Motown

Yeah i think it was a chap in the owners club i dont know if the car is still about but as a member i will ask gotta say though i cant understand why you would want to do that? I mean the guy deserves a beer and a firm hand shake for his achievements but isn't the Perkins Prima based on the O series which was fitted to the SD1 anyway? I am pretty sure the block is even the same? From memory it was fitted to the SD1 Montego and early 820s

Crab sticks dont actually contain any crab and from 1993 manufacturers have been legally obliged to label them 'Crab Flavoured Sticks'

Absolutely spot on the inlet manifold gasket fails coolant gets into a cylinder (usually 1 or 4) causing it to misfire until the cars warmed up. Folk see the coolant loss and rough idle at cold start and instantly assume HGF

Thanks for sharing your memories i love little stories like that gotta say the world was a much simpler and happier place back then in my view. Ive been lucky enough that all the SD1s ive owned have been solid or at the very worse needed some light welding. I do remember the days when you could buy one for next to nowt though and it was a miracle half of them were still running but they still sounded better than all the other shit knocking about at that time. I knew a chap who had a 2400 Turbo Diesel the engine would rattle violently under load on hills or slight inclines and there was a hole in the drivers footwell big enough that you could see the road from the front passenger seat. He would often fill and seal the hole using old paint tin lids but every time he hit a bump in the road they would fall out. The paintwork was crusty and bubbling all over the place so he sanded it back and painted it with pale green caravan paint. He had it for a few years and to this day i dont know how he got it through MOT every year.. These days he drives a Nissan Duke supports Chelsea and owns an Adele CD he has literally given up on life 🤣

Ah i never knew that thanks for the education what happened to the Derbyshire force one then? All the ex police SD1s ive seen had the standard wheel and were usually base spec or close to it although i appreciate they did have better specced cars for other duties like escorting Prince Andrew and his mistress. One of the negatives about this car for me was that it didn't have much paperwork and what it did have was damp and rotten on the back seat. Always fun trying to piece together an old V5 while its drying on the radiator 🤣 My 2600 for example has pretty much the full history right down to the purchase receipt from Lavender Hill Garage in 1986. Granted its abit weird reading it all and getting excited when i discovered where the first owner purchased his tyres from or how many times it went to the dealership under warranty due to cruise control issues but i just find it all interesting.

Really? I thought it was aftermarket Moto Lita from Rimmers https://rimmerbros.com/Item--i-RO1043

I am a double for Paul Calf apparently 🤣

It could be serviced in the kitchen or front room though which is always a plus

Ive known about it for years and bringing it up has actually rekindled my love for it. The car is still on my (to own or drive before i die) list along with a P5B but i think its highly unlikely il ever lay my hands on one.

No i haven't and i would be worried if i did 🤣

I am by no means a purist but i like to keep things original that steering wheel was in the car when i bought it (i think its from Rimmers). I actually like the look of original steering wheel and had thought about refitting it. Although i hate the way it blocks the view of the speedo between 50-70 and catches my knees when turning which is why i haven't switched it back 🤣

Er no? Whos @beko1987 i am sorry if its a reference and i have disappointed you 🤣 The wife says i am a disappointment however my mistress says she just not open minded enough so its swings and roundabouts really

It's taken five months of frustrating work fixing various electrical gremlins and leaks and it failed to even reach the garage on two previous occasions when i booked it in for MOT. I fought through a nasty infection to overhaul the engine gearbox and carbs when i should have been in bed then the seat then collapsed when i fitted the new interior. I found this car sitting in a garage in Nottingham where its been since 2015 upon initial inspection the car seemed good i couldn't have been more wrong. Ive been lucky enough in all the years ive owned and restored old Rovers not to have a LEMON but this was easily the most frustrating car ive had to deal with. As with my previous projects i restored it from my drive braving the weather and sometimes working into the night. Time after time i would fix all the faults and get everything as it should be but as soon as the car saw the MOT bay something broke or refused to work. I was at breaking point around November and had promised the kids a bonfire and put serious thought into torching it. Looking back i am glad i didn't because today the car finally passed MOT it's first since 2014 the horn failed on the way home so clearly i have some minor bits to do but i am so glad its got a fresh cert. This will be the third SD1 ive rescued and restored i dont think il be doing anymore as working on Rover for years has rendered me an invalid 🤣 Long live Rovers and all who sail in them!

Bidded and watching closely. Yes iam a glutton for punishment

I absolutely love these... I tried to import an Australian 416i which was basically a Honda Integra with a Rover badge. I think its absolutely criminal they were never put on the Uk market.

My wife would love this! Is it for sale? As for me well surely i need no introduction when it comes to Rovers Cheers

It was restored and sold to a friend who spent four months telling me he wanted a Mk1 820 in red. I believe he took it to a couple of shows Gaydon POL Festival of the unexceptional etc drove it for abit and then he got bored of it an left it sat on his drive. I said i would buy it back if he was bored of it but then he filled it will E10 and the fuel pump failed so i spent the day sorting it out and fitted a new pump for him. He drove it abit more but he must have grown bored of it again as its now without an MOT locked in his uncles garage. It did recently feature on Llyod Vehicle Consulting (YouTube Channel) though so maybe it will see the light of day again soon!

Holy thread revival batman! 🤣 I noticed this was posted in 2014 did you end up purchasing an SD1 in the end? They seem to be fetching some silly money now but ive been luckily enough to own three a 1986 2600 Vanden Plas which i still own and drive daily. I bought a 1983 S to save it from the scrapper and restored it before moving it on to a good home and more recently i purchased a 1984 V8 Vanden Plas which i am currently restoring. Ive never really had a problem with rust or rot but i have spent many weeks sometimes months preventing water leaks and fixing electrical issues. I still think they are great cars though and enjoy driving them you simply cannot beat the iconic looks analogue driving experience and that unnecessary large and oddly shaped steering wheel hitting your thighs or obscuring the steering wheel.

Good theory but it was coming from the sump and not just sat in the back end when i separated the box from the back of the engine

😆 Its not getting scrapped it will see the road again. Long live Rovers and all who sail in them!

I heard about the stockpiling too but i dont know how true it is.... ive never seen one older than a D plate (My 2.6 being a D plate) My love affair with 800s begin when i first saw a police 827 Fastback in 1990-1991 they were know as the battenburgs then. Although being pretty new to the local force in 1990-1991 some forces had then from 86-87 so they probably phased the SD1s out then..... I never saw a Senator police car but i hear they were better than the 800s in the corners

Its possible i remember both 2600 an 3500 police cars. The 2600 been the average patrol car and the 3500 being used for motorway pursuits etc.

I will try that tomorrow thanks for the tip il also check compression. The filings were magnetic it looked like sawdust but metallic obviously The car hasn't been overfilled with oil and has had two oil changes since arriving. No metal filings in the oil before the seal failed.

Thanks i didn't think of that ie no pressure. My 2600 vanden plas is certainly just as fast as the 3500 non efi its pretty evident without a rolling road. The 2.6 has better fuel consumption too i get anywhere between 28-30mpg were if you really pushed the V8 i am pretty sure you could hit single figures 🤣 I do believe the EFi versions of the V8 such as the Vitesse were quicker though!