A 1600GT Crossflow Engined Reliant Rebel... Now with MOT!

[coalnotdole]

Back when the forum was going through one of its black spells I bought this extremely fetid reliant rebel, The following posts should bring the story up to date on this car....

 

This just arrived at my lockup garage, Its a future project as its going to take some time to get it back on the road.

While it appears to be an estate it originally began life as a 750cc van. It was built in 1972 but wasn't registered until 1974 at this time Rebels were selling quite well so its a bit of a mystery why it took so long to leave the factory. It has a number of non standard features, including a galvanized chassis, Spax shocks, Disc brake front end. At some point it was converted to have a flip front, and a Ford 1600 crossflow engine has been dropped in.

Shockingly it was on the road as recently as 2006 but since then it looks like its had a very hard life, the interior is fetid, it hasnt run for years and it generally needs work pretty much everywhere.

The plan currently is to refit the side panels and turn it back into a van, recommission it and find out what its like to drive.

Thats enough talk on to the photos:






















 















I'll try and keep the thread updated as we try to get it running again!

[coalnotdole]

I wasn't expecting to get much done on this car in the short term but assisted by my mate Dave we have at least made a start.

First job was to have a look at the look at the electrics, which have suffered from years of owner modifications and neglect. The rebel wiring loom was still there mostly but had been repeatedly hacked up and modified by a previous owner who's understanding of electrics was limited at best. There were lots of aftermarket dashboard mods, scotch-locks, extra relays, multiple earths, fused and unfused feeds (all feeding the same item) and the wiring colours used were at best random, Red earth cables anyone!

Heres a few photos of what it was like:











The first step was removing the rats nests from behind the dash, we then spent the afternoon removing all the modified wiring leaving just the remains of the original loom. The footwell steadily filled up creating a huge pile of stripped out cable. in the end leaving us with a decent starting point which as ready for new connectors and testing.

Rats nests:





With the wiring looking more normal we put a battery on and tried to see if the engine would turn over... it didn't. So confident that the wiring was ok the starter motor was next on the list of suspects. It turned out it was completely seized, once freed off the engine turned over on the key! We then decided to try and get it running the timing carb and oil was checked, Plugs, leads, points and condenser were swapped, but it did not want to run.

Carb checking:



Jumping off the other Rebel didn't help enough:



After some head scratching it was decided to take the starer off and take it apart for a look. The brushes were not in the best condition and there was a fair amount of wear and corrosion. Fortunately both Ford and Reliant were using very similar Lucas starters which meant we had a few spares knocking about which we could use for parts. The result was a reconditioned starter capable of turning the engine over quick enough to have a chance to get it running...

Sorry about the inane comments on the video...

The initial drive suggests that it will be quite entertaining to drive the engine is probably 50kg heavier that the standard reliant unit but does offer nearly twice the power so the overall performance should be very good.


It now looks like it wont need that much to go through an MOT.

Brakes sort of working, need bleeding / checking. possibly wants a replacement servo.
Bodywork needs attention to make it safe and secure,
Electrics need a final session tidying up the wiring loom and connecting replacement components,
Seats and Seatbelts need attention,
Washer pump needs moving.
A battery tray needs fabricating.
A wheel stud needs replacing at the back and it will need replacement wheels and tyres.
The interior needs removing and throwing in the nearest skip... Anyone want some fiesta mk2 seats.

[coalnotdole]

quick update, In between playing with other cars we've faound a bit of time to play with the crossflow rebel...

Its now got:

working electrics, new headlight bowls, indicators etc.
Working brakes (needed a new master cylinder to fix a binding on issue)
Sheared off rear wheel stud has been replaced,
Correct Rebel Seats bolted in!
Correct rear lights fitted,
Its had a triumph herald steering wheel fitted which has a similar look to the factory original wheel and cost 99p on ebay!

A few recent pictures:












The next stage will be to bring the car home to have some fibreglass repairs done, also to weld up a new battery shelf, fit some seatbelts and a screen wash system.

[RedSparrow]

All your projects are epic!

Btw, did you see in the ebay thread there's a Scimitar going for free on gumtree?

[Felly Magic]

I bet once you get this fettled up, it will be pretty nippy

[vulgalour]

Top stuff.  Nice to see all that wiring mess sorted out, probably the worst collection of miscellaneous wires I've seen on a project car.

[dollywobbler]

GR300.

[Asimo]

Slightly disappointed to see your Reliant has more wheels than neccessary. Should still be nice and frightening however.

