Rover P4

[djb222]

After much thought I've bought a June 1961 Rover P4 80 in Shadow Green , so a little older than me!! ( not strictly shite but it used to be)

I wanted something classic that is useable but needs a little fettling, a rolling project if you like. It is original matching numbers car and came with a good history file with lots having been spent over the last 20 years or so. I may start  a project thread ...there are a few small areas that need a little attention to the body.....

Here's a few images for a start.

.

 

[iainrcz]

I'm pretty sure that's what my Boss at work used to have but in black. He recently sold it and bought a white MK2 Jag.

[purplebargeken]

Pray that the interior is in good order, mainly the seats and door cards as it is a wallet murdering cost to sort. Carpets...Coverdale without any hesitation.

[LightBulbFun]

30 minutes ago, djb222 said:

After much thought I've bought a June 1961 Rover P4 80 in Shadow Green , so a little older than me!! ( not strictly shite but it used to be)

I wanted something classic that is useable but needs a little fettling, a rolling project if you like. It is original matching numbers car and came with a good history file with lots having been spent over the last 20 years or so. I may start  a project thread ...there are a few small areas that need a little attention to the body.....

Here's a few images for a start.

.

 

Looks like a lovely old thing, always nice to see a Rover P of any kind  

looking forward to more on it  

[Rocket88]

Ultimate Autoshite bank manager’s car… full of elegant answers to the motoring questions of the day….

[Amishtat]

A delightful car from the days of actual quality and thoughtful design. Nice to see one retaining its original registration and without the Beirut-spec front seat so many of the survivors have. 

[djb222]

1 hour ago, purplebargeken said:

Pray that the interior is in good order, mainly the seats and door cards as it is a wallet murdering cost to sort. Carpets...Coverdale without any hesitation.

Door cards are pretty good just need a good clean and feed. Rear seats are very good, frontbencher seat again needs feeding and a bit of tlc. Carpets again a clean, slightly faded but we'll see........ only had it 5 days.

 

[Amishtat]

You may already know this,but there's a lovely period film on YouTube from about 1958/9 called In the Rover Tradition. It's largely concerned with the new 3-litre P5 but it gives an interesting insight into the no compromise quality and construction of Rover as it was,rather than the second-rate gasket-blowing fwd landfill which was later to bear the name. Well worth a watch, I'm afraid I'm not technically proficient enough to post a link.

[Dobloseven]

There's a beige and green very late 110 for sale very near us. Looks ok from a distance but haven't got close. £4500.Can find out more if anyone is interested. 

[PhilA]

Very nice. Everybody outside the UK still sees this as the type of car that represents the UK.

More should be made, to the same quality 

[RoadworkUK]

3 hours ago, Amishtat said:

"..... the second-rate gasket-blowing fwd landfill which was later to bear the name"

Can relate...

Gorgeous car, Dwb.

 

[Dobloseven]

Had a bit of a closer look tonight and it doesn't look too bad. Seats look very nice. Bench in the front, which surprised me as it's a B reg, so must be one of the very last. Bumper chrome is lightly rusted. Wondering if paint scheme is original, as I don't recall those colours when I were a lad. Any opinions on price, it's ono?

[worldofceri]

9 minutes ago, PhilA said:

Very nice. Everybody outside the UK still sees this as the type of car that represents the UK.

More should be made, to the same quality 

Indeed, it’s no accident that the current London taxi (LEVC TX) basically looks like a modern pastiche of one of these.

[stuboy]

very handsome

[djb222]

It's been a long time since I last posted about my Rover P4....and a lot has happened since, in fact, well it started with removing the Front Valance for repainting..... now the front end is now missing to weld some covered up (in underseal) corrosion on the chassis.

Here's a couple of videos....

https://youtu.be/C8F_CoQAdW0

https://youtu.be/MiQShCtjUGU

https://youtu.be/hrNPP6KVO8Q

https://youtu.be/REBYPLuEnr0

https://youtu.be/9YN5JPpqtwM

https://youtu.be/C5MJXU2kzvo

[Zelandeth]

Guessing that's far closer to the colour my interior was at some point.

