The Doctor's travels through time - The End - of chapter 1

[DoctorRetro]

Washed and hoovered. 

 

[loserone]

I haven't washed or hoovered a new car in..  four years?

[DoctorRetro]

1 minute ago, loserone said:

I haven't washed or hoovered a new car in..  four years?

Holy shit. I can't stand dirt, dust, mess. 

I'd have a mental breakdown ?

[Kiltox]

Given the stress and lack of funds that seem to prevail every time you’re looking for a car, do you not think it best to leave it the fuck alone as long as it works rather than pissing about with wheels, lowering etc? 

Itll be far harder to sell if you Barry it; and you’ll be looking to sell it in a couple of weeks regardless of what you say now. 

[DoctorRetro]

5 minutes ago, Kiltox said:

Given the stress and lack of funds that seem to prevail every time you’re looking for a car, do you not think it best to leave it the fuck alone as long as it works rather than pissing about with wheels, lowering etc? 

Itll be far harder to sell if you Barry it; and you’ll be looking to sell it in a couple of weeks regardless of what you say now. 

There's a difference between tasteful improvements and 'barrying' 

And no, I don't plan to sell it any time soon. Its the car I should have bought ages ago, everything else has just been a distraction. I know, I know - we will see... 

[loserone]

???

[Noel Tidybeard]

leave it alone or your stethascope might have "an accident" ?

[DoctorRetro]

Can I just add, for any of you that weren't convinced how insane I am - that I collected this car without sorting any breakdown cover!

Didn't want to mention that until I got home safely. Come to think of it, I don't think I've ever had breakdown cover for a collection mission.

 

Mind you, I once drove a Hungarian registered Lada 1200 back from Southampton with no UK papers and no breakdown cover, so this was a walk in the park!

[Kiltox]

Sign up for AutoAid and never need to worry about such things ever again. Covers any car. 

[Matty]

6 hours ago, TheDoctor said:

Agreed (On the first bit)

I want to increase the diameter of the wheels and bring the arches a tiny bit closer to earth, because otherwise it doesn't look right (In my opinion)

And it won't be next week, I've been told I have to keep this one.

To be boring im with the rest of them. Dont modify it. You just need it to be a car. Also as a seriel coilover man, perfectly good kits arent dear (JOM etc) if you snap a spring etc your into them for spares. Which arent so cheap. Modifying is the begginings of constant investment not cheap motoring. However, it is your car ?

[DoctorRetro]

Well, I've taken the caliper off and smeared the piston edges with goop, pumped it in and out a few times (ohh err), but I think I'll be more comfortable with a replacement. Ordered already, should be here before the weekend. 

 

[HH-R]

CLASS. the design of these was just so right.

[DoctorRetro]

Just a couple more pics. 

 

[BorniteIdentity]

Is this one a better bet than the bronze one in Ipswich that you won? 

That looked smashing! (As does this) 

[DoctorRetro]

8 minutes ago, BorniteIdentity said:

Is this one a better bet than the bronze one in Ipswich that you won? 

That looked smashing! (As does this) 

Yes, this one has a manual gearbox. ?

I would have liked that one too, just couldn't get it sorted in time, and luckily found an eager party to buy it. 

These cars have aged really well, and most still around (I'd say the 400 more than the 200) have been looked after. I think the saloon attracted more sensible, older owners perhaps. 

[timolloyd]

I live near Crawley Down garage and remember it being Rover. Skoda now!

[Wingz123]

[Schaefft]

I'll voice the unpopular opinion and say it would look much better lowered, the ground clearance on this is crazy. That is, if you have the financial means to do so.

[HH-R]

Ah it's a saloon too, hadn't realised *spaffs pants*

[dave j]

I thought the picture you posted of your old white one looked really good lowered 

Edit: this one looks a good buy! 

[clayts450]

I do get the need to lower as the 420 is the same, there is a  definite gap.

But then I go all Old Original on my bad self and decide to leave well alone - it's how the Rover Gods meant it to be.

Ultimately, your car,  your choice of course.

[SiC]

I'm getting deja vu. Haven't you had one of these before, lowered it against all the advice (chopping the springs iirc), stuck some unsuitably sized wheels and then (unsurprisingly) found it drove like shit. Subsequently having to flog it on as broken because of the above. 

[DoctorRetro]

5 hours ago, SiC said:

I'm getting deja vu. Haven't you had one of these before, lowered it against all the advice (chopping the springs iirc), stuck some unsuitably sized wheels and then (unsurprisingly) found it drove like shit. Subsequently having to flog it on as broken because of the above. 

You see that's the thing with deja vu, it's usually incorrect. 

Yes I owned one before. L565TAP. Yes I shortened the springs. The wheels I added were in fact OEM Rover wheels and were very suitable, they are still on the car to this day. It drove pretty well, except for one particular road where the surface was undulating and it made the occupants a bit sea sick. 

Ironically my ex wife decided to move house and take my son 60 miles north and guess which road I'd have to take every week? Yep. 

The solution was to fit aftermarket lowering springs instead, but I didn't do that, I swapped it for a Mk3 Golf which promptly broke. Regretted every day since. 

One of the subsequent owners of L565TAP did change the springs (Bobthebeard), and the car was perfect. 

So what I'd be doing is not making the same mistakes, but rather learning from them. And finally getting back to the car I should have kept. 

Here's some pictures.

Too high

Too low

Just right (but still lowered) 

[DoctorRetro]

One of the best features. I'd rather leave it in, but all my music is on CD

[loserone]

Retrofit Bluetooth to it and play everything from your phone.

[Tenmil Socket]

13 hours ago, Schaefft said:

I'll voice the unpopular opinion and say it would look much better lowered, the ground clearance on this is crazy. That is, if you have the financial means to do so.

Off-road innit...

[DoctorRetro]

48 minutes ago, loserone said:

Retrofit Bluetooth to it and play everything from your phone.

I can't play CD's on my phone - is that a new feature with these new-fangled Smart Phones or something?

 

[loserone]

No, optical media died in the last millennium because it was shitter than tapes.  Rip them all to FLAC and put them on your phone, CDs degrade and scratch too easily.

[MorrisItalSLX]

How about a Sony Discman* stuck to the dash with a tape-to-aux adapter for the true late 90s audio experience.

*Other portable CD players are available.

[Tenmil Socket]

1 minute ago, MorrisItalSLX said:

How about a Sony Discman* stuck to the dash with a tape-to-aux adapter for the true late 90s audio experience.

*Other portable CD players are available.

Done this myself although I used to put it in the glove box on a sponge to stop it skipping when going over bumps ?