820
South East
Posts: 790
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The wooden mock up caliper brackets are taking longer than expected, this is mk5 due to changes and breakages still with a bit more to do, the problem is how close the 4 threaded bolt holes pass, requiring plenty of metal around the holes, there will be another 10mm added taking total thickness 30mm, I hope that will be good enough or it gets complicated. Nearside of the front bumper has been a poor fit for years so finally got round to removing the bumper to fix it and found this sorry looking mount, While the bumper was off I removed the fog lamps that never get used and fitted blanks from an 820 Si, but the nearside with a few holes drilled is now a discreet cold air intake for the air filter just behind the headlamp. Bumper bracket replaced and bumper refitted.
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Last Edit: Jun 3, 2022 10:31:11 GMT by 820
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820
South East
Posts: 790
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Nov 25, 2013 19:10:37 GMT
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820
South East
Posts: 790
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Nov 19, 2013 19:33:35 GMT
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That looks good, funny I was started on this bike thing by the Brooklands museum then one of the ideas was to find an Eddy Merckx bike that I had when I was 15, couldnt find one or anything like. Are you still using the Carlton?
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Last Edit: Nov 19, 2013 19:38:00 GMT by 820
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820
South East
Posts: 790
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Nov 17, 2013 14:58:50 GMT
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800 coupe code name Dragon. There was a convertible to, code name George. George and the Dragon. Rover execs had a sense of humour. Sadly convertible never made it to production. I was a young apprentice and remember seeing the convertible and hearing stories of the roof flying off on the m1 by one of the test drivers! I drove a turbo coupe to the scrap yard in gaydon, then at the end of j road, a light gravel test road on the test track , it had no exhaust on it. Massive wheel spin the full length of the road. The Tony pond 800 iom car was in the scrap yard not many years ago. Owned by the mechanic, it was slowly rusting away, I tried my best to buy it but he was having non of it. The Tony Pond car was still alive and well just a couple of years ago being used for track days etc, I have a couple of pictures somewhere. I am a total fan having owned most versions and still running a turbo fastback.
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820
South East
Posts: 790
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Nov 16, 2013 18:16:08 GMT
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The original brakes are actually quite good, with 285mm vented front discs they are fine on the road but even with EBC Redstuff pads for track days they overheat after a couple of laps causing bad fade. So next job is beef up the front brakes, like everything on this car there is nothing available off the shelf and no one has done it before so decided to use Rallydesign and go for Willwoods. I took a hub and wheel to them for dimensions, their brake man was brilliant, went through lots of options and tried different bells and discs to get the right clearance inside the standard wheels, worked out caliper piston sizes suitable for the standard master cylinder, even showed my son and I around their warehouse, which I imagine is a bit like heaven, largest stock of tuning parts in the country and possibly Europe I believe, amazing place, I highly recommend them. There is still a lot of work to do getting the brakes to fit, the brakes disc bells are blank and the caliper carriers have to be made. Original brakes with drilled and grooved discs and redstuff pads. These are the new calipers, these should stop the old barge. The new disc bells, as you can see no bolt holes and a standard 50mm centre hole. Centre and wheel stud holes done. Luckily a perfect fit Close behind though, pictures make it look closer than it is but still not much space to work with. Caliper mounts will be a bit more tricky, the plan is to make them first from wood as its nicer to work with. Thats where its up to today, cheers.
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Last Edit: Jun 3, 2022 10:30:22 GMT by 820
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820
South East
Posts: 790
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Nov 16, 2013 17:37:58 GMT
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Following on from another thread requesting fuel tank cleaning tips I was worried the fuel had dried up and gone off in the pipes, so before taking the tank out for cleaning decided to add 20 litres of fuel and fuel system cleaner, run fuel through the pipes rails etc so it could at least soak into anything nasty that had formed inside the pipes. This is the mess inside the tank, it has that very old petrol smell too. Anyway added the fuel and additive, ran the pump and it actually fired up and ran after a bit of coughing and spluttering, so at least it is useable when I get the rest back together.
