• Home
• Used vehicles
• Product news
• Dealer news
• Compliance
• Buying advice
• Archive

All eded Wash Was

by joh

.M.I.R.T.E.

AFTER several hours' gruelling test work across rough test surfaces, up and down slopes of up to 30° severity and over some wickedly rough country, all that a Series II Land-Rover needed was a wash. Good as the Land-Rover has been over its 13 years of life, this latest range is a vast improvement on its predecessors, with more power, better suspension, -better brakes and improved fittings.

Although this latest series has been in production now for over three years, so great has the demand been that only now have The Commercial Motor been able to borrow one for a few days to test it. The wait has been worth while, however: in view of its price and capabilities the current Land-Rover represents real value for money for this class of vehicle and its overall usefulness is continually being enhanced by additions to the range of optional tools and equipment which can be used with it.

In addition to its exceptional cross-country abilities, the latest Land-Rover displays a lithe but docile performance on the road. It has a genuine top speed of 65 m.p.h. on the level, whilst on motorway down-grades over 70 m.p.h. can be reached with ease; carrying a load of 8i cwt., it returned 24.5 m.p.g. at low average speeds and 13.5 m.p.g. when driven at continuous full throttle for 22 miles on MI. . From a standing start 30 m.p.h. could be reached in 8 seconds and 50 m.p.h. in 21 seconds, whilst, the braking efficiency was such that the vehicle could be brought to rest in 32.5 ft. from 30 m.p.h. After nearly 1,000 miles of onand off-the-road work, no oil or water was added.

When the Series II Land-Rovers were introduced in April, 1958, the most noticeable difference between these and the Series I versions was the adoption of a new 21-litre overheadvalve petrol engine, replacing the previous 2-litre petrol unit, which had overhead inlet valves but side exhaust

valves. Whilst the earlier engine Deeply rutted trad produced only 52 b.h.p. (net) at 4,000 r.p.m. and 101 lb.-ft. at 1,50a r.p.m., the new unit develops 77 b.h.p. at 4,250 r.p.m. and 124 lb.-ft. torque at 2,500 r.p.m.

There are other important differences, however, particularly with regard to braking. Although the same size of brakes are used their performance has been remarkably improved, the stopping distance recorded from 30 m.p.h. being 14 ft. better than that obtained with a Series I version in 1957. The suspension damping has also been modified and, although I was warned that I could expect a harsher ride, this did not prove to be the case and over the rough country the vehicle handled appreciably better than the earlier model.

for the Series La

Body modifications have also been carried out. The external appearance has been changed by rounding off the side panels to give a waistline effect, and by adding an apron between the chassis main members immediately behind the front bumper. The layout of the cab area is also far better. Seating has been improved by the use of spring-filled cushions and squabs,

whilst the door window frames are now integral with the main door panels, so ensuring better draughtproofing. Adequate hot-weather ventilation is given by adjustable vent panels beneaththe windscreens, addl

.. tional ventilation being given by the sliding glass panels in the cab doors. Another minor but important change has been the use of pendant brake and clutch pedals. These reduce the number of holes in the floor and therefore make the cab more waterproof when the vehicle is wading.

So far as the chassis is concerned, apart from the alterations to the engine, brakes and suspension, its specification has not been changed greatly. The transmission line remains basically the same with a four-speed gearbox which, although it only has synchromesh on the third and top ratios, provides quick changes into second and first also, and therefore the absence of synchromesh is not of any consequence on rough work. The two-speed transfer box has the same ratios as before and separate control to enable front-wheel drive to he engaged when in the high ratio, the front drive being engaged automatically when low ratio is selected to avoid putting too much torque through the rear axle.

A wide selection of tyre sizes is offered, ranging from 6.00-16 up to 7.50-16, with the further

option of Michelin " XY " 7.50-16. Crosscountry tread or road-tread tyres are available. The test vehicle had Dunlop Roadtrak 6.50-16 equipment.

Complete with myself. passenger and test; weights aboard, the Land-Rover was tested at a gross weight of 2 tons 1 cwt.. which is just over

inclines held no terrors ree of front-axle moved

the rated normal road capacity, which capacity should be reduced by 2 cwt. when engaged on cross-country working. Although the load was evenly distributed over the floor of the body, the rear-axle loading was 7 -emit: more than that of the front axle.

In case any damage should have ensued from the crosscountry testing, I elected to carry out the normal road work first, although as it happened the unladen fuel consumption results had to be taken after the rough work, and as these tests included 22 miles of motorway work at an average speed of 62 m.p.h., it is fairly safe to assume that none of the chassis components suffered any damage.

The results obtained on the road are detailed in the accompanying data panel and are fairly self-explanatory. The low-speed consumption runs were made over a 7.5-mile undulating country road in each direction, whilst the motorway run also was 11 miles north and 11 miles south to minimize any errors due to wind resistance. Even so, there was a very strong cross-wind when making the unladen run. which had the effect of reducing the speed, although this lower speed would be partly because of the reduced momentum of the unladen vehicle. Nevertheless, there was comparatively little difference between the fuel

consumption rates laden and unladen when running under continuous full-throttle conditions.

