Schaefft's Bargain Barge Extravaganza - Rustival Preparations

[Schaefft]

So how's the fleet reduction going?

Ah.

I guess I'm now the owner of an MG ZT-T...

As so often, a model I've been having my eye on for a little while has been posted in the Ebay tat thread. And not just any MG ZT but an early manual 190+ (KV6) in Lemans Green I believe, with just 73k miles, sold by its original and only owner, so more or less exactly the spec I've been looking for. And all for the pricely sum of 400 quid in form of a cancer charity donation (which I felt was appropriate as my FiL just passed away due to cancer).

What have I done? I guess we'll find out soon!

[GeordieInExile]

Good lord that's a beauty. Excellent colour. Always fancied one of these myself, especially in 190 flavour.

[hairnet]

thats a bit mad even for you  @beko1987 jag now!!!

obvs the v8 can be made to go quicker - can these?

[Schaefft]

1 hour ago, GeordieInExile said:

Good lord that's a beauty. Excellent colour. Always fancied one of these myself, especially in 190 flavour.

Yeah, I'm really glad this one came up for sale. I think it really needs the top spec V6 if you want to take MG's sporting pretensions seriously. K-series wasn't on option for obvious reasons, the BMW diesel probably is the allround best engine in the ZT but not powerful enough.

Color wise I always thought MG's range of available paints, especially with the Monogram colors, was the best thing about their cars. Trophy blue looks great on them, so does the bright red and monogram sunspot yellow (which I think there's only like 1 ZT of unfortunately). I probably would have preferred the darker green available but this is a really nice spec.

The inside unfortunately isn't quite as cozy as in the 75, I like the pattern on the seats but similar to my Z3 there's a little too much black and grey plastic in there. I'm not sure if it's got much beyond the usual+ pack options either, it's a shame that even the 190+ wouldn't get electric seats standard for example, or PDC. Depending on how much I like it I might have to get a donor 75, maybe with tan leather (which would contrast well with the green paint and black carpets/dash), if anyone knows whether the car is prewired for electric seat controls let me know.

It's great to have a load lugger again though. I know I should get my E39 Touring sorted for an MOT instead but this will do nicely until then! It's even got some E39 DNA:

I'll have a closer look around it when I have some more time on Monday possibly. It's been parked up for a good year and needs some light recommissioning. The original owner only used it as a second/spare car over the last 10 years or so, so it'll need a service and timing belt at minimum. Like every 75/ZT it's had a sill welded for an MOT a few years back which still feels solid. Fingers crossed that'll be mostly it!

Looking forward to digging a bit deeper into this one!

[Schaefft]

10 minutes ago, hairnet said:

thats a bit mad even for you  @beko1987 jag now!!!

obvs the v8 can be made to go quicker - can these?

The XK8 is pretty much spoken for and the XJR will probably follow soon, so in total I'll at least be 1 car down?😂

I know the ZT260 could easily be supercharged, it's the same Ford Modular V8 as in the Mustang Cobra for example (heads are different but yeah). No clue if anyone has ever offered any kind of serious performance enhancements for the KV6. Considering it too has a tendency to pop head gaskets (which mine doesn't seem to have done yet, fingers crossed) I can't imagine it would go all too well with either a supercharger or turbo!

[Six-cylinder]

9 hours ago, Schaefft said:

Yeah, I'm really glad this one came up for sale. I think it really needs the top spec V6 if you want to take MG's sporting pretensions seriously. K-series wasn't on option for obvious reasons, the BMW diesel probably is the allround best engine in the ZT but not powerful enough.

Color wise I always thought MG's range of available paints, especially with the Monogram colors, was the best thing about their cars. Trophy blue looks great on them, so does the bright red and monogram sunspot yellow (which I think there's only like 1 ZT of unfortunately). I probably would have preferred the darker green available but this is a really nice spec.

So did I when when I had this this one. Not only had it been fitted with showy bits like a double din radio with drop down rear screen. Also fully serviced with mods like an exhaust and cone air filter, but that was done properly with a aluminium catch tank with glass level strip.

