1971 Rover 3500 'Hildegarde'

I had the final statement for the work today.


Out of time by EthelRedThePetrolHead, on Flickr

As is often the case with repeat customers, the clock stopped before the project was completed with a ceiling of 300 hours.

Tom lost count after that and besides, he was showing off towards the end.

I don't have a grand total and probably wouldn't post it here if I did but for comparison, I could have got a nearly new Qashqai, a 2013 1.5 Dci [110] 360 5Dr Diesel no less, for around the same total in parts and labour, ignoring my own hours.

No fake health stories and no government money was used in the construction of this vehicle.
 
ethelred said:
I don't have a grand total and probably wouldn't post it here if I did but for comparison, I could have got a nearly new Qashqai, a 2013 1.5 Dci [110] 360 5Dr Diesel no less, for around the same total in parts and labour, ignoring my own hours.[/i]
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It's way nicer than one of those though, much better value.
 
testrider said:
ethelred said:
... I could have got a nearly new Qashqai, a 2013 1.5 Dci [110] 360 5Dr Diesel no less, for around the same total in parts and labour, ignoring my own hours.
Click to expand...

It's way nicer than one of those though, much better value.
Click to expand...

My apologies - I have a similar thread on the SABRE Roads and the Qashqai reference is an in-joke on that forum - there's a thread called Numpty Overload in the private area of the forum which has many references to the blue-badge brigade's chariot of choice and its tendency to do 40mph at all times, whether the speed limit is 30 or 60. My fellow Sabristi are ribbing me about passing up on the chance to regale members in 40 years time about the subtle differences between the Qashqai and the Qashqai+2 as I lovingly restore my prized vehicle in my dotage.
 
You have a most excellent writing style. I laughed endlessly at "infuriating drip onto the driver's right hand", and the regular references to the P6 purist brigade. Something i also have to look forward to, seeing as not a lot of my car is original..

Probably my favourite car on here actually, the colour is fabulous and it sits very well on the alloys, which im not usually a fan of.

Shall be following this more in future!
 
Down&Out said:
You have a most excellent writing style.
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Thank you. That's very kind of you to say so.

So Hildegarde, the protecting battle maiden, is at Lake View Garage for some late adjustments as she approaches her first 3000 miles back on the road and hence her next oil and filter change.

The BW35 needs attention - it clearly has issues but it deserves a chance.

The black carpets have arrived from Coverdale - I've gone for the budget option of synthetic fibre on the grounds that this is a utility car with synthetic seats.

We've got ourselves a full set of headrests - "E.T." front and back.

Black seats, black carpets and oh, did I mention the black headlining?

My honest appraisal of this car after 3000 miles is that it is a beautiful green slug.

It holds the road perfectly and is fun to drive but the performance is pretty awful and we knock furiously under load even with 99 RON fuel.

We can get 24mpg on a decent run and we don't leak or burn oil, unlike our garage mates.

While Ethel and Helga the blue 3500 are easily capable of reaching speeds that would risk an outright ban by the end of a decent sliproad - the green car poses few such risks and is far more sedate but there's still plenty of power to keep pace with modern traffic and no problems with hills.

We don't have any funny squeaks and squeals from our poly bushes but the shock absorbers are very noisy when travelling slowly over rough surfaces. The Wizard of the Lake claims to have some magic spell to cure this - good for him - he can work the spell any time he likes once he fashions me an alternative chariot that is suitably free of irritations.
 
After last year's disastrous debut, Hildegarde is extremely promising - very near the finished article.

Cumbria this weekend - my sisters have been busy providing Father with grandchildren - sadly he'll have to settle for grandcars from his first born child and only son.

Tom said:
I think Hildegarde's surname is McFoo
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I think he's right but let's not confuse the issue.

I stuck my specs on on the B5305 on the way home and I have some half-decent footage as far as Shap Fell on the motorway.

On the B5305, just near the settlement of Unthank the ungrateful old predator happened on a couple of cars that were making progress that most would call adequate - I greedily but safely overtook them and the IGN light came on immediately - I didn't panic because I knew why the IGN light had come on.

When it did this on the way up - just by the 100 yard marker for Junction 39, my heart was in my mouth because I assumed the fanbelt had failed - in fact it is loose spade connectors on the alternator - after a brief conference with Tom at the top of the slip road at 39, I wiggled and jiggled the connectors and the light went out.


Just past the well-named Unthank - just by Hutton-in-the-Forest, I pulled my suitably ungrateful car to the side of the road and did the same again.

Video footage

I've warned my Dad not to try too hard to remember my cars' names in case he remembers them and forgets the names of the children.

My latest nephew rocks - no one else has smiled at me everytime they've seen me. He's 3 months old so it won't last.




120 miles used 21.0 litres of fuel - almost 26mpg on the trip back home today - Tom's confident that with the new distributor and a visit to the rolling road in Beartown we can add a couple of mpg to that.
 
I don't normally do favourites.
But for me Hildegarde has 'the look'.

Mark.
 
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