North News by Rovers North

Camp Rover

By Ed Aldrich and Steve Dick [Rovers North staffers Ed Aldrich and Steve Dick became tired of snow in April so they jumped into Steve’s Defender 90 and headed south to sunny Tennessee. Here’s their story of a terrific event -ed.]

he Easter Bunny looked like he would be snowed in for the month in Vermont and we kept hearing of warm temperatures down south. When Camp Rover USA called for off-roaders to learn and enjoy their Land Rovers, we jumped into Steve’s Defender 90 and headed for

Choosing a

Range Rover Classic

By Jeffrey B. Aronson

ange Rovers have been imported into the United States since 1987; grey market cars had found their way to the states in the late 70’s and

Monteagle, Tennessee, which is about 40 miles north of Chattanooga. Camp Rover USA lured over 70 Land Rovers over the long weekend of April 5 - 9 from Vermont to California, Virginia to Massachusetts. Many more Land Rover enthusiasts from the local area arrived daily to participate in the off road seminars and trail rides. This new organization, headed by Nashville’s Dan Cagle, sought to provide Land Rover enthusiasts from beginner to advanced, with the intricacies of vehicle preparation, off-road early ‘80’s. By mass market, automotive sales standards, a mere trickle - 1,500 - 2,000 annually - arrived on our shores. For some enthusiasts, the Series Rover has proven too utilitarian, too harsh, too risky for family use or too slow for commuting. What could these people, who care about excellence in engineering and off-road capability purchase that would grant them the Land Rover experience? The original Discovery might still be too expensive for enthusiasts also looking to use their cars off road, but the Range Rover Classic offers an ideal alterna-

driving, recovery and extrication techniques. While time was set aside each morning for group instruction and demonstration, most of our time was spent on miles of trails in the hills of eastern Tennessee in 90 degree heat. As added incentives to attend, the Camp Rover group invited Tom Collins, of Camel Trophy and Land Rover Experience fame, to lead instructional sessions in off-road driving and winching techniques. Finally, the organizers created events, from the trail rides themselves to a night navigation section and trails course that would culminate in the awarding of the Rover Trophy. The drive from Vermont took us 18 hours, which we spread out over two days so we could have a rest stop in Virginia. So we Continued on page 5

One Safari, Kid’s Size By Ladd Olson [Ladd Olson, Vinalhaven, ME, age 10, visit ed St. Kitts, Virgin Islands this spring with his father, Jack, and his mother, Angie, both of whom work in commercial fishing. A fisherman himself, Ladd worked as a photo journalist for Rovers North on this trip -ed.]

’ve loved Land Rovers ever since I was young. My summer neighbor on Vinalhaven had an old Land Rover, a red Series III. And when I first met Jeff Aronson, he arrived on our island in his Series II-A Land Rover. My parents taught me more about Land Rovers after Jeff hit a horse with his Land Rover in 1996. My mother found this so funny that she used to put my rocking horse out in the driveway with a sign that read, “Don’t Hit Me,” whenever Jeff would stop by. My father taped a plastic horse onto Jeff ’s hood one day. I thought they were very funny. Except for rides in Jeff ’s Land Rover, I never rode on trails in one until we took a

The St. Kitts Water Services Department uses

tive entry into Land Rover ownership. Range Rover owners develop a strong bond with their cars. Andrea Letorney owner of

vacation in St. Kitts this March. We took a condominium with our friend, Sara Hopkins [her father once offered Jeff a bumper sticker that read “My Other Car is A Piece of ******, Too.”]. We spent most of ourContinued time ononapage 5

Continued on page 4

Ask Rovers North By David Sangerhausen

Defender 5-speed Gearbox Grind

I own a 1994 Defender with a gearbox problem. Sometimes when I shift from 1st to 2nd the gears will grind. If I double clutch during the shift everything is fine, but I also can’t downshift from 3rd to 2nd. Is there anything I can adjust to solve this problem?

had been professionally rebuilt included the milling to the higher compression and hard ened valves and seats for unleaded fuels. All Rovers North rebuilt heads were increased to the 8:1 compression, for example.

Big Range Rover Tires

I would like to run larger tires on my 1989 Range Rover but I don’t want to modify the body. Any suggestions?

A. If you install the heavy duty Old Man A. Unfortunately it sounds like a gearbox EMU Suspension kit you will have enough rebuild or replacement is needed. The symptoms you describe are typical of a worn synchro assembly. Assuming your truck has the original LT77S gearbox, you can rebuild it or install an R380 with the aid of a low-cost conversion kit. If this problem is worse when the Land Rover is cold, Amsoil Synthetic ATF will definately help.

Squeaky Bushings

My 1998 Discovery has a squeak. It sounds like it is coming from under the car and goes away anytime it rains. The noise is driving me crazy! I think it might be a bushing. What do you think?

A. The bushings are a good place to start. Wait for a dry day and use a spray bottle filled with water to dampen each bushing one at a time, driving the vehicle in between. When the noise goes away, you have found the problem bushing. Although this may sound time con suming you will save time and money in the long run by not replacing parts unnecessarily.

Sagging Discovery

Q. I own a Discovery with the retractable rear step. A few days ago the step started to sag and won’t retract. Is anything available to fix this problem or do I have to buy a new assembly?

Your gas strut is worn out. Repair kit RTC9593AA contains a new gas strut and is available for about 1/3 the cost of a new assembly. It could also be that your step hinges are corroded and need lubricating.

Higher Compression?

body clearance to run 265/75 tires, which should be tall enough for most applications. You should be aware that you will affect the ride of the car slightly when you install this kit. Photo by Gordon Kallio

All Cranked Up

Q. While working on my 1991 Range Rover I removed the distributor to take a look at a few things. While it was removed I cranked the engine. After reinstalling the distributor I can’t get the engine to start, it will only backfire. Did I mess up something?

A. No, there’s a simple solution to your problem. When you cranked the engine with the distributor removed the timing relationship between the distributor, crankshaft and camshaft got out of whack. To correct the problem remove the dis tributor and #1 spark plug (the first spark plug on the left bank). Rotate the engine until #1 piston is at top-dead-center of the compression stroke [shine a light down the spark plug hole to see this, if necessary]. Reinstall the distributor and attach the plug wires in the proper firing order (1,8,4,3,6,5,7,2) starting with #1. Keep in mind that the rotor is pointing at the distributor cap terminal for cylinder #1, and the rotor spins clockwise. After everything is put back together, start the engine and set the timing (6 degrees before top dead center).

A Rover By Any Other Name

I have a 1966 IIA with the typical 2.25L 4-cylinder engine. How can I tell if the engine has a 7:1 or 8:1 head?

by Dave Sangerhausen

between the valve cover and manifolds, is a raised boss. If a number 8 is stamped into the boss, the head is 8:1. If not, it is 7:1. Also, the two heads called for different spark plugs; let us know what’s there [brand and model number] and we might be able to help you determine which head you have. Sadly, it’s also possible that the previous owner installed the wrong plugs. Lastly, if a previous owner replaced the head or if the existing head has been milled, it may be 8:1 but not marked as such. In this case there is no way of knowing without removing the head and measuring its thick ness. However, in general, any 7:1 head that

One that has intrigued me of late is deciphering Vehicle Identification Numbers (VIN) on gray market vehicles. Along with the increased interest in the Land Rover Marque over the past few years, there also seems to be an increase in the number of Defenders available that were not originally sold in North America, in particular the U.S. If you are a potential buyer of one of these vehicles, and do not have much exposure to Land Rovers, you may have an interest in knowing exactly what it is you are about to purchase. The easiest way to approach this subject is to look at the VIN breakdown chart for non NAS (North American Specification)

Binnumerable eing in the Rover business, and answering calls everyday, you can probably A. Look at the top of the head on the manimagine the Rover-related subjects we discuss. ifold side. Approximately of the way back,

The Ignition Key By Lyndon Nolan [Lyndon Nolan, Boise, ID, has been a longtime Rover enthusiast and contributor to the Rovers North News. Here’s an account of desert field repair -ed.]

he old Land Rover’s headlamps bored a tunnel of light through the rain-soaked night. My 2.25 liter was occasionally missing on the steeper ascents, and that worried me. “It can’t be fuel starvation”, was my thought at the time. That monster Weber delivers fuel down the manifold like Victoria Falls delivers water, and the accelerator pedal was noticeably deforming the floorboard. Fortunately, as I topped the last of the hills on the ascent to Anderson Ranch Dam and the subsequent road down to the South Fork of the Boise River, the engine operation smoothed out, and so did the furrows in my brow. My worry was partially due to my 2 year old son, Forrest, serving as my traveling companion. This was his first exposure to fishing;

a breakdown with a toddler could ruin the trip, especially in the dark and rain. Forrest and I expected to rendezvous with Mark Owens, a Range Rover owner and a former colleague, and a group of his cronies from Oregon, on the South Fork of the Boise River. Mark’s friends, like a prophecy of my own future, were recent refugees from the ailing semiconductor equipment manufacturing industry. The trip to Idaho would provide them with a break from the job search and a chance to fish, drink, tie flies, drink, and drink. I looked forward to leaving the black twolane highway for the narrower road across the dam. The newly-installed Hella 4000 ProRally lamps had entertained me around town by burning holes in wood fences and vaporizing errant tomcats, but I wanted to test the pencil-beam/driving combination in the darkest of thickets. The wet scrub brush would provide a foliage version of a black hole, absorbing ambient light completely; conditions were perfect. Locking phasers on tar gets... The alternator belt grabbed the crank shaft and hung on continued on page 18 for dear life as it

Defenders. I will use the following VIN as an example: SALLDHA87WA100723. The first three VIN positions (SAL) denote the manufacturer - Land Rover U.K. The fourth and fifth positions (LD) show this vehicle to be a Defender. If you see a VIN plate on a Defender, and it has any letters other than LD, it is not a legitimate Defender VIN plate. Position six contains a letter that signifies the vehicle class. One of the following letters will be in this position: H, K, V, A, B, C. The letters are translated as H = 110” Standard, K =

Cat, Y = 2.0 Petrol Cat, 8 = 2.5 Td5, 9 = 2.8 Petrol M52 (BMW). Position nine is use for the transmission type and hand of steering. A 7 is right-hand-drive with a five-speed manual. An 8 is also a five-speed manual but left-handdrive. Numbers 3 and 4 are for four speed automatics with 3 being right-hand and 4 being left. The tenth position is used for the model year, starting in 1987 with the letter “B”, and using the following letters sequen tially until 2000: E, F, G, H, J, K, L, M, T, V, W, X, Y. The letter after the model year, or the

130” Standard, V = 90” Standard, A = 90” Extra Heavy Duty, B = 110” Extra Heavy Duty, C = 130” Extra Heavy Duty. The letter A, B, F, H, M, should be in the seventh position. A = Regular, B = 3 door Station Wagon, F = 4 door Crew Cab Non H/Cap, H = H/Cap with or without 4 Door Crew Cab, M = 4 door Station Wagon. The eighth position is for engine type. B = 2.5 Diesel Turbo, C = 2.5 Diesel Naturally Aspirated, D = 2.5 Petrol Carbureted, F = 2.5 Tdi Non EEGR/Cat, V = 3.5 V8 Petrol Carbureted Non Cat, 6 = 2.5 Tdi EEGR and/or

eleventh position, should be an “A” for the Solihull assembly plant. The remaining six numbers are the manufacturing sequence numbers and do not identify anything specifi c about the vehicle. So, based on what we have just discussed, and using our sample VIN, our vehicle is definitely a Land Rover (SAL) Defender (LD) 110” Standard (H) Regular (A) 2.5 Td5 (8) Right-Hand-Drive Five-speed Manual (7) 1998 (W) built in Solihull (A). Or at least that’s what the VIN plate says.

