New Owner Stage 1 but not V8

[gw1100]

Hi all, I recently purchased a 1983 Land Rover that I believe is some type of Stage 1. It’s manufactured in the UK and I bought it in Colombia. The car was kept as a pretender 90 because the front is flush with the wings. It has a 2.25 petrol engine. I did my research and I found this old photo of how the car used to look like before and it looks just like a Stage 1 V8. However, it’s a 3 door. Does anyone have thoughts on what this car might be?

[map1275]

Decode the VIN.

Ignore the exterior panels and look at the structural features such as the steering relay mounting.

[gw1100]

Thank you. The VIN decoding says its a Series III (for early models Stage I). I will look into your other suggestion but not sure what I should be looking for.

[map1275]

Decoding the VIN will tell you which side the steering wheel is on, whether it was made in England or somewhere else, whether for home market or export, wheelbase and which engine.

Look in the parts book at steering relays. If you have the normal (illustrated) Series III relay and matching chassis, then it's not an original V8. As the parts list is poor in such areas, google the same for pictures.

[gw1100]

Thank you... I will look into it. Its a very interesting car because it might not be a V8. The question is what is is then..

The VIN info from CalVin is:

Model: Series III (for early models: Stage One)
Wheel Base: 88 inch (SWB)
Body Type: 2-door
Engine Type: 2.25 ltr Petrol
Steering and Transmission: LHD, 4 Speed Manual (LT95 or Other)
Model Year: 1983
Assembly Location: Solihull, UK

I have searched for similar cars in the internet and there are very few like this one (I have only seen three with little information about them). The car that most resembles this car is one of the few Defender 90 prototypes that exist. Below is the link to the website.

http://www.dunsfoldcollection.co.uk/col ... number-1#v

If anybody else knows more about cars like this one, please let me know.

[disco2hse]

There were some 88" Stage 1's made for the Trinidad police. However as map pointed out, you need to identify those features that are uniquely Stage 1. For example, the Stage 1 used the LT95 gearbox and transfer case. This required a different prop shaft to the standard series III, in that it used a cardan joint.

Here is a picture of the 109 V8 front prop shaft:



Here is a picture of the Series III prop:



Also, as he said, the steering relay is different.

Additionally, there is one gear lever, with a hi-lo selector by your left ankle (if it's RHD, not sure if it is LHD). There are not red and yellow gear levers.

Here is a picture of the inside of a LHD 109 V8.



The rear differential should be a Salisbury, which has a much larger housing than the standard series III diff.

[disco2hse]

The car that most resembles this car is one of the few Defender 90 prototypes that exist. Below is the link to the website.

http://www.dunsfoldcollection.co.uk/col ... number-1#v

If anybody else knows more about cars like this one, please let me know.

The 90 is very different to the 88.

There are a few threads on here to 88 Stage 1's.