Custard's crusty Rialto

[Custard]

I thought I'd start my own thread on this in case anyone has any interest in plastic pigs

I bought this Rialto a few weeks ago because I wanted something cheap and small to be tinkering with.

Only jobs I've really completed so far is a new aluminium radiator, new indicator repeaters and I replaced the old ignition leads because they were held together with insulation tape.

I'm not entirely sure how many previous owners its had because the last owner imported it to Ireland from the UK, but it's safe to say its been kept going on a shoestring. I guess they're cheap cars so it never made sense to spend to much money or time fixing things

Annoying bodges and problems discovered so far:

-Front indicator bulbs are soldered directly onto the wires, I assume its because the old bulb holders rotted away.
-Clutch return spring has been replaced with a bungee cord
-Engine access panel permanently sealed shut with silicone
-Loads more dodgy, flimsy wiring jobs
-The heater fan must have packed in at some point so there is, what are essentially two hair dryers bolted to the dash for a demister. They don't work anyway so I may as well get a new fan
-I think someone tried to break into it at some point (why tho?) and cracked the door frame. As such, nothing lines up right and the window keeps falling off the regulator ( which is compounded by the fact that the channel it sits in has rotten away)
-Gear lever falls off occasionally, which is actually hilarious tbf
- No wing mirrors
-No speedometer ( not that it really matters)
-Sump is porous and I am afraid to touch it

Apart from all that it is actually running  fine. I drove it around 17 miles to parents house today on a mix of backroads and motorways and it did well. Still running a bit hot despite the new radiator though, so I'm gonna give the coolant system a flush and think about a new thermostat.

Its great fun to drive once you get used to the heavy steering and brakes. I think the brakes are OK? They stop the car fine but it takes alot of effort on the pedal. Maybe I'm not used to unassisted drum brakes all round, so if anyone has any experience of these I'd be grateful to know about the brake feel. Previous owner said he did them recently
Doesn't roll over as much as people would have you believe, I did get it up on two wheels when I was flicking it side to side to test the steering but that was an extreme case

[High Jetter]

This could be interesting. Motorway? Brave. GL with the wiring

[LightBulbFun]

Ohh happy to see this has its own thread  always nice to see another 3 wheeler on the forum  

52 minutes ago, Custard said:

I'm not entirely sure how many previous owners its had because the last owner imported it to Ireland from the UK

its UK registration is E995FCW and it was marked exported on the 1st of the 3rd 2003 (curiously the same date as its 6th keeper and given the last V5 was issued in 2000 im guessing this 6th keeper might be the chap who exported/imported it into Ireland?)

[Custard]

1 hour ago, LightBulbFun said:

Ohh happy to see this has its own thread  always nice to see another 3 wheeler on the forum  

its UK registration is E995FCW and it was marked exported on the 1st of the 3rd 2003 (curiously the same date as its 6th keeper and given the last V5 was issued in 2000 im guessing this 6th keeper might be the chap who exported/imported it into Ireland?)

Oh thank you kindly for that. Were you able to pull that info up using just the new Irish reg?

Previous owner sounded like he was from Northern Ireland and the Irish logbook only has 1 previous owner so I'm guessing he's the 6th keeper and brought it with him when he moved or registered it to an address there before officially exporting it.

[Frogchod]

The brakes on mine require a fair bit of effort. Steering is light enough though.

 

[dollywobbler]

My Fox definitely needs a good shove to stop, and even then isn't that assured. I do need to adjust the brakes again, but they're not superb. I have driven a Rialto and don't remember the steering being heavy. Would worry me that either the kingpin needs greasing, or someone has nipped the steering box up too much to try and eradicate play.

[Custard]

Oh no. Going to have to investigate the steering box today then. It is heavy even at speed. I'll add it to the list!

[theshadow]

like the seat covers.

[Custard]

3 minutes ago, theshadow said:

like the seat covers.

