which range rover ??

[lowrider3]

hey people my names, Luke
and i really want an older range rover,
at the moment i have an old daihatsu rocky and wish to up grade ( in off road performance ) but could somebody out there give me an idea on which rangie would be best suited to off road use standared from say 1988 back including ground clerance, best motor eg , what year did efi come out in and is it worth it,?? articulation ?? e.c.t .
or are they much the same ????
can you easlly get diff locks front and back ???
I know the rangies are low geared standared but can you easly get lower gears got burnt with the poor ol rocky nop decent lo range
worst thing bout the ol girl
any way hope some body can help

thanks
Luke


P.s The car will be used for a few things fishing trips along the beach , mud few decent rocks but not rock climbing as such hope this helps
thanks again
Luke

[Hardy]

Any old Rangie's a good Rangie - but I think they did improve a lot from around '82 onwards. There's a lot more folks here with better expertise/advice than me so in the meantime go to http://www.rangerovers.net for lots of meaningful background info.

Good Luck!


Hardy

[Bush65]

All rangies are capable off road - stay clear of the models with borg warner transfer case (has viscous coupling instead of locking centre diff).

Articulation - no difference in model years and easy to improve.

There are lots of choices for lockers - Maxidrive and Jack Macnamara make selective lockers, which are a better proposition than ARB (also readily available).

Rangie Low 1st is as good as most others stock and most peeps dont change it. The only viable options are to change diff ratios or Maxidrive 30% (or 40% in future) lower low range (but only for later LT230 t/case).

[Aquarangie]

Look at any Rangie post 82 because they are just much better vehicles all round. I own an 83 Rangie (4 door, LT95 4 speed) and after owing my 93 with 3.9 EFI and ZF auto, it's definatley a step back in time

The stcok low gearing in the 4 speed manual LT95's are great (48:1 low first). Generally the early 4 doors also very simple to work on plus reasnobly comfotable for a 22 year old vehicle. The LT77 5 speed are crap and the Chrysler torque-flite auto although strong are awfully slow with the standard 3.5 engine. ZF conversions (4 speed auto) are popular with these models

The EFI's started from 86 with the Lucas L-Jection system. Okay, but troblesome if problems arise. Some people have converted back to carbiers on these models whci is a cherper option that upgrading the ECU to an aftermarket job.

All Rangies are great, but the later ones are just that much better. 2 doors are great and now getting a bit scarse on the roads these days and trying to find a good one to start with is becoming very difficult.

Good luck in your Rangie search.

Trav

[LincolnBlack]

I would have to agree that any Rangie after 82 would be a fine choice. Mine's an '88 with ZF auto (4 speed) and 3.5 EFI, and it's great. Comfy and capable (not fast but). All the mod cons and very easy to drive. I wouldn't get too carried away trying to find a 2 door, unless you want to fit real big tyres eventually. For day to day business, 4 doors are so much more convienient, especially for carrying more that one fishing mate.

[Ralf the RR]

Look at any Rangie post 82 because they are just much better vehicles all round. I own an 83 Rangie (4 door, LT95 4 speed) and after owing my 93 with 3.9 EFI and ZF auto, it's definatley a step back in time

The stcok low gearing in the 4 speed manual LT95's are great (48:1 low first). Generally the early 4 doors also very simple to work on plus reasnobly comfotable for a 22 year old vehicle. The LT77 5 speed are crap and the Chrysler torque-flite auto although strong are awfully slow with the standard 3.5 engine. ZF conversions (4 speed auto) are popular with these models

The EFI's started from 86 with the Lucas L-Jection system. Okay, but troblesome if problems arise. Some people have converted back to carbiers on these models whci is a cherper option that upgrading the ECU to an aftermarket job.

All Rangies are great, but the later ones are just that much better. 2 doors are great and now getting a bit scarse on the roads these days and trying to find a good one to start with is becoming very difficult.

Good luck in your Rangie search.

Trav

OK, I'll add my bit.

So if the 86 with efi is crap, then buy an earlier version with carbs.
We own a 79 with quite a few mods (mine) and an 80 model (hers).

Everything is simple to work on, and all Rangies require work.

Contrary to popular belief, they are not expensive for parts.
They are in comparison to a "normal" sedan, but no worse than landcruiser/patrol/whatever.

My advice is work out the budget.
Early 2 doors cost up to 4K for an excellent one (both ours cost about 2.5K).
Although some want a lot more for theirs, but are normally highly modified. I even saw a mid 70s one on ebay for 18K.

If you want luxury/comfort then you want a later model, but be prepared to pay more.

Work out what you are going to use it for.
This includes the number of people who will be in it.
Mine is a 2 door, and predominately the rear seat is folded, so a 4 door is not required (for me).

They all perform well off road.
The older ones (70s and 80s) are probably wearing out and clunk a lot.
This is normal, as long as you can live with it.
But everything can gradually be replaced over time, and you end up with a reliable/capable vehicle. As I said, the parts aren't that expensive.

Work out what mods you may want in the future.
Lockers are expensive (but they are for other vehicles).
Larger tyres may break axles, so prepare for upgrades.
Suspension and body lifts are easy, and cheap.

There you go, I hope this clears things up a little, or may have confused you more.

[Rainbow Warrior]

If you just want a capable cheap 4x4 without going hard then go the Rangie, but if you suspect you might want to play hard later, seriously consider a GQ Patrol, they are just as capable in standard form, possibly more so due to the excellent factory LSD.

I know this because I started with a Landdog then Rangie, had a ball of fun with the V8, but in the end I was needing to pour 3 times what the car was worth into it to play hard and had to watch mates Patrols take a hiding without breakages, the drive line is near indestructable, I give the gearbox hell and it's still going after 4 years.

