Is anybody doing anything interesting?

[enigmas]

Maybe it's just me or an overwhelming feeling of malaise waiting for something to 'pique' (the verb) either curiosity or interest on the forum. There hasn't been a major build, resto, project or focus by for quite some time now...apart from DJM16's 3 litre engine resto...which I'm finding fascinating although David may feel differently about the matter! I'm sure there's probably lots of fascinating stuff occurring off the forum but it's a pity when little or any of it is posted. Reading and following the journey of a focused restorer/builder is a great motivator for anyone with an interest in these cars whether standard or modified. Well that's my 2 cents on the soap box!

[Brendan69]

Well, we are off to the classic car show on Saturday at the N.E.C if that qualifies as interesting. LOL

[enigmas]

Brendan you need to look at Peter Velde's or Wozza's posts. What I personally like is guy's (& gals...haven't seen that yet) doing stuff! The wax on wax off thing is all very nice but to my view is about as fascinating as watching jelly solidify! There's been some amazing work displayed on this Board and some very innovative people including a John W who designed and fabricated an adaptor to fit a Laycock de Normanville electric overdrive unit to the BW35 of his immaculate P5B.

The guys I mention do amazing work either in restos or mods or preservation, but it doesn't have to be extreme to create interest. Just outlining a problem and documenting their efforts for others will do it. You know...interesting stuff..not the um I think I've fitted my grease nipples upside down kind of query...but hey, it is a diverse world and I do believe in inclusion!

Anybody attempted to fit a sunroof on their own rather than do the cheque book thing?

[Warwick]

Nothing radical. Just a few alterations needed to fit a bigger battery in the boot.
I've got a photo somewhere. I'll see if I can find it.

[enigmas]

If you've fitted a larger battery to your coupe Warwick then you must have reassembled the engine? Looking forward to seeing a few updates of the progress...it's on my Bucket list.

[Warwick]

[Sam Bee]

Well I have been very busy with my restoration. Body rapidly going into primer/undercoat, grey 2-pack epoxy.

I have obtained paint for the the finishing coats. Burnt Grey with Silver Birch roof. The standard ICI mix for Rover Burnt Grey is wrong! I had my supplier mix in more black and red to bring it as close as possible to a sample I had - and now matches cars of this colour that I have seen. Given that it is needed to cover the complete car, inside and outside, I asked for 15 litres -"what are you painting - a bus?" they said.

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George ('Iagain') and I are changing our rear wheel bearings using the club owned extractor tool. He has done his and I tackled my first one today. We shall write up on the experience. 

[johnwp5bcoupe]

Yes it would help others Sam

15 litres of paint bu**er that is way over the top but you will have some spare for any future need, but remember the paint colour will change over the years more so if it cellulose? if it's 15 litres of 2k that will be 22 litres of paint so you can bathe in it

[Steed]

Us too.

[Deleted]

I'm playing with rear Y mounts. (That old chestnut) 
I've found some mounts with a shear strength far exceeding that needed. I'm testing them for comfort etc on mine.It is possible I believe to replicate the durability/strength of the originals but these aren't cheap.
I'm also fitting CCTV and alarms on the garages and sheds.

[Steed]

Let us know how the 'alternative' mounts turn out.

Ta!

[David]

Creosoting sheds, if that counts

[johnwp5bcoupe]

Ah my painting 14 doors and frames white covering up all the Mahogany I made when I was building our house trumps that David

[Phil Nottingham]

Been stuck in the gridlocked and flooded roads around Derby city centre and beyond for over an hour. At least it was in the P5B and although dark not raining. Late for my dinner as because of it!

[stirlingmg]

Well I’ve been dismantling the engine on my recently acquired P5B. Not done anything since last Sunday but I might try and get a bit done after work tomorrow.

It all started with the car being quite sluggish & difficult to start with an occasional strange noise coming from the mouth if the l/h carb & an intermittent misfire.

After a little bit of tinkering with the carbs it actually got worse. The noise & misfire became a lot more pronounced and no amount of twiddling would improve it. I discovered an overfuelling issue which was down to the electric pump overcoming the float/needle valve on the l/h carb.......... Bingo I thought, so I ordered a carb service kit & overhauled the carbs, I also took the opportunity to connect both carbs to the choke cable. Alas this wasn’t enough to make it happy so I started to delve further & discovered a lobe worn off the camshaft on no 6 exhaust. I’ve also removed the heads as some of the compressions were down & I suspect a bit of valve & seat work will be needed. Hopefully I’ll get the heads stripped tomorrow & the cam slid out of the engine.

