The Current Driveway...

[TrabbieRonnie]

Looking good (and small?!) in the work's car park.

[TrabbieRonnie]

Hello all, 

As the old Rover has been providing faultless commuting service, creeping past 2000 miles in my ownership, I gave her the once-over this morning.

The engine does use some oil, but nothing outrageous.  A glug a week is ok by me, and that was my first task.  I've an oil filter on order, but it'll be next year before she's due an oil change I think.  

I then removed the crud from the glass bowl fuel filter...

...which is getting less every time, and makes me very happy.  I have no running issues at all now, I just turn the key and go, so whatever crud is still getting through obviously doesn't bother her.

The gearbox was my next port of call, I've been expecting trouble given the state of it's oil when I got the car, but no dramas there.  The dipstick showed the perfect level and spotlessly clean oil.  Man and machine are fully in sync now, it's not a gearbox to be rushed (especially when cold), but I just take my time and rely on the big 6's torque.

I'm watching my tyres in order to catch any alignment issues before they ruin them, but it's not been long enough yet really...  They seem fine, and are driving nicely in all weathers.

Coolant was fine, she doesn't seem to get very hot, ever, and hasn't used a drop apparently.

The brakes have definitely 'worn in' with use, and I'm sure they're further down the pedal than they used to be.  They work well when required, but I've ordered new discs and pads and will adjust the rears up a bit to get rid of the initial play hopefully.  Whilst I'm doing that I'll check and tighten up the wheel bearings if they need it.

All good then really, my 67 year old daily!  Have some before and afters, cheers all.

 

As bought...

...and now.

The 'powerbarn' before...

...and now, not much to look at still but I'm strangely proud of it!

And the exterior...

 

New doggo approves too...

[Matty]

Dogs a little stunner. Looks a bit like my mums lurcher in the face.

[TrabbieRonnie]

15 minutes ago, Matty said:

Dogs a little stunner. Looks a bit like my mums lurcher in the face.

Cheers bud.  She's 3/4 Jack Russell, 1/4 miniature poodle apparently.  6 months now, very clever and with excellent automotive taste.

[Matty]

Ah clever dogs. Youll need to be on your toes then. Im looking after my mums for the weekend. Now thats a dog thats as thick as a stoop 🤣

[TrabbieRonnie]

Playing with chat gpt...

I already have the red paint in, and have no plans to change the colour scheme... Interesting to see it differently though.  Aiming for this...

Could do the roof as well...

Or really do the roof...

Have always thought they suit black (as this one left the factory actually)...

And this is nice, especially with the black roof and wheels I think...

Had to stop there, ran out of free gpt credits I think!

[Matty]

This one 😍

[High Jetter]

I dunno, maybe a Bank Managers (Dove) Grey?

[Homersimpson]

I liked the all red one, looked very striking.

[High Jetter]

48 minutes ago, Homersimpson said:

I liked the all red one, looked very striking.

Period was more Maroon, IIRC

[Matty]

1 hour ago, High Jetter said:

I dunno, maybe a Bank Managers (Dove) Grey?

With a black roof. Thatd be quite a thing.

[TrabbieRonnie]

Finally got around to investigating a whining noise from the big Audi today... suspect was something connected to the auxiliary belt.  So as we all know, on an A8 that means BUMPER OFF!

Swiftly followed by the radiator...

This didn't take much time, I've not long been in here doing the cambelt and it's all still fresh in the mind.  Of course, I should have replaced all tensioner and idler pulleys at that point, but they were quiet then!

There isn't a kit I could find for this engine, so I had to order individual pulleys.  The left hand idler was one I couldn't get, so obviously that would be the one that felt a bit grumbly...  Could have been worse, I was sincerely hoping the alternator was ok, and it is.

The grumbly idler is a fairly hefty piece of kit, so I teased out the seals hoping I could clean and repack it...

This turned out to be the case, no play I could feel, and it's now silent with new SKF grease squeezed in.

The seals clicked back in ok too, I've got the part number now and will order a spare, but it should be fine for a bit I think.

Anyway, I put it all back together with a new belt, the new pulleys I did have, and filled up the coolant (I'd caught it all in a clean bucket as I pulled the rad, it's new-ish, and looks spotless).  

I turned the key at this point, as you can't get the last litre of coolant in until it burps itself with the heater on max.  

