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Strange? .... Out today in ToMM© and it was bloody freezing!

Driving along - easy throttle/tootling on the flat - and the engine temp needle drops away almost to blue.

Bit of throttle/uphill twisty and it is back up to middling.

Question! = doesn't a gauge tell you how *hot the engine is NOT the radiator input?

Thermostat is new & top jobbie :)

*heater always furnace toasty

.... A vid on Utoob (how to swap thermostat) shows the temp sender to be, indeed, on the "radiator input flow" chamber - above the stat. Hence we know the car cannot possibly be 'boiling'!!

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Anybody on here own or have experience of a Reliant Scimitar? 10 or so years ago, a friend was keen until he drove one and said it was poorly engineered such that it felt like a kit car. It put me off but a small part of me still quite fancies one.

One persons opinion is not really going to affect how you feel about anything. In the case of your friend, what was he used to driving and what condition was the Scimitar in? Both of which will bias his opinion.

Get out there and test drive two or three and make your own judgement. :)

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Anybody on here own or have experience of a Reliant Scimitar? 10 or so years ago, a friend was keen until he drove one and said it was poorly engineered such that it felt like a kit car. It put me off but a small part of me still quite fancies one. 

 

I had an SE6A (1980, Auto with Essex 3ltr ) for a couple of years, five years ago. An exceptionally beautiful looking car's imo..

 

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I bought this car because of its looks and it being an estate version of a powerful 2-door car ..not a 'sports car' in my definition but a GTE (Grand-tourer-estate).  At the time I was visiting my aunt in a nursing home 120 miles away every other weekend (for six years) so a GT ought to do that trip nicely. By the time I was finished with it, this particular car was in nice condition aside from a few minor areas of flaking paint. I loath rust but am experienced in fibreglass (former business owner). It had a galvanised chassis which had also been wax oiled, a towing hitch, dual fuel (LPG or Petrol, with an ignition timing adjuster), and was in good mechanical order.

 

However there was a list of reasons I sold it..

 

The performance wasn't really that good. Despite having a 3 litre engine, the combination of an exceptionally heavy fibreglass body and an auto box just wasn't impressive, either on the motorways nor across country on fast A-roads.  I would not have admitted so to my close friends but..  Disappointing. 

 

I once collected two classic Triumph motorcycles with it. They were still in the crate as imported from the States and sitting on a lightweight trailer.  I was surprised to have to drop a gear to go up non motorways short hills in Kent (..so without run up speeds).  Two bikes 450lb each plus a wooden box I wouldn't have thought would have been much of a strain on 3-ltrs, but I wasn't impressed.

 

On the motorway the car tend to drift lanes above 70mph, &/or follow white lines.  It was too heavy a car for having fun thrown-around fast country lanes, and the ride quality was mediocre at best. On B-class country lanes, one had to watch undulations not getting the better of you, and there felt like scuttle shake.    Hard fast corners and the wonderfully long bonnet, plus the weight of that 3 ltr lump, the spare wheel way forward, and the battery level with the front axle, are experienced as under-steer.  The quality of ride (comfort and noise) down the farm track I live along.. pretty dire.

 

Starting, smoothness of running, clean plugs and exhaust, & running costs ..when on LPG was impressive.  I'd gladly have another LPG car. B)

 

Space inside is a difficult for me to assess, because although I'm not fat I am broad and very tall.  So with its HUGE gearbox tunnel and humongous instrument binnacle* - the interior space was not as generous as one might expect of such a saloon-sized grand-touring type car. To me it felt rather American in its copious seat padding without occupancy space.  Remember also that the car sits on a traditional deep frame ladder chassis, which steals a lot of interior accommodation.  Rear-seat legroom is for the dog or children.  Estate* luggage space is height limited. Fine if you happen to have a couple of suitcases to neatly lay flat and a small soft bag or two, but everything is at almost window height. Stacked high and visibility is severely hampered. Shopping / carrier bags slide every-ways and duly shed their contents, as there's no corner to tuck them in. So the back seats are used to put your shopping on, which really isn't very convenient for a two door estate car.  And., "do not leave valuables in your car" as everything is in view and the door locks are about as secure as a 1970's Morris Marina.  Perhaps because mine had LPG but there was nowhere to hide typical boot 'stuff ' save the rear footwells.

