Bought a SD1 at last! Collection page 6!

[Pillock]

That looks a fanastic beast Trigger. Hopefully you're over the paranoia about people saying how this and that "always breaks"... Just enjoy it and be safe in the knowledge if you do have issues there's loads of parts for these.

 

That dash though... I can just imagine hustling one of these home in the dark after a regional sales meeting, to make it back in time for a roast dinner, pint of ale and Bullseye on telly.

[Anglevan]

You have a nasty habit of buying cars I seriously would like. The cortinas, triumph, p6 and now this. An SD1 is the only car I seriously hanker after . even the wife is a fan and she is very hard to please in car stakes. I'll look forward to your updates.

[Timewaster]

An SD1 is the only car I seriously hanker after. even the wife is a fan and she is very hard to please in car stakes. I'll look forward to your for sale post.

Efa =-D

[bsd]

Initially I was not particularly envious as despite the fantastic colour scheme, this was a mere 2.6 and not the V8 daddy...

Then I watched the video of you driving it. Huge amounts of want now. You're a lucky chap, that's a belter of a car.

[trigger]

Well the honeymoon period is now over, I took the radio out as it didn't work properly only for the 12v constant feed cable to have come off the connector (the end I hadn't touched) and arced out on the metal frame blowing the 3amp fuse, I've fitted a new fuse and it still has no power and it's killed the trip computer too, can I work out what's gone wrong? Nope of course not.

 

 

I then decided to look at the rear speakers and paneling as it doesn't sit right, someone fitted aftermarket speakers but not screwed them in and haven't even fitted cables to them, just folded the wires though the terminals, again I can't get the trims off to fix them.

 

 

It seems only one interior light works and still can't see what's wrong with the central locking. I can see why they got a bad reputation for electrics.

[somewhatfoolish]

I love that the trip confuddler has a switch to shift between litres(and presumably km), imp. gallons and US gallons. The blind optimism of whichever BL junior exec thought that, 1) enough septics would buy EssDeeWons to make it worthwhile and 2) the Lucas smoke would not escape and stop it working within the warranty period, is comforting.

[Timewaster]

If it was just that in line fuse in the picture, it may have blown the feed fuse in the fuse box as well.

Could explain some of the other niggles too.

 

Go and drive it a bit, get the mojo back.

[trigger]

I've sorted the rear shelf bits and rear speakers now, I had to take the C trims off first so that wasn't too bad but the power to the radio/computer is confusing me. The no power to that fuse that o can see at the fuse in the fuse box under the mat on the dash so somethings shorted between there and the battery I guess?

[Bren]

I love that the trip confuddler has a switch to shift between litres(and presumably km), imp. gallons and US gallons. The blind optimism of whichever BL junior exec thought that, 1) enough septics would buy EssDeeWons to make it worthwhile and 2) the Lucas smoke would not escape and stop it working within the warranty period, is comforting.

The trip computer is as useful as a copy of the F plan diet to Eric Pickles.

[Bren]

Well the honeymoon period is now over, I took the radio out as it didn't work properly only for the 12v constant feed cable to have come off the connector (the end I hadn't touched) and arced out on the metal frame blowing the 3amp fuse, I've fitted a new fuse and it still has no power and it's killed the trip computer too, can I work out what's gone wrong? Nope of course not.

I then decided to look at the rear speakers and paneling as it doesn't sit right, someone fitted aftermarket speakers but not screwed them in and haven't even fitted cables to them, just folded the wires though the terminals, again I can't get the trims off to fix them.

It seems only one interior light works and still can't see what's wrong with the central locking. I can see why they got a bad reputation for electrics.

For an SD1 those speaker covers are a superb fit.

[SiC]

I can see why they got a bad reputation for electrics.

To be fair to the car, it looks like these electrical issues are caused more by the previous owners bodges. I mean terminal blocks don't belong in anything automotive and why anyone would want to use them in something that moves and vibrates is just silly!

[richardthestag]

top bombing, I had forgotten how beefy these sounded. two mates of mine had them in the late 1980s and the soundtrack brought back memories

[BorniteIdentity]

To be fair to the car, it looks like these electrical issues are caused more by the previous owners bodges. I mean terminal blocks don't belong in anything automotive and why anyone would want to use them in something that moves and vibrates is just silly!

