Rover P6 V8 Advice - Pete-M?

[trigger]

Tonight i went to view a 1971 Rover 3500 that was for sale and I'm after some advice to what people think of it.

 

It has 63000 miles on it (Believe genuine by owner but no history to back up) and mot until November, It drives very well, started first time, ticked over perfectly and pulled like a train.

 

Sadly it hasn't got power steering but i guess I'll get use to that but everything seemed to work which is rare for a BL car.

 

The bodywork has had lots of bits done to it over the years, The weather strips are shagged and need replacing, one of the rear 1/4's had bubbling under the paintwork but they are bolt on panels, it seem o.k as far as i could tell behind the panel , The floor was a bit rusty but no signs of holes in it or the sills though there was evidence of former patch repairs, all the other panels seemed tidy (Although they have been repainted), The A post has surface rust but it didn't look like the grot had set in.

 

The biggest problem is that the auto gearbox drips oil, He owner (who'selling it as he's been temporally banned from driving due to black outs) said it's a oil tray gasket? a light above the clock came on and he said it was low oil in the gearbox light due to the leak, The box worked fine and held in the gears perfectly.

 

Looking at the photos i took what would you say it's worth (He's told me a price but i want to see what you lot say first) and it's it looks o.k. The photos do flatter it a bit.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[dollywobbler]

Can't advise on the gearbox (Andy Frost - Red Victor 1 is your man) but before you hand over the folding, pull out the rear seat bases. Underneath is a real rot spot. The sills have cover sills over them, so checking the condition is tricky.

 

My Series 1 didn't have PAS and I never really missed it. They are wonderful cars but can quite easily cause financial ruin. Well, in my experience at least...

[trigger]

Thanks for that DW, The guy who owns it at the moment does bodywork and i think he's given it a blow over to tidy it up, It has lots of overspray on the rubbers which worries me to what he's hidden up, It's a shame as I'm tempted by it, mostly because the engine is amazing!

 

Maybe it's back to the drawing board again, How hard is it to find a decent car (preferably tax free) that you like for under £2000, I guess it wouldn't be so hard if there wasn't so many different cars that i want!

 

On the plus side whilst looking at the car i saw a J plate Montego estate drive past then a E reg Renault 21 Monaco!.

[lancashireclamper]

The only P6 I have ever driven (early 90's) had power steering and it felt over light and wallowy, think the non assisted steering might be a positive factor,

As for price, with the gearbox being a potential arse ache and 3months MOT I'd say £1200 would be about right.

 

(probably just raised hoots of derision as even rusted non runners are making 25k, everything is so expensive these days;

I sold one of them for 7s 6d and a pickled egg, they were the days etc etc)

 

Sorry, feeling a bit 'unusual' at the moment, off to take my pills now

[Rocket88]

Ahem..........."low oil in gearbox light" I think not. Sounds like someone doesn't know anything about the car they're selling.P6's hide rot very well.......

[trigger]

It doesn't help that someone doesn't know anything about the car that they are buying neither! I am quite concerned by the rot as well, He said he's been trying to sell it for 2 months which makes me wonder it's worse then it looks as well.

 

On the plus side i did pass this house that had two of them in the garden and a P6 estate!

 

[Richard]

I'd give it a miss tbh. As you say it looks like the paint is barely dry on it. I reckon the outer panels will look like the door shuts this time next year.

[Milford Cubicle]

It's all ringing alarm bells to me, you should hold out for something better.

[trigger]

Cheers guys, That's why i asked on here, I always get the answer i need to hear!.

 

My old man said he'll go with me to view some cars but it's been a busy week for him this week so he's not been able to go with me so I end up going on my own, Every time i ring him about a car i end up with him having a go at me because "Every car i look at is a bucket of shit", He has a point though.

[Pete-M]

Right.

 

Looks cosmetically ok. Judging by the carpet in the n/s footwell, it leaks. Most do, especially with knackered window seals. Carpets and seals are available from JRW, but they're not that cheap.

