Rover P6 2000TC - ICE

[N Dentressangle]

The interior is nice. Vinyl seats, so no decaying leather to worry about. It all needs a good clean, but that's in the plan and I think it'll come up really well. The carpets are good too, and will benefit from a proper wet vac and clean:

Radio panel is out so I can diagnose a lack of max power on the heater fan. I suspect a wire has maybe come adrift, as low speed works fine. Next job is to pull the radio surround so I can access the fan controls. I'm impressed with how beautifully this car is engineered and made - easily the equal of a W115 Mercedes I had once. Rover was obviously a formidable company back in the day. What a shame.

[High Jetter]

10 minutes ago, N Dentressangle said:

 I suspect a wire has maybe come adrift, as low speed works fine.

Could be the rheostat has failed

[N Dentressangle]

1 minute ago, High Jetter said:

Could be the rheostat has failed

Would that not gub the low speed rather than the high?

[N Dentressangle]

Some pleasing areas next. The dashboard is gorgeous, although I would probably prefer the minimalist strip speedo of the Series 1 cars:

The clarity of the instruments is lovely, as well as the thought which has gone into everything. The beautiful anodised metal ashtray, for example, and those delicate looking stalks. All really nice, I think. The double lockable glove boxes are rather fantastic, as well as the perspex rotary controls in the centre. All of it so much nicer than the ill-fitting shonky plastic junk on my 1990 Range Rover.

And for the number plate fetishists amongst us:

I have a couple of photos of this car in the mid 90's wearing yellow / white plates, but someone obviously saved the originals and they're fitted now. The boot is also in dire need of T Cut / polish, obvs.

[artdjones]

37 minutes ago, N Dentressangle said:

Rover was obviously a formidable company back in the day. What a shame.

They were until BL got hold of them. BL specialised in taking the profits of functioning companies and using them to reinforce failure elsewhere.

[lesapandre]

I think the interior is all David Bache - it's all one single design concept. 

Bache never gets  quite the recognition he should - one of the most influential car designers who worked in the 20th century. 

Range Rover still dine off the crumbs of his genius.

[ETCHY]

Lovely, just the sort of condition I like a car in. Not a show queen but not a wreck just nice & used. Those plates are cool.

I think these were the first British car to have a variable wiper setting, cool to think that something we take for granted was once a novelty.

I seem to recall reading that fuseboxes can be dodgy in these & I think it was the early '70's ones if I recall correctly. They can melt so maybe have a look at that, just to be safe.

I agree with lesapandre David Bache was a brilliant man.

[lesapandre]

4 minutes ago, artdjones said:

They were until BL got hold of them. BL specialised in taking the profits of functioning companies and using them to reinforce failure elsewhere.

And BL could never reconcile the different cultures of the companies in the combine - did it want to be high volume low cost or something of more quality and care? It never worked that out and squandered some very talented people. Bache himself was sacked by BL!

[ETCHY]

Worth a watch

[N Dentressangle]

15 minutes ago, lesapandre said:

I think the interior is all David Bache - it's all one single design concept. 

Bache never gets  quite the recognition he should - one of the most influential car designers who worked in the 20th century. 

Range Rover still dine off the crumbs of his genius.

Totally.

I realised I own or have owned 4 David Bache designs - the P6, Range Rover, Series IIA Land Rover and Metro. Quite a portfolio.

[Six-cylinder]

Back a long time ago I had a 1968 Rover 2000TC in solid grey. Shame I was too young to really appreciate it at the time and sold it a few months later to buy another Triumph Vitesse. I was 19 years old and knew I had bought the wrong car when my father asked to borrow it a few times to take my grand parents out because it was better than his nearly new Citroen GS! 

But now that is a lovely thing and  would be pleased to have one!

[stuboy]

one of the best cars ive driven

[Inspector Morose]

57 minutes ago, lesapandre said:

I think the interior is all David Bache - it's all one single design concept. 

Bache never gets  quite the recognition he should - one of the most influential car designers who worked in the 20th century. 

Range Rover still dine off the crumbs of his genius.

The whole car was a Bache design, albeit tweaked from the original drawings - the nose was cut off to form a proper grille and the interior was given a bit more substance than its lightweight interior forebear. The series 2 used bits from the Alvis GTS (or Gladys as it was known due to its heavy-skirted look), the dash, the power bulges in the bonnet and the box pleating of the seats I think came from Gladys.

As series 2 cars go, that's a bloody early one. Note the series one badging on the boot - that didn't last very long before it was replaced. All in all, very nice, that one!