I admit they've grown on me.

He even did the sun visors

[cort1977]

10 hours ago, Custard said:

Doesn't roll over as much as people would have you believe, I did get it up on two wheels when I was flicking it side to side to test the steering but that was an extreme case

 

This made me laugh more than it probably should.  Sounds both hilarious and terrifying.

[Supernaut]

A Reliant Rialto full of bizarre bodges, with zebra seat covers and sun visors?

 

Solid gold shite. Well done!

[spartacus]

Wow, that's grim, you should be eligible for a prize!

[LightBulbFun]

8 hours ago, Custard said:

Oh thank you kindly for that. Were you able to pull that info up using just the new Irish reg?

Previous owner sounded like he was from Northern Ireland and the Irish logbook only has 1 previous owner so I'm guessing he's the 6th keeper and brought it with him when he moved or registered it to an address there before officially exporting it.

Yeah using the Special commercial tool I use for my Invacar research

I shoved the irish reg in, grabbed its VIN number, then shoved it back into the UK side of the tool, so I could get its UK registration mark and the keepers its had over here  

 

(the second screenshot is just the regular 1st party DVLA reg checker)

[Mally]

13 hours ago, Custard said:

I thought I'd start my own thread on this in case anyone has any interest in plastic pigs

I bought this Rialto a few weeks ago because I wanted something cheap and small to be tinkering with.

 

-Front indicator bulbs are soldered directly onto the wires, I assume its because the old bulb holders rotted away.
-Clutch return spring has been replaced with a bungee cord
-Engine access panel permanently sealed shut with silicone
-
-Gear lever falls off occasionally, which is actually hilarious tbf

Sump is porous and I am afraid to touch it

 Still running a bit hot 

if anyone has any experience of these I'd be grateful to know about the brake feel. 
Doesn't roll over as much as people would have you believe, I did get it up on two wheels when I was flicking it side to side 

 

Bulbs soldered to wires.     I used to do that! perfect solution. Needs new holders really with good earth connection.

Bungee on clutch.   Perfect.

Engine panel siliconed in.. Not ideal, but cuts down on noise and fumes drastically.

Gear lever, are these not secured with a wire spring? Horse shoe sort of thing? Never had a problem and we were crashing them. There's 2 small holes either side iirc, the wire clip passes through the ball cover into the ally.

Sump,   Must have no oil leaks, sump rusts through, I've had one.  You need to change the pan, easy enough from underneath.

Shouldn't run hot with ally rad.  Anything obstructing airflow? Faulty gauge or thermostat maybe.

Brake feel, mine were always good, Short travel, hard pedal worked well.

Roll,    Yes they will, have seen it done on a main road with 4 adults in, slid a long way.  Avoid sudden movement of steering wheel.

Great fun.

 

 

 

[Mally]

Sump, I'd try to find one cheaper though!

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Reliant-Robin-mk1-Engine-sump-pan-NEW-with-gasket/184475282386?hash=item2af3956bd2:g:LxUAAOSwCH9fem3n

[Custard]

8 minutes ago, Mally said:

Bulbs soldered to wires.     I used to do that! perfect solution. Needs new holders really with good earth connection.

Bungee on clutch.   Perfect.

Engine panel siliconed in.. Not ideal, but cuts down on noise and fumes drastically.

Gear lever, are these not secured with a wire spring? Horse shoe sort of thing? Never had a problem and we were crashing them. There's 2 small holes either side iirc, the wire clip passes through the ball cover into the ally.

Sump,   Must have no oil leaks, sump rusts through, I've had one.  You need to change the pan, easy enough from underneath.

Shouldn't run hot with ally rad.  Anything obstructing airflow? Faulty gauge or thermostat maybe.

Brake feel, mine were always good, Short travel, hard pedal worked well.

Roll,    Yes they will, have seen it done on a main road with 4 adults in, slid a long way.  Avoid sudden movement of steering wheel.

