Welcome to my blog which will be nearly all dedicated to living with my 1979 Series 3 Land Rover called ‘Dilly’. Occasionally I might ramble about other things such as guitars, amps and PA systems.

Why Dilly?

Not sure if it’s just a Norfolk word. As kids in the 1960’s we boys would build ‘dilly carts’ from a set of pram wheels and bits of wood from dad’s shed. These would have no brakes and were steered by a rope attached to the front axle that would pivot on a sturdy bolt. We took great pride in our dilly carts and try to improve their performance and looks constantly. We would race them down a nearby hill that crossed a busy road, at that time, downhill traffic was supposed to give way at the crossroads. By sheer luck, or by the skills of local motorists, we managed to not get killed. Maybe owning a Landy is taking me back to those happy days of tinkering and making improvements.

The vehicle

I’d sold my unfinished lightweight project just a week before, after moving to a place without a garage. The plan was to leave behind Land Rovers for good and instead use my hard-earned cash for luxuries like food, clothes and heat.

This plan failed after a week and I went out and bought this. It’s a 1979 series 3, 88 with a 200tdi conversion. The bonus is that this vehicle has a galvanised chassis which I hope will mean it spends a little less time in pieces than the last one.

Time will tell. Everything I do to this will be done on a very tight budget, and this being the first diesel engine I have owned, will be a learning process.

Once I got it home I only had time to remove the remains of a mouse nest and other undesirable items before I embarked on a busy weekend doing other stuff.

Previously…

My beloved lightweight…