ETCHY

Mikey the Robin.
Seen here ignoring a grape..
 
 

Hello there!
Ive owned a total of eight 827s three 820s and saved and restored countless others i truely wish you all the best with this and follow with interest... My trusty Mk1 827 Fastback which ive had for a number of years was recently sold to a member of this site. I have owned mostly Mk1s (XX) but as yours is a MK2 (R17) with the Honda lump the following tips should apply and be helpful if you choose to keep the car long term.
Wheel arches fuel filler pipes and sills are available from the 800 club (Thats the Rover 800 club not the Rover 800 Owners Club) Fuel filler pipes are a well documented weak spot on both Mk1 and Mk2 road dirt and other shite builds up and gets trapped behind them and they rot out. Often you dont realise until its time to fill up with petrol and it leaks all over the forecourt and dumps rust in your tank killing your pump. Brakes are notoriously hard to bleed due to air getting trapped in the modulator and the somewhat awkward shape of the calipers especially the rears air pockets often develop in the calipers themselves. If the calipers are shot and you struggle to find new ones the rears are identical to MGF calipers  and are more widely available than 800 ones. Alot of parts or either very rare and pricey or NLA but there are a few alternatives such as the Honda Legend Rover 600 and previously mentioned MGF i even went as far as to import spares from America. The Mk2 is plagued with fusebox issues be sure to check it then check it again just to be sure the solder breaks down with age and can cause a whole host of issues from flickering lights to a completely dead unresponsive car thankfully the fusebox isnt expensive to get resoldered. Electric windows try and use these as much as possible or they will cease due to lack of use the switch pack/instrument panel in the drivers door may also fail meaning they will be completely inoperable again this is down to the solder/contacts breaking down thankfully they are easily fixable if you can solder. Rover 800 wheel nuts are notoriously SHITE and hard to find new change all of them immediately for somthing more hardy the Ford looking aftermarket ones are good. It will save you a tonne of nightmares when changing wheels/tyres at a later date I speak from exprience as ive lost count how many times ive had to drill them out. Never throw any relays or electricals away if broken again the most basic of parts are NLA and it makes more sense to have them repaired than replaced. I once threw away a blown headlight relay which turned out to be a very rare part it took 5 months of searching and a £200 cheque to a chap in America before i managed to find a replacement. Rear light gaskets break down allowing water or dampness into the boot and rear seats. purchase some 6mm neoprene off ebay and cut to size/shape using the old gaskets as a template this should solve the issue.   Dont let any of this put you off the cars are very reliable very comfy and still fairly quick by modern standards. As for the C27A Honda Lump you could riddle it with machine gun fire and drive it through Rufford Ford and it would still work it will easily reach 200k with very little attention.
il search my loft to see if i have a brake master cylinder for you if you still need one. Feel free to drop me a message if you need help with anything

Taxed and back outside my gaff, brake sticking again after the month lay up. It's missed some snow and heavy rain though.

 
 
 

If you like old Transits then you'll drop your load watching this.
 

Seconded.  It was gone 4am before it really stopped here last night.

Sounds about right. Cancel the council tax direct debit and spend it on fireworks...

Found this rather excellent website for Lone Star
https://lonestardcmt.co.uk/

Posted before (probably by me too) but I think this is one of the best car chases ever. Enjoy !
Happy New Year & god I now want a Yank tank (that's not rhyming slang btw..).
 

Mikey the Robin.
Seen here ignoring a grape..
 
 

After having covered nearly 80 mile now in Brian I have got the carburettor set up pretty well, he starts on the first compression stroke ticks over steadily and pulls strongly (considering engine size). 22 miles were covered yesterday in tandem with my cousin in the model 70. One little niggle I had was with the ignition barrel which was losing contact in start and run positions and so was pulled to pieces thoroughly cleaned and re lubricated and now functions perfectly. It was grotty in there!
One other note, I can definitely confirm that Mk12 InvaCars are not great in gusty winds! Frightening.

It wasn't me, it was the previous owner. I sold it to him a few months ago, he took it out for some photos at the weekend as a final goodbye, dropped it off to me on Monday! Funnily enough he's also called Robin... 
They did indeed. The quadra system was good but unsure how strong it is. The viscous coupling in the middle is the achilles heel unfortunately. They cost about £1500 to have re-made, as the parts aren't available at all
 
 
This weekend I fettled a lot:

FIXED THE HEADLIGHT WASHERS OH GOD YES (video below) 
Fitted a head unit that works
Changed cambelt and tensioner 
Changed power steering belt - Renault in their infinite wisdom decided to put it BEHIND the cambelt on a separate pulley. Incroyable. 
Changed alternator belt 
Changed dizzy cap and rotor arm 
Changed drivers brake caliper and carrier 
Skinned 3 knuckles changing the crank position sensor
Changed air temp sensor
Changed air filter, oil, oil filter 
Adjusted ticking valves
 
Not all of it was necessary, mostly preventative 
 
I think it might need a clutch before next summer but that's a problem for another time. The blower motor is also seized and I'll need that for winter. But unfortunately to get at that I have to dismantle the entire dash and fascia, drop the steering column, then hope I have one's of 3 types of blower that were seemingly fitted at random throughout different years. Pray for me. 
 

VID_20220811_234926(0).mp4  

Mikey the Robin.
Seen here ignoring a grape..
 
 

Mikey the Robin.
Seen here ignoring a grape..
 
 

I got this the other morning

Mikey the Robin.
Seen here ignoring a grape..
 
 

Mikey the Robin.
Seen here ignoring a grape..
 
 

I really like this. It looks like a  cross between a Hotwheels & Tonka toy.
 

Mikey the Robin.
Seen here ignoring a grape..
 
 

Mikey the Robin.
Seen here ignoring a grape..
 
 

Mikey the Robin.
Seen here ignoring a grape..
 
 

Mikey the Robin.
Seen here ignoring a grape..
 
 

Is that your cock hanging out ?  The black bit on the end  looks a bit nasty mate 

Sad news to report.  My beloved friend Emma, of the eponymous Sierra, left us yesterday.  She'd been living with stage four cancer for eight years.  Cruelly, the longer she dug in and stick around - the more I began to think of her as invincible.  She was sent home from hospital on Sunday being told there was nothing more anyone could do, and she waved goodbye at teatime.
We enjoyed the very best and worst of times. 

Clockwise from top left is us in the L&D hospital when she was quite, quite unwell.  Next picture is her having walked a half marathon.  I drove straight from hosting a Race for Life event to welcome her over the finish line.  Bottom right was a Colour Run for the Hospice who cared for her so brilliantly, Bottom left was after she dragged me around a 5 mile midnight walk for the same charity.  Finally, I treated her to the Brits in 2017 which was one of those moments that will stay with me forever.  Proof that memories aren't necessarily made in big gestures, but at 2am McDonald's in North London.
Just every now and again, you meet someone who completely changes your perspective of life.  How you view everything. 
I adored her.  

I had a pale metallic blue Corgi one in a Ford branded box that was a giveaway from the local Ford Dealership at the launch of the Sierra.
Quite a nice thing if i recall.