Cactus Jack

Well the second half of this week turned out unexpectedly. I am now the owner of three vehicles from the '60's!  It is at this point I wish to thank my very patient and understanding wife - love you babe.

So what have I bought? To be honest, I don't know yet.  Having paid a deposit sight unseen the process started in a similar way to the purchase of Leif, but this time I went to see my new acquisition and most importantly see and hear it run before finalising the purchase.

So lets start with the name to set the scene, "Cactus Jack".

Australian slang definition: Cactus: Dead, not functioning ("this bloody machine is cactus")
source: http://www.koalanet.com.au

And here he is:

"Cactus Jack"

So, no doubt you are wondering what the hell did you buy that for? Well here is the answer:

Still wondering? Well, what you are looking at is a Rover six cylinder engine.  Currently, Leif is running a Holden engine, so this new acquisition will give me the option of putting Leif back to original standard.  You see, there is method in my madness, haha.

I knew this engine was not original to Cactus Jack as the 88" Land Rovers were never produced in a six cylinder variant, but thanks to a friend with much more knowledge on the matter than me, we have determined from the engine number that the engine is most likely from a Rover P4, 100, dating it around 1961.

Under the dirt and grim, the engine number reads 650102285

Rover P4 which we assume Cactus Jack's engine is from

Rover P4, 100 Engine.  Just a bit cleaner than Cactus Jack's

As for Cactus Jack himself, he is in a terrible state of neglect and beyond economical repair, so I am not sure what the future holds for him, but here is what I have learnt about him so far thanks to the chassis number.

Cactus Jack's identification plates

Like Leif, he is a CKD (completely knocked down), built and assembled in Sydney by the Pressed Metal Corp.  Dated 1960, he is an early Series 2 (the first Series 2 was unveiled in April 1958), and he would have had a 2.25 petrol engine.
Cactus Jack has some early features that I hope to be able to extract from him and offer to fellow owners who have a vehicle of a similar vintage, but I don't know what they will clean up like; the initial inspection is not that great.

Left outside with no door tops, Cactus Jack is in very poor condition

Outside is not much better, but the bonnet catches are cool!

The badge is about the only shiny bit left!

What's next? Well thanks to a friend with a big warehouse and generous personality, Cactus Jack will be collected by Steve from Perth Tow, who collected both Jade and Leif, next week and put into storage for the next 6-7 months until my garage, the "Tyro Workshop" is built.  He will then come home to have a thorough wash before being inspected for salvageable bits.  Only then, with the help of some friends will I know if the engine is any good.  If it is, it will be extracted and prepped for transplantation into Leif.

I can't wait to get started, and begin my learning. This is way, way, way out of my knowledge and experience so it should be interesting.  Stay tuned!