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Last Edit: Jun 3, 2022 10:29:19 GMT by 820
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820
South East
Posts: 790
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Rover 800/820/Vitesse fastback as a model Ive never been able to find or find that one was ever produced, Ive been looking for years, SD1 or 800 Stirling saloon no problem, but not the early or late 5 door fastback, not even a Partridge special. Ive been through most of this thread but couldnt see one, if anyone knows of one produced or better still has one, any info would be appreciated, cheers
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820
South East
Posts: 790
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Just read your thread, love the car, fantastic work and dedication. Look forward to watching your progress and those Rover seats look made for it.
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820
South East
Posts: 790
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Thanks for the tips, I will look into those. I want to do away with the gear levers on the down tube and move to brake levers with gear change but they are all 9 and 10 speed shifters, this frame is for 5 speed, I can get the frame widened or I seem to remember some bikes having the gear levers on the end of the handle bars, not sure which way to go now.
Fannywhacker, just read your thread, fantastic collection.
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820
South East
Posts: 790
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820
South East
Posts: 790
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The dent is a shame but it was always the intention to build it up to new condition. I get your point about building it up with the faded paint though. Would be interested to know more about your 80's Holdsworth and Columbus. The frame is back from Roberts Cycles, the dent was not repairable so a new down tube was needed, this is where logic goes out the window, the repair would cost more than I paid for the bike, but this build had to have certain features on the frame that took a long time to find, so went ahead with the repair. I asked if stainless steel tubing could be used but this was not possible, so a modern 531 tubing was used retaining the original weight and feel of the frame on the road. Also added to the frame is the front derailleur mount, the original front frame clamped derailleur was missing so to protect the final paint and try to keep it looking clean as possible this was brazed in place. Thats where it is up to now, the next stage is some chroming, still not decided on the parts to chrome but have some ideas, I have been recommended to London Chroming, if anyone has used them before or has any other recommendations in the Surrey South London area.
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Last Edit: Mar 27, 2016 11:55:20 GMT by 820
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820
South East
Posts: 790
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The bike now fully stripped for repair and paint. These hand made Reynolds 531 tubing frames have some great details with the brass head badge and sloping fork CROWNs, the lugs although not as fancy as some earlier frames or Hetchins are still functional with a little bit of that English styling you wont find on a mass produced frame now. The frame is straight and aligned no serious corrosion just the down tube dent to assess. The brass head badge paint had worn over 40 years so that will need repainting. The sloping fork CROWNs Almost all the modern ally, carbon and even steel frames are built in the far east, you wont see the trick and funtional wrap over rear stay tubes on another bike. It cant be seen in the picture but the dent has pushed out at the edges so filling wont hide it. I took the frame along to Roberts Cycles in Croydon, www.robertscycles.com/index.htmlone of the few places still hand building custom steel frames in their own workshop at the back of the shop. They tailor each bike they build to the customers measuments and specific requirements, using modern lightweight steel tubing or stainless steel.