Eh? If by terminal blocks you mean choc blocks, then they'd withstand a nuclear bomb if used properly. Unsure how vibrations would cause problems? I've used them in cars when crimps haven't been available.

 

It's definitely worth pulling out all old bodges where possible though.

 

Are you using a meter, Trig?

[trigger]

Yep, I'm getting 0.5v from the radio fuse slot in the holder.

[Dick Cheeseburger]

Yup, that sounds glorious. I would say you must have been grinning like a Cheshire cat. However, it seems more appropriate to say you must have been grinning like Fuzz Townshend's little-known younger brother!

[SiC]

Eh? If by terminal blocks you mean choc blocks, then they'd withstand a nuclear bomb if used properly. Unsure how vibrations would cause problems? I've used them in cars when crimps haven't been available.

 

Yes. In my haste in typing a reply, I was missing the words "like that". Those terminal blocks like that (i.e. "choco blocks") do not belong in anything automotive.

 

There are many problems with those type of terminal blocks. They have no clamp and so the load isn't distributed onto the conductor leading to pinch points and poor electrical connection on the conductor. Invariably they just use a screw and this cuts into the conductor too, clamping unevenly and weaken it in a small area. There is no spring washer or anything to stop the screw from vibrating loose either. The design offers little strain relief leading to work hardening of the metal and ultimately breaking it. There is little in them to help allowing them to be tightened to the correct torque. Screw too loosely and it'll either slip out or create a high resistance and thus overheating the fixing. Screw too tight and it'll damage and weaken the conductor.

 

Automotive grade terminal blocks are of a very different design and made from different materials to help combat these and other issues. Even then you rarely see them used in vehicles - not just high volume but low volume stuff too.

 

The proper way of creating a electrical connection that is either wire to wire or wire to board is either soldering or crimping (not both together incidentally). It's usually recommended to crimp as it's much easier for most people to make a good connection with reasonable tools than when soldering. Incidentally don't bother with the piler type crimpers. Unless you spend a lot of money on them, these invariably start bending before you can get anywhere enough pressure to create a decent crimp. Ratchet crimpers all the way if hand crimping. Most high quality, professional tools (3 figure and greater) for crimping are ratchet based.

 

Screw terminals are often only used when necessary. Even then they either use a pin crimp piece or a ring crimp that can be screwed down onto. Not only easier to connect and remove, easier to create a good join on the conductor and offer proper strain relief on the wire assembly.

 

Also never crimp and then solder the connection. Likewise it's not recommended to solder the connection and then crimp either. If you're interested, NASA has a lot of publicly available documentation on how to create good connections. All learnt from many years of research and practical experience where making a good join is an absolute necessity. For example: https://prod.nais.nasa.gov/eps/eps_data/145968-OTHER-002-006.pdf

 

Connectors and contacts are the weakest point in most electrical assemblies. There is a lot of mechanical, physical and electronic stuff going on.

 

If I see cheap terminal blocks (aka choco blocs), my first thought and assumption is that either someone didn't really know what they were doing or being slap happy/bodge it together!

[mk2_craig]

^^^ Fair enough - I feel better informed but... Surely it's not the end of the world if somebody's used those block connectors on some low spec speaker cables?

[robinmasters]

I'd fallen for the V8 good 6 bad rubbish. That sounds lovely. 

[Noel Tidybeard]

there will prolly be TWO fuses for the wireless but one isn't necessarily labelled as such and will be shared with the interior light circuit not that this isn't workiing of course!

[Noel Tidybeard]

there will prolly be TWO fuses for the wireless but one isn't necessarily labelled as such and will be shared with the interior light circuit not that this isn't workiing of course!

 

and being an bl product interior light is wiring is vulgalour purple in colour

[tooSavvy]

Yo! SiC m8

 

"..If I see cheap terminal blocks (aka choco blocs), my first thought and assumption is that either someone didn't really know what they were doing or being slap happy/bodge it together! .."