Great fun.

 

 

 

I think it may not be the original gear lever. Pattern on the knob doesn't match, reverse is on the opposite side. Thanks for the link to the sump, I think it's a priority job, so I might just grab what I can even if it's a tad expensive

Temperature issues seem to be dealt with. I'm sitting in it idling right now and the gauge has barely gone over half way. Cleared some crap out of the grill and topped up the coolant a bit

[Mally]

Sump from Rebels Racing £65, but it won't be new, and then there's postage on top.

Gear lever, if you look down the hole you should see a  metal cup like the top half of a ball.

At each side you should see a wire clip, very small diameter wire bent in a semi circle.

I suspect this clip is missing.  Must be because once the lever falls out, spring has sprung

Next time the lever falls out, or pull it out if you are brave, inspect the metal cup for two small holes.

I'll try and find the spring clip on t'internet, you can't really bodge them.

[Mally]

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Reliant-Gear-Lever-Retaining-Clip-6170/373123552430?epid=1838814980&hash=item56dfe594ae:g:ycIAAOSw4xRfGJAM

There you go.

Make sure you get the ends in the holes correctly.

It's a little difficult working down the hole.

Edit, Apologies, I'm not looking at your photo properly. the spring clip is there.

Will be the correct gear lever, possibly wrong knob.

Try filling the spring clip to the gearbox holes on it own. 

Maybe its not been located correctly, or possible gearbox holes are damaged.

[Custard]

Ah I appear the have this clip, when I lift of the gear lever (it comes of with no force at all it's just sitting there) it must be coming up with the cup and everything. If you look closely at the pic above you can probably see what I mean.

[Mally]

1 minute ago, Custard said:

Ah I appear the have this clip, when I lift of the gear lever (it comes of with no force at all it's just sitting there) it must be coming up with the cup and everything. If you look closely at the pic above you can probably see what I mean.

Edited my reply as you posted, please read my edit. Sorry my fault.

[Mally]

That's try fitting the spring clip on it's own.

Whats the yellow E99 plate? That will stop airflow.

[Custard]

Got it  in and secured.  Huge thanks mate. Could not for the life of me see how it went in until you told me about those two holes

Edit: the E99 plate is part of the old UK reg. Previous owner kept it because it looked like 'egg' and he called the car the egg

[theshadow]

zebras are cool,dont change that interior,🐭🤣

[RayMK]

Nice one!  Reliants were never particularly cheap cars when new but to a large extent were selling to a captive market of ex motorcyclists or holders of a B1 licence (the regulations have since changed).  Reliant owners are notorious for penny pinching, yet their cars (the three wheelers) are not the easiest to work on because engine access is poor. Fortunately, if maintained properly they'll perform well and be reliable. Coolant capacity is somewhat marginal. Many three wheelers will eject coolant from the rad overflow, leaving a natural* level barely covering the top of the rad fins. Assuming that, as Mally indicated, the thermostat is healthy, airflow unobstructed, gauge working properly and the system is not silted, a good mod is to fit an expansion bottle.  This will enable the radiator to run full without losing coolant.  I found the best set-up was to fit a blanking cap to the rad and the pressure cap on the expansion bottle.  Later three wheelers had an expansion bottle as standard.  Most three wheeler drivers know how to get them to lift a wheel.  The trick is to know how to keep them planted. A strategically placed heavy toolkit in the boot helps this aim and can be useful.   Happy tripodding.

[MJK 24]

2 hours ago, Mally said:

Sump, I'd try to find one cheaper though!

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Reliant-Robin-mk1-Engine-sump-pan-NEW-with-gasket/184475282386?hash=item2af3956bd2:g:LxUAAOSwCH9fem3n

That sump looks huge for a little 850 engine!

[Mally]

I thought it was small, so I  didn't bother emptying the oil before I took it off.

Big mistake!

[Custard]

Temporary wing mirror solution courtesy of my dad and some sheet metal.

