Hello from Southern Africa

[JPC]

The 1-Ton (R) Stake truck in the making.

[DasLandRoverMan]

That looks pretty cool already. Interesting fuel tank arrangement?

[Felix123]

What exactly is a Series IIIs..?

[JPC]

What exactly is a Series IIIs..?

Hi Felix 123, thank you for asking about the series 3S. When the Stage 1 V8 was being developed in UK, South Africa developed the Series 3S. Peculiar about this vehicle:
Rated as 1-ton, normal series 3 being 750kg.
4 spd Santana gearbox with selectable 4X4.
Perkins 4.236 diesel engine with 3.54:1 diff ratio or
Rover 2.6 (R6) OHC 6Cyl petrol with 4.7:1 diff.
Optional Salisbury front axle.
Optional 900X16 Tyres (fitted to 5.5" rims though).
Galvanised chassis was standard.
Only available as bus or pick-up, 109" wheelbase.
About 5000 units were manufactured at Blackheath, Cape Town, 1980 to 1985.
The different tyre and diff ratio configurations came with a small gearbox in the speedo-cable to correct the reading.
The front appeared very similar to a Stage 1, with the long bonnet.

These vehicles were very successful but, the petrol engines were powerful enough to actually get the vehicles up to speeds in excess of 140kph. By then the engine was well into the red on rpm, and driving at that speed for long distances, (300-400 km at a stretch) caused overheating and subsequent head gasket failure. The R6 engine thus developed an unwarranted bad reputation.

[Felix123]

Very interesting JPC, thanks for the comprehensive reply.

Optional 900X16 Tyres (fitted to 5.5" rims though)

Surely the tyres were a little pinched on the rim?

[JPC]

900X16 tyres really looked like balloons on the 5.5 rims. I used them like that for about 15 years without problems, then acquired a set of late 2B rims for the 3S.

The standard 3S rims were also somewhat peculiar. The offset is 20.6mm (13/16"). Seems like a normal series 3 rim but with the dish turned around. Couldn't find a part # on any of the 10 rims I have, but it is listed as LS18783 in my parts manual. This slightly deeper dish rims had two effects IMHO, 1) the track was slightly wider which rendered the vehicle a bit more stable at higher speeds, 2) it looked a bit more cool with the tyre edge virtually in line with the body.

The flat surface on the inside of a series 3 rim, is on the outside on the 3S rim, similar to FC rim.