Common Questions from Customers

Q) My SRS light is on. Is my vehicle safe to drive? A) The vehicle will go and stop fine, but safety demands that you

Maintaining Your Land Rover - A Specialist’ s Perspective

By Michael Hopwood [Michael Hopwood, Essex, VT, is president of the 4 x 4 Center in Williston, VT. We asked him to share some insights on maintenance of a Land Rover. Here are his thoughts -ed.] Designed for the long haul, Land Rovers are deceptive vehicles. They can seemingly run for ever in the most arduous climates. Should they experience a breakdown, they can undergo only the most rudimentary field repairs and continue on their way. Yet their engineering the design that enables them to be so durable and versatile - requires three elements to ensure long life and efficient operation. Land Rovers require the right parts, the correct repair shop equipment and access to the latest technical information. These three elements can make all the difference between a short term fix and a proper repair, not to mention hours of wasted diagnostic and repair time and the attendant frustration.

The Right Parts While each year’s Land Rover might feature a modest cosmetic change, most Land Rovers have a long product life. Running changes are not uncommon; indeed, during the life of a Land Rover product, updated parts are rou tinely made available to improve the working performance and reliability of the product. Here are a couple of examples. When repairing an output seal leak on a LT230 transfer box [‘87-’88 Range Rover; Discovery I’ all Defenders] be sure to install the complete kit that includes the drive flange rather than just replacing the seal. Our experience is that the drive flange replacement is necessary to cure the leak rather than just staunch the leak. There was a manufacturing change to the drive flange that improves the oil loss situation [front kit part #STC3432 & rear kit part # STC3433]. If you have ever tried to cure head to manifold exhaust leaks [all Range Rover, Discovery, Defender before ‘96], you will appreciate these updated bolts and spacers. Gone are the conventional bolts and lock tabs; welcome to stretch bolts and spacers. The tabs that stopped the bolt from turning (and hence loosening, causing an exhaust leak) were awk ward to bend over. The stretch bolts and spac ers are faster and easier to install and, most importantly, stay tight [spacer part # ERR6318, stretch bolt part # ERR6734].

Repair Shop Equipment If you owned a Series Land Rover, or an early Range Rover Classic, you or your mechanic could complete a lot of maintenance and repair with only a modest amount of shop equipment. If time and efficiency were not the primary goals, a shop could do without hydraulic lifts, transmission jacks, and diag nostic equipment.

Employee Profile Mike Searfoss “I’ve always been a gear head,” said Mike Searfoss. “When I served in the Air Force, I was a jet-engine mechanic working on KC135 air tankers, C141 and C5 cargo planes, and then returned to automotive work when I got out. I’ve worked on Fords, Mitsubishis, Pontiacs, Oldsmobiles, and Cadillacs. But the most fun was at an independent shop where I learned about Jaguars, Porsches and Ferrari’s.” That led Mike to Vermont and to Rovers North. It took only a visit to relatives in Colchester, VT, to convince Mike to move from his native southern California to Vermont. Although born in near-tropical Santa Barbara county, Mike found he preferred the cold weather of New England. Other than a 5-year foray to Florida, Mike, his wife Donna, daughter Tasha and granddaughter Olivia have remained in Vermont. Mike has worked as a technician and technical telephone support/salesman since December, 1996. As he remembers, “I knew Dale Charboneau [a former Rovers North technician] and he kept

With contemporary emissions and safety regulations, today’s Range Rovers, Discoverys and Defenders require more comprehensive shop equipment. Many very competent local garages face this problem and sadly, some have opted out of major repairs because they cannot invest in the required diagnostic and repair equipment. No matter how much seatof-the-pants experience you’ve had, today’s vehicles require comprehensive diagnostic and repair equipment. For example, ‘94 and ‘95 model year vehicles fitted with SRS need the appropriate diagnostic equipment to diagnose and reset; guess ing what’s wrong with air bags makes no sense. In our experience, trying to diagnose air suspension or correct GEMS (Generic Engine Management System) running problems without test book or an equivalent diagnostic tool is akin to shooting in the dark and will lead to wasted time, wasted parts and wasted cost.

Technical Information Possibly the key to correct and time efficient diagnosis is the help Land Rover provides with technical information. This information includes fault diagnosis starting points and the updated part necessary to cure the problem. We spend considerable time and energy keep ing up with the latest technical information made available by Land Rover; unfortunately, we see many cars in our shop on which repairs have been bodged by well-intentioned, but not up-to-date mechanics. At The 4x4 Center we try to ensure the best value in repairs and project work by only using Genuine Parts, having all the correct equipment and only working from Genuine Manuals and technical information. If you have any questions, feel free to call us at 800-8649180 0r 802-864-8565.

telling me how much he enjoyed working at Rovers North. I took over his position when he moved to Texas.” In addition to his telephone support work, Mike works as a technician in the shop and has become the Tdi conversion specialist. “By now, this is an easy conversion for me to undertake. I field 3-5 calls a day on them. I have one Tdi customer whose putting it in his Range Rover Classic. “How hard is the conversion? If you have good mechanical skills, you can do it on your own. You do need skilled welding capabilities and comfort with electronic knowledge. It’s not a weekend job. I’d like to try one myself on a Range Rover or Discovery. While Land Rover stopped supporting the conversion kit for automatics, Rovers North can put a kit together for anyone interested in that project.” Based on his training and his experience, Mike also writes the instructions for many Rovers North kits. You may have also talked to Mike over the Rovers North BBS on the Rovers North web site [www.roversnorth.com]. “I’ve met some really great people through our email correspondence,” Mike says, “and have come to enjoy those friendships. Some people actually call me as a double-check before they post advice or ideas on the BBS.” Mike’s dream Rover isn’t yet available in the US; “I enjoy hunting and a pickup is really essential. I believe that the Defender 90 is the best off-road vehicle, but I have really fallen for Land Rover’s latest, the Defender 130 Crew Cab. I would love to have something unique like that.” Mike is a long-time off road buff, starting out on dirt bikes and then moving to 4 x 4 pickup trucks. Hopefully, his ship - with his dream Rover in it will come in soon.

examine this fault in your air bag system immediately. My best advice is to see your Land Rover dealer or The 4x4 Center, or a shop with Testbook, Land Rover’s diagnostic software/hardware equipment or with an equivalent system. Remember that no state will permit a car to pass inspection if an SRS light is on, indicating a potential fault. Why drive a car that wouldn’t pass a safety inspection?

Q) My Check Engine light is on.

Do I need to stop driving

the car?

A) The Check Engine light is only a diagnostic tool You don’t need to stop driving unless the light is flashing. However, you should take the car in for service as soon as possible. The shop you choose should have the diagnostic equipment that can translate the “problem codes” into an accurate repair. For example the Check Engine light might mean a faulty oxygen sensor; when it fails, it can lead to the disintegration of the expensive catalytic converters. Not all shops are thorough about diagnosing problems. One customer brought a Range Rover to us that was not running well, but the Check Engine light was not illuminated. When we hooked it up to our own equipment, we found the lamp had been removed by a previous shop. Another customer let the Check Engine light stay on so long that the bulb burned out.

Q) I’ve heard that the dynometer used in some state inspections, such as Massachusetts and New York, can damage the viscous coupling in the transfer box. Is this correct?

A) Potentially, this is correct. Don’t put your Land Rover on a two wheel dynome - Viscous Coupling Unit ter. To be safe only have your Rover tested on a four wheel dynometer with a technician experienced with full time four wheel drive vehicles. Check with your dealer or that state’s motor vehicle department.

Q) Do I need to use high octane gas for any Rover V-8? A) You really should. The Rover V-8 can mask the fact it’s “pinging” due to low octane fuel. “Pinging” means the engine’s not just running inefficiently, it’s also running hotter inside the cylinders than it should. Premium fuel will keep the vehicle running better and preserve the life of the engine.

Q) Can any shop replace the tires on my Range Rover? A) Not without this cautionary note - if you have a ‘93 or newer Range Rover, be certain to have the shop deactivate your air suspension. When the car gets lifted in the air, it will trigger the air suspension and potentially damage a sensor. At worst, the air bag can become unseated. Deactivation requires changing settings on switches under the seats. Bring your car to the 4 x 4 Center, to an authorized Land Rover dealer, to a knowledgeable shop, or have your mechanic call us for information. If they don’t know how to do it, don’t let them change your tires.

“Congratulations Rallye Ready Giveaway Winners” BIG Grand Prize Winner Received one (1) $250 Gift Certificate from Rovers North Dr. Lorenzo Gonzales Payson, AZ 1st Place Prize Winner Received any pair of Hella Expedition Series 500 Lamps and one (1) Hella Map Light Philip ‘Chip’ Stultz Falmouth, ME 2nd Place Prize Winner Received a complete Land Rover Genuine Parts Ignition Tune Up Kit. Matthew Martin, Vermont

3nd Place Prize Winners Received a “Bundle O’ Stickers” which includes: - 2 special vehicles stickers - 1 GB sticker - 1 Rallye Plate Sticker - 1 “The Best 4x4xFar” - Union Jack Flag sticker Keizo Kamaguchi Chiba, Japan Chis Kashgagian Brockton, MA Eli Dukes Portland, OR Brain Mishara West Chazy, NY Scott Herring Belfast, ME

Genuine Parts

Hella

Photo by Gordon Kalio

Choosing a Range Rover Classic cont. Rovers North has owned three Range Rovers. “Our first Range Rover was a grey market, two door 1980 RHD with a Perkins Diesel. Since then, we’ve had an ‘88 and now I have a ‘93 with 120,000 miles. I’ve never, ever broken down. It’s been incredibly reliable. I drive mostly on bad dirt roads, on icy roads or during mud season, and it’s unbelievable. I find it per fectly maneuverable; it doesn’t seem like I’m driving a big car. I haul a lot of stuff - farm feed, garden supplies, and the dogs travel with me everywhere. I know the gas mileage is not terrific but the car is so versatile.” Prospective Range Rover owners now ben efit from the fact that the Rangie was not often the only car in the stable, so they tended to have low mileage. If the Range Rover was the only car, it often accumulated highway mileage - the easiest on a drivetrain. A beneficial financing trend coincided with Range Rover importation the growth of leasing. Most leases came with mileage penalties if annual driving exceeded 1215,000 miles a year. Usually, clauses also called for additional charges that encouraged adequate maintenance. All of this means that there are a good number of well-maintained, good condi tion Range Rovers on the market. Range Rovers are exquisite designs whose tautness and solidity can lull the typical American owner into neglecting necessary maintenance, and fool the inexperienced mechanic. Inadequate preventative maintenance likely means you will pick up the tab after your purchase of the car. So look for a car which includes a maintenance history. Talk to the pre-

