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Jun 13, 2018 20:12:30 GMT
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mgmrw, I do admire the original 800's. This one was one of my faves this year at POL> If space and time where no object, I would have a Vitesse hatch and Sterling saloon.
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Jun 13, 2018 19:59:45 GMT
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Awesome! So much retro goodness about the 200! I was actually looking at MGFs recent as a fun summer convertible for the parents! They look like an ideal summer car, I bet the 160bhp ones are great fun too! They are great fun. Il be honest, it was a bit of an accidental purchase while looking for something else. It was local so thought it wouldn't hurt to have a look. The VVC's are faster, but at lower revs there is not so much difference, unless you want to always be 5-7k rpm il be honest an MPi would still be great fun (also cheaper) Even if I move on, I'm glad I had one to try out for some time. The character, the noise behind your head, the way it handles and the amount of fun such a small package of repurposed parts can be has to be tried. They can not stay this cheap for long so do it sooner rather than later!
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Jun 12, 2018 19:49:29 GMT
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Sorry, yes, I meant coils, not coilovers. They were the first thing to go on mine! Take your point on factory budgets, it'll be interesting to see how the conversion works out. I ended up using 110 springs and Terrafirma dampers on my RRC, they had just a little more clearance than standard, but soft enough to flex off road, could also handle a reasonable trailer on the back. I did experiment with a few different set ups and this worked very nicely.
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Jun 11, 2018 22:05:24 GMT
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Love the coupe. Very pretty. The handling is ok, but the hydragas system is feeling a wee bit leggy so il use it till something lets go and then fit the Mike Satur Coilover conversion. Do these work? The coilovers on a P38 (different beast, I know) compromise the ride. As in replacing the air suspension? They are just a coil spring conversion, not coilovers. They will always be a compromise, as they cant be adjusted. I have tried various set ups on my RRC's but everyone uses their vehicles differently. Coilovers work well, and the whole set up is beautifully developed and made (I don't buy things like that without lots of research) Mike knows his stuff, and tbh, its the way the factory would have gone if they had the budget (later TF's use a slightly inferior suspension set up, however, they did get non adjustable coilovers) There are various choices between Spax and Gaz units and valving to suit different uses. Of course, you can also easily replace the springs to experiment with different rates, but the MS system is ace. and it would be wise to start off on the exact setup he has R+D'd. Il be honest, I'm still not 100% sure the MGF is a a keeper, if I impulse buy an MGR V8, or MGSV etc, I would probably move it on. Its the Tomcat I have wanted ever since I was a kid and that will always have a special place with me.
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Jun 11, 2018 21:54:59 GMT
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Amazing. A thread full of Rover.... Heaven. I still have regrets (about a dozen times a day) about selling my R8 220gti hatchback when the Mrs got knocked up. Bought a bloody CRV with the cash.... Sakes. GTI was red, one owner from new, and 52k on it CRV of all things! I had one I must admit, very good car, very dull but my god did it like a drink. When I was an apprentice, one of the sprayers in the bodyshop had a white over grey 220GTi. he gave it a full respray, new half leather seat covers and did the wheels etc. He always kept that car mint. One of the guys in the stores had a black Metro Turbo. I still miss my Rover days...
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So this afternoon I got round to resealing the clutch slave. These can take a fair bit of bleeding. I keep the pedal up, take out the bleed nipple and top up the cylinder then refit. Then just put some pressure on the master and wait for the air to leave. Luckily I have a professional spec pressure bleeder.....
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Sorry to spam jamesfuller I’ve an orange BRM front snout here from my old one long gone. Where would I shift it on? Sam There are some Rover buy sell pages on Facebook, Pride of Longbridge page also has a sales page, probably where I would start. Where bouts are you and how much you looking for?
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Tell me about the bubble 200. I had a 1998 218is bubble (super rare, like a vi but only 120 bhp). SUch a great car, mis it badly. Would love another one, or a brm. Its a little bit too new for this forum, but as its my Rover thread il put some photos up lol Once the MG and Tomcat are exactly how I want them I am going to add a BRM to the collection. I am also planning to have a mk2 ZS180 saloon as I think they are fantastic cars.