I've had a few. A series two 2200TC (in Avacado green with Mango velour interior and brown vinyl roof) that was the 547th before production ended, a 3500 that was fitted with a 5-speed box before being converted to diesel using an SD1 engine and box (that didn't end well) and a series one 2000SC. As cars go, the P6 was one of the best money no object, British-engineered cars ever made in my opinion. For a car that was designed over 60 years ago, they're still capable everyday cars, if a tad thirsty (the 2200TC wasn't that much more economical than the 3500S).

[N Dentressangle]

49 minutes ago, ETCHY said:

Worth a watch

Thanks. That's superb.

I don't understand what happened to the UK motor industry. All the wrong people seem to have taken charge.

[N Dentressangle]

Anyhow, some more pics. Time for the worst bits, I think. You've seen the chalky boot lid, and here's the roof in dire need of some moisturising:

Apart from T Cut and polish, I'm not sure what to do with these panels. I'm much more a fan of patina where it can be preserved, so happy with a DO NOT PAINT philosophy, but I'm wondering what other products are available these days to bring this kind of paintwork back around? Suggestions welcome.

There are a couple of areas that do need paint:

so I'll probably pick up a rattle can or something for these two unless anyone has any better ideas.

[N Dentressangle]

And finally, a job that does need doing. The outer window seals are definitely knackered

This is probably the worst but they're all cracked and shitty. New ones are £35ish by the looks of it, so I'll get them ordered.

[High Jetter]

2 hours ago, N Dentressangle said:

Would that not gub the low speed rather than the high?

Hum, maybe. Worth putting your meter on, though, if only to eliminate.

[N Dentressangle]

Will have a look tomorrow when my fingers aren't freezing off

[tooSavvy]

🤔.... Rivet Counters look away now.

If a TC is one more carb than a NOT TC, then are there/have there been any adventurous types gone for Twin Choke mods..??

No particular reason to float it, just a thought...... 😐

Lovely old girl 👍

🚙💨

[timolloyd]

Check out @richardthestag videos on door seals - not all door seals are equal 👀

[somewhatfoolish]

While we're messing with them, one of these with a T series out of a 620ti is in my fantasy garage.

59 minutes ago, tooSavvy said:

🤔.... Rivet Counters look away now.

If a TC is one more carb than a NOT TC, then are there/have there been any adventurous types gone for Twin Choke mods..??

No particular reason to float it, just a thought...... 😐

Lovely old girl 👍

🚙💨

 

[Inspector Morose]

10 hours ago, somewhatfoolish said:

While we're messing with them, one of these with a T series out of a 620ti is in my fantasy garage.

 

For me, it would have to be one of these:

5 cylinder P6 engine made by joining a cut down three cylinder P6 engine to a cut down 2 cylinder P6 engine and then running on a triple carb set up. At around 2500cc, the size would be spot on but I’d put it on injection to actually make it work.

A P6 with a 5cylinder warble? Good god, yes.

[SiC]

I seem to remember reading that 5 cylinder engines need at least port injection for them to run properly? Presumably per cylinder carbs (like on many bikes) would work but adds significant cost. 

[Christine]

Those seats look to me , like leather, not vinyl? 

[Inspector Morose]

5 hours ago, SiC said:

I seem to remember reading that 5 cylinder engines need at least port injection for them to run properly? Presumably per cylinder carbs (like on many bikes) would work but adds significant cost. 

They wanted port injection but did manage to get them running fairly well using an unequal carb set-up, as shown in the picture. I think basically it was two large SUs feeding the forward four cylinders with a tiny SU to fill in the gap at the back. Rather clever really. The main bugbear was trying to contain the unbalanced forces without resorting to balance shafts. Of course, when the Buick 215 came into the picture, it was all rather moot.

[artdjones]

5 minutes ago, Inspector Morose said:

They wanted port injection but did manage to get them running fairly well using an unequal carb set-up, as shown in the picture. I think basically it was two large SUs feeding the forward four cylinders with a tiny SU to fill in the gap at the back. Rather clever really. The main bugbear was trying to contain the unbalanced forces without resorting to balance shafts. Of course, when the Buick 215 came into the picture, it was all rather moot.

A V6 would have been better, something Rover did think about for a while.

[N Dentressangle]

2 hours ago, Christine said:

Those seats look to me , like leather, not vinyl? 

They're deffo vinyl - I had a go at cleaning them today. Apparently Flash Magic Eraser is the way to clean them. I'll pick one up tomorrow from Sains, unless anyone has any better ideas?

[Peter C]

Cheap spares car, if you need it.

[N Dentressangle]

Incredibly low values.

Imagine if that were a Ford or BMW 🤣

[Matty]

5 hours ago, Peter C said:

Cheap spares car, if you need it.

Needs spec lift or skates (or just take prop off) 👍