StefanVXR8
Member
So I recently bought this 1975 P6B. Australian registered (CKD built in NZ) and in pretty decent condition structurally from first glance, thankfully no salt on our roads here! My first classic car since emigrating to Australia 8 years ago, we used to have a 1971 Fiat 500 in the UK that we had just started to restore. No stranger to BL/Rover though having owned a 75, two ZT's, a Defender, 4 Discovery's, a Freelander, a Rover 827 Sterling and an MG Montego Turbo!!
I saw a picture of the P6 from around 9 years ago and it looked really tidy but since then it looks like it has spent time outside and slowly deteriorated cosmetically.
Apart from the dull paintwork it has some corrosion in the rear valance and some patina rust breakthrough in some areas.
Interior isn't too bad, the Ambla is starting to let go on the front seats and the tops of the rear seats are dry and cracked, but carpets are excellent. In this photo you can see the 'wood' trim, it was warped and peeling and I discovered it was thin veneers stuck over the original formica. The clock wasn't working due to the internal fuse link melting which I have fixed (though it runs a little slow), rev counter is intermittent and the fuel gauge is now working (I think!). Only one bulb was out in the cluster
Mechanically, the gear selector was like a wooden spoon in a bowl of noodles, the bottom nylon bush had completely disintegrated! New one on order.
Wipers weren't working, I could see a draw on the amps when switched on, so I took the motor out and found this...
So, 'new' wiper motor on the way.
The handbrake doesn't currently work, first issue was that the button appeared to have gotten stuck in so it was almost impossible to release, however, upon looking closer, I noticed the hand collar had moved forwards thus covering the button more, so with a socket big enough to go over the button and fit the diameter of the lever, a few taps with a hammer has fixed that problem! Next thing is that it actually doesn't do anything, so I'll need to get underneath and check the rear brakes, the pedal is very spongy too so I think it's in need of addressing the brake mechanism issue and a full flush of the fluid, it looks rather dark!
Once I sort the brakes and wipers, it should be ready for it's blue slip (like an MOT for expired registrations).
The rest of the work will be as a rolling restoration but for now, the paintwork has come up like this (machine cut, but not yet polished)...
I'm only one week in and this is as much as I've done so far, got struck down with Covid after a business trip to India, and also had a cold on top of that!
Stefan
I saw a picture of the P6 from around 9 years ago and it looked really tidy but since then it looks like it has spent time outside and slowly deteriorated cosmetically.
Apart from the dull paintwork it has some corrosion in the rear valance and some patina rust breakthrough in some areas.
Interior isn't too bad, the Ambla is starting to let go on the front seats and the tops of the rear seats are dry and cracked, but carpets are excellent. In this photo you can see the 'wood' trim, it was warped and peeling and I discovered it was thin veneers stuck over the original formica. The clock wasn't working due to the internal fuse link melting which I have fixed (though it runs a little slow), rev counter is intermittent and the fuel gauge is now working (I think!). Only one bulb was out in the cluster
Mechanically, the gear selector was like a wooden spoon in a bowl of noodles, the bottom nylon bush had completely disintegrated! New one on order.
Wipers weren't working, I could see a draw on the amps when switched on, so I took the motor out and found this...
So, 'new' wiper motor on the way.
The handbrake doesn't currently work, first issue was that the button appeared to have gotten stuck in so it was almost impossible to release, however, upon looking closer, I noticed the hand collar had moved forwards thus covering the button more, so with a socket big enough to go over the button and fit the diameter of the lever, a few taps with a hammer has fixed that problem! Next thing is that it actually doesn't do anything, so I'll need to get underneath and check the rear brakes, the pedal is very spongy too so I think it's in need of addressing the brake mechanism issue and a full flush of the fluid, it looks rather dark!
Once I sort the brakes and wipers, it should be ready for it's blue slip (like an MOT for expired registrations).
The rest of the work will be as a rolling restoration but for now, the paintwork has come up like this (machine cut, but not yet polished)...
I'm only one week in and this is as much as I've done so far, got struck down with Covid after a business trip to India, and also had a cold on top of that!
Stefan