420GSi Turbo - Interior; dry. Radiator; leaking. Further repairs; curtailed!

[chaseracer]

Ash - welcome along.  Kettle's on, grab a seat, don't eat all the pink wafers.

Maybe an introduction here first... 

 

?

[Ghosty]

On 1/24/2020 at 6:02 AM, dollywobbler said:

Liking this thread very much.

 

Edit - Regarding GTi or GSi, I'm far from an expert but seem to recall that with this final facelift, the 420GSi was just a 220GTi with a boot, but the S rather than T meant it was an insurance group lower. I always assumed that was deliberate.

Very much so I believe. I think that also coincided with the 216/416GSi and GTi being discontinued. The early 220GTi is a rare beast. 

That's a lovely thing, excellent find and looking forward to seeing it get some TLC. They've aged a lot better than some of the lesser models too. 

Greater Manchester Police had unmarked 420GSis in the 90s. 

[Richie]

That grab handle is just grim. What state is the steering wheel and switchgear in? As they will have been fingered (snigger) more during their working life. 

[trigger]

I can remember collecting a near identical one back in the late 90s from a car sales garage to do some bodywork on, it was a trade in rather than a customers car and I remember giving it a bit of beans and it absolutely terrifying me, not because of its speed but the lethal torque steer, I don't know if it was a common issue or down to knackered suspension but it threw the steering wheel out my hand and pulled me across the road.

My old 620ti was never that bad, they are still a great looking car though I think.

[Austin-Rover]

Bringing the story up to date...

The interior was stripped out and all the crud from behind and under the seats and trim tidied up. There was one little scab on the floor pan under the passenger seat, tidied up.

Putting the cleaned bits of trim back in the car was perhaps more satisfying than it should have been, but what a difference when everything was back in!

Liberal use of black duct tape around the top of the front and rear wind sceens and down both roof gutters is doing a great job of keeping the water out, too.

We managed a couple of weeks use of the car until the radiator spring a leak, which saw it returned to the driveway. It was off to my local MGRover specialist today for cam belt, water pump, head gasket and (now) the radiator. That plan was shelved this morning when I called to check. The garage is open, but the place that skims cylinder heads; closed. The place that recores radiators; closed. Drat! Car now Sorn'd until who knows when?

 

[ash0121]

Are you going to have some work done around both windscreens mate? what would you suggest in such a situation similar to yours where there is some rust popping up?