It is a bit quieter and deeper sounding, but the whine is still present.  It must be the power steering pump, the fluid does smell a bit burned.  However, I can cope with that, an oil change (maybe including some of that 'pump rebuild in a bottle' stuff) will hopefully improve it.  The main thing I wanted to achieve today was identifying the noise, and preventing a breakdown if it was the alternator or a pulley in danger of seizing up.  

We're off to Stornoway in a couple of weeks, and I'm looking forward to a spirited drive or two during the trip!

Tomorrow will see the bumper stitched up a bit...

... and refitted.  I've got front brake pads to fit whilst she's up... I don't know if it's the salt up here or if they're just another poorly made component these days, but I do seem to spend a lot of time changing them.

A good wash and polish up will finish the job, apart from this noise the old thing's going like a train and I still love it dearly.  185k and counting, long may it continue!

Cheers all.

 

[TrabbieRonnie]

Evening all.

Just had wee spannering session on the way home from work.  The 'parts car' that came with Old Red, is finally destined for the scrap man...

She's in a sorry state, but still able to offer some useful spares.  Chief among which will be the engine, and the (overdrive-equipped)  'box.

So far, the good/useable parts include a fuel tank, carb, air intake and the exhaust manifold looks better than mine!  The engine doesn't turn, but I couldn't stand it going to the yard without giving it a shot at life.  It's sealed at least, with only clean oil visible on the dipstick.

Gearbox looks the same, intact and with good oil at the right level.

I've undone the engine mounts and bellhousing bolts, so with a gentle tug I'm sure the big six will lift serenely up from it's home!  That's for another day though, my friend (whose property this is on) has an old  forklift in need of attention first!

Loads of little spares still there too, trim joiners, dash bits etc, just need to find somewhere to put it all...

 

Cheers all.

 

[Surface Rust]

I can't remember if your P4 already has overdrive, but if you want to fit the spares car gearbox to old red you'll need the drive shaft as well.

[TrabbieRonnie]

9 minutes ago, Surface Rust said:

I can't remember if your P4 already has overdrive, but if you want to fit the spares car gearbox to old red you'll need the drive shaft as well.

Well pointed out, cheers.  I don't currently have overdrive, so yeah as a longer-term project I wouldn't mind upgrading one day.

[Matty]

52 minutes ago, TrabbieRonnie said:

Well pointed out, cheers.  I don't currently have overdrive, so yeah as a longer-term project I wouldn't mind upgrading one day.

Overdrive is an absolute game changer. Almost better than a 5 speed box.

[TrabbieRonnie]

Hello all,

Currently far from the madding crowd, in beautiful (and very sunny!) Stornoway.  The big liability A8 is again proving a very nice way of tootling round.  Here she is, parked up just shy of The Bridge to Nowhere...

We didn't go over the bridge, because... well it doesn't go anywhere!

Lovely though...

It's just up the road from Tolsta beach, which is the most stunning I've ever seen.  I am not able to do it justice on my phone cam, but I had a go...

Nobody there either, perfect.

As I say, the car is going great, and the big boot was called for, carrying music gear that my eldest 'shiter couldn't fit in the venerable 323...

We convoyed out to Ullapool ferry terminal together, a beautiful trip in itself.  Here's a potato pic taken by my co-pilot as we tried to reel in the mighty Maz...

So yeah, somehow six years have passed since we bought the Audi, 55000 miles ago too.  Even more with the wee Mazda 323, (of this parish).  Nobody can believe the age of either, but both are dearly loved here.  Great motors.

New Doggo however, not a fan!

Another few days of this before it's back to reality... as always, if anyone is considering a first trip to the Hebrides, you won't be disappointed and I highly recommend 👌.

Cheers all.

[TrabbieRonnie]

Back from our travels and prepping the Rover for a trip to a local car show tomorrow (not as an exhibitor, but I like the 'car park car show' too)...

Polished up the wood a bit...

And then set about the roof.  The paint there is actually ok, in a very-old-car sort of way.  However, it needed a cut and polish.

After washing the car, I borrowed my son's dual-action polisher thing and set about it.  It's come up lovely...

...which is nice.  I'm hoping to leave the roof as is when I finally get around to repainting the red bodywork.

I used a light cutting compound, and then some Auto-glym ceramic polish that I found in the depths of my garage.

 

The trip back from Stornoway was lovely, the big Audi swooped across the Highlands without issue, showing 34mpg's overall.  Not great (especially these days), but good for what it is I think... it really does just do everything so easily. 

I'll try and make some time for draining and replacing the power steering fluid, see if that helps the slight whine from the front end.  

