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Maestro, please.


vulgalour

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  • 4 weeks later...

Right then, short update on the Maestro this time.  Didn't do words-and-pictures for the last vid since I wasn't sure there'd be much interest, if you do want them, let me know and I'll sort it.  Short video this time around, getting some period perfect plates on the old lump to replace the scruffy ones it came to me with.

 

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  • vulgalour changed the title to Maestro, please. - Period Perfect Plates
19 hours ago, vulgalour said:

Didn't do words-and-pictures for the last vid since I wasn't sure there'd be much interest, if you do want them, let me know and I'll sort it.

 

Always! I love a write-up - much easier to dip in and out, and also because I think you write well.

Counterpoint - it's a shag load of work and I appreciate not especially appealing if you've already done a vid.

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the "new" interior is from a similar vintage L model hence the 60/40 split rear

*edit* iirc the red of the interior stripe was called "argent" by austin rover

 

don't forget to look behing left side boot carpet for the purple wires and chuck an interior light in the shelf support

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22 hours ago, mercedade said:

Always! I love a write-up - much easier to dip in and out, and also because I think you write well.

Counterpoint - it's a shag load of work and I appreciate not especially appealing if you've already done a vid.

Agreed on all points, I sit down ready with a coffee to read the updates 😂 easier to read at work than watch a video too

But they are a pain in the arse to write... 

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20 hours ago, Noel Tidybeard said:

the "new" interior is from a similar vintage L model hence the 60/40 split rear

Actually, it turns out the new interior is from a Special rather than an L.  Bizarrely, the interior and much of the stuff Peter supplied was from a 30k-ish mile Special that had basically nothing wrong with it.  My gain I suppose, but it still seems a bit weird to break what was apparently a low mileage and tidy car rather than use/sell it.  Then again, it's no weirder than renovating a shambolic worn out example and using it everyday.  Horses and courses and all that.

It's only the unpacking video that I wasn't planning on doing a WAP (Words And Pictures) update on, I still will since someone did ask.  Other videos will get WAP updates as and when I've the headspace and time for it.  I also found (but didn't mention in video) that the camera mic is picking up the engine noises a lot more harshly than they really are.  It must be something about the type of noise, it makes the cars sound even more dreadful than they really do, especially the Princess, poor thing.

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What's that, unexpected free time? Well I guess that means a words-and-pictures update!

Maestro Parts Haul is the one we'll go for. The video for it is here:
https://youtu.be/hOeNMcssvQ8

This parts haul happened purely because of Youtube and Peter, who has become a good friend as a result. Peter also owns a red Maestro with black bumpers, except his is pretty much brand new where mine is a lumpy old donkey. If you want an idea of just how nice Peter's Maestro is, check out this review of it on Project Nigel.
https://youtu.be/uVSHyT4R0Zc
 

Right, now then, words and pictures.  Peter had got the parts from someone who wanted to sell a job lot of spares that was essentially two cars and a van that had been stripped down into component parts.  Obviously, very few people wanted to buy a job lot that large, but Peter hired a van, separated off what he wanted, and then kindly spread the wealth of spares with other Maestro owners.  His car has a different interior to mine, both being different facelifts, so much of the interior stuff wasn't useful to him but was useful to me.  Likewise with the body panels, he had better examples and what was in this stash was better than what I already had.  Really, Peter saved me an absolute fortune with this lot.
 

The van was packed to the roof with everything from nuts and bolts to seats.
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Unfortunately one of the spare doors has a nasty dent.  It's otherwise in excellent shape with no rust to speak of at all. I should be able to make one good door out of the two I now have (one is still on the car).
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Once the bigger items were removed, it revealed more and more parts.  Really obscure bits of trim, fastenings, NOS stuff, it was a proper Maestro treasure trove.
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Obviously it rained on us too because every time I do anything on or with the Maestro it seems to rain.  Eventually Peter was on his way and I had a massive pile of stuff to find places for.  He still left with half a van load of stuff even after the things he left with me.
 

