The Current Driveway...

[TrabbieRonnie]

Aye, my preference is always for petrol these days, given the age of the cars I like... they just seem less hassle.  Of course the fuel cost is higher, but I can usually offset man maths that away using the low initial purchase price.

Interestingly, the old Rover has aluminium door skins, bonnet and boot... was news to me anyway!  Can't wait to get my hands on it now.

The A8 is still patiently waiting for its cambelt... can't be bothered, but I will muster up the energy required at some point!  And as you know, I would thoroughly recommend a petrol one, the engine's an absolute peach.

 

 

[Matty]

Another p4? God Autoshite has had all the volvos and xud pugs and citroens now we are hoovering up all the p4s. Plus one on looking forward to seeing it!

[TrabbieRonnie]

Auntie has arrived!

Safely ensconced after a few hours pulling and shoving, adding some faded glamour to my humble abode!  She's not keen to run today, which complicated things somewhat, but these P4's aren't nearly as heavy as they look.

The day started with my delivering the Iveco to its new home.  I cannot begin to describe the sheer breadth and depth of old chod there, and don't want to publicise the man's place too much... but if I outline the process of extracting the P4, you'll understand...

The trailer we needed to use (the Iveco is not very brakey... otherwise yes, this would have been a perfect way to carry out this whole operation), was parked up with an Allegro on board.  The Allegro was an engine donor to the other Allegro parked up in front of said trailer, itself unfortunately in no mood for starting.

Alas, as well as not starting, it also wasn't even keen on rolling, back brakes seized solid.  No problemo says I, we can winch it up onto the truck... moments later, this was done.

The Transit van tow vehicle was duly hooked up, to pull the trailer forward a bit so we could shove the poor, nearly dead Allegro off the back.

Space was getting tight at this point, and the Rover was some distance from the emptied trailer, with it's front wheels in a little ditch.  She is also not keen on starting today, and we couldn't push her up out of the mini-ditch.

The only other vehicle capable of, and in a position to do the pulling, was the convertible 328 mentioned in a previous post... And so, with a lot of Bavarian revving and wheelspinning, the P4 was gradually eased out of her spot and lined up for a shove up the trailer ramps.

As the Allegro-laden Iveco was now blocking the way out, we had to shift my mate's daily-driver Moggy Minor to provide a space for it so we could hit the road.

I think the whole thing may have been my most Autoshite experience to date, great fun 🤣.

I'll post up all the pics I took below, I can't quite believe it's happened, and will update tomorrow after a proper tinkering session...

One last thing, the old girl spent her formative years in Malaya, not SA as I first thought.  All documented on the heritage certificate provided in order to register her as historic.  Great story to match the unusual paint job anyway!

Cheers all, onwards and upwards!

 

[HMC]

Late registration madness!

Must relate to it being imported back in 1978 from Malaya. Id be tempted to leave it as it tells its unique story much more than a faceless 179YUN type plate that the DVLA would dish out to replace it.

[TrabbieRonnie]

25 minutes ago, HMC said:

Late registration madness!

Must relate to it being imported back in 1978 from Malaya. Id be tempted to leave it as it tells its unique story much more than a faceless 179YUN type plate that the DVLA would dish out to replace it.

I agree 100%.

[Split_Pin]

✅️ Post 1968 style raised digit plate

✅️ Black roof

✅️ Towbar

✅️ Patinated paint

✅️ Autoshiteist previous owner in 1978

❌️ Rover Owners Club Chairman

I absolutely love the way that looks and 100% agree with @HMC

Enjoy!

 

[TrabbieRonnie]

Cheers SP, you can understand why I fell in love after commuting past her every day! 

[High Jetter]

Looks hot, reg not so much.

[mk2_craig]

10 hours ago, TrabbieRonnie said:

Auntie has arrived!

Safely ensconced after a few hours pulling and shoving, adding some faded glamour to my humble abode! 

I don't own a Suzuki TSR125 but if I did then I would be BATTERING YOUR DOOR DOWN until you sold me that number plate.  Great collection story would read again. 

[captain_70s]

A 1960s car with a 1970s reg and painted with 90s Vauxhall paint by the looks of it...

[juular]

The towbar, paint and mismatched driving lights make this prime adulterated Shite. I love it.

[TrabbieRonnie]

1 hour ago, captain_70s said:

A 1960s car with a 1970s reg and painted with 90s Vauxhall paint by the looks of it...

