For years I resisted the temptation to dangle shit from my rear view mirror or attach stuff to my dash. But the aluminum body of The Truck is just too perfect for these kinds of modifications. I’m always hunting around for a pen/pencil so last night I velcro’d a couple within easy reach. Ahh. And there’s all sort of little nooks and crannies for parking stuff like the garage door remote and my wallet. The visor is bristling with stuff (insurance card, etc) under rubber bands. #farkle
Keeping the MINI around for a bit until I’m confident the The Truck can be my daily drive. This photo shows just how small the Land Rover is. I’ll bet there’s more space inside the MINI. Longer wheelbase. But the center of gravity is very noticeable on turns. The contrast in driving experience is dramatic.
I’ve always avoided putting shit on my cars although I’m not sure why. Drove ’em till they dropped and never worried about trade-in. Just didn’t stick stuff on them. I think I’ll have a bit more fun with the truck.
It’s been a long time since I drove a car without power steering and brakes. Fifty years? Manual brakes and steering dramatically changes the way you drive (okay, the way I drive).
Stopping at an intersection requires some planning, some forethought. I have to start slowing well before I get there. Same with turning. You do not want to be going fast while turning this truck. If the MINI is a go-cart, the Land Rover is one of those red, double-decker London buses. Center of gravity two or three times higher than the MINI.
To make those turns the Land Rover engineers gave us a big old steering wheel, made of the same Bakelite as old telephones and ancient Farmall tractors. While I’ve never driven a farm implement, driving this old truck feels more like a tractor than a car.
Another difference one notices in the first few seconds is the noise. The 2.5 liter diesel engine is loud. You can talk to a passenger IF YOU ARE BOTH WILLING TO YELL. Phone calls? Forget it. I set my iPhone to ‘Do Not Disturb While Driving‘ mode. The accelerometer senses when I’m driving and automatically sends a message to incoming calls and messages. “I’m driving, call you later” or something like that.
What else? The turn signal lever doesn’t turn itself off. I seem to recall that being standard back in the day. So I’ve been driving around with my turn signal on. I’ve started keeping my hand on the lever until I turn it off.
I’m having a blast so far. But an old Series Land Rover would not be a good fit for everyone. Or anyone who has to be somewhere soon or far away.
A few of my pals chipped in to buy me a Junior Mechanic Tool Set which I used to make my first modification to The Truck. The tiny tub has a couple of seats in the unlikely event you find someone willing to ride back there. I removed one and the bench is the perfect size for t little tool box where I keep the tools, jack, jump-starter kit, etc.
Friends have been asking, “So, how do you like the truck?” All I can provide at this point are first impressions. A Series model Land Rover would not be everybody’s cup of tea. It is just so different from modern vehicles. And, unlike all of the SUV’s on the highways, this is a truck. More farm implement than car.
I’ve got the GoPro camera set up now and will share video in coming days. And it will be more video than audio because it is loud inside the truck.You’ll hear me if I shout but I won’t be making any phone calls while driving (more on that in the next post). Which is a good thing.
To start my Land Rover you use a key. Not a fob. Not an electronic gadget that looks like a Star Trek Tricorder. A key. It doesn’t have a batter so it will never stop working. And I can take it to a locksmith and have a duplicate made. (Yes, a villain can do the same)
But the best part is there is a different key for locking/unlocking the doors on the Land Rover. And once the door is locked, you need the key to unlock it. You can’t reach through the open window and open the door with the inside handle. Nice. I can leave the windows open when it’s hot.
A few friends joined my in the parking lot of the local mall to welcome the arrival of my new/old Land Rover. It arrived in perfect condition and started right up.
It was no exaggeration to say I’d have to learn how to drive all over again. No power steering; no power brakes; I’m in 4th gear by the time I’m doing 25mph. No more zippy corners like in the MINI. I’ll have to work at it to make this my daily driver but that’s the goal.
The truck does fit in the garage with maybe a couple of inches of vertical clearance. The adventure begins.