The acceleration results I obtained can be considered highly satisfactory for a vehicle of this type, and although top gear was engaged before 50 m.p.h. was reached, this speed can be attained in third gear. The times recorded in top gear between 10 and 50 m.p.h. were entirely satisfactory also, although slight transmission roughness was noted between about 10 and 15 m.p.h. Nevertheless, the engine pulled extremely well at low speeds, which is particularly satisfactory in view of the relatively high speed at which maximum torque is developed.

In connection with speeds, it is of interest to note that the standard speedometer fitted to this Land-Rover was one of the most accurate that I have ever come across. Timed checks at up to 60 m.p.h. showed the meter to be accurate to within 1 per cent., as was the mileage recorder also.

When making the foot-brake tests from both 20 m.p.h. and 30 m.p.h., all the wheels locked evenly without any signs of uneven pulling. Two handbrake tests were carried n34 out from 20 m.p.h., the first being with rear-wheel drive only engaged, and a very good retardation was recorded. Then 1 engaged front-wheel drive and on each occasion the Tapley meter registered over 100 per cent., which figure had also been obtained from each of the foot-brake testing speeds.

Engine cooling and brake-fade resistance tests were made on a I-mile hill which has an average gradient of I in 10.3. At the time of the tests the ambient temperature was 62° F. and before making the climb the engine-coolant temperature was 158° F. The ascent was made in just over I:1 minutes and at the top of the hill the water temperature was 165° F., at which temperature the thermostat had just started to open. The minimum speed during the ascent was 23 m.p.h. and the lowest gear used was third, this being engaged throughout most of the climb.

To test for fade I coasted the vehicle down the hill in neutral, engaging top gear and applying full throttle towards the bottom of the slope to compensate for the lack of gradient. This descent was made without exceeding 20 m.p.h. and it lasted 2 minutes 50 seconds. At the bottom of the hill a "crash " stop was made from 20 m.p.h. and the Tapley meter showed the maximum efficiency of the brakes to be 97 per cent.—this is only 3 per cent, lower than was recorded with the drums cold, showing that fade should not present. any problems with this vehicle. Similarly, the slight rise in the water temperature during the preceding climb proves that engine cooling is entirely adequate for all conditions.

The vehicle handled extremely well on the road at all speeds and was Comfortable both to drive and to ride in as a passenger. All the controls were light, the steering being very good with no signs of wander at any speed. The castor action on the vehicle tested was a bit sluggish at first. but as the mileage increased the steering freed off. Large single undulations in the road surface can create some steering-wheel shake, but generally the steering geometry is entirely satisfactory. • Because of the cross-country tyres, the Land-Rover tested was by no means quiet to ride in, but with normal roadtread tyres this should not be the case although, because all the gear combinations are indirect, there will always be some transmission whine.

. Linder both laden and unladen conditions the suspension behaved admirably on all types of road surface. Slight pitching can be set up, as is expected with any shortwheelbase vehicle, but roll is negligible and the Land-Rover corners more like a sports car than a cross-country 4 X 4. Although the standard driving seat is not adjustable its position strikes a good average and the squabs and, cushions are comfortable. A slight criticism concerning the driving position is that, with the driver's left, hand on the left-hand upper section of the steering wheel, the speedometer dial is almost completely obscured.

Large Fuel Filler

Other good details about the latest Land-Rover are the well-positioned wing mirrors and the large-diameter fuel filler, which has an extending neck to permit filling from cans. A large captive cap is fitted. The optional heater and demister unit, although of the recirculatory type, is very effective, but the separate windscreen wipers are a little slow by modern standards.

A fault which may or may not have been peculiar to the test vehicle was its rather bad starting, although on no occasions were the mornings cold, and starting was even a little dubious when the engine was quite hot. When warm also, particularly after a cross-country run, the engine displayed an annoying tendency to run on after the ignition had been switched off. A little attention to either the carburation or ignition could possibly have rectified these faults however.

For the off-the-road working I was allowed to make use of the Ministry of Aviation's facilities at the Fighting Vehicles Research and Development Establishment, Chertsey.

Maximum gradient performances were assessed first on the four test slopes, the most gentle of which is 1 in 4. Facing up this slope the handbrake held the Land-Rover satisfactorily, but a restart in bottom gear, high auxiliary did not quite come off, although an easy restart was made in third gear, low auxiliary. Facing down the slope, an easy restart was made in reverse-low and once again the handbrake held the vehicle with ease.

On the next slope, where the gradient is 1 in 3, again an easy reverse-low restart was made while facing down the slope, but third-low proved a little too high for the LandRover when facing up this hill and second-low had to be employed.

The other two test hills are both timber surfaced and because light rain was falling at the time of my tests—and had been falling for some hours previously—these surfaces were treacherously slippery. After several attempts on the 1-in-2 slope this gradient was eventually surmounted using second-low, the successful ascent including a second-low restart almost at the top after wheelspin had brought the vehicle to a halt. Because of the slipperiness of the slopes, I reduced the tyre pressures from their normal figures of 25 p.s.i. front and 30 p.s.i. rear to 20 p.s.i. all round, and this immeasurably helped to improve traction.