For exterior panels, I got two rear doors in great shape (dent not withstanding), two front wings that were good for repair panel sections, a much better bonnet, some nearly-new exhaust and a full set of steel wheels with old tyres.
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The interior parts were even more impressive.  A full set of seats in even better condition than my originals, with matching door cards, from a Special.  This interior set is the same flint for the plastic/vinyl but with claret piping and tweedy fabric which will go nicely in my car.  There was also every side plastic trim for the inside which helps replace some of my scuffed and faded items.  The parcel shelf brackets I didn't take as they were no better than the ones in the car.  A complete dashboard, with cigarette lighter wiring (something mine doesn't seem to have), and minimal cracks was probably the biggest score and is something I'll be repairing and re-dying in the future to replace my ruined one.  There was also some proper door bins, something that was proving quite elusive.
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In addition to all that was a plethora of fixings, some period mudflaps (another item I was after, these are exactly the sort of aftermarket tat I wanted), a pair of rear lights with salvagable bits, a nice metal file box, and various brake components, wiring, and all sorts.  On a later visit, Peter also dropped off a handbrake cable, a pair of rear drums, and some front brake pads which he had no use for but I did.
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So all in all this was an impressive selection of spares that will save me huge amounts of time and money to get my old Maestro sorted out.  Since posting the video, some of this stuff has already made it onto the car, and a lot of it is still waiting on me having the time to install it.  Suffice to say I've plenty of work and content available to me because of Peter's generosity and I cannot thank him enough.
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  • vulgalour changed the title to Maestro, please. - Parts Haul
  • 2 weeks later...
 
The car came to me with delaminating, warped, and worn out number plates.  They weren't the original number plates, both had clearly been replaced at separate times.  I wanted something more period correct and original looking so got some Serck-alikes to do the job.
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The plates I've fitted are a replica of what it probably had when new, are legally spaced, and I'm not trying to do anything naughty here so there's no need to discuss the various legalities of number plates.  The other font choice would have been pre-2001 Charles Wright, which I don't like as much.  So I went for the Serck-alikes, the font of which is so close to the font on some original pressed Sercks I've got as to be indistinguishable.  These are readable by ANPR and the like.
 
First job was to remove the old plates.  These were fixed with allen headed bolts that had nylocks on the back.  It was a bit of a challenge removing the front plate because you couldn't get anything between the bumper and the car bodywork with the upper and lower grilles attached.

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Removing the upper grille allowed me to feel where the nuts were (stop it) but I couldn't physically see what I was doing without removing the radiator.  Removing the lower grille didn't give much better access either, so I just sort of fumbled about until I got the plate off.  I then lined it up with the replacement to mark where the holes were drilled previously.  I wouldn't be reusing the bolt holes because they were far too large for the number plate screws I wanted to use.

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Retro orange drill pulled into service, this one hailing from 1983, along with a random block of wood so that I could drill new holes through the letters.  This would allow me to use black caps and hide the fixings that bit better while keeping everything looking period.  Using sticky pads or similar for a smooth finish wouldn't actually look right on this car.
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Same fixings used at the back of the car.  This time it was a lot easier because I could remove the trim panel and get to the nuts. I could also see what I was doing.

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Old plate off, it revealed some dirt, no rust, and the remains of several sticky pads which presumably hadn't worked.  I have to admit I've had very minimal success with sticky pads for number plates, whatever the price point they've been.

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Just as with the front, cleaned it all off, drilled new holes, and plonked the new plate in place.  Then adjusted one hole slightly because the plate wasn't sitting as flat as I'd like, as well as adding a sticky strip in the middle to keep the plate down (which has now stopped sticking, about 5-6 months down the line from doing this job) and it was done.

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A small detail and one that really makes the car look a lot better than the effort involved would suggest they should.  Only trouble now is it makes the front bumper look as bad as it is so at some point I'll have to take that off and do my best to sort out its kinks.
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  • vulgalour changed the title to Maestro, please. - Period Perfect Plates
  • vulgalour changed the title to Maestro, please. - Safety Dad Period Tat

In the latest Maestro episode, Safety Dad Period Tat, it was all about adding some aftermarket guff for nostalgia and reinforcement of the car's survivor status.  I want it to look like it might have done in the 90s when it would have been worth about the same as a Freddo.  Most of these items are purely cosmetic and don't actually do anything.