 

Lift the back seat out. The diff mounts there, and they tend to rot in that area.

 

On the A post photo, is that waxoyl or rot? Did you check out the front bulkhead? That's where the front suspension mounts to. Weird setup. The C post looks rather shabby behind the wing. It would worry me a bit. There's also the overspray on the a-pillar bung. Looks rather fresh (could just be clean, but anyone with half a brain would have cleaned the bung and got rid of the paint) and it looks like there's rot bubbling through again.

 

The jacking point tubes are a good indication of how shagged the sills are likely to be, as is the little triangular bit at the end of the sill when viewed through the wheelarch.

 

The gearboxes all leak. In a '71 car it'll be the BW35 box. Simple enough.

 

Did you check the handbrake? Inboard rear discs can mean a world of pain if they're not spot on.

 

Floor rot could be easily sorted, but much more important is the state of the sills... They're an utter fuckpig to get right.

 

The light above the clock is for the choke. Some still have the monumentally dodgy cold start auto choke thing, FASD I think it's called.

 

What was the oil pressure like? At 2500 rpm hot the gauge should be above half way. The Rover V8 runs bugger all oil pressure at idle when hot anyway, the oil pressure light can flicker at idle in a hot P6. It's mentioned in the handbook... Even the SD1s only tend to idle at 15psi(ish). Idle on a 10.5:1 P6 V8 is around 600 rpm in neutral.

 

The lack of power steering is something you get used to. I prefer 'em with it, but it takes a bit of getting used to.

 

I'd say that's probably £600-800. If the sills and wings are good it'll be toward the top end. Seats are correct for an early S2. Later ones had the comfier "box pleat" jobs, but they don't wear as well.

[Station]

What beautiful cars these are for very little money. Id I had one, it'd break and I'd spend thousands on one never getting it working.

[garethj]

  Milford Cubicle said:

It's all ringing alarm bells to me, you should hold out for something better.

What he said. If you're looking for something to use as a long term restoration, that's your car - you can smoke around in it for a month and see what drops off.

 

If you're looking for a car to use and not worry too much about, I'd keep looking.

[trigger]

Well you have all confirmed my thoughts then, the paint work was a little too fresh for my liking and the overspray on all the rubbers did help neither.

He was after £1650 for it which seemed a lot of money, i'm after something that i can do a little fretting with to make nice but not a restoration project and a world of financal pain.

 

The search continues...

[dollywobbler]

An E-Reg 21 Monaco? Wasn't reg number E355 DPL was it? It's meant to be up in Lancashire...

[trigger]

It wasn't your old one DW, this one had a essex plate, think it was something like ENO.

 

The Frinton/Walton/Clacton area is fantastic for spotting old shite. Even saw a UMM Peugeot 4x4 thing in a driveway.

[Albert Ross]

Why not go see the bloke with the three in his garden? He might have one tucked away or even know the White one.... You never know.........

[Rocket88]

There looks to be a half decent one on RR waebsite for circa £1500.....

[trigger]

Yes, I'm watching that one on ebay as well, It looks like good value compared to the other one although it's not tax exempt, I've been a bit put of them by the rust stories I've heard about them and i have a slight concern to weather I'd be able to get it into the back garden into the garage and i have a shared driveway to the back between mine and my neighbours house which is a bit tight.

 

I still really fancy a amazon as well, There's a nice 123 GT just been listed tonight on ebay in Wakefield for £2500 starting price that I'd love but i just know that it will go for a lot more.

[Pete-M]

How about a black, '85 SD1 Vanden Plas EFi with tan leather?

 

Mine'll be up for grabs soon I suspect...

[trigger]

I was looking at the photos of yours on facebook the other night funny enough, I do really like it but your miles away (8 1/2 hour round trip) and it would cost a lot to drive it back.

 

I'm worried that you lot must be getting fed up with me indecisiveness!