Both facing up and down this hill the handbrake held the vehicle safely and when facing down at the bottom of the slope a satisfactory reverse-low restart was made.

I then turned my attention to the steepest of the four hills, the gradient of which is 1 in 1.73. With bottom-low engaged we almost managed to reach the top of the hill until wheelspin brought us to a stop. The tests carried out lower down the hill showed that there was sufficient power to enable a restart to be made on this gradient and that it was only the slipperiness of the timber baulks which was preventing a successful ascent. Similarly, a smooth restart was made in reverse while facing down the hill and in both conditions the handbrake was powerful enough to hold the vehicle.

It should be pointed out that although I ought to have reduced the payload by 2 cwt. to comply with the manufacturer's recommendation, all these and subsequent rough country tests were made with the full on-the-road payload at a gross weight of 2 tons 1 cwt.

The F.V.R.D.E. has three gruelling suspension courses, each of which is 300 yd. long. The Land-Rover was driven over the pave course quite smoothly at about 40 m.p.h., and although there was plenty of wheel movement, body movement was not so great and there were very few rattles. The ride was definitely above average, although it was necessary to hang on to the steering wheel pretty grimly to maintain a straight course.

The other two suspension tracks are paved with raised setts, these setts being staggered so as to vary the periodicity. The first track has setts 1 to 1 in. high and so well did the suspension cope with this course that I was able to drive the Lan-Rover down the track at 45 m.p.h. without holding the steering wheel at all.

The other sett track has 2-24-in. blocks and over this the ride was a bit rougher, but still very smooth, and at 40 m.p.h. again I was able to take my hands off the wheel.

When a Series I Land-Rover was tested in 1957, it was possible to maintain only 15 m.p.h. over this second sett

course, and I remarked at the time that the vehicle was only just controllable and sometimes turned through 450 to the direction of travel.

Following these " hard-surface " trials, the Land-Rover was then taken to the rough-road courses at Bagshot Heath and the accompanying pictures give some idea of what the 4 x 4 was put through, again with the full road payload. On numerous occasions all four wheels left the ground, but landing did not disturb the occupants of the vehicle or the vehicle itself overmuch.

During this sort of manteuvre three years ago, I managed to bend the front axle of the Series I Land-Rover, but nothing like that happened this time, the front axle having been reinforced by a welded channel-section underneath it to resist this sort of thing.

• Loose-surfaced gradients of up to 1-in-2 severity were encountered at Bagshot Heath, but none proved too much for the LandRover, 'whilst general waterproofing was proved by several high-speed dashes through deep puddles.

All in all, most satisfactory performances which the manufacturers may be justifiably proud of.

To complete the picture, I did a few maintenance tasks on the vehicle using the tool kit provided by the manufac

turers. Whilst this is fairly comprehensive. strange omissions are the lack of spanners to fit the rear-axle oilfiller plug and the handbrake adjusting screw. The poor-quality jack is nothing to be proud of either.

I tackled the under-bonnet jobs first, raising the bonnet taking only 15 seconds, a permanent hinged stay being provided to hold the bonnet in the raised position. With the bonnet up, I checked the water level in 5 seconds, the engine oil level in 8 seconds, the level of the hydraulic fluid for the clutch and brake circuits in 5 seconds, the battery %vets in 29 seconds, the steering box level in 55 seconds, the air-filter oil level in 2 minutes 5 seconds and the contactbreaker points gap in 1 minute 35 seconds.

I cleaned out the sediment bowl adjacent to the petrol-lift pump in 14 minutes and.the gauze filter at the carburetter intake union in 42 seconds. it took me 50 seconds to change a fuse because the fusebox is a little awkward to reach. Number 4 sparking plug was removed in 1 minute 40 seconds and replaced in 42 seconds, the time of removal being extended because the plug was tight to turn. Following all this, the bonnet took me only 2.5 seconds to close and secure again.

Working from underneath the vehicle, I checked the oil levels in the main and transfer gearboxes in 24 minutes and the level of the oil in the front-axle differential in 45 seconds, a further 14 minutes being required to check the level in each of the two swivel-pin housings. Because there was no suitable spanner, I could not check the level of the oil in the rear axle.

Working with the crude mechanical jack supplied in the tool kit, I then adjusted the four wheel brakes, these taking a total time of 94 minutes, jacking each wheel up separately. There is only one adjuster per brake and this is easy to reach. The separate transmission handbrake was adjusted in 1 minute 15 seconds, using an adjustable spanner.

As a final task, I removed the spare wheel from its stowage behind the front seats in 23 seconds and replaced it in 50 seconds. It is clamped in place by a bar secured by a sensibly sized wing nut.

The standard Series II Land-Rover as tested retails at £660, Which makes good value for money in anybody's language. There is also a diesel-engined version, the current price of which is £760, but there should be some news of another development in this direction in the course of the next few weeks.