Land Rover Series II,IIA and III Restoration Manual

Emrys Kirby
A Series Land Rover has to be the ultimate life-sized automotive jigsaw puzzle. Simple to repair, with a good supply of new and used parts, a restoration is well within the capabilities of an amateur mechanic. While the official Parts and Workshop Manuals can be considered essential reading they were written for professional mechanics working on reasonably new, unmodified vehicles – not a 60 year old model assembled with parts from different eras. They will tell you very little about parts compatibility over the generations, how to repair a bulkhead or front panel or the best techniques to assemble your vehicle onto a new chassis.
This manual seeks to answer many of the commonly asked questions and offers practical solutions, tips and techniques for the common problems encountered when restoring and maintaining a Series Land Rover. It covers:
• history, vehicle development and compatibility of parts
• the overhaul of the major mechanical components including engine, gearbox and axles
• practical techniques for body repairs, fitment and alignment
• in-depth chassis and bulkhead repairs
• how to decide between saving or replacing a major component
• the current availability of components
• major current restoration trends: functional rebuild, resto-mod build, patina recommission or concours restoration
Land Rover Series II,IIA and III Restoration Manual by Emrys Kirby

About the author

Emrys Kirby is a Land Rover restorer, historian, writer and professional 4x4 driving instructor. He contributes to Classic Land Rover Magazine and is a founding member of the Land Rover Stage Two Register, which researches the development of coil spring Land Rovers in the late 1970s and early 1980s. He joined LSL 4x4 Ltd on the Fylde Coast near Blackpool in 2018, one of the country’s best known classic Land Rover specialists. His love of the marque stems from adventurous family holidays in Iceland in a Series IIA in the late 1970s. He bought his first Land Rover, A345 KSB, a 1984 88in Series III in 1995 and rebuilt it on a new chassis during his summer holiday from university. This particular vehicle features extensively in this book, following a comprehensive structural, mechanical and cosmetic overhaul in 2020. 



Press Reviews

This manual seeks to answer many of the commonly asked questions and offers practical solutions, tips and techniques for the common problems encountered when restoring and maintaining a Series Land Rover. Easy, step-by-step guides to the overhaul all of the major mechanical components including engine, gearbox and axles, including practical techniques for body repairs, fitment and alignment. Also worthy of note are in-depth chassis and bulkhead repairs sections and my favourite chapter is the one on wiring, so useful! All chapters are profusely illustrated with colour photographs that do more than words could ever say, yet another great publication from Crowood.

- Russ Harvey, Heritage Commercials Magazine

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