I sold it to a French man who took it to France.

Verrry enjoyable cars.

[Split_Pin]

I'm sorry to hear about your father in law.

That is a great example of ZT, lovely colour, V6 and estate.  It's strange that ZTs didn't seem to come with as many options as the 75.

It's only really the sills that rust on these cars so you should be good. Just make sure the rear suspension arms are solid as they're mild steel and can rot through. New ones are available though.

You'll probably need TOAF or T4 to code in the seats, I'm not sure if the wiring is there though.

Lots of support available for these though, as you'd expect.

Enjoy.

[yes oui si]

Green ZT-Ts are best ZT-Ts. 

[Schaefft]

5 hours ago, Six-cylinder said:

So did I when when I had this this one. Not only had it been fitted with showy bits like a double din radio with drop down rear screen. Also fully serviced with mods like an exhaust and cone air filter, but that was done properly with a aluminium catch tank with glass level strip.

I sold it to a French man who took it to France.

Verrry enjoyable cars.

There aren't many cars out there that look this good in a bright blue but they really look good in almost any color!

5 hours ago, Split_Pin said:

I'm sorry to hear about your father in law.

That is a great example of ZT, lovely colour, V6 and estate.  It's strange that ZTs didn't seem to come with as many options as the 75.

It's only really the sills that rust on these cars so you should be good. Just make sure the rear suspension arms are solid as they're mild steel and can rot through. New ones are available though.

You'll probably need TOAF or T4 to code in the seats, I'm not sure if the wiring is there though.

Lots of support available for these though, as you'd expect.

Enjoy.

Good shout, I'll have a closer look at them, too then. And yeah, no clue what diagnostics software I'd need but it's good to know that we have plenty of people on here who owned one before.

1 hour ago, yes oui si said:

Green ZT-Ts are best ZT-Ts. 

That's the shade of green I was talking about, looking great!

[Schaefft]

Took the XK8 on it's last long journey before it goes to it's new owner. Is it practical enough to go camping in it?

You sure can (as long its not more than two of you)! Woke up very early today, the perfect time for a quick scenic shot at least:

The car has done well, no issues aside from what's already known. A/C is great to have as well. I might change my opinion on the backbox delete slightly however, just around 70 there is a drone that I could live without.

I've used the on/off sunshine today to make a start on the MG. A good clean later things are already looking a lot better:

Two British sports saloons with a very similar approach to spicing up an otherwise conservatively elegant design. The XJR is currently getting a bit of attention trying to sort out some rough running issues while fixing everything else that's deciding to fail right now. If anyone has a source for an XJR6 specific MAF (part number LNA1620AA), please let me know. Also, do these already have OBD2? More on it later.

A few scratches and scuffs that prove it's been used as family car for a while before ending up in storage but overall it's looking good, it's a great color when not covered in an inch of dust. Not sure if this sticker indicates anything in particular but its #5638!

An indicator of the car's origins:

Hopefully wasn't needed although I already know that the car will actually need work.

The mighty KV6. Turns out these have issues with the inlet manifold runner flap shaft wearing out. Which in my case has definitely happened a long time ago consiering the rattling I'm hearing in there (and play I can feel in the shaft). If anyone has a good source for a replacement manifold/proper fix, please let me know!

As usual we have some great loot inside the car, more of that later. Apparently the spare wheel cover is fairly rare as Project Drive got rid of it fairly soon after the car was built, so I'm glad its there.

The cargo floor has a lifter strut to hold it up, very impressive!

This plastic fantastic base spec radio needs to go. Rover/MG really give the 3rd gen Ford Taurus a run for its money with the amount of ovals in this interior.😂

Bonus cassette adapter, if I still had a device with AUX out...

I've started cleaning the inside before it started pouring down again so that'll be it for now.

[Matty]

They are just brilliant looking cars! I'd be quite happy with either a saloon or tourer. Not at all fussy 😄

[Sunny Jim]

16 minutes ago, Schaefft said:

If anyone has a source for an XJR6 specific MAF (part number LNA1620AA), please let me know.

