Time to work on the P5(finally!) again

[dmaxwell]

I thought I would never get back to the P5. My Geo Metro has been giving me grief the last few months (seems like most of the year!) but I finally got it running well(along with the XJS) so now I can get back to the P5. Maybe I can even give updates on the progress (all it takes is time and $$$$$).

David Maxwell
Tehachapi, California

[dmaxwell]

I finally got the garage cleaned up so I can get to the car to work on it. Pulled the right rear door seal off, cleaned up the channel and glued on a new seal. Started to clean and polish the paint and found the right front door had sometime before I got the car been dented. When I went to polish the paint, I found it had been repainted using what looks like a touch up brush!! Got out the sandpaper, removed the side trim strip but I'm going to have to repaint the door at the least. It's good to get back to working the car though.

David Maxwell
Tehachapi, CA

[Warwick]

Good therapy for a modern world, isn't it David.

I need some of it.

[dmaxwell]

Good therapy it is!
Got the final rear door seals installed this weekend. Noticed that the rear seat leather is in good shape and have been treating it with Lexol (something like that) so it will stay in good condition. After completing the left rear door seal, I found that the latch won't latch! Probably just needs a bit of oil. The front right door has always needed a bit of bodywork where it had been dented before I got the car. While working on that, I noticed that from the trip downwards it had been repainted, using a very small brush! I've got most of it sanded down and am filling in the small nicks in the paint in preperation for respraying the car. Litttle by little, I'm finally getting things done.

David Maxwell
Tehachapi, CA

[glennr]

Keep up the good work David

[dmaxwell]

Thanks Glenn!
I got the door latch working soon after I wrote the post. Squirted some oil into the latch and it started working! Little by little I'm getting things done!

David

[Gordon Harrower]

David,

It's good, and inspiring, to hear about your progress. My door-seal project is in limbo because it's been so hot here that the glue won't stick.

Meanwhile, I got my 3-Litre running and to a shop for a professional assessment. I had to replace the infamous Y-mounts, but otherwise all looks good. The only snag is in the shifting, which still isn't right. I've got a new selector coming from Pierre, so I hope that resolves it.

Gordon.

[dmaxwell]

Hi Gordon,

Is it the heat or the humidity that is affecting the glue (or the combination of both)? It got up to about 90F when I was doing mine and didn't seem to be a problem but the humidity was only about 30%.
I did get the clock in the dash working this week! It had never worked for me and I pulled it out Monday evening, took the cover off and finally found an electrical connection that had come undone. Reattched it, tested it with a 12VDC power supply and it works fine now!! Of course it is still going to show the right time only twice a day until I get to the point when I'll need a battery in the car! Hopefully by the end of the year.

David Maxwell
Tehachapi, CA

[Gordon Harrower]

Hi Dave,

It's both the heat and the humidity. We had five days in a row over 100, and the car lives outdoors. We've had only one day under 90 in a month. My ineptitude has nothing to do with it, of course!

Heartening to hear about your clock. Mine doesn't work either, and all those little electrical matters are what I face when I get my car back: ignition light, radio, overdrive, fuel gauge, etc.

Gordon.

[dmaxwell]

Removed old boot seal (man, is that hard to remove when it's hard as a rock!) and installed new one. Boot lid no longer rattles when closed now. Am replacing the left side window seals on both doors (had done right side a few months ago) today and fixing all the little dings in the paint. Found the bottom of the left rear wing had been creased and bent some time in the past before I got the car. I've got most of it pounded out and am filling in the minor creases. Slowly but surely, the work is getting done!

David Maxwell
Tehachapi, CA

[dmaxwell]

I found an interesting item while removing the license plate from the boot lid. There is piece of aluminum cut to fit and painted that is the size of the indentation in the boot lid (is that clear?). It was bolted to the boot lid with 1/4" bolts. After pulling it off, I couldn't see any reason for it being there and the quality of paint(which did match the rest of the car)was not up to the standard of the rest of the boot. This may have been something that my grandfather did though I can't see any reason for it. Has anyone else seen anything like this?

Thanks!

David Maxwell
Tehachapi, CA

[Deleted]

Yeah Ive got that on mine. A big plate that fits in the number plate recess, mines painted mat black with a brush though.

[Deleted]

What you have found is the original heavy duty shaped aluminium backing plate and I assume it has the holes where the original registration number was attached.The plate was pre-drilled allowing it to be attached to the pre-drilled holes in the boot lid. Many of the original backing plates were removed to accomodate later UK reflective plates as in my own car but several years ago I obtained and restored one of the original aluminium backing plates. They fit perfectly and look absolutely right.
They were usually satin black with the beading left unpainted and were made of good gauge aluminium. I would retain it if I were you!

[dmaxwell]

Thanks for the information! The fit was perfect, I just couldn't see a reason for it, I will keep it but I'm not sure if I'll put it back on the boot lid or not.

