71 Rover 3500 (P6B) Now with added Jag XJ6!

[Low Horatio gearbox]

So I set to with soem sheet steel and  fashioned a few  sections and  no time a reasonable job was done. Th bonus of the Rover shining thru.. this area is covers by a bolt on  scuttle panel so my repair only had to be strong and structural to work as it's covered from view when the csr is all back together.

 

Welding commenced  and as I wasn't upside down in 12 inces of cramped space progress  was made and the welds were.. passable. A coupl3 of hours with the tin snips and  then a grinder to smooth  it all down - a big fat rubber screen seal sits in the channel  and I wanted to make sure it woukd actually fit.  And tah dah.. some zinc primer and  when that's dry I'll give it a dose of satin black - again  all covered by body panels,  the window rubber or stainless trim so no need to colour match or be totally precocious  as none of the  structure is visible when assembled.  But that later or more likely tommorrow.

 

 

[Low Horatio gearbox]

So this  today was reassembly day.. or was it.

 

I had a pile of parts waiting about  - new screen rubbers and seals and a new to me used but good continental front vent rubber. The old one was cracking and brittle. However  I didn't fancy cleaning up and putting  it all back together yet and while it was alla bit messy and dusty I should  ma6be prod the rear passenger corner of the boot.  It was frilly long before I got it  so maybe I should address  it finally.  

While the rust are was all inside the boot it was jo bother to slacken 2 bold on the leading edge if the wing -hidden  by the rear door, and remove 3 bolts at the rear - I spent more time looking for the spanners than removing it.

 

with acces improved  I proved and  what looked to be a n inch by 3 inches of frilly rust was... more.  Admittedly not much more but all along the seam where the floor behind rhe wheel  well meed the wing.

 

 

Pants.   In an ideal world  I'd replace the floor panel now  it's available at not a horrendous cost (£35 ish). The issue being this corner has had some solid but less pretty  repairs before - its all solid just not pretty,  but to do the corner floor panel I'd need to unpick 3 other panels with repair sections.   The floor to weeh well/tub join spalsh panel and wheel well extension  as they all meet.  And if your doing  that muymay as well put them right.  All the panels I need are available  boot floor corner, inner wheel arch, wheel arch extension and  splash panel  and while not mega expensive I  not inthe  fincial position to do that right now .   A d really I'd rather spend the money recoring the radiator, getting the alternator rebearing and  sourcing a set of PAS hoses as mine are looking a but crap.

 

So  some basic repairs and advanced swearing it was. Mainly as the FILs welder dedided that today it didn't want to play games and between birds nests, pidgeon poo welds nd blowing holes i spent more time fettlin it than the Rover. I'm loath to blame  the tools but the settings hadnt l been touched since yesterday and it continued to throw wobbles and drift as I was using it.  Tho I will take blame for creating more work  by slicing a few  unintended slots in the floor while I was cutting away the grot 🤦‍♂️

 

 Meh.. in the  end its a  area behind the spare wheel where I  store the toolkit,  jack warning  triangle etc so it's rarely if ever seen  - I should finish getting th3 boot carpet set (and uhh put carpet in the csr itself!)

 

 the wonders of a dustig of balck paint and  tommorrow i can clean it up all the dust and start puti it all back together.

[Low Horatio gearbox]

More activity.

Well  a 2nd lick of paint underneath and putting  the wing back on. Simple  bar the small bolt that holds the rear valance panel to the corner of the wing below the bumper which took 10 minutes instead of 2 because I refused to lie down on the floor for one bolt - it was cold and dirty!  I've still got the rear lights to pug back in but I want to clean the connectors up first as well as improve a shonky ground for them, and I didn't  fancy any electrical  guff today.

 

But I did  fix down the demist vent rubber and put the dash top back in and make sure it was  straight and flush. Or as good as I could get anyway, given  there was a huge gap between the top of the dials and bottom of the dash top. It seems better but I called it quits before I put the binnacle plastic back on tomorrow when I can fettle it all when I'm less knackered.

 

Comparison of good used rubber vs shonky knackered  crumbly one.

Yeah a bit fucked.

 

Yes I will  give it a good wipe down and clean before the screen goes in, which I hope to do tommorrow.. maybe.

 

Next up is the more mechanical stuff.

The rad needs recoring

Alternator needs a new bearings

Replumb the fuel lines. As its jot using its mechanical pump I've lost the use of the fuel reserve. Basically means there is 2 gallons of fuel unobtainable.  Thst s amateur if swapping the line the electrical fuel pump under the tanks lugs into. But I want to run a new line from the tank to the carb and remove the  file line switch valve in the engine bay. It weeps a bit and  if you do pull the reserve  tap  you shut the fuel supply and as the valve is shonky it does treally like resetting  without popping the bonnet and doing it manually. 

A good de grease and de oil of the underside of the engine bay and gearbox is on the cards 

As well as  a dillmoil change 

And also resetting send improving thr handbrake wich will realistically only hold the car on level ground

 

 Most of those jobs can be done while the rad and alternator are being refurbished,  funds pending.

 

I would like to get the PAS lines replaced but they are a mighty expensive item in the region of 250 quid for the hoses and fittings.

