Gee your cowling and the associated items look great Warren... 
Bet you can't wait to fit them so that you can go for a spin.
Ron.
Bet you can't wait to fit them so that you can go for a spin.Ron.
Brown Rover GF148 - progress.
- Thread starter WarrenL
- Start date
WarrenL
Active Member
Probably a couple of weeks away at my present rate, Ron. Still have to apply a second coat of Dinitrol to some areas, find 3 missing nuts and bolts, reassemble and reattach all the bonnet catch gubbins, rewire the connection between the two horns, repaint the radiator, clean up the valance where I've got primer and Dinitrol splodged on the wrong side, cut and polish same, repaint the bumper irons, and on, and on...
Yes, I'm looking forward to that drive!
Yes, I'm looking forward to that drive!
WarrenL
Active Member
Yes, we've discussed that very topic in another thread:
viewtopic.php?f=5&t=14973
I only realised that the local cars might be different when I tried to figure out how everything went back together and discovered that the workshop manual and every last Google image of a P6B engine bay showed a strange and unfamiliar fan shroud that is actually more normal than the one on every NZ-assembled P6B I've cared to look at. I thought I'd bought the wrong coolant sticker too, until I realised that all they did at the Nelson factory was cut 'em in half and throw away the bottom bit.
viewtopic.php?f=5&t=14973
I only realised that the local cars might be different when I tried to figure out how everything went back together and discovered that the workshop manual and every last Google image of a P6B engine bay showed a strange and unfamiliar fan shroud that is actually more normal than the one on every NZ-assembled P6B I've cared to look at. I thought I'd bought the wrong coolant sticker too, until I realised that all they did at the Nelson factory was cut 'em in half and throw away the bottom bit.
OrganDoctor
New Member
I would put some kind of shield in front of all that so that the odd insect or road dust doesn't spoil the shine.
unstable load
Well-Known Member
My South African assembled V8 has the same shroud, not as shiny and neat, though.....
ghce
Well-Known Member
Hi Warren, your Rover is looking very good in the flesh, could easily be mistaken for a new car, you have put a huge amount of effort in to it for a great result. Tip suggested to me that it needs to be driven more than it is cleaned lol which I am certain in a very short time you will be doing.
The powder coat I must say is indistinguishable from the best of highly prepped Laquer sprays.
The bonnet repair is remarkable, your man did a fantastic job certainly amongs the best repairs I have ever seen.
Thanks for that fan belt, have been waiting for mine to let go for a long while now so hopefully I can now Pre-empt the failure.
Graeme
The powder coat I must say is indistinguishable from the best of highly prepped Laquer sprays.
The bonnet repair is remarkable, your man did a fantastic job certainly amongs the best repairs I have ever seen.
Thanks for that fan belt, have been waiting for mine to let go for a long while now so hopefully I can now Pre-empt the failure.
Graeme
WarrenL
Active Member
Hi Graeme, I'm sorry I didn't notice your post above until just now. Too much time spent working on the Rover and not enough time browsing the forum. It is looking good, isn't it? I spend too much time looking at the details and often fail to see the car in its entirety, only all the stuff I'm still not happy with, but then others take a look and comment very favourably. The underbonnet seriously impressed a lot of car blokes who wandered through John's workshop while the old girl was there the last couple of weeks. Anyway, it's time for an update:
UPDATE: Brown Rover is now, after two years of trial and tribulation, back on the road. WOFed and registered! Latest round of work:
- Steering idler rebuilt (detailed in the Steering/Suspension section).
- New front brake hoses and pads.
- Handbrake adjusted (again).
- New Bosch coil.
- Massive tune-up. Oh, the drama! But OH! the results!
Next round of tasks:
- Reassemble the lining of the LR door (left off so I can remove the external door handle in order for Dave the painter to carry out a touch-up).
- Aforementioned paint touch-up, along with a couple of other bits that spoil the overall presentation of the car.
- Get to the bottom of the very unsteady speedo and tachometer.
- Have the correct rear bumper welded (missing a mounting bracket), rechromed and installed.
- Get the mismatched front headrests recoloured.
- Vinyl dash pad to be recovered (Dashboard Restorations in Auckland, using that sample we agreed on, Graeme).
Wish list:
- New wheels and tyres (I've seen several alloys that I think would look very smart on the P6).
- Motolita steering wheel.
- PAS conversion (I have all the bits in the garage bar the pulley, one of which Harvey has offered to me).
- New bonnet badge (although the existing one isn't too bad).
- New bootlid liner (Wadhams do them, but I've discovered that the millboard is exactly the same as the stuff used to make big A3 folders we buy at work, so I might track down a sheet of the stuff).
- Decent stereo.
The biggie is the conversion to a ZF gearbox. Driving the car on the open road yesterday reminded me that the P6B's biggest drawback (in my opinion) is that old BW35 slush box. At 60-70 mph I'm really wanting the car to change up to the next gear. There's no need for it to be howling along at 3000rpm. And the slushiness around town reminds me of the slick shifting ZF I've experienced in the likes of the V8 Discovery. The difference is remarkable. I've got my donor boxes (one Discovery, one BMW 528) sitting in the garage, but I would like to drive the car around for a while, slush box and all, before taking it off the road for another extended period.
UPDATE: Brown Rover is now, after two years of trial and tribulation, back on the road. WOFed and registered! Latest round of work:
- Steering idler rebuilt (detailed in the Steering/Suspension section).