 

Build quality of a low volume 1960's car.. or else think of tired out Morris Marina, except for the carpets which are probably the same as used in the Reliant Robin. They sag with damp and bleach in the sun. The plastic dashboard top is prone to distort, crack, and creak ..and that's while still in the garage  :mrgreen:

 

Rust free ? nope sorry not even that.  Even though mine had a rust free chassis, the steel tray supporting the spare wheel in the nose was riddled.  The steel structure inside the a-post (for the heavy door hinges) rust away and become loose, as does the steel-frame within the doors. It's all restore-able if you cut the fibreglass open, as the steel is laminated over.   Reliant's policy on finishing in-house steel components was to paint them black, but don't bother with priming the metal first. 

 

Electrics are no problem. They are simply Lucas plus a few more earth straps.  Although much maligned, personally I have no issues with Lucas  B)         

 

Mechanically, brakes and steering.. OK for a heavy 1970's car.  The wheels and tyres on the SE6 are fatter than those on the SE5. They look more purposeful, and I do like the slotted alloys, but almost certainly the wide tyre section seriously detracts from any feel of nimbleness. The SE5 is reputed to be a better driver's car, but it also has less width ..detracting from the interior more than anything.  

 

My friend had a SE5, which many regard to be a prettier car. I'd counter this with the opinion that the SE6 is somewhat more elegant and looks more purposeful.  Anyway, he gave up trying to keep his on the road after having been conned* by the prior owner as to its condition. Unfortunately, so many Scimitars have been owned by persons without the budget or else the knowledge to properly care for these (quite expensive to run) cars.  Likewise he loved the styling but couldn't cope with it being unreliable, nor the way the car had been put together from a mixed bin of both Ford and BL parts. He sold it non-running, for next to nothing, to another dreamer.. wishing for a Scimitar on modern mechanicals.

 

I'm really sorry to not be able to give this car a glowing report ..on any aspect, save its totally fabulous looks, and low purchase price.   If the car had handled well, had performed well, was comfortable, had clever packaged space, or did something (anything !) else well.., then as an enthusiast I might have lived with other shortcomings  (after all every car is a compromise), but even as a capable engineer with long experienced in 'sorting and improving things' - I could see no saving grace (..short of taking a set of moulds off the car and building a new lightweight and stiffer one). 

 

So I put it through another MOT and sold it, to a man from Holland  ..and bought myself a 1966 S-type Jaguar, which cost twice the price, but with IRS - did handle well, was extremely comfortable, was spacious, was elegant, had a gorgeous leather and walnut aroma, and otherwise was ... so many great things..    

 

I hope this personal opinion was in some way helpful.  Who knows, perhaps there are better examples and I was simply unlucky in the one I bought,  but the consistently low prices of these cars, and the vast numbers of unfinished projects, might suggest I'm not alone in my assessment.  But I also wholly agree with the previous post "Get out there and test drive two or three and make your own judgement".  What you are looking for / your criteria might be very different to mine. After-all there are some very happy owners out there.

 

Bfg ;)

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Anybody on here own or have experience of a Reliant Scimitar? 10 or so years ago, a friend was keen until he drove one and said it was poorly engineered such that it felt like a kit car. It put me off but a small part of me still quite fancies one.

 

Cracking cars, superbly engineered. The interiors feel a little kit Carish, but so do far more expensive small volume cars like Nobles.
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BFG- cheers for that.

 

AutoFive, who shares Scaryoldcortina's yard, breaks them, and I often find myself looking at them.

