Rover p6- classic shite progress. or not. anyone want it?

[fotorabia]

Melbourne.

 

 

[brickwall]

That looks boss.

[Junkman]

Thread resurrection time!

Definitely.

 

Ok, the P6 has been much neglected due to having to prioritize my time in favour of getting the house done.

You should get your priorities right.

 

The Steering box is mullered. obviously been run dry for some considerable time due to leaks and it's worn. very hard to keep in a straight line and any adjustment just makes it too tight.

A common fault. Mr. Conelrad is the eggspurt on the subject now.

 

It runs hot after a while at motorway speeds. given that everything on the cooling system bar the rad has been replaced, this is the next thing I need. head gasket failure was the reason it got scrapped in the first place- could be duff rad caused it.

This means the car is running too hot under all driving conditions, although the temp gauge isn't indicating this.

 

The back end sits at an angle- coil spring is mullered on the driver's side.

Change both of them.

 

when it's up to temperature its evident that the ebay seller I got the engine off was full of shit...it needs the tappets doing badly (a major job) and there is also a touch of big end knock. It does however pull strongly, sit at 70 effortlessly with no oil burning so a new set of shells should see it ok.

Once the radiator is sorted, and the correct oil is in the engine, all your engine woes might vanish. What you have now may be simply due to the engine running too hot all the time.

 

On the plus side..I've replaced all the dented/rusty panels (door, wings, scuttle panel) and have got a replacement steering box for it and springs and rad on the way (you can buy these new...but not for any price I want to pay, hence the delay waiting for good used ones to turn up).

The rad can be re-cored for about 70 quid. I'm sure a suitable steering box can be sourced, once we know which one you need.

 

I'm not worried really, it'll all come together eventually. and then I'll only get bored that there's nothing left to do and sell it on for something else not worth having.

A P6 is not just for Christmas...

 

If I can figure out this STUPID FUCKING samsung touch screen piece of shit phone I will get some pics up tomorrow.

Don't bother with this shiny shit from China. Bin it.

[Wilko220]

What's the latest with the Avocado police car, Junkster?

[Junkman]

Last thing I've heard is that it's alive and well and on the road.

It's indeed one of the two last P6es ever delivered to the Met.

 

[forddeliveryboy]

I want to stick a perkins prima in one of these and run it on veg..... Never will though.

 

Would an OM602 fit?

[oman5]

Much progress on the P6!  flushing/backflushing the old rad made no difference to the overheating, so I splashed out on a new one. The temp gauge now sits rock steady in the middle.

A good used steering box has been fitted, it's a lot better but there are further issues I reckon, it still doesn't feel quite right. (ball joint maybe)

New big ends have been fitted. the engine is a lot smoother, but now  you can hear how noisy the timing chain is. 

cracked/split/torn seats replaced with black cloth ones. wheels changed to rostyles because I prefer them and they happened to have good tyres on.

The P6 is in front line service this week as the volvo has burst its oil cooler. I will try and get some pics but I keep bloody forgetting.

Initial impressions are that despite being only the 4 pot with a 4 speed box it's a surprisingly refined cruiser with more torque than I was expecting. Yeah I reckon I'll keep it, the thing owes me far too much now!

[Junkman]

You might need a tracking check/adjustment now.

 

When you have this done at a place that has this newfangled laser equipment, you will notice, that all the measurements in the books are only given in inches, not degrees.

However, the latter are necessary for these modern devices.

 

It has turned out, that the best tracking is zero to 0.5 degrees toe in. It should under no circumstances have a toe out!

Also, before the tracking is adjusted, the camber should be checked. It should be zero degrees to minus 0.5. There should never be positive camber.

 

If the camber is too negative (which it often is), it is most likely caused by the ride height being too low due to worn springs. The upper swivel point is constant relative

to the shell, whereas the lower one describes an arch, caused by the lower control arm, hence the camber becomes more negative, the more the car deflects,

i.e. the lower it sits.

Hence negative camber when the car just sits still, can often be cured, by installing new springs with the correct rate.

If the car sits at the correct height, and still has negative camber, the ball joints won't make much of a difference, even if they are worn.

It is then more likely caused by the rubber bushes holding the bellcrank to the bulkhead.

 

Does this make sense?

[carlo]

Well well well, looking back over all my car photos look what I snapped outside my house fifteen years ago!

 

 

Used to live in Harefield, Middlesex then so car must have been very local.  Seem to remember snapping it at Denham aerodrome aswell, always remember the car as I love that colour.  Perhaps the owner was a pilot?

[oman5]

You might need a tracking check/adjustment now.