[worldofceri]

Smashing.  Can I be the first to say DO NOT PAINT?

[jonny69]

Easy* and cheap** to swap to a fackin Zetec innit two undred bee haitch pee easy

[Cavcraft]

Brilliant.

[ruffgeezer]

It might look a bit of a biffa, but I love it! Keep up the good work.

[coalnotdole]

Dave and myself recently long weekend free and managed to get a bit of work done on the crossflow rebel, Hauling it out of the lockup and into the garage at home to do some much needed fibreglass repair work.

Crossflow rebel as it arrived:









The front suspension was stipped off for an overhaul, pads and discs, and bushes were due for replacement...





The body was scraped back the remains of at least 3 paint jobs was removed mainly with a chisel, paintwork removal seems like a cosmetic job but was actually vital to identify areas where the fiberglass needed proper repair.







The side windows were also removed to allow the side panels to be replaced.





The following photos show more of the scraped back bodywork the gelcoat is actually in very good condition under all the paint.








 

[Asimo]

Love the spark plug blanking plug in the 2nd pic.

 

Do you have a colour in mind?

[coalnotdole]

Love the spark plug blanking plug in the 2nd pic.

 

Do you have a colour in mind?

 

At this stage probably white again, partially as its quite a forgiving colour to paint and partially as I like the idea of it becoming a bland white van... Also its long past its only ever been white.

[coalnotdole]

To replace the side panels I'd planned to reuse the wooden moulds made for my blue van, unfortunately a couple of years in a lockup garage near the sea had allowed them to warp in the damp conditions.



After replacing the panels on the blue van I had acquired spare set of original Rebel van side panels, but before using these It seemed wise to take a fibreglass mould off of them to allow for future rebels needing the same conversion. The panels on a rebel van are double skinned consisting of an inner and outer moulding. So four moulds were required to make a complete set.




Original panels were waxed and then coated with a pva release agent. Gelcoat was then painted on with two layers of csm two follow. The process was then repeated on the inside to make the inner mouldings. The photos below show the compleded outher moulds:





The proscess was repeated to make the inner moulds. (photo of all 4 moulds)

[coalnotdole]

As the moulds were setting we found time to have a look at a few other areas, with the door card removed it turned out the window winder mechanism on the passenger side was missing and the drop glass was held up by two bits of wood.



The front suspension was rebushed, new discs and pads were fitted. However some concerns remain about the condition of the calipers while free and moving, neither pistons nor seals look particularly healthy. The claipers will probably need overhauling prior to going for an MOT.





A new battery shelf was also made and has been relocated to the other side of the engine bay. The plan will be to fit the brake servo where the battery used to be, this makes more sense than the old arrangement as it reduces the length of the brake pipe and locates the battery nearer the starter and alternator.



The Radiator was also replaced, its a new one to suit an escort mk2



These photos show some of the fibreglass repair work to the body:








The front has been patched back together but to do a tidy job the whole front section would need to be replaced.... This can be done but will require quite a bit of work so Repairing the existing front was probably the best short term option. The creation of a replacement will involve taking a sectional mould off the front of the blue van (after removing the bonnet lock and hinges and temporarily fairing out the bonnet joints with plasticine or clay), achievable but not vital for an mot.

The Repalcement panels were then bonded in.









The following photos show the crossflow rebel as it currently stands:





The snagging list for an MOT Reads like this:
Caliper overhaul,
Replacement rear numberplate,
Missing drivers exterior door handle needs replacing
Trunnion Top seals need replaceing (not on test)
Fuel tank needs draining and reconnecting,
Replacement Air filter needs work to fit,
Wiper motor needs repair,
Wiring needs a final check over,
Needs new tyres,
Screen wash system needs attention,
Seatbelts need fitting,
Plus a few other bits I've forgotten...!




 

[RoadworkUK]

You are #1 Autoshite Over Achiever Hero Man.

 

Phenomenal.

[londonm]

Well done, loved the moulding of new bits. Looks superb, this is like porn to people here.

[Asimo]

Love it! I am sure I could smell the resin and the dust as I read.

[Stixy]

Looks a great project   and should dance quite well with that engine 

 

Bodged wiring and mice/rat nests seem to go together 

[pompei]

Inspirational stuff! Keep it up 

[coalnotdole]

Over the bank holiday weekend Dave and I found a couple of days to devote to the crossflow rebel "ORJI" (also known as Orji of filth or Orji of Death.)

 

The hope was to do all the outstanding work needed to get the crossflow up to an mot-able standard... As it turned out we didnt quite get to that stage but Its very close now.