How many P4s do we have on here now?  There's at least three I think.

[Saabnut]

More than that, I have 2 ......

[Surface Rust]

I have one that is almost the same colour, in fact I wonder if it is the colour yours has been painted on the exterior - Pine green?

I need to dismantle the front of mine as well as the list of jobs are reaching a critical mass (noisy clutch bearing, knackered gearbox mount, cracked manifold, and a bodged core plug on the rear of the block).

Problem is, despite that list it still drives really well!

Good luck with yours, the videos are very helpful. Despite their popularity there isn't a lot of technical help on the interweb as I think most of the owners are from the paper and pen generation.

[High Jetter]

Just seen this thread, glad you're getting to improve it. Looking forward to updates.

[djb222]

1 hour ago, Surface Rust said:

I have one that is almost the same colour, in fact I wonder if it is the colour yours has been painted on the exterior - Pine green?

I need to dismantle the front of mine as well as the list of jobs are reaching a critical mass (noisy clutch bearing, knackered gearbox mount, cracked manifold, and a bodged core plug on the rear of the block).

Problem is, despite that list it still drives really well!

Good luck with yours, the videos are very helpful. Despite their popularity there isn't a lot of technical help on the interweb as I think most of the owners are from the paper and pen generation.

 

38 minutes ago, High Jetter said:

Just seen this thread, glad you're getting to improve it. Looking forward to updates.

Thanks Both. I bought the car to use....but you know how it goes, start to fiddle and poke around and think, I'll just tidy that up... anyway it's all good fun.

I thin the colour is Shadow Green, at least that's what it says on the "touch up" paint tubes. I have a feeling the original colour is a bit lighter now I've had a look under the trim inside.

Lot's to do...... all to be documented...

[High Jetter]

I have P4 parts cats if you need any numbers

[djb222]

17 hours ago, High Jetter said:

I have P4 parts cats if you need any numbers

Thanks for the offer, however I was advised to get one soon after I got the car....they are essential...

[GlenAnderson]

I had an 80 for a number of years, 2000 to 2008, and thoroughly enjoyed it overall. It did cost me an absolute fortune though, after I dived into the “I’ll just” rabbit hole. 🤣

I’ll try and scan in some pictures. 

[djb222]

It's been a while since I last posted an update on my Rover P4 80, but work has been progressing. After striping down the front of the car to allow access to the Chassis rails, which badly need repair, I began cutting out the rot and welding in new metal, here's a pic of the finished N/S chassis and a video. I had to fabricate the "bumper Iron support bracket" the "Anti Roll Bar Bracket" and a "bumper Support" I used 3mm sheet, the welding could be better but the welds are strong...... 

https://youtu.be/xNcYDSUDhy0

[Joey spud]

Impressive stuff. If you can go thicker on the steel then it's a no brainer.

[djb222]

Here's the latest updates on the Rover P4.....

https://youtu.be/tJ-foyU_zhs

https://youtu.be/TUqEgqIUyOY

[jonathan_dyane]

@djb222 You're doing some super restoration work although you must have been gutted to find so much rot on what looked to be a really honest and solid car. You're giving me the fear in terms of what mine might be hiding!

[djb222]

Thanks. Must say I was surprised at the amount of rot and badly repaired areas. I think it would be a rarer well looked after car not to have some rot. Hope yours is a good one.

[Zelandeth]

Still remember being surprised at the underside of mine.  Body was scruffy as anything in a lot of places, but aside from some dents/scrapes in the chassis where it looked like the car had been lifted by a forklift or something like that at some point.  I'd given all the usual suspect spots a good poke and it seemed absolutely solid chassis wise despite having pretty "substantial patina" all over the body.

They do seem to resist rust pretty well, but I think more through just being built out of really thick steel rather than having particularly good corrosion protection, and there are definitely plenty of rust traps.  The doors having no proper drain holes in the bottom for one, and there being nothing to encourage water away from the sills also won't help anything.

[2flags]

You are doing a first-class job there. I am looking forward to seeing more videos. It's a lot of work, but I'm sure you'll manage it.