Delivery 23 Sep - RobT is lucky weiner Rover 820

[clayts450]

So tomorrow, the 820 leaves the Clayts' fold after barely being used.

This 43K miler is being driven by my good self to the new owner after some very protracted, dithering and frankly woeful 'logistics' correspondence. Both parties should be ashamed of their lack of botheredness.

For those who can remember that far back, this was the one that fought  @The Moog like a bastard, to the extent that when he and @NorthernMonkey finally cracked it, he was so ecstatic he promptly roffled it. This ere Rover-lover promptly won it.

It's never really found its niche in the fleet, as the 620 does the wafty saloon bit rather too well, so it barely got a look in.

I briefly mentioned in passing a while back (pre CV19) the need to thin the fleet out to finance my new enterprise, and an excitable member jumped up and down and said 'me me me'. Cue the lackadaisical 'negotations'.

Anyway, after much prevaricating and chin-scratching, it was agreed I would do my longest journey ever in it (which, let's face it, could be anything from 5 miles upwards, the journey back from The Moog's aside) and deliver it with a flourish to the lucky recipient.

So this 'looks good from ten feet' barge will be heading er, south, east, south, west or something tomorrow.  I can't see me putting many status updates on here, and the only photo I really want to share is the blank look of disappointment and horror on the recipient's face when I rock up in it.

There may be a shot of a lay-by (for pissing reasons due to pea-sized bladder) and a Gregg's (for coffee and bacon cob/roll/barm cake/wotsit).

Anyroad, she's fuelled up and ready to rumble at daft o'clock tomorrow. Next shot will be a miserable grainy picture of some Crunchy Nut cornflakes, a coffee and a vape pen.

For now, behold the magnificence*

 

[Cavcraft]

Good luck with the journey matey!

[New POD]

Lovely.

Chode sped. 

[320touring]

It'll all be fine*

 

[clayts450]

As long as the Gregg's I frequent don't over-crispen the bacon, it'll be a breeze*

[320touring]

If you were bringing it to me, I'd be telling you to FRO

[The Moog]

Ahhh it will all be fine*

I have just remembered I was going to find that spreadsheet. Whoever is the owner of the big green bastard drop me a PM and I will get it sent.

[DoctorRetro]

It's not me, I'm sad to say. This car has never been available at the right time for me, otherwise I'd have loved a go. 

 

[beko1987]

Oooh very nice. Feel free to break down by my house if your coming down the m40

[clayts450]

sorry Sam, wrong direction.

Anyway, as promised

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[clayts450]

Live from the cockpit. Next stop Greggs

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[clayts450]

A14 Thrapston. Greggs obtained. Bacon crispiness level - acceptable+

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[clayts450]

Old girl doing very well indeed. Keeping up, nay outpacing, bimbling morning commuters.

Comfort levels outstanding.

Annoying rattle quotient via old car - high

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[clayts450]

Next and hopefully final leg involves some more motorway and then my arch nemesis and perennial traffic jam...Won't say more until arrival

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[sutty2006]

The only thing that would make that more miserable would be a manual gearbox 

[Supernaut]

18 minutes ago, sutty2006 said:

The only thing that would make that more miserable would be a manual gearbox 

As far as I remember, this is a manual.

[clayts450]

Arrival at lucky weiner

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[clayts450]

Weiner

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[sutty2006]

36 minutes ago, Supernaut said:

As far as I remember, this is a manual.

*shudders thinking of the misery*
 

 

2 randoms. 

[RobT]

God I look emaciated in that pic.

Clayts is a gent for delivering this Viking-badged long boat, cheers m8.

Looks swish.

[clayts450]

Train home HST heaven

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[egg]

How socially distant was the journey across 'town'?

[clayts450]

Very although to be fair I was just platform hopping.
Trains are dead. No more than 4 people in each carriage it seems. This one is especially empty


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[DoctorRetro]

1 hour ago, RobT said:

God I look emaciated in that pic.

Clayts is a gent for delivering this Viking-badged long boat, cheers m8.

Looks swish.

It's a winner machine that's for sure. Manual gearbox makesbit better in my viewpoint. 2 randoms please when / if it comes up for sale again. 

[clayts450]

Back home, and a quick summary of my drive.

For those (like me) who like a good road map, I took a couple of locals from mine onto A611 (formerly A6002), A610, M1 southbound to J19, A14 eastbound  (via Thrapston services) -> M11 southbound to J4, A406 North Circular Road southbound, A12 westbound, my nemesis the A102 Blackwall Tunnel (which amazingly I flew through - a first) and a few locals to Rob's street. I chose the A14 route due to the ever present and fucking annoying roadworks between J13 and 15 on the M1, and the M25 - well enough said about that bastard, the better, especially clockwise with all the roadworks at present. It only added about 15 miles onto the journey, the time being virtually the same.