Try emailing [email protected] - X300 specialist who's helped me finding bits for the hearse. They do secondhand, reconditioned and some new parts.

[High Jetter]

43 minutes ago, Matty said:

They are just brilliant looking cars! I'd be quite happy with either a saloon or tourer. Not at all fussy 😄

Funny you should say that,  may be a FS Ad soon

[Split_Pin]

You can or did used to be able to  get refurbished VIS from someone called Byron Ewart Rowson. Like so many in the 75/ZT community,  he seems to have removed himself from the 75 pages but he has his own FB Group called MG ZT and ZTT Owners Club. It might be worth even pinging him a message.

Also, DMGRS are a good place to contact about VIS motors. They might not have them in stock but can help with part numbers to steer you away from poor quality ebay items. They also remanufactured the upper rear suspension arms and full fitting kit for a reasonable price.

[Schaefft]

The XK8 has now gone to @gm who will hopefully enjoy it over the summer months. I never see it in motion, it looked good going up the road on its way out of here😂

If this isn't the face of a happy man then I don't know!

Back to the ZT-T, I've given it a good clean inside. It wasn't terrible, its just that it clearly hasn't had a hoover in a long time and was standing idle for at least a year, hence the mildew on the seats.

Better:

Rover rubber mats for a bit of an identity crisis. They are certainly practical but I'll see if I can find a set of wool ones.

The first real* improvement made to the car, there must have been standing water in the spare wheel well for a long time, the steelie got a little crusty:

A clean, some leftover kurust and spray paint and things look a little more presentable:

As usual we had a great selection of random shite inside the car, take a look at this:

This might be the first cigarette lighter powered ice scraper I've ever seen! The warning vest will come in handy, aside from that we got a laptop power supply cable, some rags and a Metro issue from November 2007:

Plus a Halfords battery charger missing a terminal clamp. If anyone wants it, let me know before it goes in the bin...

The 2nd key and all remaining paperwork arrived a few days ago as well, including what looks like the original ordersheet from the dealer:

Officially a business car then, although I'm sure mostly used privately by the wife according to an insurance certificate I also got. £18.983 with a few options doesn't sound like all that much if you consider that this was the pinnacle of the MG line-up at the time. In 2025 money that's still only 35k. February 2002 also was still within the first year of the ZT (launched the summer before). Despite that you could already feel that Rover was keen on cutting costs wherever they could, nothing speaks more volumes than this sorry excuse of a book back:

Yeah, instead of a nice leather pouch you get this sheet of plastic containing the manual and service book. And things don't stop there. The service book and owners manual are actually one and the same book, only that you need to flip it 180 degrees (the service book is upside down, on the backside of the manual. I've never seen that before).

There's also a bunch of receipts and MOT certificates throughout the entire ownership. The car actually didn't need all that much, a fuel pump around 40k miles and a caliper, brake lines and a few suspension bushes more recently. Aside from that its just tires and usual wear items. Not bad, fingers crossed it'll stay that way.

[Imhotep]

Re your pre-wiring questions for the ZT-T. If it helps, my ZS180 is prewired for everything it hasn’t got, including heated seats, electric rear windows (now fitted), steering wheel controls, etc. I’d have a poke around under the seat and see if there’s any plugs lying around anywhere. 

[gm]

33 minutes ago, Schaefft said:

If this isn't the face of a happy man then I don't know!

i’d say that’s nothing compared to the huge grin on my face the first time i properly got my foot down  what a noise ! 

 

[stuboy]

great picture....

 

whats the bhp on the mg?

[Schaefft]

1 hour ago, stuboy said:

great picture....

 

whats the bhp on the mg?

190, when the variable intake manifold runner system is working ha! Thats one of the major problem with the V6 cars, they all wear out, you can't repair them and most people think the car performs perfectly normally.

1 hour ago, Imhotep said:

Re your pre-wiring questions for the ZT-T. If it helps, my ZS180 is prewired for everything it hasn’t got, including heated seats, electric rear windows (now fitted), steering wheel controls, etc. I’d have a poke around under the seat and see if there’s any plugs lying around anywhere. 