Was red in 1978 according to the docs, I'm just in from washing it and there's red under the black roof too...

[Surface Rust]

Great another P4.

It'll get under your skin, really charming to waft around in, and lovely to work on.

We should have an AS P4 gathering some time!

PS, what's going on with that towbar, looks complicated?

[TrabbieRonnie]

That's good to hear, I've been out tinkering today... well cleaning mainly.

Got all the green off the bodywork, but the paint doesn't look any better really!  Was great to get the interior hoovered out and the seats cleaned... one mouse nest, loads of bird droppings and about a hundred spiders removed.  This has left it much nicer to be in the car... helps with the motivation I find!

Late in the day, had a few very short engine runs, but she stops pretty quick.  The spark is really strong, so I'm suspecting fuel issues.  I placed a glass gauze filter in the line, and was rewarded by the sight of it filling up instantly, with clean looking fresh fuel.  There's a brand new SU pump in the boot, so tomorrow will be carb-cleaning day.  Hopefully there's just some crud somewhere, fuel is definitely getting through (unburned fuel exits the exhaust) but I wonder if it's getting dribbled in instead of atomised properly.

The car has been sat untouched for more than a year, but was running lovely before that, as I remember my pal running around in it when sorting out the brakes.  I'm still optimistic it's not far away, for the few seconds she does run, she's beautifully smooth.

I have not investigated the strange looking towbar yet, no idea!

Tyres have stayed pumped up, they're not great (few sidewall cracks), but my pal was good enough to deliver another set as spares that do look better.

A P4 gathering would be nice, much like the Trabbi though, I find I'm usually a fair distance away!

 

[TrabbieRonnie]

No vids as yet (my son filmed the occasion), but the old lady runs!

Turned out to be the condenser, I'm not sure if it was knackered or just fitted incorrectly... The wee insulating grommet at the points spring end was mangled, and just not insulating I guess.

Anyway, as I've cleaned every mm of fuel line between the tank and the carb trying to get to this point, she runs absolutely beautifully too.  Barely a flick of the key and she's on, a bit smoky as yet, but I'm hoping that'll get better with an oil change or two.

I'm on back-shift, so no time to revel in it this morning, but I've promised myself a run up the lane tomorrow, see if the brakes free up a wee bit.

Onwards into her 66th year we go!

[LightBulbFun]

On 07/10/2024 at 08:35, mk2_craig said:

I don't own a Suzuki TSR125 but if I did then I would be BATTERING YOUR DOOR DOWN until you sold me that number plate.  Great collection story would read again. 

and here I thought it would be a great reg plate for the MS-DOS enthusiast!

 

@TrabbieRonnie Awesome swappage! as others say, dont change a thing!  Do not Paint, Do not Re-register LOL, its so perfectly Autoshite! very much still has that 1970's beater vibe to it, no ones bothered to try and tart it up with naff looking wrong-font Silver on black plates etc! 

I would love to know what its story is, how did it manage to get repatriated in 1978, when surely a Rover P4 was probably worthless? 

very much looking forward to seeing more on it  

 

[TrabbieRonnie]

Yes, the careworn look is partly what attracted me to this fine motor, I will try and protect the current patina.  Maybe next year I'll have to sort something out paint-wise, as there will be a few* localised* body repairs required...

All I have as far as history goes is detailed above, gleaned from the heritage certificate and a dating letter from the Driver's Guild.

I will endeavour to speak to the previous owner (the one before my mate, pretty sure they're fairly local), see if anything else can be added.  As has been said, the cost of transporting her back home must have been huge (unless some military transport shenanigans ensued of course!).

My first real drive occured this morning, after the now typical instant start.  However, Old Red is suffering with severely binding brakes, and was not too happy at being hustled up the lane.  A few back-and-forths eased things slightly, but the last thing we need is anymore stress on the drivetrain at this point.  

Current plans extend to a thorough engine service, and removing each wheel to see what each brake needs.

Additionally, I would like the carpets out and sill covers off for a good look at the floorpan.  

Electrical equipment is coming back to life gradually, I now have a working fuel/oil level gauge, the whole dash binnacle seems to be operational now actually... Charge lamp stayed on for a wee while, but went off with some rippums.

My other half will supply some suitable seats covers/blankets to try and save any further wear and tear, although I might try and see if I can talk my mother-in-law into making something fitted up too.  

The car has charmed everyone who sees it, it really does have a presence.  Tonight is my last back-shift, so I can spend a bit more time on the old girl this weekend.