 

The recent work included sorting wheels out the fronts are now 3.75" triumph pcd and the rears are standard 4" reliant, there is a medium term plan to standardise the setup to 4". The mismatched front and rears have been fitted with a new set of tyres which are 13" but with a reduced profile making the rolling radius pretty much standard. This means all the tyres are now the same radius AND profile!

 

The Fuel tank sender was dropped off and unblocked to allow the petrol tank to be reconnected, at the same time a new petrol pipe was fitted.

 

The broken rear numberplate was replaced.

 

The faulty wiper motor was found to be caused by corroded connections in both switch and at the motor.

 

The screen wash jet has been relocated to the scuttle from its normal place on the bonnet, with the flip front the standard location left a long length of hose trialing around the engine bay which was not ideal. The blade fuse box has been replaced for a standard lucas 4 glass fuse setup. This restores the electrics to their standard setup. There is still some work to do to binding the wiring loom up so that its protected and secure. The new fuse box also needs fitting to a suitable insulated surface.

 

The brake overhaul was also finished; the offside caliper had to be replaced with one bought off ebay as the old one had developed a leek from the bleedscrew. The two good calipers were then treated to new seals and pistons. At the rear the solid brake lines were replaced as were the wheel cylinders and brake shoes. In the engine bay a lockheed remote servo has been fitted and plumbed in. This has given the braking a very light almost modern feel which is very unusual to find in a rebel! Tested at low speed there seems to be a good amount of stopping power available.

 

A poke at the floor has highlighted quite a few cracks, this is a common rebel problem and can be easily fixed with new fibreglass. Technically I don't think it should be an mot fall on a car with a separate chassis but Its on the list to fix before testing regardless. Interestingly the passenger side has obviously been involved in an accident at some point in the past as it has a number of splits which suggest it has gone into something hard sideways...

 

The mangled passenger side outriggers were removed, these had been mangled by a previous owner the plan is to make up some slimline replacements.

 

There were a few other slightly irrelevent jobs done such as adding a stainless front grill and the fitting a 1600 badge which seems to nicely complement the original rebel badge.

 

I've only got a few phone pics as My sister was borrowing my usual camera.

 

Rear Overview:

 

 

Removed outrigger

 

 

Old accident damage and new tyres...

 

 

Rear badges:

 

 

 

Overview:

 

 

Temporary Front grill, if i decide to keep it the front end will be replaced with a new moulding based on the blue van.

 

 

Floor Cracks:

 

 

 

New MOT list Reads like this:

 

fiberglass Repair

Drivers Door handle Replacement,

Check more wiring loom for security / Fit more loom tape)

secure battery,

Fit seatbelts,

 

There are lots of other things it needs but very few of them are Safetly / mot critical so I'm hopeful another weekends work will see it tested... then a period of testing and evaluation can begin!

 

 

 

 

[Inspector Morose]

That looks fookin' amazing!

[Junkman]

While it appears to be an estate it originally began life as a 750cc van. It was built in 1972 but wasn't registered until 1974 at this time Rebels were selling quite well so its a bit of a mystery why it took so long to leave the factory.

It was a factory test mule used to evaluate what impact the nuclear radiation of Sellafield had on ignition systems in fibreglass bodied cars.

 

Just in case you ever want to list it on Mongbay.

[coalnotdole]

So nuclear testing is the cause of all this fetid dirt? ... That makes sense!

 

 

It was a factory test mule used to evaluate what impact the nuclear radiation of Sellafield had on ignition systems in fibreglass bodied cars.

Just in case you ever want to list it on Mongbay.

[Skizzer]

'Like' doesn't really cover it with your Rebel threads. Dave, can we have a 'Legendary' button please?

[scruff]

What a weapon, I love it!! I really must get myself an old shite light commercial.

[coalnotdole]

Proper writeup to follow after work But its now passed an MOT!

 

The carb is not working quite right, its probably got a blocked jet as anything above half throttle will see it stutter. Even using half throttle its seriously quick.

 

A final photo showing the damp dusty interior, the mot tester wasnt keen...!

 

 

[AnthonyG]

Truly excellent, must be interesting to drive with real power*. IIRC the '1600' badge is off a late series Minx (I spent a lot of my youth in scrapyards, prising badges off dead cars).

 

That original wiring looked truly horrific and a dead cert for a fire, how the van never ended up as a pool of melted fibreglass by the side of the road... must have just pure luck I reckon.