[Zelandeth]

Welcome to the "slightly shonky plastic three wheeler" club.

I really do need to try out a Rialto for more than five minutes sometime.  It's one of those cars which kind of like a 2CV I've come very close to buying about half a dozen times but somehow the planets have never quite aligned such that it's actually happened.

I think any car with three wheels is obviously going to handle very differently to anything with four, but it's something you do get used to quite quickly.  I think the strange way they sort of bounce and undulate their way over uneven surfaces is probably the thing which initially feels the most unsettling.

The first time I pulled over onto the kerb just outside our house to go inside to grab something though and there was no bump where the nearside front wheel would have bumped up onto the (lowered) kerb by our driveway was probably the single  moment which messed with my brain the most though.

I've only had a very brief shot of one of these, but I remember being quite surprised by how peppy it felt.  The steering definitely shouldn't be heavy though.  Get the kingpin greased up as a matter of urgency then have a look at the steering box adjustment.

Steering on my van was heavy as hell when I got it as the kingpins hadn't been greased in goodness knows how long, the difference after it was done was light night and day (when moving...Trying to park it's still hellishly heavy...but you kind of expect that in a 2.8t brick with no power steering!  It definitely teaches you to plan your manouvre well in advance).

Oh, I guess it's worth mentioning...I assume you have checked the tyre pressure up front?  I know it tends to get neglected because it's awkward to get to.  I run the front tyre at 17psi in the Invacar (26 in the rear) -  there's a huge difference in the steering feel between 15 and 17psi (I have a very slow leak from somewhere on that tyre bead, it drops to 15psi over a month or so then stays there!).  Afraid I know nothing of what pressures best suit a Rialto though.

1 hour ago, Mally said:

I thought it was small, so I  didn't bother emptying the oil before I took it off.

Big mistake!

Still remember seeing a  "young 'un" working on a big commercial vehicle for the first time (think it was a B10M based coach) and making the mistake to trying to drain the engine oil into a 10 litre catch tray.  Oops.

You know in cartoons how a character looks after they've been dipped in tar?  Yeah, that's about what he looked like after flailing around trying to retrieve and refit the sump plug once the slight* error in calculation was realised.

* Slight in this case meaning "by a factor of around four."

He had no excuse to be honest given he was the one who had gone out to pick up the new oil to go in...So should have well known how much to expect to come out!

[Custard]

Re greasing the kingpins.

Is there a nipple to grease them? I had a look today and they do look a bit dry but couldn't see a nipple.

I pumped up the front tyre a bit and it made a slight difference. It was a bit soft. 30psi according to the windscreen sticker

[RayMK]

37 minutes ago, Custard said:

Re greasing the kingpins.

Is there a nipple to grease them? I had a look today and they do look a bit dry but couldn't see a nipple.

I pumped up the front tyre a bit and it made a slight difference. It was a bit soft. 30psi according to the windscreen sticker

Mine had a grease nipple but they are often missing.  Some after market nipples are too long and foul other components when steering - these are the ones which either break off or are removed when the owner feels the steering  jamming.  There's only one kingpin of course, and a bush or bearing mounted in the stub axle assembly above and below the leading arm.  Depending on whether the leading arm and/or the kingpin has been changed in the past, it may be a plain bushed type or a needle roller type. A bushed kingpin will always have a small amount of play i.e. you may be able to detect it when holding the front wheel top and bottom and trying to wobble it.  If you can actually see the play at the rim and it's only a mm or two, greasing it will prevent that being a neurotic MOT tester's delight.  More than that then it probably needs changing.

30psi for a radial sounds about right provided the sticker is for a Reliant. I can't remember my Rialto's pressures.  My current Reliant is a '61 Regal side valve running on crossply tyres. Cross plies have such stiff sidewalls that even when punctured they'll hold the car up without looking soft - until going round a corner and the bead deseats making things much more interesting.