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BeEP's motors - Pride MOT'd, Cinq starts, C1 for sale.


BeEP

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First update of 2020.  As noted elsewhere the Savvy sold just before Christmas whilst the 1800, despite my claims in the ebay tat thread that is was sold, is still here.  Tame welder reckons he'll have time in March(ish) to do it, then up for sale again.

However, the real reason for this post is that this morning the first collection of 2020 occurred.  A quick 20 mile blat up to Holbeach, and I returned with this:

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I do like the interiors in these (rear seats photographed due to grubbiness of fronts!)

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Owned by a 96 year old since 1998, he took it to fill up with petrol in the Autumn and it wouldn't restart.  Garage reckoned it had 'lost compression' and (allegedly) took the head off, fitted new valves etc, put it back together and it still wouldn't start! Hmm, it's an A-series that was running two minutes before it wasn't.  Anyway, grandson persuaded Grandad that it was time to part with it so here it is.  Has Grandad given up driving?  Oh no, he now has a Micra!  And I just hope he didn't put diesel in the Maestro...

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13 minutes ago, SiC said:

I have been monitoring Maestros recently and suddenly become of an interest to me. Possibly because it's a carbed A-series that is still just about affordable??

Either way, with all those square eighties lines, I reckon they'll become cool and retro in the next 5 to 10 years. 

If I can get this one running it will be up for sale ?  Still has MOT to August and apart from the nsr arch seems a solid old thing, even if a bit scabby.

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My red Maestro used to fail to restart in just the same way.

An R series engine automatic,  it had an SU carb  with (Oh F.F.S. BL, why?) a "microprocessor-controlled stepper-motor positioned enrichment device" I think this bit of techno-optimism was fitted to the A series engine also.

I replaced this nonsense with a shitty Halfords manual "choke" conversion but eventually found the problem had been the pathetic assembly quality of the circuit board with the microprocessor. Re-working all of the soldered joints fixed it.

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1 hour ago, Craig the Princess said:

Fingers crossed for the fix. Does it look like they took the head off?

I suspect not.  Appearance and odour of the coolant suggest no antifreeze (just rust), and the rocker cover gasket is clearly very old and leaking the usual copious amounts of oil.  If it has been off I really hope they didn't re-use the head gasket as well!

3 minutes ago, Asimo said:

My red Maestro used to fail to restart in just the same way.

Although it was an R series engine  it an SU carb  with (OH F.F.S. BL, why?) a "microprocessor-controlled stepper-motor positioned enrichment device" I think this bit of techno-optimism was fitted to the A series engine also.

I replaced this nonsense with a shitty Halfords manual "choke" conversion but eventually found the problem had been the pathetic assembly quality of the circuit board with the microprocessor. Re-working all of the soldered joints fixed it.

A-series models did have the auto* choke as well, but as with most this one has had it replaced with a manual set up at some point in the past.

Will hopefully get some time on it tomorrow (although should really finish the Allegro first), starting with my own compression test.

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I’ve told this story before, but back in 2000 I had a Rover Metro and my brother a Maestro. It must have been about an L plate because it was a “Clubman” in a dark green that they didn’t do for very long. 

I expected it to be shit because they had a reputation for being thus. It was brilliant. He sold it one day without telling me and I was mad AF.

I’ll be keen enough for details when this comes up for sale!

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gotta love a maestro.

look beyond the normal ungainly looks of them, or even better take one for a spin, and then be shocked at how pleasant a drive one is.

again towards the end of the '90s  my best friends step mother had one, a dark green "L" spec as i recall. it had hubcaps and the plastic bumpers, those i deffo  remember.

and it was a nice little car. light and airey inside, and been the 1300 it went ok.

not that it suited my friend, so it got changed for a white E30, white grill,white hubcaps, bumpers the lot. a 316 i think.

the bmw was utter shit, so much so that my friend father was sent back to the dealer in short order with the dog turd white, turd with instructions to get the maestro back. 

he did too, but knowing what hi misses was like, i think he;ll have been told to not bother coming home without it.

we had a 1600 VdP in opaline for a while, it had been fitted with a hopeless manual choke, putting the stepper motor back on to the carb made it much, much easier to start. that had a cracked head too, i only found that out after it brewed up on the M62. still we got a mint, used one off the club for not alot of money. 

nice cars, much under rated, i'd love another one.

 

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What sort of figure were you looking for for the 1800 'as-is'? 

Edit to be constructive: a 1.3 Maestro was the first car I drove properly after passing my test when my Standard was waiting to be fixed. I obviously didn't have many benchmarks but I really liked it, especially the nice brown interior. Really comfortable and great visibility but not hugely reliable, although I got fairly good at taking the carb apart to re-fit the bodged manual choke cable back together by the side of the road. Would definitely have another but it would have to be a high spec early one on those nice lattice alloys.

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A friend of mine had one of these some years back and it turned out to be a reliable little car. The only thing of note that I remember is that when adjusting the sunroof at 70 miles an hour one day while on the way back from work it jettisoned itself from the car accompanied by an almighty noise apparently.

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4 hours ago, barrett said:

What sort of figure were you looking for for the 1800 'as-is'?

The sale I agreed before Christmas was for £1550.  It's a good solid car, cosmetically challenged but with a pretty decent interior.  Needs three easy (to someone who can weld) bits of welding and a ball-joint to get an MOT.

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Just realised what you meant about the 1800 ... I thought you meant the Savvy (i.e. that bring a 1.8). For that sort of low money, I'd expected it to picked up really quickly! What's the story? Promised to come back but not?

Alas I can't offer it as I'm still stuck in non-moving house limbo. Totally would if I had room. 

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Yes, this is the 1800 I thought I'd sold, albeit the spotlights have been removed (they weren't connected and the brackets wobbled from side to side)...

image.png.0816d5a43a255f631857d37cfd640ea2.png

Chap was going to transfer money the day he viewed, sent message that evening to say he couldn't do it direct from his savings account (fair enough, mine works like that too), then two days later that the transfer had failed and could he bring cash, then the day before the arranged collection sent a mail to say he'd lost his job.  Maybe he's just unlucky!

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Brevity of last post due to need to collect Wuvvum from bus station to collect ex bramz7 Rover 45.  He's now headed off into the drizzle in a car which, for the moment at least, has four working doors!

Back to the Maestro; I can't work out the seller's story.  But for the fact his grandad has apparently now got a Micra I'd think they'd cooked up something with the garage to get him off the road.  The head definitely hasn't been off but the starter was dead; two separate faults, a non-functioning solenoid and very lazy motor.  Luckily a friend who stores some of his spares here, including a Maestro starter was staying last night (he should be on here but isn't).  Swapped over and it started up a bit reluctantly and somewhat smokily.  Compressions are tolerable on all cylinders; typical of a slightly worn a-series really.  Drained the excess oil which has helped a bit and had a quick fiddle with mixture and idle speed, both of which are obviously way out.  More fiddling and a service planned, but at least it now moves under its own steam ?

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43 minutes ago, Zelandeth said:

If it's been owned by someone of that age you may well find that a good service and a really good old Italian Tuneup will make the world of difference.  Especially if it's spent the last thirty years doing ten minute journeys so the sump ends up containing more petrol than oil....

Yep, that's why the sump was overfull!

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