i have to admit
Series land rovers can be a real serious bummer.
My first rover was the most dependable. I never had to do much of anything to it. It had a full roof rack, a custom camper built in, a winch, two heaters, exterior lights and a slough of other useful modifications. I thought I could do better, so I sold it. I got the park ranger. A rusted hulk that needed everything. I had to do brakes, springs, engine, clutch, tires- then right when it was almost starting to be a pretty good truck.... Both Nikkie and I couldnt fit in it. So, the dormobile came along. It blew its head gasket, now its transmission is dead.
I have spent the last three or four years with land rovers that are broken 80% of the time. I have missed several trips that I really wanted to attend because of pain in the butt breakages. Now, I will probably miss more.
Not a day goes by (well maybe a few) that the idea of a modern vehicle with a pop up camper or RTT on it doesnt cross my mind. I would probably get a four door taco. The electric fridge would go in the back seat area, the RTT would go on a rack in the back. It would be dependable and I could use it every weekend.
Then, something in my brain reminds me that I wouldnt really want to be driving it. I would feel like I was driving a rental and I would dream about how much more rugged I would feel if I had been driving a series land rover instead. How much more of a challenge the trip would be. I feel like its a greater accomplishment, a more novel experience, a more historical and time tested challenge that I share with great explorers of the past. All of this just from sitting behind a different steering wheel. Be it right or left hand drive, a series land rover brings something to a vehicle expedition that will always be lacking from a trip in something else. Of course, people have fun in other cars, but I dont just want to have fun. I want to have my series along to look at and say, "yeah, I drove that thing here. Pretty neat eh?"
Maybe its that I enjoy winning the very hard battle with entropy, or maybe its just that I have somehow overcome the seemingly insurmountable odds of getting a series truck to actually go anywhere. I just am not ready to give up on them.
anyway,
I am glad you are keeping your land rover. There arent enough people who use their dormobiles. Teriann keeps trying to spear head the effort of convincing people to drive dormobiles off road, so I sort of feel like a johnny come lately jumping on her band wagon, but shes right. I also must admit that the only thing that makes a series trip better is when there are more than just one of them. When I dream at night, its that someday all of us can go on a trip together. None of our trucks will break and if we are lucky, we might never have to come home.
Oh yeah- stock front axle, salsbury in the back is my vote. Dont get a detroit locker- bleh.