1972 Rover 2000TC full history, tax exempt

robgee1964

robgee1964

Member
Well sadly the time has come to part with my 1972 Rover P6. Its presently MOT'd till Sept 23rd 2013.

Some pictures here, I will take some more in a few days.
http://flic.kr/s/aHsjw8VGtF

Its first reg'd December 1972, so of course is tax exempt. All the original service books are present, along with a huge stack of MOT's and receipts.I've owned the car since 2001, originally its been mexico brown, but I resprayed it in richileu red, in 2002. It was a full strip down job, with wings taken back to bare metal.

Here is a link on my restoration
http://www.autoden.freeserve.co.uk/cars/p6/rebuild.htm

To be honest, the job was mostly paintwork. The base unit on this car is incredibly sound. I had to do a very minor amount of welding on the inner sills (and I mean minor). Also there was a bit of repairwork to do on the inner rear wheel arch, above the wheel. The pictures in the rebuild link show.

The interior is one of the best I've ever seen. The vinyl had rotted in a few places - at the top of the rear sears and also the trim piece which runs at the base of the rear window; this has all been replaced. The drivers carpet was worn out too, so that was replaced with a repro part from JR wadhams.

All the rubber work has been renewed, eg bumper iron rubbers, door-to-door seals etc. There's a stainless steel middle and rear exhaust fitted, again from Wadhams.

In the 11 years since respraying, the bodywork has stood up really very well, having been garaged for most of that time. There's a few minor rust bubbles at the lower edge of a couple of the doors, as well as some bubbling on the bonnet around the badge and washer jets (don't they all!). Also there's a slight dent in the bootlid, caused by "Mr Nobody" moving their bicycle, or whatever! But the chromework is all good, and the car still looks absolutely great - I've lost count of the number of people who have approached me with comments like "I had one of these in 1974" etc.

In terms of mechanicals, I swapped the engine in 2011 for a 2200 single carb unit. I've still got the 2000TC unit - it needs new bearing shells and the carbs totally overhauling. I think the rings must be OK as it never used much oil, also there's receipts with the car which show it had the timing chain and tensioners replaced, as well as a top end overhaul. But it ran terribly on unleaded, which is why I fitted the 2200 unit - this runs brilliantly, albeit with higher oil consumption than the original engine. Its got a few little squeaks and rattles which I've never bottomed - but its proved reliable so I've stuck with it. I've also still got the TC manifold and all the other bits, although I think the way to go might be to find a 2000SC head to go on the TC block - if thats possible?

The only other trouble I've ever had with the car has been the inboard rear brakes, but again I think that's inherent in the design. At the moment tho I think I've got them nailed, and the brakes are spot on.

I'm really not sure what to ask on price - I'm open to sensible offers - and I mean that. I've looked at loads of P6's and I know when this one goes, I'd hard pushed to find another one as good, without spending a lot! Any inspection is welcome, and test drive (subject to proof of insurance!). There's lots more I could say, if anyone is interested then don't hesitate to ring me on 07841 347648

Cheers
Rob
 
I had some help from a friend who was very handy with upholstery, but also we applied a bit of cunning

It was only the top part of the vinyl which was gone, so rather than unpick the whole seat we just replaced the top part of vinyl, and then ran part way down the sides. On the inside, it extended down to the arm rest, and at the side there is an overlap visible - if you look for it.

The other snag was, it was impossible to match the colour. So, I bought the closest colour I could from Seagals in Manchester, then I got some vinyl colouring from Frosts. If you send them a sample, they will colour match it for you. Well, that is to say, they used to - not sure if they still do. I had to colour some other bits anyway, such as the rear window trim.

Overall it worked out a pretty tidy job - the sewing was done by hand, carefully reusing the original holes in the leather, whilst the vinyl itself is relatively soft.

If you can find a trim shop who will do small jobs (easier said than done) then thats an option. I'd been let down a few times by a local shop so got hacked off and fixed it as described. I've found the only places who will reliably take on little bits of jobs like this, are people who have only just set up on their own, and are still building a customer base.

PS went out for petrol this morning, and had 3 people remark on the car. Sounds like something is telling me not to sell, LOL
 
Willy Eckerslyke said:
Sounds worth listening to! :D
Click to expand...
You could be right there!
Do you know anything about its early history?
Click to expand...
Yes, its been bought new by a gentleman who lived at Rhosveiger, Anglesey. Then its been serviced at the same garage, on Anglesey up until 1987. After that there's a service in Denbigh, in 1991 at 51K miles. Its showing 92K miles now. There's all the old MOT's, and stack of receipts dating back to early 90's.
 
That's Rhosneigr.
Was the garage Autopalace, Llanfairpwllgwyngyll...? They were the main BL dealer but must have closed sometime around 1987.
 
Yes, just so - Autopalace, so he might not have wanted to be bothered trailing to the mainland for a service, after that?

I should do a fee-paying enquiry to DVLA to see about the owners - I'd just assumed it must have changed hands in 1987. Its definitely been in the hands of an enthusiast, in the 90's.

After the 90's, there's been a 2 or 3 people who bought the car intending to do it up a bit, but didn't get round to it. I took a gamble when I purchased, its first regd Feb 1973 - imagine how I felt when I rang the heritage centre and found it was manufactured 29/12/72!

Oh and thanks for the correction re the place name - I struggled to read the handwriting in the book.
 
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