Thank you for all the kind words people, much appreciated 👍 

 

[somewhatfoolish]

Most excellent pogweaselling; do not paint! Loving the wireless too.

[TrabbieRonnie]

Yes!  Haven't tried it yet, I wonder if it will pick anything up... great that it's still there though.

[Surface Rust]

27 minutes ago, TrabbieRonnie said:

 

 Charge lamp stayed on for a wee while, but went off with some rippums. 👍

 

If it still has the dynamo fitted then that is entirely normal. They usually have a dim charge light at idle, which is brighter if the lights etc are on and goes off with revs.

The brakes (like everything else) are well made and simple to work on, they might free up if you work the pistons in and out a few times and change the fluid.  The servos can be a bit more  problematic and can get sticky, but from what I've read they'd be completely locked on if that happened.

[TrabbieRonnie]

It does indeed still have it's dynamo, thank you very much for that 👍

[TrabbieRonnie]

More tinkering with the old Rover, and more pictures for your delectation!

I have the rear end supported on axle stands at the moment, as I was freeing off the rear brakes (offside was really stuck).  Turned out to be the handbrake mechanism, there's a bit of slack in all the various bellcranks/rods, so it just doesn't come off that well.  Brakes were spotless though, good shoes and drums, and obviously been worked on recently with fresh grease where it should be.  Everything came apart easily, which I really wasn't expecting!

No pics of that, but have this one of Old Red with a couple of her new fleet-mates...

Getting this swap completed has been a good thing for me, the recovery truck was blocking a lot of access and just generally looked a bit shit.  A mental block has been overcome too, as it's the first time in ages I've let something go!  Next up is the wee caravan I think... it's the ultimate Trabant accessory but once a year to the local car show just isn't worth the scrubbing it takes.  I've cleaned it up a bit today (did imagine how well it would tow behind the P4), and I'm pretty sure it's time for it to go as well.

Anyway, back to the Rover.  While the wheels were off, I decided to check the brakes were free by running the car through the gears.  Seems that some of the grumbling apparent on my aborted test drive the other day is due to a drive line problem. 

As the clutch is released and drive taken up, a rumble occurs.  It's felt through the body of the car (not the clutch pedal), and has put me off driving until I've identified the problem.  It's the same in every gear, just gets faster in line with  increased speed.

I've had a quick grab of my propshaft (ooh, err...), and can't feel much axial play at the uj's, although there's a fair amount of backlash in the diff.  Oils to be drained at both ends methinks, see what's breaking down.  I'll grease all the uj's too, but it's bad enough that I don't think it'll help.

Here's some pics I took whilst lying half under the car, for some reason my phone has forgotten the one I took of the bit of rot I knew about before (the only serious bit I've found so far)... a hole in the sill underneath this dodgy looking wing bottom...

But it's small and easy I think, the wing itself could be less so!  More pics showing the generally excellent chassis condition...

Lovely.

I haven't done anything else really, other than run her up everyday.  The emissions seems to improve every time, temp gauge works and starting is still instantaneous.  I have ordered an oil filter, drain plug and washer and a full engine gasket set (nice to have in when the various leaks begin!).

Halfords provided some 'classic' 20w50, no idea if it's any good, but I suspect the first change will be considered a gradual flush more than anything.  Takes about 9 litres though, not a cheap do.

Assorted pics...

Opening quarter-lights are my new favourite thing...

Wipac 'Stainless' embossed on the glass...

Wood needs love, but is all there at least...

Engine...

Ignore my temporarily fitted Trabant ignition coil, I'm pretty sure her previous starting problems weren't a coil issue now as changing it did nothing, and they both tested the same on the Fluke.  Needs a tidy up...

Vacuum advance/retard adjuster wheel on distributor to allow for different octane fuels apparently...

Starting handle, my first one of them!

And lastly, the towbar...

It's a Rice unit, a maker of horseboxes apparently.  The sprung retainer, when held by the wee clip on the right, should allow the ball to be removed (might have been in there a while though, not keen!).  It is mounted via the two bolts to a length of angle iron inside the bumper, which picks up on the bumper irons.  Not directly mounted to the chassis, but does seem solid.  Not sure what a modern MOT man would make of it!

As the sun was going down, I felt pretty lucky to have such a fleet... scruffy as it may be.

 

So yeah, will see what transpires regarding the rumble (overdrive unit maybe?), and just carry on a bit at a time till she's in fine fettle!  Weird not having an MOT to aim at, although my friendly mechanic may well see her at some point to check the brakes are even, wheels and headlamps aligned etc...