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Last Edit: Mar 27, 2016 11:53:43 GMT by 820
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820
South East
Posts: 790
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Varnish is a good description, as if it had been thrown at it and left to dry. I did try engine flush on the outside of the fuel pump but got a horrible feeling it has damaged it,the rubber/seal parts have gone soft. Will try carb cleaner, probably safer on seals and gaskets. cheers again
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820
South East
Posts: 790
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I visited the Brooklands museum a while back and found they had a building dedicated to push bikes, it took me right back, although it was good to see the Raleigh Choppers, Grifters and stuff thats not really what I was into. Track bikes, cycle speedway and racers were my thing so to see those early Raleigh, Peugeot, Claud Butler racers in that old building was amazing. I have always enjoyed cycling and still commute 50 miles a week to keep fit and its just boring sitting in traffic, I suspect like a lot of us on this site I spent all my early teens on push bikes before discovering cars and motorbikes. Kept thinking about building an old track bike with the old postman bike Westwood wheels, sloping cross bar frame, no brakes, Canadian bend handle bars, knobbly tyres etc and learn to wheelie every where again but the parts are difficult to find now and I am 50. So decided on a Racer project, after several unsuccessful bids on 70's to 80's stuff eventually won a 1974 Holdsworth, I think its a Mistral but not certain, the only problem might be a dent in the down tube might not be repairable. This is the ebay picture When I got it home, straightened out the brake levers, raised the saddle and tried it out, it rode ok, so decided to try it out on the 8 mile ride to work the next day, what a mistake that was, I knew the old Brookes leather saddle was worn but it was so bad that half way it was agony where it had collapsed, the chain was bone dry and squeaked all the way, the gears wrapped round the sprocket twice, the brakes worked but not well, anyway packed the saddle out with foam for the return journey. Most of the parts on it are scrap, its the frame that I really want to use, I love the sloping fork CROWNs and the wrap round seat stays and the not to fancy lugs. I might still use the wheels if they straighten and clean up ok. These are pictures of it with saddle raised and brakes straightened after the epic ride to work. Next it will be completely stripped for assessment of the frame dent and what can be salvaged
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Last Edit: Mar 27, 2016 11:52:15 GMT by 820
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820
South East
Posts: 790
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Bit of an update. Engine was getting tappetty so checked the valve clearances and found all inlets ok but exhaust clearances had increased quite a bit, so removed the exhaust cam etc which is a pain as it was originally fitted with hydraulic lifters so not designed to come apart for service, found the shims had worn quite badly, some more than others. As it is only on the exhaust side I am guessing it is to do with the high temperature the exhaust valves reach with the turbo and this could be causing the oil to thin and become less effective. Adjusting the gaps is not a nice job either, I have to get top hat shims from Piper, only available in limited sizes then grind each of them to size for each valve, fortunately it only needs doing every 5000 miles or so. The top surface should be flat, a couple of gaps were only a few thou oversize but you can see there is as much as 20 thou increase in gap on the most worn. Cams back in and carriers reassembled with new seals, had to helicoil one of the back cam belt cover threads in the head, also fitted a new cam belt while it was off. I need to remove the fuel tank now to clean out old fuel and muck that has formed inside and on pump due to lack of use but that will have to wait as the front of the car is up on stands for some other repairs.
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Last Edit: Sept 8, 2021 14:19:53 GMT by 820
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820
South East
Posts: 790
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Oct 31, 2013 20:06:15 GMT
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Thank you for the suggestions, I will get the tank out soon take some pictures and experiment with some of the above. I will try the chemical techniques first, its horrible how its gone, as hard as rust, bonded to the metal but when removed, the metal is like new underneath. It might be a month or so as the front is on stands with a hub removed for measurements for custom brakes, soon as its back together and can be moved I will update. Really appreciate your help, cheers.
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820
South East
Posts: 790
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Oct 26, 2013 13:18:18 GMT
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Hi, I am after some fuel tank cleaning advice. My car has been unused for almost 3 years other than MOT and back,last time out the in tank fuel filter mesh on on the pump had clogged with muck causing hesitation. Anyway getting it ready for some use next year and pulled the pump out to inspect and found what looked like corrosion on the steel parts of the pump and above the fuel level line inside the tank, the fuel has gone off and discoloured, it has an octane additive which I don't think helps. What looks and feels like rust on the fuel pump does actually clean off leaving undamaged metal underneath, tried a couple of chemicals to remove it, engine flush wouldnt touch it but brake cleaner does, but it took 3 cans to clean a small area so this is not practical, it can be scraped off with a screwdriver leaving good metal, but again not practical for the inside of the tank. I will remove the tank to flush the old fuel out, so any tips or advice will be much appreciated,
thanks Jim
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820
South East
Posts: 790
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Aug 31, 2013 12:14:24 GMT
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Brilliant pictures and comments, thats my Saturday morning gone, thank you.
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820
South East
Posts: 790
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Feb 24, 2013 13:10:07 GMT
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Some of those bays are works of art , particular favorites are the charged Imp, Maxi, the NightmaresRacing Fords, all the Triumphs, I know how many hours and £'s go into them. This is my Rover 820, far to many hours spent changing parts and keeping it clean.
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820
South East
Posts: 790
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Dec 29, 2012 13:52:05 GMT
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An abandoned project
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