 

Cheers all.

[Matty]

Dove grey with that black roof Ronnie. Its the law or something 😁

[TrabbieRonnie]

15 minutes ago, Matty said:

Dove grey with that black roof Ronnie. Its the law or something 😁

I tell you what, you're not wrong Matty!

Bit light maybe, but somehow quite gangster!

[TrabbieRonnie]

And a bit darker...

[TrabbieRonnie]

And my last AI pic of the evening, thought this was quite interesting... 

Loads of design cues carried over.  How did they let Rover die?  Criminal.

[TrabbieRonnie]

Another 50 miles in Old Red, over the big hill to a local(ish) car show.  Left my phone in the glovebox so no pics of anything there unfortunately, which is a shame as it was a good turnout.

Spoke to the owner of a P4 60, who was at his first show with his car.  His had fibreglass front wings, which I didn't know were a thing.  They looked good too, wonder if they still make them?

From there we carried on to the coast at Findhorn, for a wee picnic and a walk with the dog.  All very agreeable, and the Rover never missed a beat.  My other half was even lulled into sleep on the way home, so the car must be comfortable enough!  

We had loads of positive comments during our travels (even the rather fruity exhaust note was drawing admiration!), and probably could have entered the show... not everything there was in pristine, concourse condition...

Back to the reality of work tomorrow, but I'll be commuting in the Rover, which helps immensely I find!

[Matty]

21 hours ago, TrabbieRonnie said:

And a bit darker...

This one. Absolute class that. Big saloons of all ages look best in sober colours. All about hidden muscle. 

[TrabbieRonnie]

Afternoon all,

I'm just in from a good tinkering session on the Rover, after another week on the road.

As mentioned, I wanted a look at the brakes as the pedal was getting further away.  The adjusters on the rear drums are working perfectly, so after an internal check they've been tightened up.  I also put a turn on the rod from the pedal crank to the master cylinder, and things are much improved.  The brakes have always worked well, but now the feel is much more natural. 

The front discs are in good nick, and the pads are the same thickness as the new ones I bought, so nothing touched there.

While I was in the area, I noticed some play in the front wheel bearings... I hadn't wanted to do them too tight when we first hit the road, but 2000 miles had definitely loosened them up!  The test run has shown a real improvement to steering feel, with that and the brakes she's driving really well.

The engine and drivetrain are still great, she requires a top up every couple of weeks, but there are now no leaks at all, so it must be getting burned.  I don't think that's too unusual with these, and it's certainly nothing visible at the tailpipe.

The last job before sticking the wheels back on was to give the wells an oil/Tetroseal brushing...

There's a lot of wheel arch gap on show when she's parked up, so to be honest I did this more for the look than anything else.  There's been no surprises rust-wise, I've nothing to hide with this old girl!

I also did the front suspension arms, as they're on show too...

The handbrake had lost its ability to lock on, which getting a pain with all the roadworks traffic lights about the place just now.  I cleaned up and lubed the ratchet mech under the floor, which has solved that.  I think there should be a protective cover in front of this, to stop the salt and shite gumming it up...

Book is good, reminded me that the offside wheel bearing nut etc. is a left-hand thread.

I finished up with a run out towards work, so I could feel any difference on roads the car and I know well...

Lovely day for it here, hope all's well with yourselves and your wheels, cheers all.

 

 

[Matty]

1 hour ago, TrabbieRonnie said:

hope all's well with yourselves and your wheels, cheers all.

Ill let you know tomorow 🤣

Rovers looking ace pal 💪

[TrabbieRonnie]

38 minutes ago, Matty said:

Ill let you know tomorow 🤣

Rovers looking ace pal 💪

Right Matty, I've had a quick search on here (but I'm rubbish at that!), What's happening tomorrow?

[Matty]

2 hours ago, TrabbieRonnie said:

Right Matty, I've had a quick search on here (but I'm rubbish at that!), What's happening tomorrow?

Absolutley nothing special. Im just going to attempt to drive mine without anything going wrong 😄

[Brigsy]

On 02/05/2026 at 19:59, TrabbieRonnie said:

And a bit darker...

Looks great in the dark grey/black roof combo.

[TrabbieRonnie]

Hello again all...

I've had great success with my latest find for the old Rover, and am too excited not to share...  

I'm on back shift of course, so no grassing me up to the management!

I found them on the scrap P4 on Friday evening, and they make the ones currently fitted seem a bit pathetic... 

Old Red has found her voice again!