Edition also has a unique following. An online search of “Blue Book” prices for the SWB [short wheelbase] models suggested the following prices: Year 1990 1991 1992 1992 1993 1994 1995

cylinder, but with a lot more power and smoothness. Rovers North has worked on engines routinely with over 150,000 miles and no apparent weaknesses. High mileage engines need regular oil changes, every 3,000-4,000 miles, to assure longevity. Have a compression check and leakdown test performed to assess the condition of valves, piston rings, and cylinder bores. Small oil leaks at the main seals and valve cover are not uncommon, but warrant your attention. Discuss the results of these tests, and of your other findings, with the staff at Rovers North to help you judge the best buy for your needs. Similarly, other systems have proven durable over the long haul. The automatic trans-

“I find it perfectly maneuverable; it doesn’t seem like I’m driving a big car” vious owner to determine where the mainte nance was performed. Remember, maintenance takes time and attention. If someone promises that your oil change and fluid check should take only 30 minutes, you’ll only get thirty minutes of attention - and that’s not enough for quality work. Look for a car that’s been maintained by a Land Rover dealer or by a reputable service facility experienced with Land Rovers. Pete Van Schaack of the 4 x 4 Center, Williston, VT, says “don’t buy one sight unseen unless it’s been tested and approved by an expe rienced and authorized dealer or shop.” Dave Sangerhausen of Rovers North agrees and rec ommends that you “ask to see the maintenance history if the Rover was dealer serviced. Good service is vital for Range Rover owners. I have 76,000 miles on our ‘94 LWB, and I haven’t had to do anything to it other than routine maintenance. I’ve not had any electrical problems, nor any system problems of any sort. It has an unbelievable amount of room in the back seat, and we can get our one-year old, Jack, in and out of the back seat with ease. We tow a 15’ travel trailer, but I’ve also towed other larger trailers with it. With its length, brakes, and power, its phenomenal when it comes to towing.” All US market Range Rovers started with the same basic engine, the tried and true 215 cubic inch V-8. It began in 1987 at 3.5 liters, grew to 3.9, 4.0, and later, 4.2 liters. Everyone has their favorites and preferences among the Range Rover engines. The V-8 has proved to be as durable as the classic 2.25 liter Series four-

missions have proven quite dependable. These, too, benefit from proper routine maintenance, which would include the changing of the transmission fluids and filters. The transfer cases and swivel ball assemblies can be prone to leaks; determine the level in each by crawling underneath the car, opening the cases, and sticking your fingers in to determine fluid levels. Low levels are an indication that the car has not been well maintained. The hypoid oil in the axles, transfer cases, and swivel balls should be dark and clean, not milky (a sign of water) or gritty. While you’re examining the front end, check the power steering box for leaks; you might need to replace the seals. Look carefully at the front tires for signs of uneven tread wear that could mean loose tie rods, front end misalignment, or other front end problems. All can be repaired, but they should also affect the final price! The coil spring suspension of the Range Rover provides a superb ride, and with the clever axle design, great off road performance. However, springs can wear and your should check the car for level. The suspension bushings, rubber pieces that sit between the various rods and arms, will deteriorate with time and allow the axles to shift slightly when underway. If, when you drive the car, it feels a bit squirrely, make clunking noises under gear changes, you may find cracked bushings underneath the car. Try turning the wheels side to side and watch the car body; does it move when the car is not in motion? Again, you might have bad bushings. Once replaced, the handling of the Range Rover

can feel transformed. The Range Rover braking system works very well, but four wheel disc brake systems are inherently more expensive than the Series drum and shoe setup. Look not only at the brakes in operation, but also at the condition of the rotors. Have they been scored and turned? Are they thick enough to last another turning? Again, preventative maintenance of the previous owner can save you money in the long run. The Range Rover has more steel pieces than the Series Land Rover, and some Range Rover parts seem to corrode more than anyone would like. The rear lift gate seems the most prone to rusting; rocker panel pieces can rust, too. Check the wheel wells, front and rear, and the door jamb in the rear door latch area, carefully for any corrosion; also. Replacement parts are easily available, but as prices of Range Rovers rose, they drag parts prices up with them. Recognize that Range Rovers have always resided at the premium end of the new car price spectrum, and that parts replacement costs will be higher than lesser vehicles. Pete Van Schaack of the 4 x 4 Center in Williston, VT, said “that customers often ask us to help them find ‘94 -’95 models, which will cost them between $10 - $15,000. If at an auction, we can’t drive the cars, then we look for signs of body damage, crawl underneath and look for leaks. We’ll run the engine, listen for transmission and driveline clunks, looseness in tie rods, swivel balls and wheel bearing. On older cars, we also check that you can lock the center differential; often, people never used them. We have people who will drive into our shop for a repair in the winter and haven’t locked the center differential, even in a snowstorm. Also, on air spring models, we listen for the compressor running while the car is underway; if you can hear it, there may be a leak in the system.” Prices for Range Rover Classics now rest on par with prices for restored Series vehicles, and reside well below those for Defender models. Discussions with Land Rover Centres revealed that 1987 - 1989 models will fetch from $4,000 - $8,000 at the dealer; those prices won’t let you buy a new Kia or Daewoo SUVassuming you wanted one at all. Unique Range Rover models have a follow ing all their own; the ‘89 Hunter, with its lessplush interior and unique exterior markings, will fetch a higher price. The ‘91 Great Divide

Private Sale $5,038 $6,344 $7,330 $7,952 $9,273 $11,102 $13,703

Dealer Retail $6,175 $7,631 $8,627 $9,424 $10,830 $12,688 $15,549

These prices assumed reasonable mileage and good condition cars; prices will be slightly higher for low mileage, LWB or special edition models. Some enthusiasts prefer pre-’91 models because they lack the Boge air suspension systems and have coil springs all around. Since Range Rovers, particularly those after 1991, found themselves in competition with lux ury cars that were stuffed with amenities, the Range Rover came filled with very delightful accessories and comfortable accouterments. From power windows to heated seats to ABS and air suspension systems. the complexities of these Range Rovers mean that you have to pay attention to the condition of these systems. Try each and every one of them; while they’re ruggedly constructed, they’re not inexpensive to replace. Make certain they all work before you consider a purchase. Also, many first owners preferred not to work on their cars themselves, and that some non-func tional systems lacked only some TLC; the Rovers North BBS and other Internet sites are filled with stories of Range Rover repairs completed with just a wire brush, patience and elbow grease. The value of Range Rover ownership is intensely personal, but it’s hard not to fall for the engineering, style and immense competence of the vehicle. The sales success of the Range Rover in the US means there are plenty of Range Rovers for sale. Mike Smith of East Coast Rover says “they can be as tough as a Series truck; I bought an well-maintained ‘87 with 100,000

miles, and I proceeded to put on 35,000 miles of no-maintenance, on and off road driving. I sold it to an owner in Chicago where it’s still in use. Be careful, though, not to jump into a luxury 4 x 4 and assume that it will have Chevy parts and repair prices. If you’re willing to do maintenance work yourself, you can really enjoy your Range Rover.” Pete Van Schaack of the 4 x 4 Center notes that “there are many Range Rover Classics in daily use in Vermont. We have hun dreds that come in for routine maintenance every year.” In summary, be fussy and particular and you’ll reward yourself with an elegant, rugged vehicle that will transport you for a long time with great delight.

Camp Rover, missed the introductory off-roading session on Thursday, April 5, which gave novices the chance to learn about vehicle preparation, the basics of off road driving and vehicle recovery, and a trail ride. Although Steve’s Defender 90 with its Tdi Rovers North conversion kit ran smoothly the entire trip, we wanted the rest after a long week of work. As Rovers North techni-

One Safari, Kid’ s Size,

continued with at least a 2” lift. While all Land Rover vehicles were capable of participating at Camp Rover, your specific driving experience and vehicle setup determined which trails were right for you. Wisely, the organizers insisted on a safety check of each vehicle. Rovers without a factory hardtop were required to have a roll bar, and the usual front/rear recovery points, tow straps, CB radios, good tires, brakes and seat belts were also looked over by the scrutineers. Virtually every vehicle was a coil-spring Rover; only one Series (Series III) and one FC 101 Radio body partici pated in the event. Enthusiasts came from as far away as southern California and as close by as Virginia and Georgia. We poked around the off road instructional sessions on accessories, beginning off roading, and advanced off road techniques, and then late in the morning, joined the 30 car group that had signed up for Levels IV and V. Dan Nutkis, Nashville, TN, led our group on a serious hardcore trail. Steve did most of the driving while Ed jumped off, taking photos and helping spot cars. The toughest sections were the creek beds, where a complete trust in your spotter was

cal support staff, it would be a genuine treat to meet some of the many people we spoke with or emailed regularly - and we didn’t want to fall asleep on anyone. We chose to camp close to the event, but others chose cottages or more luxurious accom modations at the Smoke House Inn. Event coordinator Dave Cagle and Administrator Stacy Smith had packaged quite a bountiful feast of lunches and dinners; we never went hungry. Oh, did I mention the very anti-Vermont weather? To encourage everyone to learn about their Land Rovers and take them off road, Cagle and his off road advisory team of Michael Boggs, Charlottesville, VA, Dan Nutkis, Ronnie Reed and Greg Thompson, Nashville, TN, and Chris Velardi, Hamden, CT, created trails that matched the dri vers’ and vehicles’ capabilities. Level I trails rarely needed four wheel drive, while Level II trails offered moderately demanding stream beds and mud holes. Both were ideal for street vehicles with normal tires in good condition. Level III Steve Dick and his 1994 Defender 90. trails provided the likelihood that you would get stuck and recommended required to climb some very difficult sections. winches and underbody protection, such as skid Greg Jevne, the founder of Safari Gard, plates. “Deep mud holes” and “arduous rock drove his heavily modified Defender 90 [with a climbs” were the rule. Level IV trails required 4.6 Rover engine] just ahead of us; while his rear air lockers, modified suspension and recRover was a wonder to watch, we were delightommended underbody protection. Level V trails ed with how well the 300 Tdi coped with the difwere “the most demanding” and required ficult terrain. There were many times when we winches, front and rear air lockers, aggressive could just idle up hill when others had to really 33” + off-road tires and modified suspension hit the accelerator. In fact, during one steep descent, with our Defender 90 using only engine braking, someone asked Steve if his brake lights were working - no one could believe just how slow a Defender could go! With a high number of vehicles in our

continued

convoy, and with the challenging conditions we faced, it took us a while to return to the base camp and a sumptuous dinner. The food and conversation by the bonfire were well worth the wait, and we slept well that night. For the adventuresome, after dinner entertainment included the Night Navigation Course. Participants were given GPS coordinates and sent on their way in search of Land Rover parts hidden in the woods. The points earned would count towards the overall Rover Trophy, awarded at the close of the event to the winner of this section, the trials course and special task sections to be held on Sunday. Lacking a GPS, we chose to sleep instead. On Saturday, we assisted Tom Collins with his advanced off road instruction segments on winching and air lockers, and then set off to join 20 Rovers in a Level III trail day. The fun part of these trails was the water cross ings. We seemed to ford streams all day, and even found a mudhole for play. We resembled a herd of elephants cooling ourselves off in the mud! The ride went very well and we stopped only for another great box lunch. We had to leave on Sunday morning so we missed the trails course and the awarding of prizes and the Rover Trophy. It’s been reported that the coveted cup went to Michael Boggs and his son, Charlottesville, VA. Along with other Land Rover companies, Rovers North provided a Jackall and gift certificates and prizes for distribution; con gratulations to Dennis White, Boston, MA, and Kelly Shinn, Roanoke, VA for winning the gift certificates. Our trip back, which included an overnight stay in Pennsylvania, went without incident and the 300 Tdi ran flawlessly. We cruised at an average of 70-75 mph even with a car top tent ballooning like a sail throughout the trip. Even with this impediment, we were able to have a range of 300 miles per tank. Of course, all semblance of Spring ended as we approached New England. Camp Rover USA was a terrific event and the organizers are planning another in September, 2001. For information, write or call: Camp Rover USA, 3200 West End Avenue, Nashville, TN 37203 (615-783-1727), or e-mail them at info@camproverusa.com. The event web site is www.camproverusa.com .

