Evening all,
I started this update yesterday, carefully exhibiting my delight at having a fully functional P5B in the summer sun and recent sojourns to the countryside. However, today a nasty dose of reality kicked in. Here goes...
Over the past few weeks His Lordship has been having all brakes overhauled and a new radiator from Guildford Rads. I went to pick it up from Nick Dunning & co last Sunday and was very happy; new discs, pads and calipers & rear shoes from John Wearing meant the car braked in a straight and without the recent alarming 'random corner binding' that was becoming a worry.
The new radiator was functioning well - Nick cleared the top manifold hose and all noises were positive. Were my days of getting hot under the collar at London traffic lights over? Absolutely - so far on summertime 'Needlewatch' it has not gone into the red. Thanks Nick!
The carbs had been balanced and setup by a local guru and the idle was near silent. Luckily no new parts were required, just a trained ear & nose. On the journey back to our capital the sun blazed down upon us and I opened the webasto. It was wonderful:
Over last week the P5B was out and about making up for lost time. Recently in Kew it helped jump a damsel in distress in her rather fetching champagne 618:
I also chanced upon a new front toolkit/picnic table/brandy decanter lid through the local P5 club:
All was well in the world of Rover. Today after a day's labour on my new acquisition (more on that later - it's Italian so be gentle) the greenery of Richmond park beckoned, and I decided to take the P5B for its usual lap of the park. So many dog walkers use the park for exercise it must also be known this is where several classic owners take their vehicles for an afternoon workout. Unfortunately selecting reverse became an issue getting this shot at the gate:
Not a problem (I cheerily remarked aloud), the BW35 has been fairly clunky since I have owned it. Nick also mentioned the fluid being slightly off - a rebuild will have to be on the cards sometime this year...
The P5B obviously heard me say this, as the gearbox promptly began missing forward gears and struggling to select. Terrible smells, smoke and irate shrieking followed. As I willed the car into a Kingston side street the remaining ATF liquid evacuated onto the exhaust. 'Sometime this year' had become 'Before my wheels turn again'. Blast.
ATF snail trail:
Luckily my 90 minute wait was punctuated with conversations and well-wishes. Several classic owners stopped to talk and offered all kinds of assistance. As the light faded I dug out the Zircon Blue touch-up kit and tightened a few hoses. The posit that the optimism of a classic car owner can be judged from the reading material he carries on board for breakdowns. I read the engine labels. The recovery gentlemen was previously a P5 owner and got me home safely, even helping with the extra hard labour to wheel it safely into the garage.
Obligatory recovery shot:
So - does anyone have a BW35 they would be willing to part with? I think I may need to have a good sleep before making any decisions - such are the vicissitudes of the classic hobby.