LDV 400 LWB V8 Spottage/Possibly for Sale

[Hertz]

Thought this deserved it's own thread. Chap at work this morning says come and have a look at my new purchase (recent buys are a Scimitar and S3 Land Rover). It's bloody great. Still got an MOT, 42,000 miles from new.

 

Solid old thing (had two new rear arches in the past and the rest of the body is rough but no visable rot) with an Auto box. It's ex Police and was a Surveillance Van used in London. The rear is all lined and insulated.

 

The guy has bought it to rip out the engine and box for the Scimitar but having checked on how many left it's the last one on the road, which seems a shame to bin it for. He said he would let it go for a grand so if there is any interest let me know. It's in Stoke.

 

Anyway check it out:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[dollywobbler]

That's ace! Though the windscreen wipers are the wrong way around, so I'm out.

[320touring]

Kiltox will be kicking himself..

 

Looks a nice van!

[Kiltox]

Get it squashed - fuck LDV

[HMC]

Great for a heist autoshite style

[DaveDorson]

Aside from being a V8, I reckon a bag is a bit rich for this, is it not?

 

Sounds like an expensive engine donor...

 

I've driven an ex St Johns Ambulance one with a 3.9 and that was alright mind.

[Des]

I'm not sure that price would even slightly deter an engine rapist, and surely a grand is a reasonable price for any usable van, they're a tool. Bit of courier work this time of year and it'll pay for itself by Wednesday.

[warninglight]

How awful are these things to drive? I fancy a big van to run as a camper and a v8 would be tolerable. Lack of side door makes things difficult though...

[sierraman]

I'm not sure that price would even slightly deter an engine rapist, and surely a grand is a reasonable price for any usable van, they're a tool. Bit of courier work this time of year and it'll pay for itself by Wednesday.

Probably not at 12-15mpg.

[DaveDorson]

Probably not at 12-15mpg.

 

Aye, my thoughts too.

 

Vans as vans are tools, ones that cost that much to run become a lot less useful.

[sierraman]

Worth preserving though.

[Eddie Honda]

Bit of courier work this time of year and you'll be bankrupt by Wednesday.

FTFY

[Talbot]

Probably not at 12-15mpg.

And that's feathering the throttle at an indicated 45-50mph.

 

Give it large down the outside lane of the motorway like most couriers do... 8mpg? 6 perhaps?  I recon you could empty it's tank in 150 miles fairly easily.

 

No wonder it's only done 42000 miles from new.  No one wanted to afford to fuel the bastard thing.  Even at 9mpg (which I think is realistic for general use) that is 2 miles per litre, or a running cost of 60p/mile, in fuel alone.

 

Fuck.  That.

[colnerov]

 You could probably get that back for the gearbox...but not from me.

[Exiled_Tat_Gatherer]

Bugger - can't see pics.............. is it twin wheel rear?

[Talbot]

Bugger - can't see pics.............. is it twin wheel rear?

High-top LWB with twin rear, in various shades of blue.  Buggered driver's seat (after 42k miles?!) and a 3.5V8 on Carbs.

[Hertz]

/\ /\ You're Interested I can tell 

 

Just had another look at the pics, it's still got half a tank of tit in it! First few V8 burble miles are freemans!!

[sierraman]

Usually these are restricted as well. Forget flying down the outside lane at 80-90.

 

9mpg is dire, you’d expect that in a rigid tipper.

 

A mate went round Europe in a 2.0 Petrol Transit, you were looking at 18mpg at best, got seriously expensive quickly.

[HillmanImp]

I don't want a van but if I did I'd have this. Everything about it is ace.

[DodgeRover]

It's too expensive, factory fit LPG was an option for a reason, it's only the 3.5 too. I would have thought 12-15mpg running about would be easily achievable if not doing continous stop start.

 

IF it had a decent gas kit on it with a long test and looking decent upto £1500 would be reasonable.

 

I can't think why you would pay that for an engine donor when you could get a rotten rangie or disco with 3.9 for much less and make money back on the parts you don't need.

[HMC]

I really really really like the look of this, the idea of it is hard to resist, but easier to resist than SWMBO Getting lairy in my face if I let temptation get the better of me.

[stephen01]

How awful are these things to drive? I fancy a big van to run as a camper and a v8 would be ​completely bankrupt me. Lack of side door makes things difficult though...

 

EFA. 

 

As a show piece it worth saving, you know if you have an unlimited supply of money to restore, run, keep etc, but as a tool for a builder etc then it's probably a no go. you'd be luck to see 10mpg.

[Hertz]

I really really really like the look of this, the idea of it is hard to resist, but easier to resist than SWMBO Getting lairy in my face if I let temptation get the better of me.

 

It sounds as good as it looks too.

[dollywobbler]

I really like driving these things, even with oil burners. They're simple and pleasurable, as long as the kingpins aren't shot.

[JeeExEll]

Changing the diff ratio would improve mpg. I think they had something ridiculous like 5.5:1 as standard.

 

Also, the standard V8s in these was the very low compression ultra-detuned version. Not much more than 110bhp or 120bhp even when new IIRC. Room for improvement in both mpg and performance.

 

As usual, do not paint, etc.

[Exiled_Tat_Gatherer]

I'll be honest - this is tempting, but I'm kinda hankering after that horrendous Rolls that Panhards got on the go at the moment........... so am holding fire on anything until I see/hear what happens there.

[Jikovron]

The Rv8 and rwd box combo are seemingly worth KGF1 whiteroom money on ebay with a paint job and an extremely florid description, i keep getting these pop up in my suggested items each month from the same chap which always end in very surprising quantities of money.

 

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Rover-V8-Engine-Kit-AC-Cobra-MGB-Triumph-Stag-Lotus-Westfield-TVR-Ford-Capri-MG/292373395898?_trkparms=aid%3D111001%26algo%3DREC.SEED%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D20160908105057%26meid%3Df41e8dd866b3458ea9cf5bac4fd1caa5%26pid%3D100675%26rk%3D10%26rkt%3D15%26mehot%3Dpp%26sd%3D182964138878&_trksid=p2481888.c100675.m4236&_trkparms=pageci%253A5db40114-e400-11e7-bbc0-74dbd180ff74%257Cparentrq%253A6a0ae8f81600a8619c042893ffe9fdc1%257Ciid%253A1

 

I would love to drive this like a rich eccentric in a lumberjack shirt/and quilted green country sports jacket, turning up to boot sales with a few wads of £20s in pocket to fill it up with renlatively worthless curio and take back to the ruins of a mansion before immendiately wanting more

[Talbot]

I can't think why you would pay that for an engine donor when you could get a rotten rangie or disco with 3.9 for much less and make money back on the parts you don't need.

The RWD gearbox is the money here.  Rotten D1's are cheap and fairly plentiful, even in V8 form, but their gearbox is not suitable for a RWD car.

[D Spares & Tyres]

I really like driving these things, even with oil burners. They're simple and pleasurable, as long as the kingpins aren't shot.

You are sick

[DodgeRover]

It's going to be an MT75 with adaptor plate isn't it? Same as the other transit underpinnings.

 

If not I would suggest buying the remains, a scrap disco, £75 for a transit MT75 and making it so with an adaptor from Tim https://lightcommercialservices.weebly.com/rover-v8-engine.html