beach, snorkeling and swimming. One day we chased an octopus underwater, and it kept avoiding Ladd Olson, our intrepid correspondent, takes a break us. during his rain forest expedition. On our vacations, I found Land Rovers everywhere. There’s even a Land Rover dealer on the island, although it sells many different brands of cars, too. One day, in the town of Basseterre, we went to a restaurant called “Ballyhoo,” which was on the second floor of this old building. It was strange; most of the restaurants are on the second floor, with shops on the first floor. We looked out over this square that was called “The Circus” in the center of town. I was sitting and waiting for my dinner when I saw a Land Rover. My mom said, “you’d better get busy taking pictures for Jeff.” I took out my camera and got to work. Then, one day, I joined Greg Pereira, the owner of Greg’s Safaris, a company that took you to the rain forest in Land Rovers. I found out that Greg has 4 other Land Rovers. He has a 1980 Series III petrol 109 (hard covered pick up), two Defender 110’s - one 1996 petrol with a regular “tray” on the back, and the other 1998 diesel high capacity “tray” at back. The fourth one is a 1994 Defender 130. We had a wonderful day. I rode around in a Defender 130 quad cab pickup, and there were little benches in the back. It was cool. We went up the side of the mountain into the rain forest, and then walked up the rest of the way. The rain forest was like walking through my woods here, except all the plants were different. I sampled some nuts that we found on the forest floor, and it tasted like a banana. Later, we drove to a place at a canyon, where the winds get changing. It felt like the canyon was breathing. We started at 8:00 am, and then we saw some aboriginal drawings. We saw one of those Indiana Jones boulders, in the middle of canyon. It was at least 30 feet high! Sadly, it was the site of a terrible mas sacre of the aborigines by Spanish soldiers. I loved riding around and seeing all the Land Rovers. I’ve always wanted one. I think they’re cool. Hey, Mom and Dad - it’s what I want for my 16th birthday. [Greg’s Safaris pioneered eco-tourism on St. Kitts in 1986. This island native has always used Land Rovers for his tours. His Rovers are outfitted by Ken and Jonathan Slavin [Quest, Ltd.], Lincolnshire, England, the exporters for this part of the Caribbean. For more information on Greg’s Safaris, visit their web site at www.skbee.com/safaris, or email him at g-safari@caribsurf.com. ed]

Lite Breaks -

Stormy Weather By Jeffrey B. Aronson

checked to see if I had a spark at the points. I did, so I put everything back together. I checked that every plug and coil wire was plugged in tightly. I tried to start the car - once again no result. Perhaps I had a defective cap and rotor, so I found the old ones I always keep in the parts box [if you replace parts before they wear out completely, they become great emergency aids] and used them as replacements. I carefully checked the firing order [1-3-4-2] and

March has seen several nor’easters pound much of the East Coast. During one storm, I had to drive my Series II-A through blizzard conditions between central Massachusetts and into Maine. Very few vehicles were on the snow-covered roads; indeed, the state of Connecticut had banned all tractor trailer trucks from its interstate highways for the duration of the storm. Without question, I was the only 36-year old vehicle on the highway for the entire duration of the trip. The last storm started as a 34-degree monsoon one night while I stayed in a motel in Portland, ME. The next morning, I went to start the car. It would crank but not catch; there was no sound of compression at all. I quickly realized I would get drenched, but I took cans of PB Blaster and WD-40 out of the parts box, stepped outside into the cold rain, opened the bonnet, and sprayed every plug wire, the distributor, ground wire, and coil. I closed the bonnet, returned inside the car, counted to 10, and tried again - still nothing. I left the ignition key “on.” I stepped out again and this time, I removed the distributor cap, which appeared quite dry inside, removed the rotor, and with a screwdriver,

tried starting the car once more - and once again, no luck. Now, very wet and cold due to the low temperatures and high winds, I went into the motel room to defrost my hands. If I had a spark at the low-tension points, perhaps the problem was in the high-tension end of the ignition. That’s what produces the high voltage spark used by the plugs. The only piece left was the coil, but this seemed puzzling. Coils usually show problems through electrical mis-

? ?

2001 Club Events Schedule June 16

Series Only Ride, GA Solaros (www.solaros.com)

17 – 20 4th Annual Unofficial Tellico Rally - Tellico, NC Solaros (www.solaros.com)

September

23 – 24 17th OVLR Birthday Party Ottawa, CN (www.ovlr.com)

14 – 16 8th Annual Appalachian Expedition - Solaros (www.solaros.com)

July

22 – 23 British Invasion Stowe, VT* (www.britishinvasion.com) * This years event has been moved to downtown Stowe and does NOT include a trails course. A full car show is still scheduled. Rovers North has decided NOT to participate at this year’s event due to the lack of a driving trials area.

20 – 22 Land Rover Enthusiast Billing Show Billing Aquadrome, Northhampton, UK (www.landroverenthusiast.com)

August 2–6

9 – 11

Solihull Society Rally Nationals - Ouray, CO (www.solihullsociety.org) Steens Mtn. Run - WA Pacific NW Coast Rover Club (www.pcrc.net)

11 – 12 Roverfest 2001 Killington, VT WCRC(www.landroverclub.com)

22 – 23 British Invasion Stowe, VT*

October 5–6

Mid-Atlantic Rally - Virginia ROAV (www.roav.org)

Second Annual Series 1 Club Meet

fires or “breaking down” under load. Cars with bad coils will often start, but not accelerate. My car had been running quite fine. Still, what if the coil had a leak that permitted moisture to enter during the intense storm. I called Rovers North and spoke with Arthur Patsouris, who confirmed that the coil could be the problem. He suggested I remove it from the car and set it atop the heater in the motel room. That would dry it out. The moment he said to “remove the coil” I remembered that in the last issue of the Rovers North News, Dave Sangerhausen wrote of helping a stranded Rover owner with advice on selecting the right type of ballasted coil when forced to purchase one at a general parts shop. I dug out my latest issue of the Rovers North News and thought of buying one when I remembered that I had a spare coil in my parts box. I ran back outside into the miserable storm and found the old coil. I plugged in the ground wires to the correct terminals on the new/old coil, and pushed the coil wire from the distributor into the hole in the coil. I rested the unit on the valve cover and reached it to push the starter button. The car leapt to life. Coil failures are uncommon, and when they do foul, the symptoms are usually quite different than what I experienced. This became a situation that when the likely solutions fail, you must turn to the unlikely. Since the coil was the last piece left, it was worth the try, but I have to admit, I would never have turned to it first. My new coil is on the way from Rovers North, so I should be fine for a long time.

time. This may be a one time opportunity to see so many Series Ones together in one place on this side of the Atlantic. The info about the event can be found at: www.ovlr.org/events. Accomodations can be found at the Silver Lake Motel and Provincial Park. The Silver Lake Motel is located about a quarter mile west of Silver Lake Provincial Park. It is between the main Event site and the Provincial Park on the south side of Highway 7. For reservations, telephone (613) 268-2511or visit http://www.ontarioparks.com/silvl.html For more information you can call Tom Bache 1-610-268-8008 or Email him at tbache9248@aol.com To receive a full information packet. We hope to see you there!

June 22-24th, 2001 Silver Lake, Ontario, Canada

Rovers North thanks Land Rover

The Series One Club invites all Series One Land Rover owners to our second gathering in North America. This event will be in conjunction with the OVLR Birthday Party held every year in Silver Lake, Ontario. This three day event consists of camping, offroad driving, tailgate swap meet, and a chance to socialize. The meet will be part of the OVLR event, and will have a Sunday breakfast meeting to talk about future events, discuss problems unique to our vehicles. Bring your Rover and have a good

Clubs throughout North America for the hard work and consider able time that go into making off-road events possible. W e invite you to send us notices of your club’s upcoming events to: rovers@together.net .

Steam powered “Lombard” log hauler .

Trek to The T rains [Mike Smith, Warren, ME, embodies Land Rovers professionally and personally - profes sionally as the head of East Coast Rover, and personally as the owner of a much-modified ‘94 Defender 90 SW. He took the opportunity to enjoy his Defender in this expedition to the far north of New England -ed.] f you live outside New England and you think of “winter,” you probably conjure up visions of skiing, sleigh rides and similar picturesque set -

dle of the Maine woods. What could two vintage steam locomotives be doing 100 miles from the nearest usable railroad tracks? The history behind the railroad fascinated us. The area around Eagle Lake - indeed all of Northern New England - has been extensively logged for 200 years. Before trucks hauled the timber out, log drives floated timber down the rivers to the mills of central Maine. The problem is that not all the rivers flow south or east towards these established mills; about half flow north towards Canada. Timber companies needed a practical

tings. If you live in New England and you think of winters, you remember things like slush in your boots, road salt eating your Rover and the number of times you’ve had to scrape the freezing rain off your windscreen in one day. Too many Land Rover owners wait until winter has passed by to go off road, but given New England weather, if you wait for summer to go off road ing, you’ll waste more than half your life! Winter is a great time of year for four-wheel ing. It means that you and your Rover have to be a little better prepared to handle the added complications that Mother Nature can throw at you, but it really is a blast. Last February a group of enthusiasts set out to find the abandoned trackage and a pair of antique steam locomotives reputedly sitting in the woods of Northern Maine. Only through hearsay and tall tales had we come to know of these locomotives in the mid-