 

My radio 'upgrade'*, in ToMM©, is installed like that.... still working (and the Toyota wiring is totally original) = I used a FleeBay connecting loom.

 

*original Deed as a DeeDThinG

 

 

TS   

[Timewaster]

I'd fallen for the V8 good 6 bad rubbish.

I think that was the case for years.

Now V8s are all the money and getting scarce then the price of the sixes is bound to rise.

[Bren]

Seen lots of knackered V8's - not just the six pots that have issues.

[trigger]

I have my monthly East Coast Retros car meet this Friday at Shotley and I keep being asked if I'm taking the Rover so this week I'm trying to get as much done in the afternoons as I can before my night shift.

 

Today I finished installing the rear speakers and rear trim and I've got some fabric on order of ebay to try and repair the sun damaged C pillar trims, I then set about mopping the drivers side.

 

 

I think the photos flatter it a bit, it's been heavily polished before and someone over keen has gone through in many places.

 

 

I'm hoping I can touch the worse of it up, but it's quite thin and worn. I got a bit lucky with it's size too, how tight is this!

 

 

 

A gnats cock bigger and I wouldn't have been able to close the door! I need to order the front tow eye bumper underrider things, the cheapest I can find is £45 which feels a lot but I'm struggling to find any cheaper.

[Bren]

Very nice . When I got married in 1984 my wedding car was my mates white sd1.

Jam sandwich?

[NorfolkNWeigh]

I have my monthly East Coast Retros car meet this Friday at Shotley and I keep being asked if I'm taking the Rover so this week I'm trying to get as much done in the afternoons as I can before my night shift.

Today I finished installing the rear speakers and rear trim and I've got some fabric on order of ebay to try and repair the sun damaged C pillar trims, I then set about mopping the drivers side.

I think the photos flatter it a bit, it's been heavily polished before and someone over keen has gone through in many places.

I'm hoping I can touch the worse of it up, but it's quite thin and worn. I got a bit lucky with it's size too, how tight is this!

A knats cock bigger and I wouldn't have been able to close the door! I need to order the front tow eye bumper underrider things, the cheapest I can find is £45 which feels a lot but I'm struggling to find any cheaper.

I wouldn't be able to sleep at night with all that stuff hanging over the car, perhaps that's more about how well I put shelves etc up than anything else.

[bub2006]

Thank you trigger for bringing back childhood memories when my mum was still alive travelling all over in various sd1 rovers with a van hanging off the back. My dads never looked as tidy as yours though. Well played sir.

[SiC]

I wish my garage was that empty!

[trigger]

I wish my garage was empty too! Prams and cosy coupes don't help! I still havent looked at the electrics yet but spent some time polishing it, it's getting there.

 

 

 

It's very thin in places but it's come up quite nice, I've also put some new fabric on the C posts, it's not quite the right colour and it isn't perfect (first time I've done this) but it's looking better.

 

 

I hope to have it finished tomorrow ready for the evening meet.

[trigger]

A couple more photos and a half arsed update incoming!

 

After last nights car meet where it drew quite a lot of nice compliments I made a start on a few niggles today.

 

 

First looked at the cambelt, it seemed pointless changing that as the belt looked good but the tensioner was a bit worn, I'm going to try and souce a new one first before changing the belt, replaced the steering belt and aux belt though.

 

Then we tried to fit the Powerspark kit but it didn't fit with the trigger ring jammed up against the module so it wouldn't move? I'm going to ring them in the week and find out if I got the right kit

 

Changed the plugs and all the timing on it though and it runs nicer now. Next was to sort out the interior lights which were earth problems on the door switches and bulbs in the end so they are sorted now.

 

Then we moved on to the radio, it turned out a fuse was blown so replaced that and wired the radio in properly, it sounds a bit rubbish bit at least I have sounds now.

 

 

The boot light didn't work as the cable had been crushed at some point so that was repaired and working now and the only thing not working is the central locking, it was unplugged so we plugged it back in, the front doors lock but the rears didn't and rear motors just made a noise so unplugged that again! The headlight washer pump also had a life of its own and kept coming on so the relay was unplugged for that too

 

I celebrated by treating my dad and the family to a shit meal at a Brewers Fayre in the car.