- New front brake hoses and pads.
- Handbrake adjusted (again).
- New Bosch coil.
- Massive tune-up. Oh, the drama! But OH! the results!
Next round of tasks:
- Reassemble the lining of the LR door (left off so I can remove the external door handle in order for Dave the painter to carry out a touch-up).
- Aforementioned paint touch-up, along with a couple of other bits that spoil the overall presentation of the car.
- Get to the bottom of the very unsteady speedo and tachometer.
- Have the correct rear bumper welded (missing a mounting bracket), rechromed and installed.
- Get the mismatched front headrests recoloured.
- Vinyl dash pad to be recovered (Dashboard Restorations in Auckland, using that sample we agreed on, Graeme).
Wish list:
- New wheels and tyres (I've seen several alloys that I think would look very smart on the P6).
- Motolita steering wheel.
- PAS conversion (I have all the bits in the garage bar the pulley, one of which Harvey has offered to me).
- New bonnet badge (although the existing one isn't too bad).
- New bootlid liner (Wadhams do them, but I've discovered that the millboard is exactly the same as the stuff used to make big A3 folders we buy at work, so I might track down a sheet of the stuff).
- Decent stereo.
The biggie is the conversion to a ZF gearbox. Driving the car on the open road yesterday reminded me that the P6B's biggest drawback (in my opinion) is that old BW35 slush box. At 60-70 mph I'm really wanting the car to change up to the next gear. There's no need for it to be howling along at 3000rpm. And the slushiness around town reminds me of the slick shifting ZF I've experienced in the likes of the V8 Discovery. The difference is remarkable. I've got my donor boxes (one Discovery, one BMW 528) sitting in the garage, but I would like to drive the car around for a while, slush box and all, before taking it off the road for another extended period.
That's really quite a minor list, Warren - apart from the new gearbox!
I do always shudder a bit when people write "adjust the handbrake". Of course, that isn't possible on a P6!! You can shorten the handbrake cable, but all that achieves is to prevent the self adjusters on the rear calipers from operating, thus hastening the next "adjustment". Provided the hand brake cable is slack enough, you might manage to manually operate the handbrake quadrants to encourage the self adjusters to take up slack....
Chris
I do always shudder a bit when people write "adjust the handbrake". Of course, that isn't possible on a P6!! You can shorten the handbrake cable, but all that achieves is to prevent the self adjusters on the rear calipers from operating, thus hastening the next "adjustment". Provided the hand brake cable is slack enough, you might manage to manually operate the handbrake quadrants to encourage the self adjusters to take up slack....
Chris
WarrenL
Active Member
It's just money, Chris. That's always the major obstacle standing in the way of getting these things done. That latest round cost me over $1000 (no small sum with a single income, two little kiddies and the requisite mortgage).
I should perhaps be clearer on the "handbrake adjustment" in order to forestall shudders. The problem is not the operation of the handbrake so much as the extreme travel in the handle, which always makes WOF men mutter into their beards and issue an advisory, thinking the whole thing is slack and dodgy. John spent a bit of time messing about to improve things there when he rebuilt my rear calipers for me, so he's well aware of its idiosyncracies. I can't tell you what he did, but he's shortened up the handle travel again and made it feel a bit more reassuring.
I should perhaps be clearer on the "handbrake adjustment" in order to forestall shudders. The problem is not the operation of the handbrake so much as the extreme travel in the handle, which always makes WOF men mutter into their beards and issue an advisory, thinking the whole thing is slack and dodgy. John spent a bit of time messing about to improve things there when he rebuilt my rear calipers for me, so he's well aware of its idiosyncracies. I can't tell you what he did, but he's shortened up the handle travel again and made it feel a bit more reassuring.
WarrenL
Active Member
UPDATE:
I added up my receipts last night and found that I've just spent more than NZ$1500 to get Brown Rover back on the road this time around.
Also, when entering all the details in the little book in which I keep track of all the stuff that's been done on the old tub, I realised that the car has covered only 2000 miles since 2001. Clearly I'm not getting bang for buck, and must either find a cheaper hobby, or drive the car more. What do you think?
I added up my receipts last night and found that I've just spent more than NZ$1500 to get Brown Rover back on the road this time around.
Also, when entering all the details in the little book in which I keep track of all the stuff that's been done on the old tub, I realised that the car has covered only 2000 miles since 2001. Clearly I'm not getting bang for buck, and must either find a cheaper hobby, or drive the car more. What do you think?
WarrenL
Active Member
My tongue was in my cheek, fellas. You were supposed to howl in horror at the mere suggestion of getting rid of a P6. I was out and about in the old tub tonight, and it reminded me what a nice comfy ride it is. It shows its age in some ways, but it is still a hell of a nice car.
As it happens, I still have a small problem. The engine has developed a bit of hesitation getting underway. I thought the beginnings of it were there the other day when I picked it up at John's workshop, but nobody believed me. However it's got worse. Plenty of go when I push the loud pedal down, and now there is no smoke out the back at all, but this hesitation is bit of a damper on the driving experience. I'll give John a call tomorrow.
As it happens, I still have a small problem. The engine has developed a bit of hesitation getting underway. I thought the beginnings of it were there the other day when I picked it up at John's workshop, but nobody believed me. However it's got worse. Plenty of go when I push the loud pedal down, and now there is no smoke out the back at all, but this hesitation is bit of a damper on the driving experience. I'll give John a call tomorrow.