Project Matt's 1990 Reliant Robin LX

[plasticvandan]

You cannot fit anything other than the standard steel wheel on the front... It's vital to the steering as the centre of the rim is on the centreline of the kingpin.

 

I've had I think 5 of these mk2 Robins,not quite as well made as the best (87-89 rialtos) but these are not bad,being built under beans engineering tenure of the company.

[Matt]

You cannot fit anything other than the standard steel wheel on the front... It's vital to the steering as the centre of the rim is on the centreline of the kingpin.

 

Interesting, I'll be sure to leave that well alone then. Someone on Facebook has suggested that there used to be a dealer in Kilmarnock but they don't recall the name. Does it ring any bells for you?

[plasticvandan]

I may have one of the old dealer lists somewhere.

[Matt]

I shared a couple of photos on an Isle of Arran Facebook group and someone posted a link to this video someone made with the car when it was still over there. I must have watched it over a year ago and didn't remember it until someone posted it in a comment.

 

[LightBulbFun]

while I was searching for something, I happened upon this thread once more

and got me wondering what happened with this wee car in the end?  

[Matt]

On 5/5/2020 at 9:15 PM, LightBulbFun said:

while I was searching for something, I happened upon this thread once more

and got me wondering what happened with this wee car in the end?  

Not very much sadly. I got it moved into my sisters garage and was just about to have it moved to a workshop the get the chassis welded but that was scheduled to happen two days before lockdown started so had to call that off.  I went by that garage today seeing as we can meet other people outdoors now but they didn't seem to be open. I hope it get it sorted very soon!

Garaged at long last! by Matt S, on Flickr

[Asimo]

I do hope that there is a 3rd slot mag wheel at the front.

[doug]

There was a motorbike dealer in Troon , Cooper Brothers, they also sold Reliants. I wonder it that is where it came from originally. 

[Matt]

Some progress has occurred.

 

The headlights that came on the car are in a pretty poor state. The reflector in the offside unit is rusting away and I know that the lower adjuster on the nearside has disintegrated at the very least. Judging by the amount of silicone sealer smooshed all around the front lighting I'm guessing that the rest of the hardware is pretty FUBAR, and it looks awful too.

Headlights (1) by Matt S, on Flickr

Headlights (2) by Matt S, on Flickr

 

I bought this pair of used units from a breaker in the Midlands via eBay and they even came with some free bodywork*! This has worked out very nicely as it means I've got a full set of mounting brackets, adjusters and hardware to replace whatever is left on the car. New headlights are available for the MK2 Robin but they don't come with adjusters or any hardware and seeing as all of that rusts away quite happily I feel that getting a pretty good used pair with all of the peripherals included for a little less than a pair of new units without any peripherals is a bit of a score.

Headlights (3) by Matt S, on Flickr

 

Liberated from the old bodywork we can see that these aren't in bad condition at all.

Headlights (4) by Matt S, on Flickr

 

It was a simple job to drill through the rivets in the old bodywork to remove the hardware. The breaker sliced into one of the rails a little but other than that all of this hardware is in great condition. I'll rub them all back with a wire wheel, paint as appropriate and apply anti-seize to the threaded parts.

Headlight Brackets & Hardware by Matt S, on Flickr

 

I have masked up the lenses & bulb apertures and rubbed the loose rust back with a wire brush. They are now ready to be wiped down and given some protective coats of primer and paint.

Headlights (5) by Matt S, on Flickr

 

The tops of both doors are bent out like this for some reason. I'm not sure how I'm going to sort it but I'm going to have to as it lets rain water in which then drips all over the front seatbelt hardware. The bolts are no doubt stuck fast into the chassis and the mounting bracket on the reel for the passenger is so badly damaged that it's broke free of it's bolt entirely.

Doors Bent Open by Matt S, on Flickr

 

Happily Securon makes seatbelts for all sorts including the MK2 Robin so sourcing these on eBay was a piece of (expensive) cake.

New Seatbelts by Matt S, on Flickr

 

Rear interior mostly stripped but the rear seatbelt anchors need something more aggressive than a socket and breaker bar to remove, as are the bolts holding the front seats in place.

Rear Interior Removed by Matt S, on Flickr

 

The rear bench is going to need a few repairs before it can go back into the car, if I don't turn it into a van. Mice nested in the base foam at some point and the backrest has pulled away from the hinges that hold it in place.

Rear Seat (1) by Matt S, on Flickr

 

A previous owner repaired this with a couple of screws and a strip of wood, no surprise that the screws pulled right back through the hardboard some point.

Sear Seat (2) by Matt S, on Flickr

[Matt]

Just as I suspected the headlights on the car were knackered. One appears to have been made in 1998 and the other in 1999 so they are almost 10 years newer than the car for whatever reason. I've got both of the lenses off and have saved the seals from the backs too so it's not all going to waste.

Old Headlights (1) by Matt S, on Flickr

[HH-R]

Only Ford could make fuggin headlights rust!

[plasticvandan]

The top adjuster is a reliant made part and incredibly rare,so look after those.the door splay is likely to have been due to the rapidly deteriorated moulds Reliant were using by this point.there is a steel window channel riveted inside which if you drilled out you might be able to manipulate the door into a better shape and reattach.

[Matt]

1 hour ago, HH-R said:

Only Ford could make fuggin headlights rust!

To be fair to Ford they were made by Lucas in this case, Ford probably just asked them to make sure they rusted!

6 minutes ago, plasticvandan said:

The top adjuster is a reliant made part and incredibly rare,so look after those.the door splay is likely to have been due to the rapidly deteriorated moulds Reliant were using by this point.there is a steel window channel riveted inside which if you drilled out you might be able to manipulate the door into a better shape and reattach.

That's why I'm going to strip all this hardware back and repaint it, I'm half tempted to smother it all in grease once it's installed. Disappointing to hear that the door might be a manufacturing issue. Maybe I'll just have to stick a second seal along the top of the door.