way to get the timber over the land to the correct waterway and down to the mills. In the mid19th century canals with lock systems were tried, but these proved slow and troublesome. In the early 1900’s a rail-based tramway was built across the 3000 foot stretch of land that divided Eagle Lake and Chamberlain Lake. The tramway consisted of train style axles attached to a cable, driven by steam engine and large sprockets. Logs rested on the axles, then dumped into the water for the trip downstream. This worked well from 1903-1909, until the timber harvest was completed. The use of steam engines and railway had made their mark. When the huge new mills of Millinocket, Maine, needed timber for paper production, Edouard Lacroix, a Canadian indus trialist, set about building a rail line exclusively for timber. In 1926, his company began laying a railroad from Eagle Lake, near the old tramway,

west across Allagash Stream, down the shores of Chamberlain Lake to the head waters of Umbazooksus Lake. The 13-mile railroad created a swath through the forest. Once the lakes had frozen over, steam-powered Lombard log haulers carried all the materials, including enough steel for a 1500 foot bridge across the Allagash, to complete the project. These massive steam powered snowmobiles brought in all the materials over the ice for the railroad, including the switching engines and two steam locomo tives, weighing over 90 tons each. The two locomotives, steam engines purchased from the Rutland [VT] Railroad and the New York Central, were converted to run on oil. The new railroad, first named the U&EL (Umbazooksus and Eagle Lake Line) became better known as the Eagle Lake and West Branch Railroad. The railroad operated for over four seasons until the supply of timber was once again exhausted from the area. In 1930 the engines were backed into the repair shed that housed them and their boilers were shut down for the last time. And yes, we wanted to find these abandoned engines. For a winter expedition, we checked items like snow chains and installed a computer based GPS system into my Defender. Luckily, my traveling companion, Geoff Cox, just happens to have a PhD in this field and fitted the D90 with a state-of-theart system that basically put our actual position within a meter. We would be joined by Jason Tyler in his much-modified Range Rover Classic, and Ian Cooke in his Series II-A 88” coil sprung hybrid. We left the coast of Maine early in the morning to get a good deal driving completed during the day so as to be able to set up camp that evening in the daylight. Our trip took us through the middle of Maine, on mostly back roads from coastal Warren to Greenville, on the southern shores of Moosehead Lake, a famous summer sporting region. Moosehead Lake is also home to the old passenger vessel “Katahdin”. In the summer months the vessel operates passenger tours of Thoreau’s favorite lake, but at this time of the

It’s true - we do have Moose in Maine!

year the ship sits solidly encased in ice. In the winter, Greenville becomes a snowmobilers paradise, and our plans to take trucks north of Eagle Lake in February received more than few doubting laughs by the snowmobile riders we met at the Greenville gas station. From there, we began a long trip on dirt and gravel roads used solely for logging operations. You never quite know the conditions of these private roads and you won’t find gas stations or stores for hundreds of miles until you near the Canadian border. This meant extra fuel for the Rovers had to be carried on board just to make it in and out. We headed northeast out of town and out of civilization towards the settlement of Kokadjo, and then on to Eagle Lake. As the crow flies the GPS told us we only had about 70 miles to go until we reached Eagle Lake, but even the best outfitted Rover can’t drive as the crow flies in Northern Maine, so that meant we’d drain our full fuel tanks and our spare gas cans before we returned to Greenville. For those of you who know the range of a Defender 90s that means upwards of 300 miles before we’d see a town again. After Kokadjo the roads become narrower and narrower until you reach the “Golden Road.” The “Golden Road” is a year-round dirt road that crosses the state of Maine from the east to the town of Millinocket, a river town that’s the home of two huge paper mills.

Outside Kokadjo the views became breathtaking. At a crest in the road Big Spencer Mountain loomed in the distance. A few weeks before, we had completed a scouting trip to the logging roads above Greenville, Maine to recon our route. However, the eastern route around Moosehead Lake had

become buried in snow; even our Rovers with chains and air lockers could not make it through the snow on the way to the Golden Road, so we had to head back for Greenville and attempt to use the western approach around Moosehead Lake to points north. On our return toward Greenville one of the locals, a yearling moose, decided that he preferred the cleared road to trudging through deep snow. It took him a few minutes, and a lunge at the Defender’s wing, to let us pass. Once we returned to Greenville we headed west on a glare ice road to Jackman and then north to pick up the Golden Road. The extra driving meant that we had fallen behind schedule; the Golden Road was not even the halfway point for this leg of the trek. We had to push on into the evening and make it to Eagle Lake. We had to have a full day for the trip in and out of Eagle Lake, and if we couldn’t make camp near Eagle Lake, we wouldn’t have enough daylight to safely make the hike in to find the trains. We stopped to check our distances, confirm our ETA, and plan for increased speed. So we drove hard to recover the time lost on the failed attempt up the east side of Moosehead Lake; the “spirited” ice driving tested our winter driving skills at the limits of our vehicles. Geoff Cox cal-

broke through the clouds. As the snow compacted each step brought with it a clump of heavy, wet snow. The snow conditions varied

fire damage on both engines, we guessed that the shed had been burned 70 years ago. After the long hike we took a break near the trains; Geoff can’t resist getting behind the controls and playing “engineer” with his head out the window of Engine One. Our thoughts turn to restorations and dreams of making the engines live again, but after a few minutes talk we realize why the engines were A photograph of our capable Land Rovers, taken on Golden Road left here in 1930 and we depending on whether it lay on open land or sit back to just enjoy them before we have to covered by trees. At different times, we all found start back out before dusk. places on the trail where the snow gave way As we headed out along the bank of the frozen lake we came across a spur line from the railroad and found the remains of the timber cars from

As we approached the shore of the lake, we spotted this old steam boiler. It lay alongside the old track, perhaps used as a switcher of some type of stationary power unit. culated that we would arrive well after dark, and he proved right. We did manage to set camp effectively by our vehicles’ lights. Winter camping isn’t as bad as you think. You quickly get used to it and with the right equipment it can be a great experience. Geoff and Jason set up the tent while Ian and I gathered firewood. The peacefulness of the Maine woods in the middle of winter is a wonderful experience. While winter camping means you don’t have to worry about the bugs, coyotes are another story; in the morning we found evidence - in the form of a partially eaten moose carcass - that coyotes had dined on a little too close to our campsite for comfort. That next morning we packed up camp and headed towards Eagle Lake. Rovers can handle a lot off road, but the fields approaching Eagle Lake had over three feet of snow. No matter how much you equip your Rover, once they sink in 3 feet of snow you are probably walking home. We attacked the snow for as far as we could with the Rovers, put on our snowshoes, and began our hike to the lake. According to the GPS we faced a 4.5 mile walk. Compounding our problem was the unusually warm weather. Around 10 am the sun

beneath us and sucked us like quicksand. We were thankful for our walking poles and they proved invaluable in assisting you on every sinking. As we approached the shore of the lake, we spotted this old steam boiler. It lay alongside the old track, perhaps used as a switcher of some type of stationary power unit. One of the most haunting feelings I will ever experience is driving and hiking this deep into the woods of Maine and finding two antique steam locomotives left in the woods

over 70 years ago. Looking like it was still ready to go, one of the engines still pointed directly down the imaginary track and, with the front cover off the boiler, the ominous black eye of this engine watched as we walked towards it. The two engines sat side by side in a small clearing in what used to be a repair shed; with

ed to a wonderful sunset on the drive out, but the unusually warm day had led to portions of the frost being unfrozen in the road. The road would suddenly turn to deep mud under our wheels and create ruts that yielded instant lane changes and fishtails. After battling through the ruts and mud to Greenville, where the tarmac begins again, we found that the entire area was without power and the one gas station in Greenville was closed due to no power at the pumps. Fortunately we had reserves with us in case of the worst on our trek in the woods, so we could continue south-

Eagle Lake to the left, and one of the frozen in time engines above.

ward. A few minutes outside of Greenville the warm night had combined with the cool snow covered ground to produce a dense blanket of fog that limited our speeds to roughly 25 mph for the return trip to East Coast Rover, but everyone made it home safely. That night I think we all dreamed of playing with trains again like when we were kids; the only difference is that the trains we like to think about now are the two that sit as hidden 90 ton reminders of an abandon railroad tucked away deep in Northern Maine. the operation. Their wooden cars have long since rotted off, but the axles and framework still lie on the tracks. The hike back was long and took a lot out of us, but finding the trains was well worth the effort. We were treat -

Heading home...

A Wheat Field Mechanic Goes Diesel By Jeffrey B. Aronson [Kermit Krantz, Leawood, KS, works as a cur rency trader but really lives to be “an inveter ate inventor”. Never afraid to create some thing new, Kermit ordered the Rovers North 300 Tdi conversion kit and created a very special Land Rover -ed.]

often seemed to ping, no matter what the fuel.” When he saw the announcement of the 300 Tdi kit in the Rovers North News, “it was done. I could sell my engine and supercharger.” “Rovers North shipped the kit out in late August, 2000. I picked up the full kit and took it to Lee Garrett, a teacher at our local vocational education school in Leavenworth. Lee has used Land Rover projects as a way to help teach high school students. After work and school, I would try and keep working on the car. Working parttime, I completed it just before Christmas. I took the time to put in a new gas tank, new axle seals, u-joints, replaced all fluids and brake pads, too. Now I start out with a brandspanking new vehicle.” “I’m really happy with the R380 5-speed that came as a part of kit, which was very complete. I’ve been driving the 110 since January 1st. It’s wonderful to drive. I changed the timing belt to the

“ ’m a wheat field mechanic,” said Kermit Krantz in a telephone interview. “I like the Rover notion that you can become a field engineer with a Land Rover. What other’s see as trash, I see as opportunity.” That’s how a ‘93 NAS Defender 110 became a very special Land Rover. Kermit has been into Land Rovers ever since a college-years trip to Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda in 1973. He had been a biology and economic development major at Westminster College, where Winston Churchill made his famous “Iron Curtain” speech. Although he was in Africa only for a couple months, the experience made quite an impact. He once had a ‘67 Series II-A 109”, which he rebuilt, installing a Chevy 6-cylinder to replace a tired 2.6 Rover engine. “I wanted to rebuild one again, but when the Defender 110’s came in, the car seemed right to me”. I asked for diesel initially, and the dealer said no. The only option you could order for the 110 was a winch kit.” With a large fleet of Land Rovers on hand, Kermit wanted to outfit each car to his needs. A ‘95 Discovery handles family trips and commutes; a ‘64 Series II-A HT takes care of utility concerns. For entertainment, he’s rebuilding a ‘73 Series III diesel. The V-8 driven Defender 110 became a concern; as he said, “11 - 14 mpg is not Kermit in the foreground with Lee and the newly updated 110. enough for me. I got out of the hot rods years ago.” Zeus timing gears. I consider that step part of a The Defender 110 seemed perfect to take long term maintenance issue that will ensure the them to their ranch, the Impulse Ranch, near car runs well and reliably.” Saguache, CO “where the sky meets the earth.” “The performance of the 110 with the Tdi is It’s 14 hours from Kansas, has one spring and no electricity. “We use wind power and propane comparable to the V-8, and maybe even quicker. heat. We’ve found a lot of arrowheads. “The 4-5 First gear feels quicker, 3rd gear is very strong as the turbo kicks in. Passing on the highway is mile long uphill climbs strained the Defender, equal and cruising is superior. I’m routinely in particularly pulling a long trailer, so Kermit first 5th gear even on those long hills. I run 255/85installed a Rimmer supercharger to the Rover 16 tires. For mileage, I get 22-23 mpg in town V-8. “It didn’t feel right,” he said, “the engine and better on the highway - unless I’m towing

that heavy trailer again! Occasionally, I run some soybean oil as an alternative fuel; I lose a little power, but I believe that I’m increasing lubrication and decreasing emissions. Here in Kansas, it’s used all the time in combines and tractors. Really lubricates the upper end of engine - or as hair cream! “The Rovers North kit came with a catalyst and straight pipe; I chose in install a flex joint in the straight pipe. I’ve also added a boost gauge and VDO parometer [which measures

exhaust gas temperature at the exhaust manifold].” “My Rover is an expedition Rover, not the high lift Stage 3 equipment type. I’ve added an Old Man Emu suspension kit and made my own limb risers and rock sliders. I installed a higher-amperage alternator for a welder and air tanks for the ARB lockers. We constructed a trailer to use principally as a chuck wagon from a rotten Series III. I took the tub section and sliced at angle so that when it opens, it becomes a supply closet and a kitchen.” Krantz tends to keep cars for a long time, and this Defender 110 certainly sounds like a keeper; his wife, Cyri, and their two teen-age children like the results. The same guy who patented disposable VHS cassettes and ergonomically-correct playing cards may have additional custom features for his Land Rover in the future.

