My Fleet of shite- Warning High Austin Rover Content---Updated 03/03/16 "lowering the tone"

[junior44]

I thought I would start a thread to bore you all with my pile of rusting shite. I will try and keep it updated when actually I bother my arse and have time to start working on them properly. I will start with my most recent acquisitions.
 
Montego Countryman
On the way home from picking up the Montego, the load in the picture below and a run in with a large pothole proved to be too much for the nearside rear shock absorber giving up. Still it managed to carry on for 70 miles to get home. New shocks and springs were quickly ordered, but stupidly I ordered the wrong shock. I then ordered the correct shocks and paid a fortune for 48 hour delivery, 120 hours passed and still no sign of the shocks. A quick message to the seller unearthed why, he didn't actually have the part. Money refunded I went looking on Ebay for the part and quickly bought the next pair, Guess what? The same problem.
Luckily all Maestro/Montego shocks fit, they just aren't heavy duty items, so one of these was fitted as temporary fix.
Changing the shock absorber wasn't easy, it took 2 and a half fucking days. This was due to the impact of hitting the pothole bending the bottom bolt holding the shock and causing the metal sleeve to weld its self to the bolt. 
The load in question

The damaged Shock absorber

 If anyone knows anywhere that actually stocks 2 Montego estate shock absorbers please get in touch so I can buy you a pint.
 
The Shunter- Maestro Van
I bought this shit heap van earlier this year, unseen and 120 miles away, I bought a one way train ticket and armed only with a wallet full of cash and a couple of packets of Transform-a-snacks I boarded the train. I was greeted by the shoddiest Mot'd thing I have ever seen, instantly it was love. The 2 litre non Turbo diesel handled the 120miles home brilliantly, not missing a beat.
The day I bought her


The van has now been named Shunter because it is the ideal vehicle for pushing about Maestros, Metros and Bedford CA's with dead batteries. It is also great for dump runs. 

The van is currently awaiting prep for the MOT, hopefully it just needs a little work on the brakes and a hole in the exhaust patched up.
 
2001 a space odyssey- Ledbury Maestro
I came home from work one Friday to a load of messages telling me about a Maestro for sale locally, so away out for a couple of pints and the next thing I know I have agreed to go and pick up a 2001 Maestro the next day. I bought the car of the local chip shop/ ice cream van owner called Sparkz, who drives a bright orange Toyota Supra with a hideous bodykit. The car was actually a company car for a manager in one of his shops called "Shagger Dave", Shagger Dave got the sack so the car was no longer needed.
 
So off I went on the Saturday with a sore head to pick up Mr Sparkles the 1.3 2001 Ledbury, which it turns out I nearly bought a year earlier. The car was solid, it had rust bubbling through the nearside rear arch and rear door but that is it. It drove great and like all Maestros the brakes are shit.  
Top tip if you ever want large Pickle jars buy a car from a chip shop owner, I got 4 with the car.
The car is currently off the road with suspected OMGHGF but once the van is MOTd this will be fixed and returned to service.
 

 

 
There is still another couple of cars to write about but I will bore you with them later, have a bonus Talbot Horizon that a friend has just bought to get excited about.

[HMC]

What a great fleet! What's the daily driver at the moment? Also what's a Ledbury maestro?

[captain_70s]

I think Ledbury cars were built after factory production stopped from export kits but converted back to RHD by a third party company who were based in Ledbury.

 

Proper shite cars, given that even when brand new in the late 1990s they were bought by the sort of chap who wanted a BL design from two decades ago...

[Skizzer]

Oh yes.  Yes indeed.  

 

Welcome home.

[C1am]

What a great fleet! What's the daily driver at the moment? Also what's a Ledbury maestro?

See:

 

http://maestro-special.tripod.com/rhistory.html

[junior44]

What a great fleet! What's the daily driver at the moment? Also what's a Ledbury maestro?

Thanks. The Montego is the only fully legal car at the moment, hopefully the van will be ready by in a couple of weeks though. Rover managed to strike a deal that would see the Maestro built and sold in Bulgaria after production ended in this country in '94. The deal failed for a number of reasons and the body shells ended up back in the UK,  being assembled behind a petrol station in Ledbury from 97-2001ish. Mine is X reg and registered in Jan 2001 but there are some 51 plate Maestros knocking about.

[I_am_Diesel]

That van is ace! A dizzler Maestro van is on my want list (along with countless other vehicles I will never have the balls to buy)

[junior44]

That van is ace! A dizzler Maestro van is on my want list (along with countless other vehicles I will never have the balls to buy)

I would love a Turbo diesel van, I have a spare Perkins prima but I am to scared to touch the van in case I upset the balance of the universe.

[Lacquer Peel]

Your Maestro van is the shitest/best vehicle I've seen on the road for a long time.

 

Are these any good to ye?

 

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Rover-Maestro-Montego-Montego-Estate-Rear-Shock-Absorber-Either-side-QAH127317-/380556504668

 

What's the story with the Horizon? Is it a diesel?!

[DVee8]

Has that van been on here before? It rings a bell from some were.

[Angrydicky]

Top stuff. Strange to hear your comments about the Maestro brakes though. The newest car I own is a Maestro 1.3 hatch, '85 on a B, and the brakes on that have always been excellent, like a modern car really. They pull up sharply and certainly don't need any kind of 'shove' like my FE Victor does (also servo-assisted discs). 

