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

[Shep Shepherd]

My first ever car journey when I was a few days old in November 1977 was done (so I'm told by my parents) in a Rover 3500 practically identical to yours belonging to a family friend, which is probably why I've always been a big fan of them. I'd love a Lunar Grey or Paprika 3500 or 3500S with black box-pleat nylon seats

[Dick Cheeseburger]

I'd never been sure about the shape of the P6B.

Until now. 

The patina combined with a decent drivetrain and solid structure really is the ultimate classic car. I don't blame you in planning to keep it! 

Just one thing though, where's the video of the V8 startup and revving?!

[Uncle Jimmy]

3,000 miles of motoring later, I think it likes you

[ETCHY]

Fabulous.

I always like the look of a P6 on a J plate, dunno why it just looks cooler somehow. You also have the funky headrests for extra cool points.

The P6 really was one hell of a car, when you look at those you do wonder how things later went so badly (& sadly) wrong with our motor industry .

I look forward to more updates.

[Rocket88]

The last "real" Rover....years ahead of it's time. The SD1 was a fine car, but a retrograde step in engineering terms. The P6 was a little cramped, and the four pot engines were a little asthmatic, but the the ride and handling were superb.

[Royale80]

3 hours ago, colc said:

The last "real" Rover....years ahead of it's time. The SD1 was a fine car, but a retrograde step in engineering terms. The P6 was a little cramped, and the four pot engines were a little asthmatic, but the the ride and handling were superb.

I agree. I replaced my 3500S with an S reg 3500 SD 1 manual a few years later. I liked the SD1, but it was nowhere near as quick as the P6. My P6 would spin the wheels in 2nd gear. The interior of the P6 - especially the instruments and switches were superb-much better than the SD1.

[Uncle Jimmy]

I think it would be fair to say that the P6 was Rover's attempt to shoehorn English speaking people into a Citroen DS type of vehicle; a partial success.  With a great big dollop of hindsight, Rover should have persevered with the P5 V8 type of vehicle, perhaps morphing into something that might have given BMW a drubbing. 

[Surface Rust]

This is a cracking car and a major case of deja vu for me. On getting my first job I spent my entire first pay check on this beauty, despite it FTPing on the test drive. It was the cheapest way into a V8 and I had no idea what an accomplished drive they were. I loved it and only sold it for a deposit on my first house. It sadly resurfaced on eBay many years later in a right state, which made me quite sad. Enjoy yours!

[Low Horatio gearbox]

The SD1 is still a great car (on the list to experience the ecstasy and agone someday) but the P6 is lightyears ahead in design and engineering moreso when compared to my newer designed XJ I will be keeping  this updated as soon as I have a space and place of my own to work on itShall do next week. 

 

I've got this PAS wheel to fit at some point soon I hope as it has PAS but a std wheel currently.

23 hours ago, Dick Longbridge said:

Just one thing though, where's the video of the V8 startup and revving?!

 

Oh if you insist.  😁 Will do when I can get over to where its stored I the next week or so.

[Low Horatio gearbox]

Some P4 tinted sun visors to fit at some point (soon I hope)

[somewhatfoolish]

Why did they have different wheels for PAS and non-PAS? Just bragging rights? What's the difference between them?

[SiC]

1 hour ago, somewhatfoolish said:

Why did they have different wheels for PAS and non-PAS? Just bragging rights? What's the difference between them?

Probably size? Bigger wheel is needed if you don't have PAS to give the mechanical assistance to help turn it. 

[2flags]

2 hours ago, somewhatfoolish said:

Why did they have different wheels for PAS and non-PAS? Just bragging rights? What's the difference between them?

The non power steering wheel is larger to give you more leverage. The power steering wheel is, in my opinion, a much nicer thing. It really needs power steering in a car of this class.

[jon.k]

Has anyone else seen this slightly weird advert? 

[Low Horatio gearbox]

As per a startup.  Would have done it earlier this week but 2021... whine ..moan...whinge 🤣🤦‍♂️

 

 

[Tamworthbay]

What a cracker, one of the best U.K. made saloons ever. I need to get another soon.

[Low Horatio gearbox]

On 1/5/2021 at 3:23 PM, 2flags said:

The non power steering wheel is larger to give you more leverage. The power steering wheel is, in my opinion, a much nicer thing. It really needs power steering in a car of this class.

Pretty much it. Non PAS ones are about 1 1/2" - 2"  bigger diameter and plastic coated/finished and actually nice but the rim is far to thin. PAS ones are smaller and leather wrapped rim and spokes. I wanted it as it looked better to my eyes and also for ease of use as the std wheel is huge. 

5 hours ago, Tamworthbay said:

What a cracker, one of the best U.K. made saloons ever. I need to get another soon.