Just had a look - jackpot! Both seats have unused black 8-pin plugs underneath, I guess project drive didn't quite get to them in the early ZTs yet! That means I can start having a look for either a nice set of beige 75 leather seats (if there are different grades of leather, i.e. in the Connoisseur, let me know!) or go for something really quirky like aubergine. The black carpet and dash will match with pretty much anything.

Looking good in the evening sun! Not sure if I'll use that tow hinge much, ZTs unfortunately don't have enough capacity to tow a trailer and car of its size.

[High Jetter]

2 hours ago, Schaefft said:

The XK8 has now gone to @gm who will hopefully enjoy it over the summer months. I never see it in motion, it looked good going up the road on its way out of here😂

If this isn't the face of a happy man then I don't know!

Back to the ZT-T, I've given it a good clean inside. It wasn't terrible, its just that it clearly hasn't had a hoover in a long time and was standing idle for at least a year, hence the mildew on the seats.

Better:

Rover rubber mats for a bit of an identity crisis. They are certainly practical but I'll see if I can find a set of wool ones.

The first real* improvement made to the car, there must have been standing water in the spare wheel well for a long time, the steelie got a little crusty:

A clean, some leftover kurust and spray paint and things look a little more presentable:

As usual we had a great selection of random shite inside the car, take a look at this:

This might be the first cigarette lighter powered ice scraper I've ever seen! The warning vest will come in handy, aside from that we got a laptop power supply cable, some rags and a Metro issue from November 2007:

Plus a Halfords battery charger missing a terminal clamp. If anyone wants it, let me know before it goes in the bin...

The 2nd key and all remaining paperwork arrived a few days ago as well, including what looks like the original ordersheet from the dealer:

Officially a business car then, although I'm sure mostly used privately by the wife according to an insurance certificate I also got. £18.983 with a few options doesn't sound like all that much if you consider that this was the pinnacle of the MG line-up at the time. In 2025 money that's still only 35k. February 2002 also was still within the first year of the ZT (launched the summer before). Despite that you could already feel that Rover was keen on cutting costs wherever they could, nothing speaks more volumes than this sorry excuse of a book back:

Yeah, instead of a nice leather pouch you get this sheet of plastic containing the manual and service book. And things don't stop there. The service book and owners manual are actually one and the same book, only that you need to flip it 180 degrees (the service book is upside down, on the backside of the manual. I've never seen that before).

There's also a bunch of receipts and MOT certificates throughout the entire ownership. The car actually didn't need all that much, a fuel pump around 40k miles and a caliper, brake lines and a few suspension bushes more recently. Aside from that its just tires and usual wear items. Not bad, fingers crossed it'll stay that way.

Show me the O/S trim you're missing? Your front looks similar, but ribbed?

[Schaefft]

5 minutes ago, High Jetter said:

Show me the O/S trim you're missing? Your front looks similar, but ribbed?

It's this, just shorter for the rear door sill.

[Split_Pin]

Facelift/Project Drive cars don't have that piece.

The previous owner of mine must have bought an older leather book pack, I didn't know it would originally have come in a plastic folder!

Very nice job on cleaning it, the interior has come up great.

Stephen Golder will almost certainly have the door sill trim you need.

[High Jetter]

13 minutes ago, Schaefft said:

It's this, just shorter for the rear door sill.

Mine is similar, can try to pull it off for you. Anyone want anything else, within reason?

[Schaefft]

7 minutes ago, High Jetter said:

Mine is similar, can try to pull it off for you. Anyone want anything else, within reason?

Probably only in the front, I didn't see one on yours in the back. Other than that only the cigarette lighter insert I guess.

[Schaefft]

Took the Corona out for a drive to the shops and to get it through the car wash. I parked next to what I thought would be another recently launched obscure Chinese EV but it was actually a JDM Suzuki Alto Lapin.

An older guy in his Fiesta also commented on the age of the Corona and insisted it should be tax exempt once 26 years old. If that was the case I'd pay no road tax on almost anything I own!