Mainly as the pas pump sits at the front passenger corner of the engine bay, the hoses then go across the front of the engine and then back to the steering box just in front of the driver, more hoses then go from the steering box across the back of the engine bay to the PAS reservoir which is in from of the passenger. Quite convoluted  due to the  suspension and steering box layout .   When I do get round to the hoses Ican finally use the PAS pump rebuild kit ive had for 4 years. 🤦‍♂️

I will  ask my mechanic friend  if they knkw anywhere  who can make a set up for less and also maybe neater as its a hodge podge of fitting and hoses that looks a bit cobbled together frankly.

 

[2flags]

Have you tried your local hydraulic hose people. They make hoses for everything and normally are able to sort something out. Might be cheaper than what you have been quoted?

[Low Horatio gearbox]

Not yet. I should,  but as its all in and running I'm loathe to take the pipes off  just for the PAS. As its having a decent amount of work  its no  bigger considering the rad and alternator will be out for  a week or two anyway.

 

 

 

Anyway I finally caught up with this today - life - family and feeling like luke warm death keep slowing this all down 🤣🎻

 

I intended to put the screen back in, the seal thst is on it is a bit hard but not knackered. This is actuallya  Sunday screen froma  donor scarab blue car I got for £300.   But I had new screen seals  so why not... better clean this overspray and crap off...x

 

 

Better for sure

[Low Horatio gearbox]

So 30 mins if scrubbing and offering up the new screen seals away with the swearing I went...

 

Ideally you'd have 2 people  to do this but ofc why make it easy for myself. The seal should go in first and then the screen and voila!   I found seating the seal on the screen then  wiggling it into place roughly/far as I could and then taking a  block of wood and rubber mallet to seat it as deeply  as I could in its locating channel. This got it roughly in place and fixed enough to stop the heavy rubber falling down and out. Then it was just  seat and worjk one side of the screen in as deep as i could and work across from one side to the other.. and repeat. This only took 2 goes side amazingly and it was seated  firmly and pretty deeply.

Not quite deeply to just do up the 2  screen  jacks but close enough for me to use a spanner to  lever both sides deeply enough  until u could use the nuts as rover intended.  Th3 main challenge here is to get the screen in tight but resist the temptation to really crank down on them and cracknthe screen.

 

 

 

them it was just thr middle bracket to  put in place and toghten up

 

 

 

 

ya finally. Then the front scuttlw panel  and wiper bungs and wiper arms..

 

et voila!  Just the stainless  brightwork to put back on now.

[Low Horatio gearbox]

Fuck has it been a month?

Between poverty,  ill health and waiting to borrow tools - tho mostly its been me bening  poorly (play the 🎻) 

2 weeks ago I went under the back end - primarily to start rerouting the main and reserve fuel lines- or to swap them over for now as I can't use the last 2 gallons of reserve. The aim is ro put new lines in and remove the fuel reserve tap etc.  While I was under there  I investigated the  drip/leak which it seems is the diff pinion seal , bugger. 

  Tho the seal is less than 20 quid so I may  do it while I have it on stands for the fuel lines.  Tho that means really I should pull the tank and make  sure its clean as the reserve hasn't been used on the 4 years I've owned it - impossible since i put the electric pump in the rear under the tank instead of  badly on the inner front wing and I doubt in the previous 10 years either and I don't fancy sucking up a load of crud and fouling the carbs. 

 

I did manage to get a rivet gun of the FIL last week finally after 2 weeks  to put the window trim back on, and the bonnet is for tommorrow.

 

 

 

 

 

[Low Horatio gearbox]

 Finally got around to ordering  the diff seal and gaskets for the Rover as well as new wipers.

The Jag continues to   do its stuff.  Tho with the massive amount  of roadworks I'm loath to use it much atm

[Low Horatio gearbox]

Aannnnnd long time no update - life's been busy/shit/something.

 

The Rover finally had the bonnet put back on and  made good 2 weeks ago. And in a fit of oh well may as well.. I swapped the reserve and main fuel lines over so that the  rear electric pump now draws on the reserve line and have the full 15 gallon tank use instead of 13.     Naturally after  nearly 4 months the battery was flat and needed a charge, tho to be fair this was for the best as the brake pedal went to the floor with as much resistance as me saying no to cake.

The root cause bing the  remote booster seal weeping and allowing it to  pull fluid thru and  partially fill the booster  under vacuum while draining the master reservoir.  To be fair I've topped it up twice and it was  gone over with a rebuild kit 4 years plus so it's not a super big leak.  Stripped  it all , cleaned an put backtogether and minor bleeding and braking has been restored.  A rebuilt unit is needed, you can get cheap Chinese  copy replacements for fifty quid but they are apparently utter crap.  It is now back on thr Road and ready for use once  it stops raining.

 

 

The jag...... fired right up and bar checking tyre pressures and fluids was fine. There was an oh shit moment when it seemed the starter wasn't disengaging  but this turned out to be a sticky key barrel .  The weather  has been utterly soaking and shit and combined with huge and exensive major roadworks means  I can't be arsed having them look grimy  or washing either of  them  after every  use  so they had a big winter lay up.   Tho there have been a couple of dry days lately so it's done a tip run and the school run a few times.