 

Thankfully it's easy enough to sit in one, or hear how rotten the outrigger is, or watch one being started with my garage key, and I'm reasonably convinced they're not for me.

 

The problem then is I spend hours looking at 996s.

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Bfg, thanks so much for your reply. WOW what a response!

 

My old long term ownership Defender is nearing rebuild time and i'll need a daily when it goes off the road maybe later this year/early 2020. I was thinking, 4 seats, comfortable motorway cruiser, fewer rust worries and fit a load of stuff in the boot whilst ticking something off the list. I don't mind something that needs 6 months reliability tinkering to get it ready for daily use but i don't want a full on restoration.

 

I'm not desperately soul searching for something to buy, a Scimitar just keeps rearing its head. I suspect i'll be disappointed with one but I guess that never stopped me before...... 

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I think Mrs L1's first car (the Ginetta G26 whose rebuild is documented on motoscat) probably put me off SPCs. Entertaining for a while, but not a serious car.

 

*Silly Plastic Cars.

 

I believe the problem with plastic cars is neither with the car nor the design, but that the car builder using GRP bodies is usually under-financed to do the job properly, or else the car is built in such low volumes that things are never fully sorted out. 

 

Most are plastic tubs bolted atop a crude 1940's style chassis - so space is lost throughout the vehicle, its weight detracts from what might otherwise be a lighter vehicle, and the handling is compromised. Open top cars tend to fair better if they are designed to flex with the chassis. There are some fully plastic cars which never did well commercially but were worthy cars never-the-less.  Porsche 911 plastics,  Ferrari plastics, some Lotus and TVR's, and even the Davrian rally cars are worth a look at. 

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I'm not desperately soul searching for something to buy, a Scimitar just keeps rearing its head. I suspect i'll be disappointed with one but I guess that never stopped me before...... 

 

I'd agree, I kept looking and then I bought the best I could afford.  Personally I would award the George Medal to anyone keeping their Scimitar in a nice daily-driver condition. If nothing else they are Patrons of the Art (..in the finest tradition of automotive styling).

 

There are of course quite a number which were / are used for racing and even rallying, so those must be doing something mine never gave a to slightest  inclination to. !  < here >

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Anybody on here own or have experience of a Reliant Scimitar? 10 or so years ago, a friend was keen until he drove one and said it was poorly engineered such that it felt like a kit car. It put me off but a small part of me still quite fancies one. 

 

A well sorted Scimitar in standard spec is a half decent steer. I've owned an SE6 and SE6A. Once I'd done the suspension on them with new dampers, springs and bushes all round it transformed the feel of the car. Reasonably well balanced, TR6 derived front suspension and semi-independent rear, not as twitchy as many contemporary vehicles. Should accelerate briskly but not blow your head off. Surprisingly economical when touring, fit 4 in reasonable comfort, loads of luggage space. Great long distance tourer.

 

Manual with O/D are much more relaxed to drive on long distances, autos are not so great as 1:1 top means a busy engine at motorway speeds (3000-3500rpm) compared to the Manual O/D's 2000-2500 at 70. I changed the back axle in my SE6A to give 38mph/1000rpm, so really relaxed it and hit 41mpg on a long run.

 

Reasonably good owner's club, great spares availability.

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The Rover of Doom has developed an interesting* electrical fault.  I took it up the road earlier and noticed that the offside side & tail lights and the number plate lights weren't working.  Checked the fuse and sure enough it had blown.  Long story short, after a bit of faffing and several dead fuses, I discovered that if the tailgate is open, all lights work fine - number plate lights come on and all is well with the world.  I can lift the tailgate up and down to my heart's content and it's fine.  However, the moment the tailgate latches, pop! goes the fuse.  Also, not sure if related or not, but the HRW has stopped working.

 

Any ideas?

