Hi All
I am purchasing a 74 that has been in storage since 2003 and not driven at all.
i see undercarriage looked casually spray painted over in black but something caught my eye...looks like an added support piece of steel was added to frame and not part of the original main steel body...am i crazy ? what is this thing in the enclosed picture.

 

I don't know the Series frame well enough to tell if that piece isn't original or not, but thats a damn clean underbody.

 

Maybe someone cut it out and put it back because they didn't know that the drive train comes out through the top of a series land rover. The British military ordered their chassis with removable bolt in cross members so they could do it either way.

 

Not too many series owners here, it might be a better question over at defender source or the rovers north bbs.

 

Here's what a new galvanized 88 chassis looks like.

4 Cylinder Galvanized Chassis For Land Rover Series II, IIA And III

It's been about 14 years since I sold off my '74 SIII but besides the crossmember looking badly rusted, it looks like it's original.