I was suspicious of the radiator & as it was already out I sent it to our local experts who confirmed my suspicions, so that has now been recored & the top mounting plate reattached at great expense. I have also bought a full set of hoses, a new cap, thermostat & temp sender for peace of mind.

As a result of that my camshaft purchase has been pushed back until next pay day.

[davidg]

Trying to arrange transport for a couple of Rovers down from Aberdeen to Bury St Edmunds. I should have thought about the logistics before I bought them!!
Hopefully Shipley will come up trumps, quotes coming in well.

[Warwick]

Nov 7, 2019 11:30:44 GMT enigmas said:

.... Looking forward to seeing a few updates of the progress...it's on my Bucket list.

Thanks Vince. On mine too.

Went to the monthly RCCA meeting last night and learnt a couple of disturbing things that may be of interest to you. All new BP service stations do not, and will not, have LPG available. The intention across the industry is to phase it out completely over the next 5 to 6 years. My old Range Rover has been LPG only since the EFI hoses failed a few years ago and the new replacement set I bought has a very slightly larger ID, and so they leak at the connection, no matter how tight the clips. I was also planning to run the P5B on only LPG too. So when I had the heads done I didn't have the comprehension lowered for modern petrol. I've even got the mixers for the Strombergs. I think JW might have got them for me in the UK. So long ago I can't remember.
Apparently 91 octane is also being phased out.

[johnwp5bcoupe]

BP stopped LPG here last year Warwick there are a few small outlets plus a few garages like Shell

[Warwick]

Where does yours come from, John? The North Sea?

[enigmas]

I'm not overly concerned with all the hype that we're currently being bombarded with in relation to viable, sustainable and clean fuel options for our cars Warwick. There have always been plenty of doom sayers out there talking up the end of the planet scenarios during our life time. Just recall the 60s. Yet we're still here and things have seemingly improved (?)

Why then is the US moving towards greater LPG production?

The rabid, frothing at the mouth brigade of eco fascists tend to think electricity is the clean answer to all our energy woes without considering that no form of energy is without cost, freely produced or stored. Imagine millions of electric cars all fitted with their toxic if not deadly storage batteries at some point in time requiring safe and secure disposal. The safe disposal of small cell phone batteries is a big enough issue. And of course the generation and storage of the huge amounts of electrical energy to feed this Brave New World of electric everything won't be a problem...will it?

Interestingly OZ has no shortage in the supply and manufacture of LPG (a clean alternative fuel) but petrol as a fuel could definitely be problematic with the rise of former third world countries to first world status. My personal view, mixed fuel status and hybrid cars make sense to me and don't require an endlessly expanding electrical and storage network.
Hey even our pensioners are told to turn off their aircons and sit in shopping malls on days of extreme heat.

I think diesel as a fuel for domestic vehicles is done though!

www.theverge.com/2018/7/3/17530646/tesla-battery-fire-electric-vehicles-transportation-science?sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjHgJWI49zlAhWTA3IKHRIfCpIQ9QF6BAgLEAI

[johnwp5bcoupe]

No Warwick out the pump the same as you

I don't know to be serious Warwick probably? we export oil and we import oil where's the ****!!! sense in that!
I get £5 off a year on my car tax for running 95% of the time on LPG while until this year there were petrol and diesel cars paying no road tax at all I believe these sort of cars now have to pay a minimum fixed amount of road tax.

We are going a bit off topic

[David]

Is there any reasons why LPG is not considered above electric cars?

[johnwp5bcoupe]

If it was a factory fitted system we would get more support from companies like BP David I think it's fantastic!

Honda were very successful running on LPG in the Touring Cars, so the banned them

[stirlingmg]

Nothing interesting happened here today, ended up sucking water out of the carpet of a ZT-T I sold recently, the front sunroof drain had detached itself (a common issue)
I was using a wet vac not a straw by the way 😆

[lagain]

I have had a week away from the Rover, in Scotland. Yesterday I came over the Drumochter Pass, on the A9, south of Inverness and it was 0 degrees with snow at the side. Stayed over night at a hotel in the lake district where I spent an hour in the sauna warming up - it was a bit chilly on a motor bike !