My dad bought this 109 in the early ’80s. It was his main daily driver. This was the first Land Rover I ever rode in, and it was at least partially responsible for my lifelong Land Rover addiction (my dad had an 88, too, when I was a kid, but it was never running). My dad sold this 109 around 1997 — I was devastated.

Over the years, I periodically posted photos of this Rover on Instagram with the question, “Have you seen this truck?” One day in late 2020, out of the blue, I got a message that said, “Is this the truck you’re looking for?” with a link to a Copart auction. Sure enough, nearly 25 years later, the truck that was being auctioned was unmistakably my dad’s old 109! After some emails and phone calls, I was able to purchase the 109 without it going up for auction.

As I have had the truck less than two years and have been quite busy with other things, I haven’t had time to do a ton of work yet, but here’s some of what I have done so far:

• Cleaned out the fuel system and replaced the fuel lines
• Got the 2.25L engine running
• Installed a new Roamerdrive
• Refurbished and installed the pickup cab that came with it: paint, new glass, new seals, etc.
• Rebuilt and installed a set of correct early vent screens
• Installed front mud flaps
• Replaced the leaky radiator
• Rebuilt the wiper motors
• Carefully removed paint overspray from the various areas of the body
• Bolted down the seat box and floor panels using original fasteners (the previous owner unbolted them because he thought the transmission was broken; it turned out the reverse lockout was just in need of adjustment)
• Installed various missing parts including correct original sun visors, wing mirrors, ignition switch, etc.
• Installed capstan winch
• Patched rear quarter panel where PO had cut off the damaged corner with tin snips
• Removed primer that the PO had applied to the bulkhead and door hinges, and touched up areas of bare steel with color-matched paint
• Replaced all of the vintage stickers that were on the truck when my dad owned it, some of which I had to reproduce myself

There is still much work I want to do to this truck as time permits, but it’s currently serving as my work truck and one of my regular drivers. Check back later for new photos/updates.