Uk new owner of an old car and new to the forum.

Krueger

New Member
I should start off with my car is not a matching numbers 'as it left the factory' car. I once put an image of my modified Ducati on a Ducati forum and the reception was more like I had stamped on their pet kittens than a welcome.
with that out of the way, I bought a p6 a month or two back. I had tried buying the ebay 'wedding car' (I cant think of a worse car as a wedding car, imagine a woman in her big flowing dress squeezing into the back of a p6 lol), and both times it never hit reserve and didnt sell, still hasn't in fact.
So moving on I saw two black cars appear in a short space of time, the first was a true mark one without bumpers and looking a little unhappy. The second is the one I bought that looks fine from twenty feet, and a lot less fine close up. If ever a car needed a respray then this is it.
The 120 mile journey home with it was fine apart from revealing a couple of niggles, the bonnet dodnt want to stay down. Two stops to re close it, no fun on a 'smart' motorway with no hard shoulder lane. The second was a grumble and clunk from steering that didnt show til I got home though there was some vagueness in the steering. The third was a very erratic speedo.

The bonnet problem is a cable issue. i need to get another but so far I have only seen it at 50 quid and thats too painful at this stage as its eaten a good few quid already.
Jobs done so far and in a very short space of time are replacement of door seal strips (between panels), speedo cable and gearbox Speedo drive gear. Steering idler replaced to eliminate the clunk and which also eliminated the car wandering on the motorway. A quick service and replacement of plugs which brought the car into a much nicer state to drive. The leather on the steering wheel was coming away more every time I drove it as the stitching was letting go (no power steering so this was getting worse fast as you needed a fair grip) so a temporary wheel has gone on for a while. I know wheel changes trigger all sorts of vehemence but I actually grew to like it. The only real negative is how much a 15 inch wheel needs heavy input at slow speeds and stationary. 16 would have been better but (the original being a 17 I think). A quick drill and tap in the boss allowed for putting in a couple of bolts to keep the cancelling indicators. The stereo in the car was something I could have lived with despite it being modern, but no bluetooth so I have a cheap (really really cheap) head unit in there now that gave me bluetooth and is a bit less modern looking. When parked though I usually cover it with a rover blanking plate so it looks less bleurgh to passers by. The previous owner had a three port cigarette lighter/auxiliary thing that plugged into the original lighter socket and was in the cubby hole over the head unit. This then had a set of cheap tacky leds that were powered by one of the lighter sockets with both leds stuck on the switch panel for a bit of light up front inside. I hated how they looked so they are now gone. Replaced by two very subtle leds in the centre console that provide some light in the footwell when needed. I am adding a couple of switches to that centre console panel (the easily replaced bit) so I can have glovebox and maplight illumination. Ising the centre panel allows for not butchering anything that cant be undone with a ten pound panel later. The alarm/immobiliser light and a usb charger are also in that panel now.

The car itself is all over the internet. I bought it to drive, not to sit pretty and only do shows so originality wasnt a must. Its mostly a 1968 v8 series one. But seats,dash and instruments are series 2. The wheels I am told are from a p5. Personally I prefer them to the wheel trims of the original, but I am sure thats all a matter of taste. The touring kit for external spare wheel is there, but the only way I can fit the wheel is upside down and it seems a bit 'alien spaceship' with the gap between wheel and boot. Maybe the kits for a non v8? Either way I prefer the wheel in the boot.

Jobs to do:- I have water getting in from somewhere around the windscreen on the offside, I need to sort that sooner than later. The wiring in the stereo area is not great, sorting that this week, its all a bit heath robinson and my stereo switch was a speed thing that revealed the iffy wiring in there. Not unsafe, just not tidy. Rear windcreen heater isnt working, not a priority that. Some water gets in over the passenger door so I figure the seals are a bit tired there and need attantion. The heater doesn't. Not worked out why yet, the fan itself is also on its last legs with some odd noises on firing it up, it works fine, but the initial squeals are less than rover like. The ammeter doesn't work, and with no idea how to get that working it probably mever will. I have a spare set of clocks so I might try and work a voltmeter into the space at some point in the future if I can do it in a way that looks OE.