But if you want to go Rangie, stay with the factory V8, the carbies are fine if rebuilt & tuned correctly, gas may be handy, get electronic ignition fitted, and if you go for a locker, don't get an ARB unless you plan to keep your tyres under 33".

[justinC]

Luke, Give me a call on 6229 1102, I'm in Hobart and I may have some vehicles available soon.

Regards,

Justin

[p76rangie]

If Rangies are so fragile, why is virtually every major competition vehicle one. I drive my rangie reasonably hard and take it into the harder areas. The only thing in the drive train that I have every broken in the drive train has been one axle and one diff. The diff went due to excessive wheel spinning over an extended period of time. Where it broke was in an area with 12 other vehicles, including 6 wheel drives with triple diff locks and none would come down and rescue me. The axle went when I went to 4.1 diffs and they started to place too much strain on the axles.

The GQ Patrol was not released until 1988. It is often compared to Rangies a lot older. The only problem with old rangies, is just that, they are old. People then buy them and give them hell and wonder why the old worn parts give out.

[Ralf the RR]

The only problem with old rangies, is just that, they are old. People then buy them and give them hell and wonder why the old worn parts give out.

Exactly

Jeez, my 79 4.4 is now 25 and bit years old.
How many Patrols last that long?
Parts wear out.
I am gradually replacing them, but's not an expensive exercise (well the gearbox might be).
It shudders, it clunks, its dirty, it's a little rusty, but I own it, and keeps on going (except for the electrical fire).

They are cheap, and a very capable 4wd.

Luke, as I said earlier, you need to know your budget. That determines what model you get.
Don't discount an early model. You may have cash left over to fix those "little" problems that occur, and get yourself a bargain. I know I did.

[Rainbow Warrior]

If Rangies are so fragile, why is virtually every major competition vehicle one. I drive my rangie reasonably hard and take it into the harder areas. The only thing in the drive train that I have every broken in the drive train has been one axle and one diff. The diff went due to excessive wheel spinning over an extended period of time. Where it broke was in an area with 12 other vehicles, including 6 wheel drives with triple diff locks and none would come down and rescue me. The axle went when I went to 4.1 diffs and they started to place too much strain on the axles.

The GQ Patrol was not released until 1988. It is often compared to Rangies a lot older. The only problem with old rangies, is just that, they are old. People then buy them and give them hell and wonder why the old worn parts give out.

A lot of truth here, but basically for a comp vehicle which you're planning to pour 10k into upgrading/crossbreeding/modifying the drive train anyway, possibly Nissan axles or Maxi Drives. Comp vehicles replace all the breaky bits, which is all fine considering the starting vehicle can be picked up cheap. But seeing a Petrol SWB GQ can be had for around $3k now compared to a $3k Rangie, I know where I'd start again, parts are everywhere.

They were wusses if they wouldn't take double lockered Patrols into anywhere a double lockered Rangie went or you were somewhere really silly

The stock LSD took my Patrol anywhere my ARB lockered Rangie would go on the same 34" tyres.

I personally enjoyed my Rangie, the V8 was sweet, love to drop it into a Patrol, but it had a lot of weak points with my heavy foot that the Patrol handles well.

[p76rangie]

Pat, You would be surprised how stock some of the competition Rangies are. One of the top vehicles like Mike Smith has increased the power from his motor considerably, but in regard to components, it is still basically stock. He runs a fairly standard Rangie gearbox, transfer case, and tail shafts. He runs ARB lockers and upgraded axles. He has laminated the axle housings, but I am pretty sure he runs standard CVs.

I am not saying the patrol is not a good vehicle and they are probably the second most popular vehicle in the competition front runners.

Rangies tend to have badly designed diff centres, but if you are planning to put diff locks in, it does not matter. Upgrading the axles is not that expensive.

From the trips I have been on, a reasonably stock Rangie will go more places than a reasonably stock Patrol. But both are in the better end of 4WDs.

[mu-stu]

Luke,
I bought a 2 door 1980 RR a few months ago. My only piece of advice is to be very careful with the rust side of things. Buying on older vehicle will always have issues with it. Any vehicle does. Some people think that because the panels are made of aluminium the vehicle won't rust. WRONG! All the chassis and shell are made of steel which seems to rust at the sight of salt water! It easier to fix/replace mechanical issues than bodywork, IMHO.
Good luck with it all.
Stu

[Rainbow Warrior]

Luke,
I bought a 2 door 1980 RR a few months ago. My only piece of advice is to be very careful with the rust side of things. Buying on older vehicle will always have issues with it. Any vehicle does. Some people think that because the panels are made of aluminium the vehicle won't rust. WRONG! All the chassis and shell are made of steel which seems to rust at the sight of salt water! It easier to fix/replace mechanical issues than bodywork, IMHO.
Good luck with it all.
Stu

I'll second the rust bit, look at the sills under the doors, hinge mountings on the doors, corners or the footwells, bottom of tailgate, crossmembers holding the fuel tank and inner front wings near bonnet hinges and front edge of bonnet.

Only roof, doors, & guards are alloy skinned, rest are usually steel. Don't be surprised if you find rust behind panels the owner doesn't even know about.

[phippsey]

I'll third the rust. I had a 78 Rangie which I loved.

But I didn't find some of the rust for three years! It was on the passenger side, on the firewall as you look up that seceret cavity between the bonnet, the side guard and the firewall.

The sill and around the inside of the fuel filler was another, as was the floorpan around the drivers seat.