Hi

[owl]

Hi, I just signed up as interested in 1 tons and land Rovers in general. I used to own a 2B and have driven and worked on a few 109 1 ton's back in the 80's.
I am currently building a trialer but once that is done maybe I will build a 109.

[DasLandRoverMan]

Hello and welcome.

Do you have photos, we like photos.

[22900013A]

Hello and welcome. I guess you worked for an electrickery board then? Or did someone else have some 1-Tons?

[owl]

Hello and welcome. I guess you worked for an electrickery board then? Or did someone else have some 1-Tons?

No I worked at a none franchise Land Rover specialist. We used to service a 2A FC for a wood yard and an ex electric board 109 1 ton for another customer. Then I worked at Kennings who had a 109 ! ton tow truck.
And I owned this 2B ex EMEB.

[22900013A]

Ah! I think we have spoken before on another forum, I remember that photo of the EMEB FC, awesome bit of kit!

Would love to see photos of the 1-Tons if you have any. They seem to have had a smallish following in enthusiast circles back in the day but much lesser so now.

[DasLandRoverMan]

That trials motor looks almost familiar...

Tell us more about the IIB, and indeed the motor behind it!!

[owl]

That trials motor looks almost familiar...

Tell us more about the IIB, and indeed the motor behind it!!

The motor behind the FC I built on a Range Rover Chassis I think it was one of the first 88" coil sprung trialers in the ARC. I helped Drew Bowler build his first coil sprung trialer and he helped me build the one in the pic. In the pic below Drews is on the left, built on a series chassis with 2.2 P6 engine Mark Bowlers in the middle on a RR chassis and mine on the right.
Mark had a 109 truck cab with a 3 ltr straight six the one with the weslake head, built on a combat chassis. I also had a 107 with a Rover 90 engine and FC rims and overdrive, I did like that sounded loverly.

[DasLandRoverMan]

Brilliant picture, and a good story behind it.
The 80's/early 90's trialing/comp scene was a brilliant time in Land Rovering history. The amount of innovation and creativity that went on to build more and more competitive vehicles within the ARC rules was pretty cool, and even more so with some of the stuff that was built to run with the AWDC (some of which was still running competitively in the various hilly rally and comp championships a few years back) which is to some extent becoming lost in the more modern age where people are buying cheap 90's or space frames from the likes of QT and Tomcat, and Drew Bowler now builds car with an £80k price tag.

Of course there is the loss of the vehicles that used to be used competitively with plenty of leaf sprung ones (especially series I based) being rebuilt as shiney vehicles, or some of the other specials left gathering dust in the back of a barn, whilst sadder still is that as many of the guys who built and competed with them have gotten older, given up, moved on to other things or just fallen off the RADAR.
Couple this with the fact that whilst 60's and 70's LROC trials and events seem to have a lot of coverage in the magazines and appear in various Pathe newsreel films, most record of the later stuff is hidden away in photo albums belonging to the aforementioned, or odd coverage in old copies of magazines which are equally thin on the ground.

I see it as rather sad as it was the trials scene that partly brought me a passion for FC's.
My uncle (Simon Denham) is one of those who used to compete in the 80's who has now lost interest and moved on to other things, whilst his old motor (an ultralight 86" with a 2 litre P6 engine) gathers dust in the barn.
He has a fair few trophies to his name, he used to run with the Lancashire&Cheshire club, and was part of their team that won the war of the roses in about 1989.
He had IIB Six cylinder No1 which carried his comp motor on its back, and pulled a caravan around to events.
It was this truck, and being taken to an ARC National around 91/92 that brought the real inspiration.

So, if you hadn't gathered, I'm always interested to hear more!!

[owl]

I rember Simon also Harold Carman who I still see now and then, he also Had an ultra light P6 powerd motor. We did change things when we came along with the coilers but there is still interest in the leaf sprung motors with some new ones being built.

You may be interested in this http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LJNDO7W3xXY

There is consultation going on at the moment in the ALRC as to the future direction of the clubs and talking to some of the ALRC committee members we might see some positive changes. I do like Trialing, you will learn more off-road driving skills competing than you ever will at pay and ply or laning.

This is my new build and when it is done I am attracted to the idea of building a 109 1 Ton replica to tow it with.



may be something like this.

[DasLandRoverMan]

I know the Coilers changed things, and its the ingenuity of chaps such as yourself having the idea and making it work within the ARC rules that was really cool, it doesn't really happen anymore these days.

Nice to know you remember Simon, we havn't spoken much in the past few years (long story) but I can ask my mum for an email address for him if you wanted?

Rather enjoyed the video, a look back to simpler times before CCV and roll cages etc...
Probably sounds a little silly to say it makes me feel a little nostalgic (being a mere sprite age 27) but it brings back some memory and desire to return to get back to trials again. I used to run an ARC logged CCV 86" Series 1 truck cab (the builder called it Bog Rat) which was towed to and from events with my old 101 on a fairly rackshamble trailer competing in odd events with the local club. It did well against tricked up 90's, but events weren't that frequent as most of them were/are more interested in winch challenge events. However, if money becomes plentiful again I'd love to get back into it again, and get the wife and kids involved too.

Still, I like the look of the new build, is that a KV6 in the 'engine bay'?
Interesting you should pick a photo of that 109 as an inspiration. If its the one I think it is then its coil sprung and powered by a Cummins 6BT, hence the defender bonnet. Its appeared on a few of the American boards, and seems pretty well thought out.

As a complete aside, do you have any more photos of the IIB? The one you've posted is absolutely brilliant!!!