[tooSavvy]

That *slightly used Halfrauds charger wood make GR9 'pop prize' on the drunken Sat night ... Shirley 😵‍💫

👍

🚙💨

[Schaefft]

The Alfa 166 made it to it's MOT and back again today, it hasn't really moved much so aside from a split gator things are still as they were a year ago. I'll try and put a few more miles on it this year.

I hopped across the road to have a look at this late facelift diesel 75. Its had heated electric leather seats with memory but with the driver one a bit beat up and the leather actually not feeling that great at all either I think I'll still go with beige early 75 seats instead, they've hopefully still used a more supple grain of leather at that point.

I at least was able to confirm that the facelift seats still use the same shape connector. Also, a crushed E91 3-Series and Peugeot 407 for your viewing pleasure:

Back at home I replaced a bulb in the ZT-T:

Excitement. I even cleaned the filth behind there. I've also sorted an ATF leak on the XJR that must have developed when I disturbed what must be a patched connection to the gearbox cooler. They connections there usually do not consist of several compression fittings:

If I had the guess the ferrule came loose and wouldn't seal no matter how much I tighten the nut. I cleaned it all up, flared the line in the most unprofessional manner and reinstalled it all. To my surprise it appears to be leak free again:

That'll do. Hopefully I will have the mass airflow sensor replacement soon, it might not need all that much more to be back on the road (and actually perform like an XJR should).

[Schaefft]

Enough fooling around, now that I've got a seemingly decent inlet manifold on the way I decided to tear into the MG properly. With the intake runner valves freely flapping about inside the upper intake it needed to come off.

The whole thing comes off fairly easy, plenty of vacuum hoses and wires you'll have to move out of the way but ultimately it's just 4 bolts holding it on:

That would be it, install the new upper manifold (ideally with new seals) and you are done.

But that would be too easy, wouldn't it...

I could see through the lower intake manifold that a critter clearly left a mess down there as well. However its the coolant residue (and the fact that the car actually needed quite a bit of it topping up when I got it) that made me dig deeper and take the lower portion off as well. A bunch of tricky to reach bolts (extensions and swivel socket help) later and the lower intake comes off. Turns out that its actually two separate pieces, too.

Plenty of filth in the valley.

On the Lexus (or my Northstar V8s) there would be a starter hiding in there. On the KV6 it turns out to be thermostat housing and coolant temp sensor. I'm not sure if its the intake gasket, sensor or thermostat housing that's been leaking in there, especially the latter apparently has a habit of cracking along the seems. It doesn't matter as I decided to rip it all out and replace it with new parts anyway. Might as well while in there right?

Some proper BMW heritage here, the plastic cooling system components that everybody loves so much. The temp sensor actually had a BMW part number on it, the first one I've found so far.

So what was originally a rattle from the intake is now a replacement upper manifold, gaskets/seals for everything underneath, new cooling system components (reinfored thermostat housing so it won't ever be needed again), the temp sensor and the breather lines sitting on top that have fallen to pieces now. It's all normal maintenance (and actually cost me less than 200 quid for proper quality replacements including a service kit, minus the manifold) but it's one of those jobs that can quickly escalade.

On a side note, the airfilter had a production date of 2008 so its certainly due a replacement as well:

Hopefully I get all the parts I need by Friday at the latest to reassemble everything.

I took a quick look at the intake valves while I can, nothing unusual there. No direct injection here so no worries about carbon build-up.

I've also had a look at my upper intake manifold to find out what failed inside of it. There are screws to hold the two pieces together but its still plastic welded so it can't be easily opened:

Thats what a Dremel is for. I chopped out a chunk of the lid and got a good look at the butterfly valves inside. In the end it really is just a plastic rod that connects to each valve with a ball joint. In my case its actually not the valves themselves getting all loose but the ball joints that wore out the shaft.

No clue how that happened but it does mean that this manifold might actually be rebuildable and only needs a replacement actuator arm. I was wondering why it would be so floppy at only 73k miles.

Next update is the XJR running properly again, hopefully!

[Snipes]

liked for the brief appearance of the Exiv!

[Split_Pin]

Glad you got a replacement 😀