David Maxwell
Tehachapi, CA

[Warwick]

David,

I can see why it might be puzzling, so perhaps I can clarify it a bit from a foreigner's viewpoint.
I'm sure one of the non-foreigners will correct me if I get some of the detail wrong.

In Australia, like the US (I believe), number plates have always been a pressed, painted metal plate, issued by the government. The letters and numbers are embossed into the sheet-metal. Cars have a space provided by the manufacturer where the plate is attached.

In the UK, the government issued the number but not the plate itself. The plate was (is?) prepared for the first owner by a third party who attached 3 dimensional individual letters and numbers to a blank plate. This finished plate was then screwed to the location on the car provided by the manufacturer.

This was also the case in Singapore when I lived there in the '70s. There they used an aluminium plate of the appropriate colour (reflective white or yellow) and to this raised 3D plastic characters were thermally rivetted.

In Australia (and I assume the US), the registration number has a set format and can't be changed. All the characters are in a horizontal line on a rectangular plate.

In the UK the plate could be rectangular or square, to suit the car. With a square plate you could place the characters in 2 rows.

Some up-market car makers such as Rover, provided the plate to which the number plate maker would attach the characters. This enabled that car to have a better quality and uniform plate.

In countries such as Australia and the US, this original plate can't be used as we aren't allowed to make our own plates. Because the original plate seems to fit in with the body styling (as intended), it tends to get left there and the rectangular government supplied plate is placed on top of it. Perhaps this is because if you remove it the fact that the number plate doesn't match the pressed recess in the body becomes more obvious.

Does that make sense?

[dmaxwell]

It sure does Warwick! This is what is great about the board, finding out reasons why Rover did what they did. I really couldn't come up with a reason for it myself and at first thought it was something my grandfather had done for reasons known only to himself! In addition to the normal mounting holes, he had drilled a hole in each corner and so it was held down by 8 bolts! I'm filling in the extra holes and will keep the plate in the garage in case it is needed somday for some unknown reason!

David Maxwell
Tehachapi, CA

[Warwick]

The ability to split the registration number into 2 rows in the UK is clearly shown if you Google images of early Land Rovers. If we fit our government issue plates to vehicles like this, they sometimes end up protruding past the side of the vehicle.


Hopefully one of the UK members can jump in here and confirm if my statements about the UK system are correct.

[Deleted]

Warwick, you're right about the UK plates and on page 129 of James Taylor's "The Post-War Rover P4 & P5, there is photograph of a Rover fitted plate showing the Reg No and GB above it. I modelled my first replacement B&W plate on that photo and sent it to the plate maker as a pattern.Unfortunately, the photo was lost. The main difference in the original plate is that it is shaped to fit neatly under the reversing lamp shroud.

All the original plates I have seen had the Reg No letters and numbers directly attached to the Rover supplied plate. I took the easier option and had a standard size B&W plate made up which is stuck to the restored back plate. I sprayed the backing plate with Satin Black over an etch primer.

As the years passed, some of the old plates were scrapped and new fangled reflective ones put on but many cars still have the original quality Rover backing plate lurking underneath.

[Warwick]

Luckily we can still get plates with old numbers, at a price.
Mine now has its original style black and white plates with almost its original number. (One digit out). The only other difference is that the original numbers where white and now they are reflective white.

[dmaxwell]

Well, finally got back to it again! Rebuilt the front calipers and the left rear brake cylinder. While doing the rear, I remembered several threads about making sure the mounting was free to move when you put it all back together, this I did. It had not been free to move before I took it all apart. The front calipers took two trys to get them back together right. The outer dust cover is a challange to get the inner ring in place. I didn't realize on the first caliper that the ring came out. Once I did the second caliper, I went back and redid the first! The master and right rear I'm going to do tomorrow.
Hope you all had a good Christmas!

David Maxwell

[Deleted]

That's right David. The nuts on the rear cylinders are slackened off one complete turn to allow the cylinder to slide on the backplate thus equalising the shoes.The special spring washers keep the nuts from undoing any further. Plenty of copper grease on the sliding faces of the cylinder/backplate will help as well.

Many rear brake problems are caused by owners/mechanics fully tightening the nuts and therefore locking the cylinder into a rigid position.

[glennr]

I think the correct terminology is that they have to "Float"

[dmaxwell]

Well, I got the brake master cylinder rebuilt and went to bleed the brakes but the pedal goes right to the floor! Checked and I've got fluid going to the brake booster but nothing coming out. Pulled the booster out and took t apart, got all kinds of fluid in the vaccum chamber. Looks like it will need a rebuild kit or replacement! Always something that gets in the way of a running car!

David

[Phil Nottingham]

The old Girling type is obsolete and they dislike disuse - best to fit a new Lockheed type - see SEARCH

[dmaxwell]

Thanks Phil! I've found a Lockheed at All Britich Cars in Vancover, British Columbia at a resonable price and will order it soon. At least the brakes will work then (of course it will be a moot point as the cars isn't running yet to stop from!).

David