Structurally the car seems sound, my mechanic guy had a look at whats behind the bolt off panels and said shes ok. but the paintwork is rough to say the least. A bit of elbow grease made it look a bit better, but shes no beauty in that department.

So, apart from all that, the cars fun, fires up on first turn of the key and runs well enough for me with a nice deep v8 rumble from the pipe. Kickdown works well and its generally a nice drive.
 

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Looks great. Black really suits these cars. Welcome to this forum, long may it last. Enjoy your car. Good luck with all the odd jobs. They never cease, in my experience!
 
Sounds a bit worrying. Hopefully ended well

Yeah, totally fine. He'd just been told a few tall stories, such as the car was an ex-factory prototype, and one of the earliest..

It's early, but not that early :)

It's a great car though.. hope you enjoy it :)
 
Welcome.

Your description of the touring kit is exactly as it would have been fitted at the factory or by the dealer. The upside down wheel when mated to the standard vinyl cover makes for great extra storage space for stuff that you don't mind being potentially stolen. Used it for that when touring Europe in 1971.

As well as the series 11 bits you mention, you could add the door handles (so presumably the doors as well). The amber side lights seem to be of US configuration but I have no real basis for supposing that, and I imagine the 3.5Litre nameplates are from a P5.

If you want to revert to the 17" wheel there are companies in the UK that sell leather rim covers, for not a lot of money, which are pre punched for sewing and come with instructions, thread and appropriate needles. Ordered one over the internet some years ago for a series11 wheel and, despite having two left hands, the result was more than reasonable.
Enjoy your driving.
 
That's cool, I like it. I'm also a fan of the slightly non-standard. Far rather have something a bit rough that works... My heated rear screen also doesn't work, never has. MY windscreen also leaks from the middle at the top, but only if cracking on in the rain. Which I've not done for 5 years cos the car's been off the road.
 
As well as the series 11 bits you mention, you could add the door handles (so presumably the doors as well). The amber side lights seem to be of US configuration but I have no real basis for supposing that, and I imagine the 3.5Litre nameplates are from a P5.
.

The badges are P5B.. and the side lights are from something other than Rover - can't remember what
 
I'd worked out the sidelights were aliens. But I kind of like them, especially with drivers around here, anything that lights up is good. Am good with the steering wheel for now, it actually feels like its a little better to drive on the motorway with the smaller item, but maybe I am imagining that, but if anyone knows where to source a complete bonnet release cable that doesnt cost 50 quid that would be awesome, its my biggest bugbear right now. Not sure I trust the alternator either after tonight, but thats a whole new story. Thanks for the replies gents, appreciated.
 
.....and dont worry a lot of the member here stomp on Kittens all the time.

So long as you dont intend on Banger Racing it then crushing it after the event no one is going to worry.
 
.....and dont worry a lot of the member here stomp on Kittens all the time.

So long as you dont intend on Banger Racing it then crushing it after the event no one is going to worry.

I've got nothing against banger racers, and have had some useful P6 parts from them over the years. They usually only buy cars that nobody else wants.

I picked up a load of estate bits from a guy a few years ago, who was on the receiving end of a lot of crap from one of the clubs. An estate went up for sale - people kept making low offers (very low), and so he sold it to a banger racer. He then got in touch with the clubs and offered the car at cost, then offered the parts at cost - and received a mixture of abuse and low offers. I eventually bought the spares and various parts at a decent price, to keep another estate on the road.
 
I've got nothing against banger racers, and have had some useful P6 parts from them over the years. They usually only buy cars that nobody else wants.

I picked up a load of estate bits from a guy a few years ago, who was on the receiving end of a lot of crap from one of the clubs. An estate went up for sale - people kept making low offers (very low), and so he sold it to a banger racer. He then got in touch with the clubs and offered the car at cost, then offered the parts at cost - and received a mixture of abuse and low offers. I eventually bought the spares and various parts at a decent price, to keep another estate on the road.

Fair comment, I received an original boot lid and spare wheel mount kit from a car that had been (or was about to be before it was rescued). So I gained from it.
 
I use & enjoy a Series 1 V8 on a very regular basis - it's nice to see another car with some 'patina' ;) (although it doesn't look bad at all...)
 
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