Peter Hope's 1970 Series IIA 88" Land Rover:
Peter has traced the original sale of this Land Rover from a dealer to somebody in California. Then in 1994 they sold it on and it was shipped to Hawaii, where the hard top was replaced with a canvas tilt and drop tailgate. After two years it was was sold on again and in 1998 was involved in a major accident. It was in Oct 1998 that Peter bought the Land Rover in its severely damaged condition.
Once Peter had got the Land Rover roadworthy again he was quite satisfied with its offroad performance but was far from satisfied with the onroad performance of the 2.25litr petrol engine. His first attempt at upgrading the engine was to modify the ignition circuit, but whilst this was effective, it did not fulfill his requirements for speed and economy.
His next
attempt to improve performance was to get an ACR Stage I head and cam, Weber 32/36 DVG carb with K&N filter, Pierce 2 bbl intake, Clifford exhaust header, 2” exhaust, Flowmaster muffler, and new genuine followers, lifters and timing components. This improved both ecomony and performance but it still did not meet his requirements.
Finally, Peter removed the original 2.25litre petrol engine and installed a General Motors 6.2litre diesel with the addition of a Dana 18 transfer box that was typically used in 1947-71 Jeeps. Problem solved.
Since acquiring the Land Rover, Peter has
spent a great deal of time and effort in modifying, improving and restoring it. In 2002 he undertook a major restoration on the vehicle including the fabrication of a new chassis from 3"x5"x3/16" tubing.
Peter's website gives a detailed account of most of the modifications he has carried out over the years he has owned the Land Rover. There are several pages where the links fail but there is still much there to inspire an educate a Series Land Rover owner.
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