 

When you have this done at a place that has this newfangled laser equipment, you will notice, that all the measurements in the books are only given in inches, not degrees.

However, the latter are necessary for these modern devices.

 

It has turned out, that the best tracking is zero to 0.5 degrees toe in. It should under no circumstances have a toe out!

Also, before the tracking is adjusted, the camber should be checked. It should be zero degrees to minus 0.5. There should never be positive camber.

 

If the camber is too negative (which it often is), it is most likely caused by the ride height being too low due to worn springs. The upper swivel point is constant relative

to the shell, whereas the lower one describes an arch, caused by the lower control arm, hence the camber becomes more negative, the more the car deflects,

i.e. the lower it sits.

Hence negative camber when the car just sits still, can often be cured, by installing new springs with the correct rate.

If the car sits at the correct height, and still has negative camber, the ball joints won't make much of a difference, even if they are worn.

It is then more likely caused by the rubber bushes holding the bellcrank to the bulkhead.

 

Does this make sense?

Yes. very useful info, thank you!

[Conrad D. Conelrad]

Much progress on the P6!  flushing/backflushing the old rad made no difference to the overheating, so I splashed out on a new one. The temp gauge now sits rock steady in the middle.

A good used steering box has been fitted, it's a lot better but there are further issues I reckon, it still doesn't feel quite right. (ball joint maybe)

New big ends have been fitted. the engine is a lot smoother, but now  you can hear how noisy the timing chain is. 

cracked/split/torn seats replaced with black cloth ones. wheels changed to rostyles because I prefer them and they happened to have good tyres on.

The P6 is in front line service this week as the volvo has burst its oil cooler. I will try and get some pics but I keep bloody forgetting.

Initial impressions are that despite being only the 4 pot with a 4 speed box it's a surprisingly refined cruiser with more torque than I was expecting. Yeah I reckon I'll keep it, the thing owes me far too much now!

 

Great news! 

 

I understand a noisy timing chain is cured by replacing the main bearings, did you do this while the sump was off? Contrary to the information in the workshop manual, it can be done with the engine in the car. 

[oman5]

Great news! 

 

I understand a noisy timing chain is cured by replacing the main bearings, did you do this while the sump was off? Contrary to the information in the workshop manual, it can be done with the engine in the car. 

No. I didn't.

 

oh Bollocks! ah well you live and learn. 

[fotorabia]

i saw this charming 3500 this morning...

[oman5]

In the works carpark. funny the amount of people I don't know who came up to me in work and said "that old thing must be yours!"

 

 

new rear scuttle panel

 

 

 

black cloth seats

 

 

It's sat on lower profile tyres now. speedo now under reads but it sticks to the road like shit to a blanket- the handling is really quite remarkable with them on.

These pics flatter it- although its rust free, most of the panels have mismatched paint.  Not that I care. like a series landrover a slightly scruffy P6 still looks kinda cool...a la Bill Maynard's "the gaffer"

[oman5]

I'm getting very frustrated with this. it's like one step forward and three steps back. I know I should not expect too much from a 41 year old car but the list of jobs keeps growing. for a P6 its in the unusual position of having a good base unit but crap everything else and I am rapidly losing enthusiasm.

It needs:

The engine is tappety and has a noisy timing chain. the gear selector linkages are sloppy. it has a pretty bad oil leak which looks like it may be the crank seal. the de dion tube gaiter is split. The steering is wayward- over 60mph is hard to keep in a straight line. rear demist does not work and the screen wash stopped working the day after the MOT. window seals are perished. colour match on the various panels is "liberal". It has been welded in the past but looks pretty good now. 

 

Plus points? fresh MOT and tax (which will be free once the taxation class has been changed on the v5)

Brand new rad. 4 good michelin tyres. new rear springs (only one fitted so far) new big ends. despite being noisy the engine pulls strongly and does not smoke or overheat even in traffic in this hot weather. 

 

Despite being road legal I would strongly suggest trailering it away as it really does want work doing before using it in anger (oil leak and tube gaiter) and the steering really is shocking. 

I've no idea what its worth and obviously I'm not going to get back anything like what I've spent.  It needs someone more enthusiastic and mechanically savvy than me. 

offers? part ex/deal involving an allegro/maxi or other interesting less complex shite welcome!

 

oh, there's a shed full of bits to go with it. mostly big panels including bootlid with spare wheel mounting.

[Conrad D. Conelrad]

I feel partly responsible for this by bumping the thread!

[oman5]

nah, it's been in my head for a while to get rid. its really not my cup of tea.

[jonathan_dyane]

nnnnnnnnggggggggggg, must resist...