Custom rear tool box

nal back door. The antique dealer was less than honest about the previous owner but did say that the back door was in a farm in Stanton. He didn’t know the name of the last owner and all we had to go on was the name on the origi nal log-book, which was John Matthews. We assumed that John lived in Stanton and that we could find him. When we arrived in Stanton, we found that the directions the dealer gave us were impossible to follow, so we asked a few locals if they knew a “John Matthews.” No one ever heard of him, not surprising, as he had never lived there. We drew a blank, but then met an agricultural contractor and described the Land Rover to him. He then remembered seeing it locally and gave us directions to get to the farmer who had once owned it. We found the farm and, although the farmer knew nothing of its history that he could tell us, he did still have the back door. He said that the Land Rover had belonged to his grandfather and that he had sold the Land Rover with some other vehicles as a job car to “Danny the Banger Man” [“Banger Men” buy and sell cheap or scrap cars]. We decided to try our luck and write to John Matthews at the address in the old log book, not knowing if he was still there, or even still alive. Some time later, we received a letter from John’s sister, who said that John was abroad. Upon his return, he then wrote to us, expressing surprise and delight that the Land Rover was still around! He was able to give us its

From Wales To Westford

This is a picture of us at a place called Hay Bluff. We had won the Welsh heat of the “Search for a Legend” competition. bot tom left; John Mathews - the original owner, bottom right; myself, top left; Lynne, my partner, top right; Chris Lake Land Rover dealership in this area, middle right; Adrian Morris - Land Rover management.

By James Powell [James Powell lives in Crickhowell, Powys, South Wales, UK. In a “coals to Newcastle” measure, he has become a Rovers North cus tomer to find parts for his Series Land Rovers. We asked him to tell us about his Land Rovers - ed].

his has been a difficult year for farmers in the United Kingdom, but then, I’m genuinely attached to our farm and our animals. With my partner, Lynne, I own and operate Llwyncelyn Farm, where we also do bed and breakfast. Our’s is a typical hill farm; I keep 400 ewes and a few cows. I used to be an intensive farmer, but I’ve cut back and now I The Godley House Bus as it is today enjoy it more. Not surprisingly, we have many old Land Rovers which seem to go perfectly with our 16th century farmhouse. All my Land Rovers are Series II’s and II-A’s, although I did pick up a FC 101, too. I’m embarrassed to say how many I own. Some are used for spares and some I hope to restore. I’ve always liked them and used them. The basic reasons are the nuts and bolts, and they have character. In America, you have Harleys - in England, we have Land Rovers! I always look for a Land Rover in either unusual or original condition. We found this latest addition, an 88” Regular Land Rover Station Wagon built in December, 1962, at a local antique dealer’s yard. Everything looked fine but we had a bit of a job finding the origi-

-1967. He flew over to Pakistan but had the Land Rover shipped over from the factory. A hired driver then had to take it from the coast

armed guard surrounding the vehicle and arranging for a tow to Kabul for repairs. Some weeks later, John picked the car up at the Afghan Consulate in Peshawar. Petrol was a problem; filling stations were few and far between and there was only one

Highest road in Asia. Salang Pass, Hindu Kush Mtns.

grade. If you found a station, there was no guarantee that it would have petrol there. Spare parts were also a problem. Once, a local craftsmen also repaired the dynamo with a bit of copper wire. At another point, the Land Rover developed gearbox trouble and, in the absence of qualified mechanics, John received advice to take it to two old brothers who had a reputa tion for being able to fix such things. He called on them a few days after leaving the vehicle with them and was horrified to see his gear box in pieces, all over the path in front of their house. Once reassembled, the box worked perfectly and continues going strong today.

to the college, but the seats were all packed up in boxes. So he found a concrete block and sat on that for the entire trip. As John served as the master of a student boarding house at the college, it quickly became known as “The Godley House Bus.” He drove the Land Rover all over Pakistan, Kashmir and Afghanistan. From a photo archive provided by John, we know it followed camel caravans in Afghanistan and tackled the snows of Salang Pass in Hindu Kush. It crossed the Thar Desert. Near the border of Kashmir, it passed another camel caravan on a narrow track where a load fell off one camel and crushed part of the safari roof. In Punjab, it

Fording a river, Punjab. Minutes after this photo was taken, we were pulled out by water buffalo.

When John returned to this country, he traded the vehicle in for a Range Rover, prefer ring the speed and comfort of this new model. Since then, it seems to have spent the next 30 years in the farm in Stanton, before being sold to Danny the Banger man where it was there bought by our antique dealer. To complete the

Coals to Newcastle or...

Wales To Westford history for the first five years of its life, which was spent in Pakistan. He had ordered it directly from the factory in Solihull, with optional extras such as 16” wheels and an accompanying speedometer, fuel filler locks, a second windscreen wiper, and twin jerrycan holders on the front bumper. At £785, it was over £200 more than the small sedan of its era, but its export to a former colony meant a reduction in tariffs and a reduced cost. The color was “Mid Grey;” the same color it holds today. John was a geography lecturer at Aitchison College, the “Eton” of Pakistan, between 1962

needed a team of water buffalo to pull it out from a failed fording of the Cherab River. Near a huge poppy field, John stepped out of the car to take photographs and heard a warning shot fired at him; he returned to the car and drove away. In one memorable trip through central Afghanistan, the engine froze solid [antifreeze was an expensive luxury -ed.] and stranded him. John had to abandon the vehicle in the mountains and walk for three days to the nearest road to get out. He hiked to Kabul, where he knew the Deputy Prime Minister. This friend’s considerable clout resulted in an

circle of the car’s history, we now have the original registration number -557 EUE- which is the one it had coming from the factory. John even gave us the original jerry cans. Not long ago, when I was coming back from a trip to London, I stopped at a service station and a gentleman from Pakistan came over to see me. He had recognized the Arabic script on the side of the car and knew it said “Godley House Bus”. His children are in college and are boarding the Godley House. It’s a small world. Until the recent quarantine because of foot and mouth disease, I had continued on page 18

The coveted Rovers North Sightings Mug

ightings is a team sport and many players compete fiercely to make the big leagues. With the completion of our Spring training, a rookie has joined the Sightings team. We thank Jac’Kiye McCollett, Augusta, ME, for her help in compiling this issue’s column. With the immense snow pack in New England slow to recede, we’ve “enjoyed” a long mud season so far. That’s kept us out of some favorite fields and woods as effectively as foot and mouth disease had closed off the English countryside. Happily, though, we’ll be emptying more of the crockery cupboards with this issue of the Rovers North Newsletter. As always, it’s important for you rookies to review the rules for Sightings - and it wouldn’t hurt if some veterans would take a look again, too.

SIGHTINGS

Rule #1 - All Sightings receive recognition and our appreciation, but not necessarily a mug. We reward only those Sightings that cap ture the unique qualities of Land Rovers and their owners, and display them in a unique way . Rule #2 - If your Sighting does not really surprise you, it won’t surprise us, either, and you won’t get a mug. We’re delighted, but not surprised, that Land Rovers appear in British television programmes, British publications, films with British themes, and shows about African safaris. You shouldn’t be surprised, either, and should consider looking for other ways to get a coffee mug. Rule #3 - At an ever-changing date before publication, we close off the Sightings. If we’ve mentioned the Sighting in an earlier issue, we won’t mention it again. If you’re new to the family of Land Rover enthusiasts, you may not have 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 ref erences in books go to our Literary Land Rover editor for mention, but only when space permits. Rule #6 - Psst... if we can’t read you name and address because of atrocious penman ship, we can’t recognize your Sighting nor send you a mug. Psst...E-mail submissions remember we can’t send a mug by e-mail. Send us your real name and shipping address, too. Rule #7 - Grudgingly, very grudgingly, the Editor admits he might make an error. Let me know if you think you’ve been jobbed, but all decisions of the Editor are final.

Regarding Rule #7, the Editor must grudg ingly, very grudgingly, admit that he neglected to list John Oswald, Asheville, NC, as a Sightings winner in the previous issue’s Sightings of an International Motorsports catalogue. A mug is on its way. Of course we’re never happy to see a totaled Range Rover, which *Terence Allen, Kinthersville, PA, saw in the movie “Exit Wounds”, as well as, *Matthew Smith, Cranston, RI. watching a woman test her crashability on the wrong side of the road in a Land Rover Discovery, in the children’s movie “Little Vampire”. A Land Rover is a dog’s best friend? *Greg Coffman, Coshocton, OH, reports seeing a Boxer sitting at the wheel of a Series II 88 in the 2001 issue of Men’s Journal magazine while *Mike Bross, Hendersonville, NC, caught a glimpse of a “modified hardtop model” while browsing Elle magazine. *Kevin Kelly, Mill Valley, CA, found a Discovery Series II with dual mountain bikes mounted on the roof rack as the central image in a Cisco Systems ad in Real Estate Forum. Steve Bradke, Niskayuna, NY, sent us a Sighting of a Defender 110 on an article on African aid organizations in QST, the amateur radio fan’s journal. While the children are away the dads must play! Barry Greenhalgh, Pawcatuck, CT., watches the “bad guys” cruise around in a

Series III 88 soft top in the video game “Delta Force II”. Keith Frank, Salt Lake City, Utah, spotted a Series I included in the instruction manual for the video game “Tomb Raider”. Not owning video games, we entrust these readers to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth - and it’s a great way to sell video games. 7 year old *Hannah Thayer, Abingdon, VA., enjoys riding in her fathers Land Rover Pickup as well as helping him search for “Sightings; she spotted one in a Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup commercial. This next “Sighting” is nothing to sneeze at; *Jon Villanti, Williston, VT., views a black Range Rover during an antiallergy commercial for Allegra. An episode of The Simpsons features Homer and the gang driving to Africa. Their guide drives them around in a 109” Series II; both Bob McCreary, Houston, TX, and Chuck Moffit (see Rule # 6) also spot ted the poachers driving an FJ-40. A “Rover” in the city? *Jeannie Peeler, Appomattox, VA., watches as the heroine from the TV series Providence dreams she is driven off in a limestone colored Series II-A. *William DeVizia, Keyport, NJ., and Matthew Smith, Cranston, RI, watched as one of the TV show’s Sopranos side kicks buys himself a brand new black Range Rover 4.6. *Brian Lang, Los Angeles, CA [which he wrote as “LA” - how CA! -ed] found a NAS Defender 90 in an episode of the program Sheena. *Nick Jacobs, New York, NY., spotted a Series II-A in the Travel section of the New York Sunday Times, being used for tour rides in Cumberland, GA; Kevin Healy, Massapequa Park, NY, found the same article. A Series III outfitted as a Red Cross ambulance in the Winter 200-2001 issue of the NATO Review was spotted by Henry Quisenberry, Enterprise, AL. John Kountz, wrote to us after seeing a “Defender” in an issue of “Defense News”.

