Hello from Lincoln

[woldstech]

Thanks to a very good friend I've discovered this forum - and I couldn't wait to register.
The next thing I want to say is to say hello to all of you.
My name is Thomas, I am from nr Coningsby nr Lincoln. On the search for a semi decent LC80 with 12v engine and a manual gearbox.

 

[grantw]

Hello and welcome Thomas.

Good luck with the search ... they can be tough to find.

 

[Chris]

Yeah, welcome. We're here to help you to help yourself. Now the 12v manual is not so easy to find. You will find some but they tend to be older machines which of course means that you are fighting Father Time. Now we always ask everyone who comes on here asking for a manual - why exactly? The auto is a brilliant machine. Forget yer Granny's old Ford Fiesta that was automatic. These are very different. Nearly 3 tonnes and an engine that would tow a battleship. Forget the concern about off road or snow the auto will do it all. We have proof. With working lockers you'll be amazed.

Chris

 

[woldstech]

Yeah, welcome. We're here to help you to help yourself. Now the 12v manual is not so easy to find. You will find some but they tend to be older machines which of course means that you are fighting Father Time. Now we always ask everyone who comes on here asking for a manual - why exactly? The auto is a brilliant machine. Forget yer Granny's old Ford Fiesta that was automatic. These are very different. Nearly 3 tonnes and an engine that would tow a battleship. Forget the concern about off road or snow the auto will do it all. We have proof. With working lockers you'll be amazed.

Chris

Hello Chris,
Thank you very much for the warm welcome Two reasons why I am looking for one in decreasing order of priority 1. To tow a rather heavy caravan - after having read of AT oil temp light and cooking the autobox stories 2. LC's with autoboxes (atleast 2 or 3 that I have seen in the flesh) seem to have been excessively offroaded and poorly treated with very little TLC for the autobox ( such as oil and filter change).
I am new to the whole LC thing - so apologies if I have drawn conclusions based on reading a few posts on various LC forums.
I welcome members to come forward and share their stories ( hopefully happy) of towing caravans with an LC 80 12v auto.

 

[lc90]

i know who has one he wants around £4500...

4.2 td vx manual 12 valve uk spec, excellent condition, 141k miles, 3x diff locks in red colour, tax and tested

 

[woldstech]

Yeah, welcome. We're here to help you to help yourself. Now the 12v manual is not so easy to find. You will find some but they tend to be older machines which of course means that you are fighting Father Time. Now we always ask everyone who comes on here asking for a manual - why exactly? The auto is a brilliant machine. Forget yer Granny's old Ford Fiesta that was automatic. These are very different. Nearly 3 tonnes and an engine that would tow a battleship. Forget the concern about off road or snow the auto will do it all. We have proof. With working lockers you'll be amazed.

Chris

Hello Chris,
Thank you very much for the warm welcome Two reasons why I am looking for one in decreasing order of priority 1. To tow a rather heavy caravan - after having read of AT oil temp light when towing heavy trailer / caravans etc 2. LC's with autoboxes (atleast 2 or 3 that I have seen in the flesh) seem to have been excessively offroaded and poorly treated with very little TLC for the autobox ( such as oil and filter change).
I am new to the whole LC thing - so apologies if I have drawn conclusions based on reading a few posts on various LC forums.
I request members to come forward and share their stories ( hopefully happy) of towing caravans or trailers with an LC 80 12v auto.

 

[Chris]

Oh for sure there are some sheds out there. No guarantee that a manual is going to be in any better condition. The autos on these things aren't delicate, but you don't want a busted one. If the truck is in a reasonable condition then the box should really be fine. Couple of issues with some of the earlier manual boxes relating to 1st and second gear, but nothing insurmountable. Be careful not to confuse any auto cooler issues with the smaller 3.0l Colorado. OK there can be issues with cooked 80 boxes but the oli cooler which is built into the bottom of the main engine rad doesn't have quite the same propensity to let go as the later 95 series set up. If you get half decent one - then it's not too late, you can keep it that way.

