HMC

Its lovely to drive- distant burble, lovely smooth shifts from the gearbox (you hear the engine note drop but dont feel anything) finger light (one finger if you wanted) power steering ( with very little feel) - but so usable for a car this age. Its a full on barge but id rather trade the sharper experience (relatively) of the shad II for the detailing of the earlier cars. Soooo relaxing to go around in. It feels like im piloting a boat- sounds dreadful but if thats your thing its great! Its quicker than i was expecting. A very gentle car to drive.

Thanks for the tip re the electrics- TBH im totally clueless about electrical things

This shad is now starts on a flick of the key, sounds like a motor launch and after i cleaned and lubricated the auto choke linkages its running better than ever. I even used it “on a trip to the moors” im a gentleman and will say no more. I cleaned the fuse box connections hoping it would resurrect a few dead things, but no dice. Looks old school! I forgot to take a pic of the guide that comes with it- its on a small ally sheet that pulls out from it. After tesco (not seen- it now has a boot carpet in suitable shabby condition from a scrap car) i tinkered with a few pointless but satisfying little things The spec sheet is a nice reference for how it rolled out of Crewe in summer 1971. I cant ‘quite’ stretch to a full body rebuild and respray in ICI shell grey, but what about the “fine lines” in dark blue? I would imagine they were applied by hand by a craftsman….. how about a 3.99 ebay coachline? More within budget. How the mighty have fallen! Bit of a nod to the original spec. Easy to do despite the gentle curves on the wings as you can be guided by feel and sight by the body crease and trim. I looked at ads for mega expensive perfect/ original cars to see where the “fine lines” went. Perhaps a bit of an insult to the craftsmanship that made it; but this is something that was nearly banger raced and will never be a “good” example. Usable, yes- and isnt that what its all about? (it is to me!)

Had a visit from mate steve, a family man who solved the question answered “volvo xc90” a different way

Great to meet you all! I came down with the keys to see if you wanted to take the shadow out for a spin but youd already gone, have a great trip!

Made and Fitted the “new” rear plate

Yes, right next to the meadows.

The shad is risen! The modern upgraded (but cheaper than oem) starter makes it sound like a 90s toyota cranking over. Weird but also reassuring.

I feel really drained but glad the ‘shad is now out of harms way and awaiting the ministrations of my friendly local garage. I think ill buy them all a present as i turned up at lunchtime as agreed, And although they were on their lunch the lads helped me shove it out of the way. One of them told me my next should be a hillman imp, which isnt a bad idea! Less hassle than moving a beached oil tanker, for sure. As you can see in the background, they are shite friendly and are mini enthusiasts themselves. Theres always a bit of pain to work through when coaxing a little used, or disused vehicle back into regular, if gentle use. Mr banger racer did a great job of a) not destroying it and b) replacing all the brakes and hoses etc and sourcing bumpers, interior etc. My main mission presently is to make it go reliably. Other than that im not particularly fussy- stopping and going reliably are 2 big boxes ticked; enough to spend a summer wafting about in it locally.

I cant say I enjoyed the process, but the car has been recovered from a vulnerable position on the main road to a garage about 3/4ths of a mile away. Phew!

HERE WE GO

PS- as we know im a fickle fucker with cars, so to clarify the last post, the more powerful replacement is the starter motor, not a whole different car 😂

I was riding my luck a little as it would need a few flicks to make it contact the flywheel. Then instead or being sticky to engage, its become stuck engaged. Verdict- cheapskate owner gets bitten. I do have a more modern more powerful replacment that was both cheaper and didnt need it to be done on exchange .

Yes, starter jammed. See last page IIRC

Tomorrow the p38 is going to recover the shad to a garage with an A frame. Bascially in my mind im lining up a calender shot already 😂

Also the gestation of the p38 was during BAE ownership IIRC?

Fleet shot…

Alloy intake manifold= no EGR valve- according to internet wisdom* , and i can’t see one at least.

Looks lovely, a blue bmc 1100/1300 in the countryside always reminds me of….

Ive removed the load bay liner in preparation for the rear seats ive got coming off e bay. Having had 2 RR classics in the past, i was a little bit wary/ having the fear about what id find. Turns out the boys at lode lane did a great job of not making it rot. Actually the whole car is incredibly sound. my then 17 year old classic was eye wateringly crusty in these bits that are blemish free on this 27 year old p38. So its not as iconic; but it doesnt dissolve so VIGOROUSly either, at last bodily if not electrically.

VIGOROUS Which shod each corner of the p38 2.5 DT- a vehicle far from vigorous

It was originally registered J1AWD if that helps?

Ive always dodged them. For me growing up i loved the classic . Seeing one was an event. I had a couple ages ago. IIRC @Tayne you had a k reg one in a really cool colour. I skipped p38s and went straight to the L322 as, to be honest i wasnt keen on the styling compared the classic, or the horror stories. It seems the styling has grown on me, and im ignoring the horror stories. IIRC @Sam Glover recounted his experiences with his p38 in an article in PC, which made sobering reading!