Some bank tried to entice *Ernie Aschenbach, Richmond, VA, to take a South Pacific cruise by putting a photo of a Defender 110 in the mailing. We’ll find out later if it worked. *Peter King, Signal Mountain, TN, spied a Defender 110 in full military kit in a History Channel special on the US Army’s Green Berets - as Peter asked, “where are the Humvees?” *Arlene Kountz, Laguna Beach, CA, found that a Discovery is used as a “mobile mummy mover” by the Carlos Museum at Emory University in Atlanta - great photo in their alumni magazine! As an April Fool’s closer, *Brian Riley, Minneapolis, MN, noted that the January/February issue of Toyota Trails, the magazine of the Toyota Land Cruiser Association, featured a Land Rover on page 12 of that issue.

Winners: Arlene Kountz Laguna Beach, CA

Hannah Thayer Abingdon, VA

Brian Lang Los Angeles, CA

John Kountz Laguna Beach, CA

Brian Riley Minneapolis, MN Ernerst Aschenbach Richmond, VA Peter King Signal Mtn., TN Kevin Kelly Mill Valley, CA Jon Villianti Williston, VT Matthew Smith Cranston, RI. Barry E. Pawcatuck, CT Nick Jacobs New York, NY

Ron Ward Columbus, GA Kevin Kelly Mill Valley, CA Kevin Healy Massapequa Park, NY Pat Harris Wilton, CT John Bradke Niskayuana, NY William Devizia Keyport, NJ Greg Coffman Coshocton, Ohio

John Oswald Asheville, NC

Mike Bross Hendersonville, NC

Jeannie Peeler Appomattox, VA

Terence Allen Kintnersville, PA

Dear Rovers North,

Hello Rovers North Friends, Thank you for your time and the Rovers North News, too. It’s very interesting to know about Rover enthusiasts in the States. I’m from Costa Rica, and we were the first Latin American country to import Series Land Rovers in 1950 or 1951. We have tons of stories about them. Costa Rica is an agricultural

tradition country and you can see Land Rovers (Series , Discoverys, Range Rover Classics or 4.6 HSE’s, Defenders) everywhere in tropical forest, beaches, agricultural zones, and every city in the country. I have an 88” Series II-A, which crosses the hardest and muddiest conditions of our rain forest (the same as some of the Camel Trophy events). We have every kind of mud in existence (grey, brown, black, yellow, white 100% sticky lime and the worst, the red one). I saw a Mercedes Benz G class stuck in the red mud (it is like molding paste) with three differentials locked and a turbo diesel

Letters to the Editor

engine blowing up the bonnet and it couldn’t get out. Then, after two hours of trying and trying, a nylon rope and an 88” soft top Series III pulled it out the first time. It found traction in the same mud without diff locks or snow chains [which we call mud chains here]. That’s a little example of what Land Rovers do every day in a country where the big majority

of old 4 x 4’s are Rovers. I also believe that Costa Rica has the worst highways and streets in all of the America’s but Rovers can go every where, making new ways and destroying reputa tions of newer SUV’s and 4 x 4’s. Maria Jose Araya, Costa Rica

Barry Greenhalgh Pawcatuck, CT [Unfortunately, everything my mother said about me was true, also, just not as compli mentary -ed]. reported that “over 4 years, customers drove out with the nozzle still in their car 118 times. One customer did it twice. Twice a car left the property with the nozzle still attached. Once, a female customer drove out with the nozzle just before closing at 10 p.m. A male returned the nozzle at 3 a.m. to our doorstep [as viewed on security camera]. I hope this is not indicative of many Range Rover drivers.

In Steve Harvey’s Only In L.A. column, there’s a photo of a Range Rover Classic driving down the road with a gas pump nozzle dangling from the filler pipe. The column notes that a service station owner in Manhattan Beach, Mike Reynolds,

________ P ________

Dear Rovers North, Deborah Duncan San Gabriel, CA

________ P ________

Dear Editor,

Terribly good show of you to forward young Robert Wollschlager one of your mugs for last issue’s Sightings. I have been out with him and his dad in our Rovers on several occasions and everything his mother Carol said about him is true!

[We don’t know whether to laugh or cry . Depending on fuel prices and the amount of lead in your foot, some Range Rover drivers might feel as though they never leave the gas pump behind -ed.] ________ P ________

Thank you for the catalogue. It’s nice to know that I can still get quality parts for my new (old) Rover. I received the News that I found fantastic. How can I get this monthly? I’m a first time Rover owner, as you can see by the picture of new prospect. It’s a ‘67 109” SW with 46,000 original miles, and it also happens to be one of the 811 built for the NADA [North American Dealer Area -ed]. Can you believe that I found it sitting behind a horse stable? I’ll get around to getting it on the road this Spring. Lastly, I received a lot of assistance thanks to your web site links. Angel Dominguez Enid, OK [The 109” SW with the NADA 6-cylinder motor is a gem of a vehicle. We can’t wait to see photos of it when you return it from behind the barn -ed.]

Ignition Key ,

continued

burst into High Power Mode. The fuse block crackled and the wires sang as recently lazy electrons got more than just a little shot in the arm, and The Hellas parted the night like Moses parted the Red Sea. Hey, was

that a tomcat? Tell Darth that I got his Death Star right here, baby! We got some star wars action for him, yeah... We found Mark and his cronies a few winding miles down the dirt track, half an hour after crossing the weathered concrete dam, and set up the tent in the driving rain. We then gathered under Mark’s enormous para-wing canopy where, as seems to be the norm on all-male outings, the talk migrated from ale to various defensive weapons we had each brought along. Forrest’s armory was the most impressive. His seemingly minuscule daypack contained a pachyderm-sized assortments of blankets with which to provide backup and fortification for the 21 flashlights still inside. Forrest wasn’t concerned about bears, wolves or yetis, and the guys nodded sagely. They knew from experience that nothing stops monsters better than a flashlight fired from under or behind a great mound of blankets. If it’s a question of whether they’ll be safer in SAC’s Cheyenne Mountain or under a blanket, the smart toddler will always select Genuine Flannel over mere granite. Forrest’s primary defense for this evening would be the latest

technology from Fisher Price: the new timercontrolled, triple-barrel, white red and green selectable beam flashlight, security bunkered under a Winnie the Pooh comforter. His battle dress: a set of Little Tykes goggles, a yellow hard hat and a high volume (my idea) Huggies Pullup Nighttime. The monsters must have sensed the enormous latent power hidden in the tent during their recon, or perhaps they merely espied the empty 100-round Duracell box in the Land Rover, because we slept soundly that night. The morning dawned picturesque, like a scene from A River Runs Through It, and remained that way as the dawn blossomed into day. Light breezes partnered with early autumn leaves over the river in a dance that seemed to exist only to dodge the occasional rain shower. Sadly, there was a limit to the time that we had to absorb nature’s beauty, and following some fine fishing and hiking, Forrest and I said our farewells. We packed our gear back into the Land Rover, secured the canvas flaps, and lumbered out of the canyon and across the dam for the return trip to Boise. The Land Rover was in fine form, its engine purring like a sewing machine, which should have been a strong indication that catastrophic failure of something was imminent. No traffi c on the 30-mile desert descent into Mountain Home meant that we could disengage the overdrive and just mosey along, something we couldn’t do on the ascent. 0-60 mph however, is doable at a staggering 29.1 seconds on the flats with no breeze. Those little engines really have to spin. Ten miles out of Mountain Home, with 30 miles across the blazing desert to go, the Land Rover bucked twice, solidly, and ceased running. Wondering about that miss the night before, I drifted off the side of the road and came to a silent stop in the desert. I’ve broke my truck before, but come ON! Knowing that my problem wasn’t fuel, I pulled the cap off the distributor to reveal a soft patina of metal delicately coating the inside of the distributor in much the same way as Jack Frost artfully coats windshield with another compound that sucks. Well, heck (actually I said mother-heck); at least Joseph Lucas leaves clues. At least this clue wasn’t

blackened with carbon and smouldering. When I inspected the inside of the cap, the origin of the metal dust became apparent: the contacts had been ground nearly completely off. That’s when I saw the aluminum fragments on the engine block, and pieced together (pun intended) what had happened. The electrode on the rotor had loosened, grinding the contents off the distributor cap. Foiled before it could complete its mischievous task, it came loose from the rotor entirely and dove down below the breaker plate. It delivered a onetwo combination to the centrifugal advance mechanism, breaking off both posts and releasing the tension on the springs, but the Sumo wrestler-sized advance had the last laugh. Mortally wounded, it man aged to revenge itself by wadding the soft brass electrode into a little ball and shooting it like a bullet through the aluminum distributor housing and onto the engine block. A few tests later I determined that, by installing my spare cap and rotor, there would be enough functionality left in the distributor to get Forrest and I home. Fortunately for us because no one passing on the freeway even slowed down, let alone stop to render assistance. However, when I walked to the rear of the truck to get my spare cap and rotor from the toolbox, my heart turned to lead and sank to my stomach. It might as well have been a giant cyanide pill; it was, in fact, the realization that I didn’t have my toolbox. No spare, no tools, and a two-year old with a chocolate milk mustache who equated the way that daddy was walking and vigorously muttering with great humor, rather than the Weight of Despair that was really the culprit. In the next 90 minutes I tried everything to fix that truck. I kicked it and hit it with rocks, too but let’s discuss that at another time. I tried ty-wraps, bits of tape, spit and really good cuss words. And in the next 90 minutes, not a soul stopped to help. As I set down in failure on the side of the road to contemplate carrying my little boy for 30 miles, I looked up and saw salvation. My Leatherman Super Tool was

tucked behind the Terratrip Rally Computer on the dashboard. Suddenly, the barren side of the freeway in the Idaho desert became the rich Land of Opportunity. Necessity is the mother of invention. Baby, what a mother! I’d been using my thumbnail to scrape adhesive from some Velcro to attach

the key from the lock on my high-lift jack to the rotor as a makeshift contact until I broke the key, and sat down in desperation. I came across the spare key to the high lift while rummaging through the truck registration pouch. Recovering it, I used the file implement on the Leatherman to extend and shape the depres sion on the top of the rotor to fit the key. The small screwdriver implement then came into use (abuse) to create a slot in the rotor that would accommodate the width and depth of the key, at about 45 degrees from the top. Guessing the distance that the rotor contact had extended from the end of the rotor, I mea sured the key off, then used the pliers, I forced the key into the slot, then cut a piece of nylon ty-wrap and forced it in there as well, creating a powerful compression fit. Thirty minutes from having noticed my Leatherman and thirty minutes from facing defeat at the side of the road, I fitted the rotor and locked the ruined cap back in place. I moved into the driver’s position and, with my head on the wheel, gently turned the key. I must admit that the sound of that engine was never as welcome as it was right then. Forrest said, “Fix Daddy?” “Yeah, boy, fixed!” How sweet it is!