 

Cheers all.

[Matty]

27 minutes ago, TrabbieRonnie said:

More tinkering with the old Rover, and more pictures for your delectation!

I have the rear end supported on axle stands at the moment, as I was freeing off the rear brakes (offside was really stuck).  Turned out to be the handbrake mechanism, there's a bit of slack in all the various bellcranks/rods, so it just doesn't come off that well.  Brakes were spotless though, good shoes and drums, and obviously been worked on recently with fresh grease where it should be.  Everything came apart easily, which I really wasn't expecting!

No pics of that, but have this one of Old Red with a couple of her new fleet-mates...

Getting this swap completed has been a good thing for me, the recovery truck was blocking a lot of access and just generally looked a bit shit.  A mental block has been overcome too, as it's the first time in ages I've let something go!  Next up is the wee caravan I think... it's the ultimate Trabant accessory but once a year to the local car show just isn't worth the scrubbing it takes.  I've cleaned it up a bit today (did imagine how well it would tow behind the P4), and I'm pretty sure it's time for it to go as well.

Anyway, back to the Rover.  While the wheels were off, I decided to check the brakes were free by running the car through the gears.  Seems that some of the grumbling apparent on my aborted test drive the other day is due to a drive line problem. 

As the clutch is released and drive taken up, a rumble occurs.  It's felt through the body of the car (not the clutch pedal), and has put me off driving until I've identified the problem.  It's the same in every gear, just gets faster in line with  increased speed.

I've had a quick grab of my propshaft (ooh, err...), and can't feel much axial play at the uj's, although there's a fair amount of backlash in the diff.  Oils to be drained at both ends methinks, see what's breaking down.  I'll grease all the uj's too, but it's bad enough that I don't think it'll help.

Here's some pics I took whilst lying half under the car, for some reason my phone has forgotten the one I took of the bit of rot I knew about before (the only serious bit I've found so far)... a hole in the sill underneath this dodgy looking wing bottom...

But it's small and easy I think, the wing itself could be less so!  More pics showing the generally excellent chassis condition...

Lovely.

I haven't done anything else really, other than run her up everyday.  The emissions seems to improve every time, temp gauge works and starting is still instantaneous.  I have ordered an oil filter, drain plug and washer and a full engine gasket set (nice to have in when the various leaks begin!).

Halfords provided some 'classic' 20w50, no idea if it's any good, but I suspect the first change will be considered a gradual flush more than anything.  Takes about 9 litres though, not a cheap do.

Assorted pics...

Opening quarter-lights are my new favourite thing...

Wipac 'Stainless' embossed on the glass...

Wood needs love, but is all there at least...

Engine...

Ignore my temporarily fitted Trabant ignition coil, I'm pretty sure her previous starting problems weren't a coil issue now as changing it did nothing, and they both tested the same on the Fluke.  Needs a tidy up...

Vacuum advance/retard adjuster wheel on distributor to allow for different octane fuels apparently...

Starting handle, my first one of them!

And lastly, the towbar...

It's a Rice unit, a maker of horseboxes apparently.  The sprung retainer, when held by the wee clip on the right, should allow the ball to be removed (might have been in there a while though, not keen!).  It is mounted via the two bolts to a length of angle iron inside the bumper, which picks up on the bumper irons.  Not directly mounted to the chassis, but does seem solid.  Not sure what a modern MOT man would make of it!

As the sun was going down, I felt pretty lucky to have such a fleet... scruffy as it may be.

 

So yeah, will see what transpires regarding the rumble (overdrive unit maybe?), and just carry on a bit at a time till she's in fine fettle!  Weird not having an MOT to aim at, although my friendly mechanic may well see her at some point to check the brakes are even, wheels and headlamps aligned etc...

 

Cheers all.

Puts me in mind of mine. The paints that bad it'd be a fools errand to try to do owt about it. Far better to make it solid, mechanically sound and just enjoy the car for what it is. So much interesting old tat on here at the minute. And they say Autoshite isn't what it was!

[Surface Rust]

Might be worth having a hunt for the missing cover for your regulator (top left), not ideal for that to be missing:

If you do have any charging issues that would be my first suspect!

[TrabbieRonnie]

Aye, I did hope it would be onboard somewhere but no! 

[TrabbieRonnie]

Well, I've had today off work, and am off for these rest of the week...  To the driveway then!

