P6 fan from France

R

Ru5ty

Member
Hi guys

I’m new to the forum but i've spent the last few weeks looking around to get the feel of it. It is a wealth of priceless information.

Im an ex pat living in France and very keen to get my hands on my dream car. Currently on the market looking for a 3500 or 3500S in good condition, but there doesn't seem to be a great deal of choice at the moment. It has to be good condition as its first journey will be an 800mile trip to the south of France!!

I have owned a couple of classics in the past - Dolomite Sprint and a mk2 Cortina 1600E, but the P6 has always been my dream car and my mid life crisis is acting as the catalyst :D . I’m not particularly talented or experienced with mechanics or restoration work but i am super keen to learn, so if you don’t mind i will be around here asking the usual stupid questions.

First one: If you were to buy a P6 and take it to the south of France on its first journey, what spare parts would you take with you?
second one: Am I mad for even attempting this?

Thanks
Russ
 
Petrol !!
Piece of weez to fix if they let you down -Ample spares about to rebuild anything that breaks .
This forum is the best information and support service you'll get .
Go for it .
 
I would take at least the following generic spares

Brake fluid
Water
Oil
WD40
Gaffer tape
Cable ties
String
Electrical tape , some reasonable thickness ( i.e. say 15 amp )wire, and a selection of connectors

and for the car itself

Spare Distributor cap
Points
Condenser
fan belt(s)
Hose set & jubilee clips
Set of spare bulbs
Tape for headlamps dipping
Radiator filler cap

I do in fact have a long list which I could e mail to you, but it is perhaps going over the top !
 
haha. The prices of the few available in France (like most things) are rediculous. I looked at one near to me that required a complete restoration, inside and out but the vendor would not consider anything less than 3000euro. You wouldnt pay more than £500 for something similar in the UK, although to be fair, the tub was pretty mjch rust free as far as I could tell. My original plan was a left hand drive but after close to 6 months of constant looking nothing that I can find has come on the market at a reasonable price (expensive in Germany/Netherlands too) so I am settling on a UK car.
 
So my heart is set on a 3500, but my head is constantly considering a 2000 or 2200 TC, purely because of the cost of fuel.

I am sure this has been discussed ad infinitum, can someone point me towards threads where the merits and downsides of each type are outlined?
 
Fuel consumption of a 2000TC is not night and day different to a 3500 anyway. Really are you going to do more than a few thousand km or so a year? If not forget about it.

They are surprisingly different cars in character though.

There's part of me that thinks the late 2200 manual might be the best of the lot overall (although quality issues mean 2200s are rare), especially with a 5 speed conversion.

You are far more likely to get a V8 auto at a sensible price than a manual. However the advantage an S2 V8 might have is PAS. If you aren't used to old school steering, you might want this no other model will have this unless retro-fitted.
 
So, the first stage of the plan is complete. I am the proud new owner of ORC 369N.

I came over last week to collect the car bought from Ebay from a nice guy in Wales. I didn’t get there til 10pm (traffic M25, M4) so could only give it a quick look over in the dark! With some trepidation I set out on its maiden voyage (well for me anyway) - a 250 mile night drive to Sussex. It was amazing. The best drive of my life. I had a broad smile the whole way, this being the fulfilment of a dream since I was 8 yrs old. The car ran smoothly and completed the journey without problem, although I will just have to ignore the fuel consumption as it was quite alarming!

The temperature gauge never even went above 1/4 of the way into the green, however when I checked the following morning it had lost a reasonable amount of coolant. The other concern I have is the oil pressure, it stayed at max all the way, never wavered at all. Any ideas what this could be?

Next week I will return to make the 800 mile drive back to my house in the South of France. I am ordering as much spare parts as possible, many of the rubber hoses will need replacing (they look OK for the moment) but I won’t take the risk.

Once home I plan to give it a thorough going over and clean it up the best I can, neaten the interior and some surface rust on a couple of panels and add electronic ignition. I cant wait to get stuck in.

Unfortunately the car has no history with it. Anyone round here recognise it?

Cheers
Russ
 

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Hello Welcome .
Nice looking car . The high oil pressure reading is likely a dodgy sender unit ( found on the oil pump ) try giving it a gentle wallop (with a long bar so as to reach it ) Could be a stuck pressure relief valve but the sender is more likely as they're a known trouble maker , especially if you have a modern type fitted . The water temp should sit around the 85 deg mark and stay put . If it's allot lower than that then the thermostat could be faulty , missing , or not assembled correctly , it's easy to let them slip slightly from their vertical mounting when assembling letting the coolant bypass it slightly . If it's running cool it wont be running efficent . I did a 200 mile round trip in mine 3 weeks age and got 24.2 mpg , don't expect any more , and ALLOT less round town ! Any issues you have will be sorted on here :D
 
Stage 2 complete. Dudley, as i have named him, made the 800 mile journey from the UK to Nice last weekend. It just goes to prove that you can buy a 40yr old car unseen off Ebay and go continental cruising! But you have to be lucky. Very lucky. There are a few niggles that i need to investigate and sort out, especially lots of engine heat coming onto the car. I was also held up by a quite sudden loss of water coolant whilst climbing into the Alps, but it was time to sleep anyway. Once filled up in the morning he completed the journey home without issue or any further loss of coolant. Happy days!

So I couldn’t have been more pleased with our latest family member, until he broke down on the way home from work on Monday.

I think i’ll start a thread in the members cars section to start asking stupid questions...
 
Glad you've made it home in one piece. I did a tour of the Alps in my P6 a few years back and I didn't take a lot in the way of spares, just a wing and a prayer really. I did do some prep work on the engine in advance which worked well, The only real problem I had was the front suspension bushes collapsing causing excessive tow in and scrubbing the tyres off.

Over the winter I'd read up on vapour lock and take action before the summer, it sure is hot down there and vapour lock can really spoil your day.
 
Sir, congratulations on your purchase. Dare I say they'll be more than a few people here coveting your excellent Rostyles. Best I've seen.

Also whoever aligned the panel gaps - amazing!

Your type of journey was exactly the kind a P6 would have excelled at back in the day.

Did you get to the bottom of the breakdown?
 
I’ve read your thread from start to finish Paul, I love your car and the work you have done. It has really inspired me to what is possible. Respect. My pre alpine prep was a cursory glance over the engine, checking oil and water. I would advise anyone to follow your example rather than mine.

Rostyles are my favourite p6 footwear, it was a brucey bonus this car came with them. That saved me money and endless searching. They are in exceptional condition.

The problem not solved yet - when I get a moment I will go through it in a new thread.
 
Another thing. Assuming your temp gauge is correct, it will improve your economy noticeable simply by fixing the stat. As well as smoothness, responsiveness, emission, everything. I chose to run an 89 degree winter stat myself but this isn't a popular opinion.

You might want to consider an electric fan swap too. Many threads on this.

Like the manager said to Smokey Robinson when he was told the band won't be turning up; don't expect miracles.
 
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