The one exception is the door buffers which are handy when you're in a tight parking space since the car is too low a trim to have any bump strips as standard.  These are pretty close in design to what you could have got in the 90s, and importantly I made sure they were red to match the car.
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A genuine NOS static strip was found on eBay.  Again, new ones of these are available for some reason, the reason I didn't go for one of those is that the designs are wrong for the era I'm trying to create so a NOS item was the only way to go.  The point doesn't touch the floor so it's unlikely to wear away and since these things don't do what they claim to do anyway, that doesn't matter.
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Another reproduction item is the Keep Your Distance sticker.  This isn't the type I wanted, I'm actually after the ones that were blue and red on a white background, I just haven't been able to find one or a photo of one to get it reproduced.  This style is older than I would like but not out of the realm of possibility for the age of the car.
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Wiper blade aerofoils are another brand new item.  The Maestro doesn't need these, it's purely cosmetic, however I did find they worked well to keep the BX's wiper down when you were going over 50mph.  I had thought someone had tried to prise them off not long after fitting them and ended up using some mini cableties to keep them in place.  Turned out magpies were trying to pull them off, which they've stopped trying to do now.  It's probably the same ones that climb the garage wall for fun and then play hide and seek over the edge of the roof.
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Swapped the silver grille out for the red one that came with the recent parts haul too.  I wasn't sure which I preferred at first.  Now I definitely prefer the red one.
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I do have a couple more items to add, and I'm on the hunt for other items too.  If there's any 80s/90s 'safety' accessories you remember do let me know.  There's been some good suggestions in the comments on the Youtube video so there's a few more things I'm hunting for in part based on those suggestions.

Dashboard compass and steering wheel wrap - secured from a shop in Bulgaria
Hella spotlight grille
Heckeblende/tailblazer reflective rear panel
Reflective bumper tape
Sunvisor strip, ideally graduated/fade tint
High level brake light, incandescent bulb type - I got one of these for the BX, had to come from Australia
Roofrack - a Rover branded one would be nice
Headlight protectors
Atlantic 252 window sticker
Tax disc holder and maybe a scrap of paper with Tax In Post written on it rather than a repro tax disc
Key lock scratch guard, ideally Austin Rover branded
Door window wind deflectors
Dashboard MPG calculator device, digital or analogue

I'm sure there's loads more things.  As long as it's along the lines of 'safety' or 'driver aid' rather than 'sporty' or 'performance' then it'll fit the ethos of the build.  Not trying to make something cool here, just a rolling nostalgia sculpture.

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56 minutes ago, Tenmil Socket said:

Not safety related but how about a 'Feu Orange' air freshener? I've got one of those car alarm sensors that sits on the dash if you want it? You could possibly tap into a 12v line to power the lights?

Something like this...

 

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I'd forgotten about those.  Even if it's a thing that doesn't work, it'd look the part wouldn't it?  If there's one up for grabs, yes please.  A Feu Orange or one of those Turtle Wax turtles with wheels and a racing hat would be appropriate but I can't stand air fresheners of any sort in a car.

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43 minutes ago, High Jetter said:

How about a periodAA / RAC / Guild badge and some auxillary fog or spot lamps?

I do have a square badge, currently with a GB sticker on it, that someone on the forum gave me some time ago.  It works well on the Princess but it just doesn't work on the front of the Maestro, it looks out of place and doesn't even work as a bit of badly applied giffer tat.  Not sure why, perhaps it's just the style of the car.  National Recovery would be my preferred if I found somewhere on the car for it to work and if I could find a badge/sticker that wasn't a stupid amount of money.  In fact, a National Recovery branded tax disc holder is probably the best solution now I think about it.

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5 hours ago, vulgalour said:

I'd forgotten about those.  Even if it's a thing that doesn't work, it'd look the part wouldn't it?  If there's one up for grabs, yes please.  A Feu Orange or one of those Turtle Wax turtles with wheels and a racing hat would be appropriate but I can't stand air fresheners of any sort in a car.

Have you seen how much "retro" airfresheners cost on ebay?!

 

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/185065013853?epid=2212329811&hash=item2b16bc025d:g:KRkAAOSwgA1b0KcX

 

That one is an extreme example but about £20 is the going rate.

 

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hella lamp grille will be rare as maestro didn't really need one as the headlights* were the best around in the 80's

Lucas Homofocal* dontchakno

more likely to be fitted with under bumper lights

ring would be the cheap option

lucas fx/dx 95* the spendy option

the front spoiler of mg will fit metal valance on a bASe

mg grille lets moar air through radiator in summer- i used to swap mine!

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