[320touring]

Has that van been on here before? It rings a bell from some were.

Unsurprisingly It was a Cavcraft Special, with possible bearded wales residing french fancier fondlage too

[Vin]

Unsurprisingly It was a Cavcraft Special, with possible bearded wales residing french fancier fondlage too

 

Are you sure? Junior44's van is on a J and has a Glasgow reg. I thought the Cavcraft/Dollywobbler was earlier on about a D reg and I'm sure wasn't Scottish...

[Angrydicky]

It was, D621 SHE which is a Barnsley reg.

[Lacquer Peel]

Yeah, different vans. Junior's van has been posted on here before though, that's how I recognised it when it passed me on the road a few months ago.

[Bren]

To be honest I am surprised you can buy ANYTHING for a montego nowadays.

[320touring]

Are you sure? Junior44's van is on a J and has a Glasgow reg. I thought the Cavcraft/Dollywobbler was earlier on about a D reg and I'm sure wasn't Scottish...

I standd corrected (said the man in the orthopedic shoes)

 

it looked as rough as theirs but obviously not!

[Lord Sterling]

Great fleet chap! I thought the van looked familiar but the plate didn't ring a bell.

 

I'm quite drawn to the van, probably because it's wearing Rover 600/800 'Prestige' alloys as per my 800 Sterling:

 

 

What size are the alloys? If ya' getting rid, please feel free to chuck the alloys in my general direction

[panhard65]

I had the D reg "right wife" van which went off to cavcraft etc. It was bloody rough so I can see the similarity, but it was a 1.3 and not much fun to drive. I will have to find a pic of it, but they are on my other computer.

[junior44]

Top stuff. Strange to hear your comments about the Maestro brakes though. The newest car I own is a Maestro 1.3 hatch, '85 on a B, and the brakes on that have always been excellent, like a modern car really. They pull up sharply and certainly don't need any kind of 'shove' like my FE Victor does (also servo-assisted discs). 

Well I may of been a tad harsh, my MG Maestros brakes were rather good. The Ledbury may have been sitting and after a few miles they did become better. I have new discs and pads to fit before it goes back on the road, hopefully that and a bleed improves them.

[junior44]

Great fleet chap! I thought the van looked familiar but the plate didn't ring a bell.

 

I'm quite drawn to the van, probably because it's wearing Rover 600/800 'Prestige' alloys as per my 800 Sterling:

 

 

What size are the alloys? If ya' getting rid, please feel free to chuck the alloys in my general direction

The wheels are 15s, sadly the wont be going anywhere as I only have 3 of the original steels.

[junior44]

Your Maestro van is the shitest/best vehicle I've seen on the road for a long time.

 

Are these any good to ye?

 

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Rover-Maestro-Montego-Montego-Estate-Rear-Shock-Absorber-Either-side-QAH127317-/380556504668

 

What's the story with the Horizon? Is it a diesel?!

I couldn't believe the van was legal when I bought it, an MOT in Thurso may not be as stringent as elsewhere.

Sadly not, but thanks for having a look, there is one correct one on ebay but I would rather replace the two.

 

The Horizon was forsale on Gumtree in the Black Isle for £400, it then came off Gumtree and appeared again with MOT and a higher price. My friend went to look at it, the seller was an ex Talbot mechanic and brought it up from England a couple of years back but rarely used it. It is a 1.3.

[junior44]

I have a couple other cars but not much is happening with them at the moment, so have a picture of my shed.

The CA and Rover are my brothers (Eggy) the shiters at the back are mine.

 

[Shep Shepherd]

Daf!

[junior44]

Daf!

I may sell the Daf soon to help fund a TR7 or add to my TVR fund..

[RRT22R]

Lovin' the fleet.

 

The Maestro van looks particularly miserable - Good work.

[FakeConcern]

I love the Maestros, thinking the XM should go so I could have one (or a Montego or Metro)!

 

The Horizon had really good back lights. When they were current, I worked for SG Smith car dealer in the parts dept. One of my mates got me to buy the rear lights with staff discount to put on his customised Mk2 Cortina! Also I think they were the first I saw with a sort of PCB attached.

[Dick Cheeseburger]

I have a couple other cars but not much is happening with them at the moment, so have a picture of my shed.

11709754_1162137130467109_4682534655316839876_n.jpg

The CA and Rover are my brothers (Eggy) the shiters at the back are mine.

Quite a line up. I love the Maestro van and it's great to see your mate's Horizon as well. As for the MG Maestro, I drove one when I was 17 and it genuinely scared the shit out of me - it felt like it was going to pull the front end off with the torque. Was it just me, or are they silly quick for what they are? Congrats on your eclectic mix, anyhow.

[Ghosty]

It was, D621 SHE which is a Barnsley reg.

Hm, the Audi N513FHE is from Gilder Audi Sheffield...

 

Agree that the van looks familiar. 

[junior44]

Quite a line up. I love the Maestro van and it's great to see your mate's Horizon as well. As for the MG Maestro, I drove one when I was 17 and it genuinely scared the shit out of me - it felt like it was going to pull the front end off with the torque. Was it just me, or are they silly quick for what they are? Congrats on your eclectic mix, anyhow.

Yes, the MG is surprisingly quick, 115hp and 130lbs/ft of torque if I remember correctly. A turbo is a car that I would love to own, a 150hp In A Maestro must be frightening.