| 1973 LAND ROVER AIRPORTABLE | Mark Kiely, Tulsa, OK |
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1973 SIII Airportable RHD (Lightweight) FFR 
This is now ... That was then! |
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1973 SIII Airportable RHD (Lightweight) FFR 24 Volt The story goes that this Land Rover spent most of its early life on the island of Cyprus in the Mediterranean. Hence the wonderful condition (NO RUST), unlike many of the same age in England. It was a FFR (fitted for radio) truck on a British Military base. So the mileage was under 20,000 when I bought it. That's right, under 20,000, not 120,000. It's a rare find! Today it's now under 30,000. Oklahoma title - free & clear. Comes with Airportable Owner's manual + Technical manual with complete diagrams.  Lightweight Modifications 24 volt ex-HumVee Warn winch with
OKOR winchrope, HD aluminum Hawse fairlead, & self-locking winch hook. Hood-mounted Hi-Lift Jack
rack. Front & rear recovery points. Replaced stock leaf springs and
original shocks with Rocky Mountain parabolic springs, Old Man Emu long-travel shocks, longer
military spring shackles, and rear bump stop extensions. The difference is awesome! Old Man Emu Steering stabiliser. Replaced Good Year 31"
Hi-Miler tires on original rims with Dunlop Mud Rovers 33" X 12.50" on OKOR XD 15" steel wheels
with 3" backspacing - what a difference to the ride, not to mention ground clearance and traction!. Mounted custom twin gas tank skid
plates and steering guard. Diff guards front and rear. Front pinion guard. Custom hidden rock
sliders mounted behind checker plate sills. Detroit locker in the rear with
4.75 gears, and extreme-duty heat-treated 24 spline axle shaft upgrade. TrueTrac up front. Installed front hi-back bucket
seats and twin hi-back racing seats with seat belts for the kids in the rear. Interior roll cage.
Checker plate in-cab door panels with sound-dampening inner padding, and custom half-doortop
armrests. Replaced bulkhead behind front seats with custom bar tied into
roll cage. Front seats now recline well. Rear-mounted spare tire carrier. Full soft-top with rear side
windows & Summer bikini top - great with the door tops removed! Replaced twin batteries with
Optima red tops. Installed OKOR 24-12 volt DC-DC
converter for CB radio and off-road lights. Replaced original mirrors with
Defender mirrors. Superwinch Freewheeling Hubs on
rear axles (for flat towing), and Milemarker "Selectro" hubs on the front. K&N air filter with Defender
airbox, with freeflow Turbo muffler and wider than stock tail pipe. Custom smoke-stack snorkel with
Turbo pre-cleaner. Twin Viair 24 volt on-board air
compressors (under-hood) & air tank mounted on custom rear tire carrier (Great for airing up tires or running air tools). Installed overdrive from Roverdrive.
Installed aluminum T-case cover from Wise Owl Parts, and re-sealed oil pan. Also spin-on oil
filter adapter with K&N filter. New military Rover water pump. No leaks on this Rover! Installed full Saginaw Power
Steering Conversion w/ Astrali 15" steering wheel. This truck steers in ruts with your little
finger! Wheelbase extended 10" to 98". Using Range Rover front and rear driveshafts. Spring-over axle conversion with rear traction bar. Flex-ball joints on rear spring
perches. Super articulation! Installed 24 volt electric fan
with aluminum radiator with hood-mounted ram air hood vent. Has complete propane conversion
kit ready to install.A Note on this Vehicle From the first moment I owned this vehicle I have set about upgrading it from its stock condition to use it as a true Rover was intended. Because it's a military version of a Series Rover, it already has many beefier parts to begin with. The 24 volt electrical system is far superior to the civilian 12 volt. And every addition I've made to it has been a wonderful upgrade - new parabolic springs & OME shocks, new wheels/tires, overdrive, lockers with upgraded axles, new radiator, suspension lift, power steering, new seats, etc., etc. I use this vehicle for trail riding, and street driving, and it turns heads wherever it goes. It's been to Moab twice, and most recently we did Superlift ORV Park in Hot Springs, Arkansas. Although it is not my daily driver, I drive it on an almost daily basis. There's no V8 under the hood, but I've clocked it at 70mph+ on the highway with the overdrive, and I drive it long distances in smooth comfort. Although I never intended this to be a show truck, we came 2nd in a British Car Show a few years back (got the Trophy to prove it). It gets driven on extreme trails, gets muddy, and then brings us home afterwards, and gets hosed off. Then I drive it to work, or bring the kids to the pool. Call Mark @ 918-520-3754 |
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 Check out pics from Hot Springs, ORV Park, Arkansas. |
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