Outer Limits 4x4 Board

In my quest for a an affordable (read: I'm cheap) 4wd, most of my "research" has been looking at Range Rovers, Bunderas, and the odd look at the really cheap GQ (dreaming). So through this I've seen the odd 110 in the trading post for a nice small figure.
Which has brought me to ask these questions.

From a few expeditions into the outerlimits backpages (god i hate searching internet forums) I've found a few answers on these vehicles but being me (read: ignorant) i have more to ask.

From searching i've seem to see that the 110 has a few "disbailities" that have jumped out at me (i guess it depends on what you're using it for but i'll just go with the stereotypical view) such as;
Being top heavy.
Hard to lift the body (something to do with the firewall)
Weak front diff (i'm not sure on this one, but thats the picture i seemed to get)
Weak axle(s) (horizontal strength)

Now what i would like to ask is how correct are the above statements, as i would like to get a decent overall view of their inherent weaknesses.
Also, what other bad parts have i missed?

One problem i'm not sure of, is whether they have the (inner) axel problems of the same era Range Rover? And if it's also just an upgrade of jmac or maxi drive aftermarket axles needed?


A few points that made the 110 appealing to me were it's ability to fit a decent sized tyre with only a small suspension lift, and less home styled mutilation of the wheel arches. Which is quite appealing to me.

Also does anyone have any must read (internet pages, forum threads etc) material on the 110?
Or should i just steer clear of them altogether.
Hit me with some LR knowledge.

I have an 86 V8 110 with Detroit rear, ARB front , 24 spline
Jac Mac front axles, on 34jts , it goes every where I want it
to go, with only 2" spring lift. I've only now added 2" coil
spacers for a bit more lift as the ruts are getting deeper !!!
A good tough truck with a narrowish body for the tight spots.
I think for the price you can get one, theres not much better!!

cheers Jeff

For the price, they are good as anything (or better) you will find from that period, great suspension, practical body and very easy to modify. The rear diffs (salisbury) are very strong and the fronts can be improved easily, there are plenty of options for a power up (petrol or diesel) and the interior is ideal for a 4by - there is nothing flash to worry about.

IMO the early 110's that you are talking about are some of the best LandRovers ever made, for a number of reasons:

Strongest axles fitted to a LR (front inner axles and front diff are weakest points).
Strong gearboxes (LT95 4-speed or LT85 5-speed) and transfer case(s).
Stronger suspension links (trailling arms etc) than later models.
Great engines (V8 or 3.9L ISUZU diesel).

You don't need to fit a body lift - I have 33" (285/75/16) tyres on mine with no lift (heavy duty - non lifted - king springs).

The wagons can be a bit top-heavy offroad but no moreso than a cruiser or hilux. And if yu are really worried about this there are some 120" utes around - made between 1986 and 1989.

The only real disadvantages are the rear drums (brakes are great overall though) and that the cloth/carpet interiors on the Countys are often a bit tatty by now (no big deal).

ISUZUROVER wrote:IMO the early 110's that you are talking about are some of the best LandRovers ever made

Is a '84 Stage 1 110 County one of those ?

TLCOR wrote:

ISUZUROVER wrote:IMO the early 110's that you are talking about are some of the best LandRovers ever made

Is a '84 Stage 1 110 County one of those ?

No such thing as a "Stage 1 110 County".

The Series III Stage 1 and the 110 County are 2 completely different vehicles, the first has leaf springs the second has coils (though both came with the same engine and gearbox options in OZ).

But by early 110 I mean everything pre Defender - between 1984 (when the first 110s arrived) through to 1989/90 when they stopped selling them (the first defenders arrived a year or two later).

Aha, I'm pretty sure mine says "Country", though, maybe not 110 ?

Dont hesitate I know I will come under fire for saying this but in the eyes of many who dont have an emotional attachment with Land Rover.
Land Rover Peaked in about 1985-6 and things went down hill from then on even Salisbury diffs after this period were not made from the same material as machines a couple of years latert.
We need to look at the heart and spirit with Land Rover these vehicles were never particularly successfull in Australia but were enourmosly successfull in third world countries where things really were used. (Yes for worthwhile and meaningful purposes and not driven by half wits that want to burn rubber on every rock)
The weak points in this model as others have explained are the front inner axles and front differential. All I would say is that everyone of these vehicles is pretty well 20 years old today, How many 20 year old toyotas or Nissans do you see running around today?. If these things were really that bad they would have had thier components replaced by something that worked.
Go for it these are as good as you will get