Get one, and I will say this to anyone.. they are hideously undervalued  especially in V8 form.  A doddle to work on mechanically -rear in board brakes aside.  The nature of the base unit construction means you can customise  them to taste, want a sunroof - it's a non structural panel so swap it. Its superbly comfy and has good road manners . Credit to rover they did invent the hot rod performance sport saloon  in the 60s with the 2000TC and the V8

[Low Horatio gearbox]

I had the car out on Sunday  again and tried  to get a better video of it running and revving.   Alas my young assistant took "rev it a bit" as  floor it   🤦‍♂️

[Low Horatio gearbox]

Mostly quiet on the Welsh fro t, tho that will change now I've  had an offer on a house accepted - double garage and garden hard standing. Took it for a good run yesterday (and steadfastly ignored how dirty it was, and the snag and niggle lit I want to sort.. and the PAS wheel to fit.. and the P4 visors).

The house news also means more chod (much, much more).  and I've my eye on a Manual 3500 S, the only snag is  its 200 miles away in Sheffield 😖🤦‍♂️

[Low Horatio gearbox]

Not having my own place and garage means driving let alone fettling progress isn't slow (play those nanon violins harder) this should be rectified in the next 10 days.

But I've managed to wash and polish it

and fit a PAS steering wheel.

And clean off what I thought was rust from the interior light bezel

 

But was in fact ciggy smoke and tar build up.. 

 

Soon I'll have a decent sized garage and workshop  so I can attend the laundry list of jobs, new (to me) perspex tinted P4 visors  new carpets and sound deadening (to replace... none)  sort the damaged window runner seals, align the windows to seal better, some welding,  new back box 🤦🏻‍♂️

[Crackers]

How have I only just discovered this thread! 

Lovely car, lovely colour. 

[Low Horatio gearbox]

It's a good "patinad" 10 foot paint job , just dont get to close.

Mind I paid  about a third for mine as you did for yours  and thus it's been a steep learning curve!  I should be able to sort the niggly stuff that has been driving me spare the last 6 months and get the carpet in and tidy it up. Paint is  going to wait a year or two bar some remedial door bottom rust removal.

[Low Horatio gearbox]

Despite the tumult of my life Visa vie moving house and life shizz I havent forgotten the Rover. 

Sterling service has been provided especially tip runs (after 3 months in the houseI've finally finished clearing out all the toss left behind, bar a few breeze blocks) and general mooching around.

 

Stuff done  includes, new window  channel felt/rubbers on both front doors as it had started falling part..18 months ago and was letting in horrendous wind noise. After much faff and swearing g as I figured out how to get the window frames out and seperated from the doors (doable but  a long winded process) I just decided to wing it and yank what was left out and fettle and massage the new stuff in with the doors intact and windows in. Frankly it worked really well. With the doorcard off I could get the new stuff seated with the window half up/down and wind the window up and down to work around it. Took about 5 minutes a side. The rears need doing but nowhere near as badly.

Then finally with much cajoling and persistence I got the retrimmed passenger front seat back of the trimmer (and also thus never have to deal with him again) 3 weeks ago a mere 8 months after he said it would be done.. 

Lovely. I will bite the bullet this week and get a new carpet set ordered and I can finally finish off the interior and fit all the trim bits and get the dash top aligned and a new dash vent rubber installed. 

 

On the mechanical side my bodged repair to the back box gave up so I set to removing the old one as I had been given a good used one. The canvas hanger came off with only a mild fight but came off... the join between the rear and mid section however  was a bastard. All 3 nut/bolts were solid and rusted to hell even after cutting the heads off the shafts were jammed solid.  In the end I cut the pipe on the back box and angle ground it away/to pieces (for reference the fuel tank is directly above the join and also I dont currently have an torch) 

 

Great result tho it came apart and the midsection is fine to reuse..offer up the new back box... ah  buggeration it's from an "S" and  is 2 1/2" diamiter vs 2" on my auto. I did boom it in to a local garage to have it chopped and necked down, but the day I had it booked in and was on my way to them and lost on the industrial estate I phoned them to be told "welders broke sorry mat cant fix it sorry byyyeee"  so a new hopefully correct back  box is arriving tommorow. Currently sounds a loud as a loud thing and fillls the car with fumes.. so no driving it for 10 days  😢

[Low Horatio gearbox]

And the exhaust is now on after I forgot to get the joining olive/ring. Now all together and the quietest it's ever been with the mega bonus the car isn't filling up with exhaust fumes.

 While I was under ther I discovered the middle box was missing  a rubber donut mount, Halfords supplied a quality* part (2 in fact as the first snapped, glad I bought 2 😒).  All is mostly good underneath tho I do need to do some preventative old underseal removal and get some rust treatment and Bilt Hamber Dynax UB paint on there to keep it good.

I'm giving  the wheeltrims a refurb too, tho 2 resisted paint adhesion and one needs some mild going over and one redoing completely.