Decided the Mazda's bodged up exhaust had waited long enough, and dragged myself away from a certain pink P4...

Above is after the removal of the old exhaust, and I'd started cutting and welding the second-hand stainless Fiesta one I bought on Facebook.

They really are quite close, but a miss is as good as a mile and there's been a fair bit of cutting and shutting.

Here's the first bit bolted up to the cat, plenty of room in the tunnel (no resonator as yet, will see how 'fruity' this things going to sound!)...

Needed extending out sideways, so took a 3" straight section out from after the Fiesta cat...

Thought it would be wise to position the backbox at this point, it fits (just), but my hanger brackets are going to need to be quite precise!  I knew I was going to have to trim the tailpipe back... I'll cut the weld where it meets the box, shorten the tailpipe and re-weld in the same place, preserving the nicely finished end.

So I am left with this wee gap, always the hardest bit I find (in my vast experience of making exhausts, two... including this one!)...

However, this wee offcut from the Fiesta pipe looks like it will do the job...

That's where I've left it for tonight, getting cold out there by the end, should have cracked on a bit in the warmer weather!  Tomorrow should see it done though, and while it's all out for full welding, I'll task the 323's pilot with scrubbing and oiling up the undercarriage, as it's looking a bit orange under there.

Tomorrow also sees my first parts delivery for the Rover, so I could get its oil change done too if I'm on it...

 

 

 

[TrabbieRonnie]

Made decent progress on the 323 exhaust today, although unfortunately it's not finished due to the short dry spell I was given...

The wee twisty offcut did fit nicely, and I got 3 out of the four hangers mounted too.

After this everything came off and I got it all welded up fully.  It's fairly close where the pipe goes over the rear subframe, but you have to give it a fair old shove to get it to hit.  It must have been close with the standard set up tbh, there's not a big gap at all.

I chopped off the obsolete hangers on the 'new' system, which freed up some space, we'll see if I need to adjust after a test drive.  Like I say, there's more to do, namely trimming the length of the tail pipe so it doesn't jut out past the bumper.  

In the fading light and worsening rain, I tidied up the tools and bolted the fully welded pipes back in... I wanted to hear it!  Surprisingly, given the lack of a resonator/centre silencer it's no louder at idle than standard, very quiet.  When revved up it does sound raspier, but not offensive.  Result!  That second-hand Janspeed stainless job has saved me a fortune, even over the cost of a new mild steel set-up.

Will get a drive-by video tomorrow when finished, and then I can get back to my lovely old Rover... parts for which have arrived today!

[Split_Pin]

Grand work there Ronnie!

Where did you get your ramp thing for the car?  My garage is too wee to work on a car so like you it's outside on the drive for me. I think a ramp like that would make things a lot easier and might encourage my shite-tinkering mojo to come out from the stone it's been hiding under since the summer 😅

[Bmwdumptruck]

1 hour ago, Split_Pin said:

Grand work there Ronnie!

Where did you get your ramp thing for the car?  My garage is too wee to work on a car so like you it's outside on the drive for me. I think a ramp like that would make things a lot easier and might encourage my shite-tinkering mojo to come out from the stone it's been hiding under since the summer 😅

Was going to ask the same question. There’s one on ebay for £500 ish

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/285659184526?_skw=car+scissor+lift&itmmeta=01JA8T9JR9Q78FZ36RSSQEFE6Q&hash=item42829d3d8e:g:x2EAAOSwwEZlqR2o&itmprp=enc%3AAQAJAAAA0HoV3kP08IDx%2BKZ9MfhVJKm2MxmA8i4Gq84M5pyhUKN5cWjs9XSKYcmBWBqPcRKfIQvsraob%2Bbpm%2FDOT9qJNvXWEKPFQa0Le6Hezd2ciHRvOwzLD56sSemTypaPNXtlC3O9Mtf%2Fakm27nySUwyrTkTfr0ns38o5hKYji13gJfa8AMCI8a%2BRHc32HpY2a9Xfe6HWuniLp1CcvKR97gKcIIz1dOWbNr4KAJdx45THBik4HpXcPR0ygcm5huV9hj6Wp2OH5iWPLYReRiuA8HAB2Fo8%3D|tkp%3ABk9SR56spprSZA

[Westbay]

On 07/10/2024 at 12:43, juular said:

The towbar, paint and mismatched driving lights make this prime adulterated Shite. I love it.

BITD you had one fog light and one 'spot' light as the 'norm' ...