Chris

 

[majic79]

Hi Thomas, like you I was of a similar opinion of the auto box, truth be told I've found it excellent for towing! 4wd + towing is hard on clutches and for that reason alone the auto wins on ease of maintenance

I'm based not far from you and grew up around Coningsby, only got a Colorado, but more than adequate for my purposes if you want a look

 

[clivehorridge]

Welcome to the forum Thomas!

More power to the 80 brigade, soon I hope for your sake! It's a tough machine and you'll love it!

The backbone members of this forum are very helpful, friendly and are a goldmine of good information. You'll soon get to know the ones I mean

Hope you have luck to find a good one, no comments from me on the auto/manual debate. Mine's a manual and its as tough as ever in the winter when it's very cold. Once warmed up it's smooth, but it's a "truck box" nevertheless. You'll never win prizes for racing 1st through to 5th!

Mine's also lost 70% of the synchro on 3rd, so my advice (if you go for a manual) is to check it thoroughly up and down through all the gears, several times just to be sure. 1st and 2nd are fine, but 3rd "chinks" it every time. I've learned to live with it and re-learned how to double de-clutch (I learned to drive on a 1947 crash box) so that helps. I've never offroaded with an auto and I think I'd prefer a manual, but I will never really know! . I did have a new auto 3.0 litre petrol Pajero in the Middle East in 2005, but the poor thing was so underpowered on the dunes, it's not fair to comment.

I can see all the arguments for auto, especially for towing. Downside would be potential ATF overheating, but if everything's working OK that should not happen.

 

[AndycruiserguyLomas]

Had my 12V Auto 16 years, It's been properly maintained with ATF replaced twice, (60k and120k). I've trailered countless cruisers (and others) thousands of miles, towed HGV's back to the yard but not abused it and its still the same as the day I bought it 2 years old. AS others have said, if its a good box when you buy it it should be ok. My preference is for the auto option. 12V manuals were more likely to be bought to be worked in the 90-95 period whereas the autos ( which were dearer) would be more likely to be used more lightly. Autos suit the 12V engine well and are far more pleasant to drive in traffic, also they are better specced ie. air con is standard in most autos but was always an option on on 12V manuals.


Just a pic of the old girl

Andy

 

[joinerman]

Hi Tom, glad to have guided you here, see i told you it's a better place to be than the " other site "

Joinerman

 

[clivehorridge]

Had my 12V Auto 16 years, It's been properly maintained with ATF replaced twice, (60k and120k). I've trailered countless cruisers (and others) thousands of miles, towed HGV's back to the yard but not abused it and its still the same as the day I bought it 2 years old. AS others have said, if its a good box when you buy it it should be ok. My preference is for the auto option. 12V manuals were more likely to be bought to be worked in the 90-95 period whereas the autos ( which were dearer) would be more likely to be used more lightly. Autos suit the 12V engine well and are far more pleasant to drive in traffic, also they are better specced ie. air con is standard in most autos but was always an option on on 12V manuals.


Just a pic of the old girl

Andy

Obviously the cruiser's a beaut and a credit to you after 16 years hard work Andy.

But, I rather like the look of your trailer too... is it an Ifor Williams? The name plate is too pixilated to see. It's nice! Should be stable with the 3 axles. I used to have a little cabin sail boat weighing about a ton on a single axle launch trailer (well, indispension units) and it used to pitch up and down terribly. I only had an old 1955 Austin A30 pulling it (with a 1071 MG Midget engine in it admittedly) and with static 80lb on the tow ball it used to unweight the back of the car occasionally when on the move, which made life interesting!

 

[Jon Wildsmith]

We bought our first 80 (auto) to tow a big twin axle caravan, and then a second one also auto both did a decent enough job of towing. Now I have a manual. The auto is an easier drive but I prefer the control of the manual especially when towing.

 

[woldstech]

Thanks for all your replies and please keep them coming. I've reconciled to the possibility that 12v manuals are few and far between. One of the ones that are available right now may have a "BIG" history - the kind of history I can do without atm. Hence, I've decided to be realistic and include 12v Autos in my search. Here's to hoping that a half decent 12v Auto / Manual will come my way soon