Post by frazzletc on Feb 20, 2012 0:34:06 GMT
The other week, I was browsing cars for sale, when I saw this Rover P5B for sale about 60 miles away. I went to see it, and decided I had to have it, so, yesterday, I collected it! Rather an unusual classic for a 20 year old, and certainly far from cheap to insure, in fact, impossible to insure on a classic policy. It's actually insured as a modern car, in my own name, so it's absolutely legal.
I arrived home from collecting the car about 6 hours later than intended, due to a couple of unforeseen issues. When I got to collect the car, the battery had gone flat, which wasn't really surprising, given that it had only been run for a couple of minutes just the week before, and had done nothing much else for the last few months. However, once that was done, I realised it had run out of fuel. Anyway, once these trifling matters had been attended to, the car started on the first flick of the key. 8)
I decided to go into Biggar to have a spot of lunch, and fill the car with premium unleaded. :oops: I've never driven a car which attracts half as much interest! I must confess that I did glance at the occasional shop window as I drove past, V8 resonating through the narrow streets!
I decided, in order to avoid roadworks at Moffat, I'd travel down to Lockerbie, and head home from there. Rather than the motorway, I felt since I'd just got the car, I'd rather try the back road home. I travelled about 40 miles in absolute comfort, and without much movement on the fuel gauge front. It's unlike anything I've driven before, it's just so effortless, and torquey. Overtaking is a doddle too!
Sadly, however, just outside Lockerbie, coming up to a roundabout, the brake pedal went to the floor. I had to drive through the roundabout, then let the car come to a halt, with some assistance from the handbrake in a layby just along the road. Thankfully no harm done to the car, me, or anyone else. A brake pipe has failed, as a result of the car having sat since the owner's death last autumn.
So, not a difficult fix, but the car had to be brought home on a transporter which was slightly disheartening, but I'm glad that this happened when it did, and that nothing nasty happened. I've decided to replace all of the brake lines as a matter of course, with copper items, since the car has been maintained with no corners cut in the past, I want to continue in the same manner.
I love the car though, and really can't wait to start enjoying it when the better weather arrives. It's going to be an awful lot of fun! 8)
Regarding the three litre coupé, a friend of mine will be taking over the project. Nobody locally will do the welding for me, so it's only workable for someone who can do it themselves, so that's what he will be doing. In the meantime, I'll continue tinkering with it.
I arrived home from collecting the car about 6 hours later than intended, due to a couple of unforeseen issues. When I got to collect the car, the battery had gone flat, which wasn't really surprising, given that it had only been run for a couple of minutes just the week before, and had done nothing much else for the last few months. However, once that was done, I realised it had run out of fuel. Anyway, once these trifling matters had been attended to, the car started on the first flick of the key. 8)
I decided to go into Biggar to have a spot of lunch, and fill the car with premium unleaded. :oops: I've never driven a car which attracts half as much interest! I must confess that I did glance at the occasional shop window as I drove past, V8 resonating through the narrow streets!
I decided, in order to avoid roadworks at Moffat, I'd travel down to Lockerbie, and head home from there. Rather than the motorway, I felt since I'd just got the car, I'd rather try the back road home. I travelled about 40 miles in absolute comfort, and without much movement on the fuel gauge front. It's unlike anything I've driven before, it's just so effortless, and torquey. Overtaking is a doddle too!
Sadly, however, just outside Lockerbie, coming up to a roundabout, the brake pedal went to the floor. I had to drive through the roundabout, then let the car come to a halt, with some assistance from the handbrake in a layby just along the road. Thankfully no harm done to the car, me, or anyone else. A brake pipe has failed, as a result of the car having sat since the owner's death last autumn.
So, not a difficult fix, but the car had to be brought home on a transporter which was slightly disheartening, but I'm glad that this happened when it did, and that nothing nasty happened. I've decided to replace all of the brake lines as a matter of course, with copper items, since the car has been maintained with no corners cut in the past, I want to continue in the same manner.
I love the car though, and really can't wait to start enjoying it when the better weather arrives. It's going to be an awful lot of fun! 8)
Regarding the three litre coupé, a friend of mine will be taking over the project. Nobody locally will do the welding for me, so it's only workable for someone who can do it themselves, so that's what he will be doing. In the meantime, I'll continue tinkering with it.
