1982 Land Rover Series III

Engine - 2.25l Petrol
Transmission - 4 Speed Manual
Suspension - Parabolic leaf springs & heavy duty shocks
Equipped For - Full-time Tourer

I’ve always been drawn to the 80s when it comes to vehicles. The hard lines,boxy shapes just scream adventure. It was this era that really grabbed my attention and the reason why we first bought and lived in a 1982 VW T3 for a few years as we traveled Australia. After a year or two I started looking at 4x4’s from this period, and after scouring the internet for roughly 12-18 months, Nigel finally popped up. We chatted with the owner for a bit, and decided to pull the trigger and buy him. 

The first time driving him he turned over straight away, no need for the choke. Water had leaked in everywhere throughout the cab, dripping from almost every joint and seal, even down the rear view mirror onto the dash. The first time going through the gears changing from second to third, the gear knob pulled clean off as the windscreen wipers were doing a less than adequate job at clearing the windscreen for me to see anything.

The steering, pedals and gears were heavy, the ride was loud, all mirrors vibrated so much I could barely see behind me, and I absolutely loved it! There’s something so alluring about driving a vehicle that is an experience in itself. You can’t get distracted, or zone out, you are working together with the car and vice versa. You feel all bumps, lumps, turns and gear changes. You don’t just push the pedals by moving your foot, you use your leg to press the brake and clutch. 

As exciting as it was that we had this new vehicle, it was time to get to work. Fitting parabolic springs and heavy duty shocks, nipping up any prominent oil leaks, replacing bushes and ball joints and general maintenance were carried out, and then it was time to move onto the interior fitout. We spent the next month gutting him, painting the inside, and making the cabinetry for full time living. After 4 weeks straight of long days in the workshop we were ready to hit the road again. And what better way to start Nigel’s life on the road than to head to Tassie. A land as rugged and rough as he is.

Nigel is very stock, and we want to keep it that way. Vehicles from this era look so damn cool, why would you change it right? He has thousands of stone chips, pinstripes and dents, but that just adds to his character. Even the shovel and axe mounts on top of the front wings are badass (currently looking at the best axe and shovel combo to mount there). A quintessential workhorse, that isn’t there to win beauty contests, he’s just there to turn up every day, and get you where you need to go, wherever that may be. I love that a photo of Nigel taken out in the wilderness looks like it could have been taken yesterday, or 40 years ago. Such a timeless-looking machine that just keeps going.

There’s still a few more things we’d like to do to him in the future, particularly in the way of a full engine conversion, but for now he’s thriving just as he is. He’ll be taking us all over Tassie over the coming months and then up the East Coast of mainland Australia for the winter months. After that, who knows? But here’s hoping for many more years of adventuring with this timeless workhorse!

Photos by Glenn Ferguson