Hello from Denver! After years of owning Land Cruisers, I could no longer ignore the siren song of a beautiful 1992 Brooklands LSE RRC. Given that it had no rust and an internet search informed me of a top-end rebuild in it's fairly recent (30,000 miles or so) past, I pulled the trigger and brought it home. Some clay compound and polish spiffed it right up and now I'm getting compliments as I drive through the nicest parts of town.

That's the good.

Now, I bought it because it holds a certain amount of nostalgia for me. I don't care what side of the argument you are on in the Land Cruiser/Land Rover/Jeep debate. Land Rovers are some of the most iconic 4x4s of all time. And from what I've read, the RRCs are at least on par with Defenders off-road. But these vehicles do need more attention over time than other 4x4s of similar vintage. So far, what I've identified needing attention is:
Needs steering box
Transmission (slight hesitation from a complete stop and horrible grinding/screeching when I moved it before the throttle kicked down one morning)
Sunroof won't close all the way
Driver seat motor (for the back) is inop
Eventually I guess I'll have to replace the Borg Warner TC with an LT230 (no problems yet, but it's the advice everyone has been giving me).
Intermittent oil warning light comes on
Just yesterday the Coolant warning light came on intermittently
Thorough base lining of all fluids

Only the steering box and drivers seat motor was disclosed at the time of purchase. It drove fine. I don't blame the seller though. I don't think it was his daily driver for some months and some of the things "just happen". It does have just over 200k miles, so...

All in all, I like it. It's not my FZJ80 (which I still have). I'll use and appreciate this differently. Mild trails and off-roading (I'm not a rock crawler anyway), stylish weekend road trips and camping in the mountains, fly fishing, etc. If it's transmission issues are resolved, I would love to take it to Overland Expo next spring. If you see me rolling around Denver, say hello!

 

pics...
The first one is the day I bought it. The second is after spending an entire Sunday washing, rubbing, and polishing.

 

Nice! Welcome to the funny farm! Good job cleaning it up too. Love the original look of that classic. Good luck sorting it all out.

 

Wow that thing looks great after you cleaned it up.

I'd try a filter fluid change. The ZF is a pretty hardy trans. They don't like when you run them low on fluid. But if it's screeching and grinding...might be time. 200k is pretty good for a 4x4 trans. If you do the work yourself do yourself a favor and separate the trans and TC before taking them down. The bundle is an awkward twisty heavy mess to try and handle as one piece. A motorcycle jack helped me big time.

I had an FJ80 for awhile. And FJ60 too. They both were amazing. Slowest damn vehicles ever but still great. I still like Rovers better. I went back to Rovers after trying the Toyotas. After an XJ, a CJ7 , a K5 a Suburban a Ramcharger and even a Scout 1 and 2. The Rover is reliable if you do all the maintenance it needs. It will always have some finikey intermittent issue. Always. The quirks are constant. However I've never been left stranded by one.

Welcome to the site

 

Congrats they are addictive

 

I'm in sunny San Diego for work since Friday. I left Pippa at the auto shop it's always been taken to. She's been cutting out at idle and then there's the tranny issue.

Both issue were diagnosed and neither are cheap. The good news is I don't need a new tranny! The bad is I need a new transfer case. I've already got an LT230 & accoutrements lined up for a swap.

The idle issue? Timing was advanced incorrectly. New distributor should already be in by now.

BUT, I'm hopeful that this should take care of the major issues and I can spend the $1700 I was quoted to recover the front seats as my Christmas present to me...

 

UPDATE: New distributor and timing re-set complete! Running much smoother and no more cutting out at the stoplights.

Up next: LT230 transfer case conversion. I've already paid for the parts-just awaiting on everything to arrive so it can get done.

After that, I'm thinking of doing one of three things:
new steering box
radiator flush and all new cooling system hoses
fuel tank vent hose
paint the hood (it's driving me nuts)

Three of the four need to happen...I just need to prioritize. I know the cooling system stuff is #1 in importance in terms of keeping the engine in good shape, but the sloppy steering is potentially dangerous. I'm losing a little coolant, but can't find a drip or evidence of where it's going. Scary...

As I drove home from the airport last night, I flipped my hi-beams on. Next thing you know, all hell broke loose. Every warning light on the dash came on, the headlights cut out, then the engine shutoff. I coasted to the curb, gave it 30 seconds, and fired her back up. No warning lights, headlights on, like nothing ever happened. Today she took me to work (20+ miles) no problem. WTH?? Is this the "Christmas tree lights" everyone is talking about?

I'm trying to drive this as much as possible so I can identify every bug/potential issue before winter.

 

Haha. Told ya

 

Nice! I just got back from visiting my girlfriend in Denver & I'll be back up in a couple weeks or so. We might have to meet up for Rovers & coffee.

 

Redneckhippy,
Since they're Rovers, might I suggest getting together at tea time? I find a proper tea the civilized way to conclude a day of wheeling and/or wrenching...