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The Rover of Doom has developed an interesting* electrical fault.  I took it up the road earlier and noticed that the offside side & tail lights and the number plate lights weren't working.  Checked the fuse and sure enough it had blown.  Long story short, after a bit of faffing and several dead fuses, I discovered that if the tailgate is open, all lights work fine - number plate lights come on and all is well with the world.  I can lift the tailgate up and down to my heart's content and it's fine.  However, the moment the tailgate latches, pop! goes the fuse.  Also, not sure if related or not, but the HRW has stopped working.

 

Any ideas?

Something is obviously shorting out, so look for a chaffed wire. Most likely where cables pass through holes and the grommets die over time.
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can i tax a sorn car over the weekend to start 1st april ? wanted to make an early start on the 1st so would be nice if i can pre pay

You can only do it the day before. Given tomorrow is the last day of the month then you should be able to tax it on line tomorrow to start Monday.
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Something is obviously shorting out, so look for a chaffed wire. Most likely where cables pass through holes and the grommets die over time.

 

Aye, I suspected that might be the case, but that doesn't explain why it's all fine until the tailgate latch touches the catch on the body.  Unless the latch mechanism has somehow become live, and is causing a short circuit when it earths against the catch?  It can't be the whole tailgate which is live as that'd be earthing through the hinges the whole time.

 

Multimeter session required, methinks...

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Anyone had any luck with any of the bumper restoration products? I tried some cheap ‘back to black’ type shizzle from Morrisons but it’s not done much. I have seen the heat gun trick but sure about that as there are other plastics bordering the bumpers.

boiled linseed oil works a treat 

 

heat gun ruins them eventually by leaching all the oils out the plastic

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had the Focus throw up P0420 code for the cat on Friday , cleared it , done some 200 miles on the M6 and twisty roads and the ELM has stayed off ....

 

glitch ?

Cat might be struggling. A good high speed journey probably gave it clean out and burn off of its internals. Especially if it's done a lot of low speed, short journey driving before hand.

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had the Focus throw up P0420 code for the cat on Friday , cleared it , done some 200 miles on the M6 and twisty roads and the ELM has stayed off ....

 

glitch ?

I'm getting the occasional spanner light on my v6 omega. P0170 and P0173 fuel trim.left and right.

Goes off. But stores codes.

 

I am using Your code reader btw.

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had the Focus throw up P0420 code for the cat on Friday , cleared it , done some 200 miles on the M6 and twisty roads and the ELM has stayed off ....

 

glitch ?

Sounds like a mismatch in readings between the pre cat and post cat sensor. Could be a cat thats not necessarily failing but slightly out of spec. Could very well also be the exhaust flex blowing. That would likely cause the light to come on.

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Aye, I suspected that might be the case, but that doesn't explain why it's all fine until the tailgate latch touches the catch on the body.  Unless the latch mechanism has somehow become live, and is causing a short circuit when it earths against the catch?  It can't be the whole tailgate which is live as that'd be earthing through the hinges the whole time.

 

Multimeter session required, methinks...

depends on paint/ grease on the hinges. And it may be touching somewhere else just as it latches. You could try covering the latch pin in insulation tape as that will tell you either way.
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OK, another one (this one probably better suited to the former title of this thread, but indulge me):

 

When doing an oil change on a potentially sludgy engine, would tipping a gallon of pez in the sump and leaving for a couple of days (without turning the engine over obvs) be any use for cleaning things out?  If not, is there anything else which would help and which wouldn't a. cost £100 a gallon or b. dissolve the sump gasket?

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dont think id do petty ....maybe diesel  , ive had good results running a litre of atf with the oil , drain /repeat with cheap stuff until its clear

 

if its not high tech then you could run it on neat diesel at idle and dump it out ....check out youtube 

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Are the links across the top going to be updated to find the new tags, the new forum sections, and so on?

 

Are the shitecycle and similar threads going to be moved?

 

Has the hidden/political section been created yet, and can I have access to it please?

 

Has a roffle tag been created in the for sale forum section?

 

Sorry to be a pain.  Ta

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