Wales To Westford, continued

The vehicle being parked with the words “Godley House Bus” on arrival in Pakistan, 1962.

traveled often in my Land Rover as part of my crusade against the abuses of “quangos” [unelected regulatory bodies for regional issues such as economic development -ed]. In my case, the Welsh Development Agency took by compulsory purchase [eminent domain in the US ed.] part of our common, where I feed my sheep. Their part of the bargain called for the Board to erect stock proof fence, an agreement on which they reneged. So my Land Rover will transport me, maybe Lynne, Meg the dog, and certainly some protest banners to The Royal Welsh Agricultural Show and the Earls Court Show in London. With

its new crossmember and first-ever hitch, it will tow an ex-Moscow State Circus caravan to these events to alert attendees to the abuses of these 5,500 quangos. There are probably agency members who wish that a Land Rover weren’t so tough and reliable a vehicle! It’s not easy to go anywhere these days, given the possibility of spreading foot and mouth disease. With an election coming up, we’re not hearing about it lately. I don’t know what the outcome will be. For the past couple of months, we’ve hardly left the farm. For large farmers, losing animals just means some finan cial hardship and partial reimbursement. As a small farmer attached to my animals, I don’t

want to take the risk. The farm shows that we used to love to visit have been canceled, as have many Land Rover events this spring. There may be some in the Summer and Autumn. I do like my “Godley House Bus,” too. Its history enabled it to win the Welsh competition in the “Source For a Legend” contest, but for me, it’s another embodiment of the rural, farming life that is so important to me. There’s no car like it.

[James Powell invites Land Rover enthusiasts interested in traveling to Wales to stay at the Llwyncelyn Farm. Write him at Llwyncelyn Farm, Crickhowell, Powys, South Wales, UK NP81LL, or telephone him at 011-441-874730327. He promises “many friends with Land Rovers and lots fine off roading,” and over the telephone, Lynne sounded like a wonderful cook and companion- ed.]

By Jeffrey B. Aronson This is a somber day; as I complete this column on April 18, snow continues to fall. Between the cold, snow and mud, it has been a tough spring in rural New England. However, this is nothing compared to the spring of 2001 in rural England. Thousands of British farmers will lose over 1 million animals to the battle over foot and mouth disease. Whereas American farmers might have tilled the family soil for a few generations, English farming families have often worked the same land for 200 300 years. In a Boston Globe interview, Will Cockbain, a sheep farmer in Cumbria, said “if things go wrong, it’s like you’re letting down your ancestors. I’m tough, but I’ve been in tears a couple of times over this. It isn’t just about my family. It’s about a way of life. The farming life in Cumbria is getting wiped out.” The average farmer in England makes about $10,000 per year, yet little of that comes from actually raising or growing a product. Prices in England have dropped so much that production costs outstrip sales. Farmers in England, as in the United States, rely on subsidies; in England, they’re recognized for their environmental maintenance - repairing stone walls, fixing dikes, burning off heather - that preserves the stunning English countryside. The rural tourist industry earns about $15 billion annually in England alone. The virulence of foot-and-mouth disease, which does not threaten humans, does threaten farming and the rural tourist industry. Major stretches of walking trails have become off-lim its, and off road organizations in Great Britain are canceling events. With the major Land Rover shows usually held in May and June, Land Rover enthusiasts face a bleak summer. We should be thankful that the severe restrictions on foot and 4 x 4 travel have not been necessary yet in the United States, and hopeful for the fate of our rural cousins in Great Britain. I thought of their plight as my ‘66 Series IIA SW renewed its annual acquaintance with firewood. I hauled several cord of wood from a thin forest area of the island to my rented house. When fully loaded, low range gearing prevented me from tearing up the thin, muddy forest surface and permitted me to leave an

unobtrusive footprint. Fortunately, most of the wood was old, dry spruce, which burns like Chernobyl but doesn’t weigh very much. I folded up the rear jump seats, removed the parts and tool boxes from the car, then stacked the wood in the Rover. It took several trips to transport it to its new home, where I cut it to size with the chain saw, split it and stacked it for the season. The final stacking required backing up onto a slick rock face to reach the flat spot on which to stack the wood; as the mud at the foot of the hillock was quite soft, it required a deft touch not to dig up the surface. A hallmark of the Series Land Rover was always its utility. The same vehicle that could haul farm supplies and firewood could also transport 7 people; 12 if you bought a 109”. Without question, the Land Rover demanded a spirit of compromise from its owner. No one would ride in great comfort. It helped if all passengers were on good speaking terms with each other. Still, few other contemporary cars could accomplish so much and last so long under hard use. One day I received a call from an island buddy. His Gen-X daughter had set her heart on a car and he wanted me to look it over. The daughter had fired up the interest of her younger stepsister and four teenage friends. Could I accompany them and look over the car with her? Let me get this straight - did I want to relive high school fantasies and be the only guy with 6 lovely girls? Yes, actually! I quickly swept out the rear of the car, checked the duct tape on the seats, hosed down the floor mats, and removed evidence of previous agricultural and marine work from the rear. Remember the movie Bedazzled? Remember how Brendan Frazer’s dream lives failed him - despite having Elizabeth Hurley as his personal devil? Just as in the movie, this dream life dissolved in front of me. The car that had captivated the Gen-X purchaser, and her friends, was a late ‘90’s Geo Tracker, white with a robin’s egg blue soft top and matching blue painted wheels. And California strips along the side,

Wales To Westford

in matching violet hues. I stared, revolted, but as I looked into this young woman’s baby blue eyes, I saw that the Geo had already stolen her heart, that only a cad would even think of dissing this car. From my perspective, Geo Trackers begin as junk and go downhill from there; what if the car turned out to be worse than I thought? The day dawned gloomy and rainy. We stopped for some breakfast and the 6 girls poured out of the Rover - right in front of a local policeman who graciously chose not to count seat belts. A hard rain forced the back window to stay strapped in place during the 30 minute drive to the Geo. Ms. Gen-X could barely contain her excitement. As I drove on, I realized that I had now reached a point in life at which not one parent thought it dangerous even inappropriate - that their stunning daugh ters, 6 of them, should accompany me, without a chaperone, on a trip to the mainland. I had morphed from “young buck” to “Uncle Buck.” Whatever the initial lure of the Land Rover, it evaporated completely when the girls spied the Geo Tracker. After all, here was a colorcoordinated car with a radio/CD player. I put on a monkey suit and began the inspection. I stared at a clean, but not steam-cleaned, engine bay. The oil looked clear and all the fluid levels seemed appropriate. The brakes, clutch and transmission worked smoothly and without bite. The tiny chassis resembled that of an electric train but it had no serious rust. The starter groaned a bit, but the motor sounded fine. Devastated, I was forced to pronounce it fit. The girls leapt in for a test drive just as the rain stopped; with the top down and the radio blasting, the Geo proved irresistible and Ms. Gen-X paid the sum of a perfectly serviceable Land Rover for the car. She made arrange ments to pick it up in a couple of days and I drove them back to the island in the Land Rover.

Behind The Steering Wheel

________ P ________

Land Rover once ran a print advertisement in the UK showing a new Land Rover owner waving good bye to a weepy salesman. The gist of the ad was that you should be profuse in your mutual salutations as, given the life of Land Rovers, you might not see that salesman for another 10 years. It pointed to the dilemma for Land Rover; under proper care the cars can last so long that repeat sales might not occur for many years. With traditional car dealers employing stereotypical car salesman engaging in stereotypical sales practices, a

decade-long absence seems quite desirable. However, if a car dealer exists to sell cars, well, the problem is obvious. A good example occurred once when Land Rover North America placed a thumbnail-sized photograph of a Series I in the front of that year’s sales brochure, featuring the Discovery, Defender and Range Rover. A customer once called a dealership and requested “a car just like the one on Page 2.” When the sales guide turned to that page, he found the photo of the Series I. It was several years before Series vehicles appeared in Land Rover publications again. Indeed, for a while it seemed as though Land Rover sought to emulate the Kremlin of the Soviet Union and rewrite the history of the firm. All references to off-road prowess left the company’s advertisements; instead, you watched a Land Rover tackle a beach parking lot and transport a wet dog from the middle of a road. Zowie! Suddenly, the world turned and the challenges of the Land Rover Trek competitions are the center of attention. Stay tuned..Land Rover may be heading in the right direction after all. ________ P ________

At RoverFest 2000 and at the British Invasion, the 4 x 4 Center of Williston, VT, organized popular trials courses. With many families in attendance, lots of cars stuffed with families wended their way up and down the slalom courses. If you’re a kid, that stinks only the adults could drive. If you can con your folks, have them send you to Scotland’s Gleneagles resort. The $80, 45-minute Junior Off-Roading course in Perthshire lets kids drive mini Land Rovers on garden paths and a circuit of obstacles. Instructors carry remote con trols to prevent accidents. Sounds like heaven to me! ________ P ________

The Wall Street Journal reminded us that former Prime Minister John Major once pro claimed that Britain would remain a land of dog lovers, “invincible green suburbs” and warm beer. Sadly, warm beer seems to be falling victim to American trends. The Journal reported that Worthington Ale now admonishes imbibers to “Drink ice cold” right on the bottle. T&R Theakston Ltd., renowned for such traditional tipples as Old Peculier, is rolling out an ale called Cool Cask, served at 50 degrees, compared with a typical 54 to 56 degrees for traditional British ales. Far bolder, Guinness Ltd. promotes an alternative version of its stout called Guinness Extra Cold, poured from the tap at a tongue-numbing 39 degrees — about the same as U.S.-style lagers. Mick Lewis, the chairman of the North London branch of the Campaign for Real Ale, huffed that “You might as well just serve water.” Jackson considers “those horrible frosted glasses” favored by American bartenders as an abomination. “In some of the more backward parts of America,” Mr. Jackson reports, “it’s damn near frozen.” After my travails with the girls in my QE I, I might have to visit a bar and test his observations.

Land Rover

Snaps

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

Scott Herring’ s 109” Marshallbodied ambulance was brought to Maine from St. John, New Brunswick.

Dean Letorney’s immaculate Discovery Series I

The Best Bird Perch x Far

A special greetings from the Vintage Rovers Across Africa crew!

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