This was the first time I'd spent any considerable amount of time behind the wheel of the 820 and I have to say, it is a bloody good steer. There is still some residue of wheel wobble at (cough) 70,  but certainly nowhere near as bad as it was. It ate up the miles and had plenty in reserve to enable me to boot it past dawdlers and bad driving, of which there was plenty, esp on the M1 and M11. The one thing that struck me was 'proper waft', something this car does in spades. It truly is an awesomely comfortable car, both to drive and to sit in.

A few minus points - the handbrake is pretty bad (was made known to Rob). reverse gear is a bastard (also made known) and a new issue of the temp gauge creeping up ever so slightly in stationary traffic (certainly not to dangerous red levels, but a notable upswing from C to H) - the old 70/80s car trick of banging on the heater at full pelt with the windows open soon solved that little conundrum. I just hope there isn't impending doom therein, but not having driven the 820 for concerted periods, I suspect this is just a 'feature', as I'm so used to Rovers which resolutely stick to between twenty to and quarter to the hour on their temp gauges unless something sinister is occurring.

I thoroughly enjoyed the drive, and I suspect this goodbye journey, had I been keeping the car, would have made it a firm favourite on the fleet. However, needs must and away it goes to Rob. Chodspeed, good Sir, it was a pleasure doing business with you this morning.

[mercedade]

The handbrake is usually relatively straightforward to resolve - don't be tempted to purely tighten the adjuster nut under the centre console. You'll get many more years of service out of the calipers and cables if you take both sets of rear pads out, pump the pistons out a little and wind them back in a few times before putting them back together using red grease on the sliding pins. If you make sure the handbrake cable is loose enough at the caliper end when you put it back together, you should be able to push HARD on the pedal and hear the adjusters taking up slack.

Only once you've done this should you touch the handbrake itself. If there's still slack - then it's time to use the adjuster nut, but allow more slack than in a modern. The first CM or so of travel should do virtually nothing, and it shouldn't be on full until it's about 5/6 clicks.

 

Reverse gear crunch - I've got in the habit of just notching mine into fourth before putting it in reverse and all the crunch has gone. If you go straight to reverse, it'll grind away like your first day at driving school.

 

Apologies if this is info of the egg-sucking variety

[Mr_Bo11ox]

I always found these things had one of the all-time great driving positions. Super comfortable - you sit quite low but get great visibility with the low scuttle, gearstick in exactly the right place, steering wheel angle feels just right etc. Lovely stuff. 

[wesacosa]

1 hour ago, clayts450 said:

Back home, and a quick summary of my drive.

For those (like me) who like a good road map, I took a couple of locals from mine onto A611 (formerly A6002), A610, M1 southbound to J19, A14 eastbound  (via Thrapston services) -> M11 southbound to J4, A406 North Circular Road southbound, A12 westbound, my nemesis the A102 Blackwall Tunnel (which amazingly I flew through - a first) and a few locals to Rob's street. I chose the A14 route due to the ever present and fucking annoying roadworks between J13 and 15 on the M1, and the M25 - well enough said about that bastard, the better, especially clockwise with all the roadworks at present. It only added about 15 miles onto the journey, the time being virtually the same.

This was the first time I'd spent any considerable amount of time behind the wheel of the 820 and I have to say, it is a bloody good steer. There is still some residue of wheel wobble at (cough) 70,  but certainly nowhere near as bad as it was. It ate up the miles and had plenty in reserve to enable me to boot it past dawdlers and bad driving, of which there was plenty, esp on the M1 and M11. The one thing that struck me was 'proper waft', something this car does in spades. It truly is an awesomely comfortable car, both to drive and to sit in.

A few minus points - the handbrake is pretty bad (was made known to Rob). reverse gear is a bastard (also made known) and a new issue of the temp gauge creeping up ever so slightly in stationary traffic (certainly not to dangerous red levels, but a notable upswing from C to H) - the old 70/80s car trick of banging on the heater at full pelt with the windows open soon solved that little conundrum. I just hope there isn't impending doom therein, but not having driven the 820 for concerted periods, I suspect this is just a 'feature', as I'm so used to Rovers which resolutely stick to between twenty to and quarter to the hour on their temp gauges unless something sinister is occurring.

I thoroughly enjoyed the drive, and I suspect this goodbye journey, had I been keeping the car, would have made it a firm favourite on the fleet. However, needs must and away it goes to Rob. Chodspeed, good Sir, it was a pleasure doing business with you this morning.

Oh no, you brought it close to the South side of the Blackwall tunnel. That's dangerously close to me for the next time it gets offered for sale 🤣

[RobT]

Thanks for the advice mercedade.  I'll have a go at sorting the handbrake this weekend.  Hopefully it can be a free fix.

As to the wheel wobble clayts mentions, I've noticed one of the front tyres has the rotation pointer in the wrong direction.  Dunno if it makes that much of a difference, but will see what it's like when I go for a blast down the M20 later.

[Bren]

7 hours ago, clayts450 said:

Weiner

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That could be the front cover of a Leonard Cohen LP.  Abject misery in a photograph.