[Low Horatio gearbox]

Thanks to the crisis/shortage/first world problem of the week I brimmed the tank Saturday as this is the only car in the fleet available. I popped the bonnet today to siphon some fuel off to put in the modern daily's curtsey car while it's being serviced and MOTd and there was an alarming amount of fuel dripping from the fuel filter.   By alarming..  really any petrol wilfully escaping a container iscause because concern,  this was a weep of a few mils an hour.

I suspect this was a by product of a FTP about 19 months ago when the fuel reserve valve  vibrated half open so the boot mounted pump was  basically recirculating petrol back to the tank. I'd had thr filter off trying to diagnose it and hadnt properly located and sealed. Due to the tank being brimmed for the first time in 18 or so months and it being on a slight slope it was  forcing fuel thru as half the 15 gallons was above the level of the filter now.  I tried the lazy  option of nipping it up but no dice and it still weeped fuel, so I relented and pulled it apart as petrol pised all out of the place fro the sender and return lines while I smeared some Hylomar blue on the threads a d fried nkt to get any in the filter/fuel line.  After much swearing and a long time it's no longer leaking  and I also took the opportunity to replace some engine stabilizer/damper bushes too as the fuel filter and engine mount share the same bracket.   

 

TL/DR:  fixed 2 things one of which was my own fault.

New filter on order as is (or will be later)  a new carpet set, which annoyingly means I will have to straighten all the poorly alligned  dash "wood"and fittings and also find all the missing fittings I ordered 2 years ago and put away safe*

[tooSavvy]

To PAS..or Not to PAS.. a very good question!

The stock wheel on my SuziQ (no PAS) was fuc##ing $hite 😱

The MiNi wheel I bought to replace it is BIGGER and very *cool...

Steering is a proper haul, at slow/kerb turnout !!

[Low Horatio gearbox]

PAS for me.. weak arms/CFS  but even so I'd go with the PAS wheel as it looks and feels nicer than the std one.. 🤷‍♂️

An inch smaller in diameter  so not a huge difference.

 

And all pooched out. Bonus is an NVH reduction.. tho that means I can hear the grumbling alternator bearings better now.

 No longer leaky.  

 

Rebushed mount/brace. 

The block bracket is slotted so I didn't need to take it off,   naturally I only realised this when I got it off

 

[Low Horatio gearbox]

Ages ago I took the wheeltrims off , masked and painted them. 2 came out well and 2 are in need of a touch up again (go painting stainless!) Then I got distracted with other chod and life and only last week put them back on the car,  and yesterday did I put the centre badges on!

 

 

After paint (use your imagination  to visualise this with virtually no 50 year old faded  black paint...)

 

And with a badge... all badged now honest!

 

Not perfect the edges are not as crisp as I'd like by a fair bit, but you need to be on your hands and knees to notice 

[Low Horatio gearbox]

More titivation.

Steering wheel attacked with Kiwi and some dye. Brought it up nicely but not to new and shiny.

 

 

Then prodded in the boot. Some rust and minor holes I was a ware of -fixing those myself is pushing me to bite the bullet and get my own welder and relearn. Nasty carpets whipped out...

Yeah... no saving that.

 

Vactan daubed on the orange and frilly bits. And fresh boot carpet added.

[Low Horatio gearbox]

And holy jesustittyfucking christ it's been 8 months since an update. 

 

TL/DR.  Rover continues to car reliably, scheduled maintenance  has been done and  mechanical titivation  and overhall planned for September.

 

 In thrillingly dull news the 3500  keeps running on sweetly and with no complaint  despite being daily driven half the time for school runs, tip trips and shopping.    I've checked the fluids and topped up the oil  once a few months back and tightened the valve covers  (loose maybe a quarter of a turn) at the same time but otherwise its needed nothing . To be honest if I RainX'd the windscreen it would be driven more.

So in a fit of sensibilitie  the Rover had an oil and filter change as it hadn't been done since September 2020 tho admittedly I've only done about 2500 miles in it since then.  I topped of the auto box a smidge and the same for brake fluid  which  as there is no leak and no loss of braking means I should order some new front pads ready.  The fire traps and pipework were given a check and a spurt of wd40 to rinse out the crap that fills the traps.

The only negative was an oily sump from the rocker covers and I suspect my cack handed oil top up 4 months ago - free rustoroofing!  And I noticed the PAS pump was damp and weeping - I've had the rebuild kit ready for 3 years  tho the reservoir level hardy dropped appreciably from full.  There are a number of jobs I want to attend to and there are enough now to slate some time to do it this autumn  all together  remove the fuel  reserve tap and piping  and tidy the fuel lines and have the rad re-cored , alternator bearings replaced and the drivers window winder repaired - this last one is probbaly my most first world problem so it makes sense to me to  do it all in one go in September ish.