rust in the petrol system

J

johndregg

New Member
I went this morning to view a 1970 Pb which was a "runner" according to the advert. When i got there the owner was trying to get it to start with no luck, he eventually cleaned the carbs out and there was a lot of rust in the float chambers. Looks like the tank has corroded and blocked up the system.
He is going to try to get the car running using a remote tank and if i like what i see when its running i'm thinking of buying it (its a very clean example).
Question is, how easy will it be to clear the fuel system of the dirt and rust thats in there? How easy is it to seal the tank up? are there two tanks (reserve tap?)
Thanks in advance for the answers!
John
 
hi john.
just one tank on them,fairly easy to remove/replace as its behind the rear seats and accessed from the boot,rare to get a rusty tank,could be just low fuel thats picked up years of shit from the bottom of the tank."common problem if run low fuel constantly"
The reserve tap knob when pulled out switches pick up to a lower point in tank,if used often or all the time will pick up debris! fill with 5 galls and use with knob in. reserve tap could be stuck open position,not too hard to sort out!
Good luck!! ps where is it located? best take a mate or a local rover p6 owner to look as well!!
Dave
 
Thanks pilkie.
The Car is a left hand drive here in Belgium. It is a very clean example that has been dry stored for 30 years, then used for a short time and then dry stored again. When the guy was trying to start it you could smell the old fuel (rotten, varnish, paint smell) coming out of the air filter box. But they have tried to clean the system and there was a lot of red dust in what came out.

They are going to try a remote tank at the fuel pump to see if it will start up, if it does then i can see if the engine and gearbox are any good.
Would you say that cleaning up the fuel system was a major job? or just a few weekends worth?
I'm pretty mechanically minded but V8s are new for me.
john

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Thanks for the replies.
I think that if i can hear it running then i'll go for it.
i'll probably be back on here soon looking for help though!!
John
 
Ooohh! Thin side stripes on an S1!! And 14" Rostyles as well! An extremely rare combination of extras! It's got NADA, later standard, door mirrors and I bet it's got a wood rim steering wheel as well. I'm not sure these were fitted to Belgian market cars, but were fitted on Swiss and German, so perhaps it has changed countries during its life? Go for it! It's worth any hassle!

Chris
 
HI
30 yrs in storage , sounds like RVW .Perhaps its one of the NADA cars which didn't sell and was recycled to Europe ??If your car has all the NADA type anti pollution gubbins you may find fuel dribbling out of the most unexpected places . Any thing which could possibly leak fuel or fuel vapour was routed to charcoal cannisters or a complex fuel spill and recycle line back to the tank . RVWs carb needle valves were partially plugged so excess fuel went from the float chamber vents , filled the cannisters and overflowed onto the floor .If this happens take off the cannisters , drain them and leave them in the sun for a few days ,. Don't,
Run the engine with charcoal cannisters saturated with fuel
Or blow air through them to evaporate the fuel and speed drying ,
you could provoke spontaneous combustion !!
I recommend that you junk the dreaded AED and fit a manual choke and also dump the complex air filter / siencer in favour of a couple of K+N filters .
Cheers
RVW
 
From the pictures, definitely not a NADA! 99% certain to be European export spec, so will be "normal" in the fuel department.

Chris
 
some more Pics.
Still waiting for word from the owner if he's got her going for me but i'm getting more convinced that i'll go for it since i came on here.
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15079417_5.jpg
 
Extremely rare to see the wood rim wheel in that sort of condition - they're usually cracked and the "wood" finish worn off. Rev counter is also quite rare on an S1 V8. Vanishingly rare is early fabric back seats with headrest slots. The headrests it has currently can therefore easily be replaced by the more substantial ET type. Front seat trim looks in excellent order too. When aged the front edge of the drivers seat usually ripplles and that one is straight!

The only thing that can't be seen from the photos is the state of the base unit. Are you confident you know what to look for in that respect? The project postings on here should have given you a good hint of the potential! Particularely with the state of the interior, I'd be fairly surprised if there was a huge problem there though.

Chris
 
Its on its second owner from new, the first being a doctor from brussels who only used it for a couple of years, then garaged it for thirty.
Please let me know what to look for on the car, any tips gratefully received!!!!
 
Phew, what to look for? First off there is a buyers guide on the "other club"'s web site. Then do some searches on here. For a good idea of how the car is built up have a look at the pdf'd pages from the spares manual you can find on Ian Wilson's Rover-Classics page http://www.rover-classics.co.uk/images/reference/thumbnailv8/bodywork/gallery/index.htm.

The most likely critical areas for rust in the base unit are the double skin section of the D post and the sills. This section of D post can be seen as the rounded lump of apparent mudguard visible with the rear door open. Any rust here should be treated with suspicion. You can't see the sills from outside the car. What seems to be the sill is actually a bolt on cover panel. Look from underneath and also see if you are allowed to peel the carpet back from the inner face / floor junction area. Another good clue can be gained from looking in the deep well, visible with the rear seat bases removed, up against the sill. If everything is A1 in these areas there is unlikely to be trouble elsewhere. If not, then an expensive area is the front inner wing and firewall. Look at the area that the bolt on outer wing secures to under the bonnet. Also try and examine the area where the inner wing joins to the front panel. If it is really bad there may be rust in the front bulkhead in the vicinity of where the suspension bellcrank bolts on. The latter visible from under the front wing and perhaps by lifting the carpets in the front footwells. Of course, when well gone, there is lots of opportunity in the boot and in the rear mudguards of the base unit, but these are (relatively) non structural and easy to reapir. Another area of concern if stored outside is the back couple of inches of the roof drain channels and adjacent areas of the detatchable roof panel, also the front screen pillars if the drain tubes in them have become blocked with leaves etc. Both these are relatively rare compared to the earlier items.

Having said all that, from what you describe of the car's history and the photo's I'd be really surprised if you find anything of concern.

Chris
 
In the end I didn't buy this. But I come back to this page every few years and kick myself for that. Have never found a better one.
 
He was asking 2000 euros, but when it wouldn't start and I started to leave, he basically asked me what I would give him for it. I had second thoughts and didn't call him back. Only later realised that I'd passed up a really good car.
 
The Rovering Member said:
Bend over. :D
Click to expand...

Not so fast! :cool:


johndregg said:
He was asking 2000 euros, but when it wouldn't start and I started to leave, he basically asked me what I would give him for it. I had second thoughts and didn't call him back. Only later realised that I'd passed up a really good car.
Click to expand...

Right: :confused:
From the story and the photos (the interior photo could pass for a period brochure), it seems to be one of those ideal classic car projects. The one that ticks all the boxes, but not many of us are lucky enough to bump into. And you could have it for peanuts. If you feel like kicking yourself, i would understand. :(
 
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