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Tell me about the bubble 200. I had a 1998 218is bubble (super rare, like a vi but only 120 bhp). SUch a great car, mis it badly. Would love another one, or a brm. Its a little bit too new for this forum, but as its my Rover thread il put some photos up lol
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The rad and pipes is a very good idea; TF alloy OEM rads were about £75 on ebay and drop straight in - because of the design of the front, the top of the rad does little to no cooling so the bottom being in good condition is vital. I have a modified RPS bonnet on mine with upper cooling vents - the heat after a 'good run' it surprising, but it is tge stability at speed makes the difference. I did have a look at the RPS bonnet a while back, but its further away from the factory look than I want to go. Mike Satur does an alloy airdam kit to make the rad work more efficiently and its not a lot of money so I plan to combine that with the other work.
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That is awesome, cant wait to see more.
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The MG, great fun to drive, I had forgotten how good they where. Its been pounding 400 miles a week since Xmas, and its first problem has arisen, the clutch slave is leaking and the pedal went. I have a neww seal kit on order so hopefully very soon she will be back to good health. I don't want to make this one much tidier, as its nice to have something that you can leave in a car park and not worry too much. The front wings will need replacement sometime soon. When I get round to it a full service and belts. I plan on doing the water pump when I drain the coolant system, and take car of that as one. so fit stainless underfloor pipes, silicone hose kit, treat it to a new rad, pump, stat and a manifold gasket. The handling is ok, but the hydragas system is feeling a wee bit leggy so il use it till something lets go and then fit the Mike Satur Coilover conversion. It has brand new tyres on, but they are cheap nasties, so once I pull my finger out and decide what wheels/brakes I want to run I can progress with that. I want to replace the roof, with a new style glass window one, I'm thinking about red, and also changing to a red interior.
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So far, I have put the wheels above on it (16 inch Streetwise) It was fitted with some 200VI hatch wheels, I also have the correct VVC coupe wheels but I like to run the 15's on one of my other Rovers. More on that one later.
SO its fairly tidy, quite solid, has had some welding done. Just had the rear spoiler repainted. Drives ok. 1st owner spent out on a Sony cassette and changer in the boot, which is cool. Still has the padded cover for the glass targa panels. Thick history file. It has been loved.
I still have plenty to do.... The drivers door switch is broken so the interior light stays on. Drivers door car needs work, I can put up with it till I find a replacement. The exhaust flexi is blowing, but a front pipe has been ordered Interior needs a good clean. Need to sort out a decent looking gearknob. Full service with belts, water pump etc. Re gas and sort aircon. Engine, it has a non VVC head fitted at the moment, but its quiet, still pulls well and is behaving pleasantly so will be left well alone while that is the case. I will look to buy a complete spare VVC engine when I have more time and room in the workshop. The most annoying problem, is the bloody things people put on the edge of doors to 'protect' them. its made a right mess and still need to make this look better.
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I owned a KNF Coupe 220 turbo for a few years, Rover's in general are/were vastly underrated in my opinion. The T16 engine is one of the best 2ltr engines of the 90's and they're still nice looking cars- I prefer the Roversport front end though, never liked the chrome grill. Whilst Honda's foundation had substance, saw them evolve and build a huge continuous customer base, Rover who were capable of making equally good cars (in my opinion) fell behind and dissolved. It's a real pity the way they was run as a company, ironically one of the engines they got such a bad press about due to premature HG failures is now regarded by enthusiasts as a really good engine to use and turbo in conversions- the K-Series. I do enjoy a K series, lovely little things to work on, nice and light and they perform well for the size, especially a sorted 1400. I did my apprenticeship at a Rover dealer so these old things always bring back plenty of memories.
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That looks superb after your hard work... do you not fancy refurbing the wheels and original wheel trims? Its on loan at the moment to the brother in law. I have some old Astralight alloys to go on at some point, so will be restoring the wheels once they come off. the orig centre caps are still nice.
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I don't just do J 4x4's.
I have recently purchased an MGF and a Tomcat VVC. The MG has been thrashed 400 odd miles a week since Xmas and so far so good. I'm having a slight issue with the clutch hydraulics right now, but the slave cyl. repair kit is on its way to me. I will maintain and improve mechanically but leave it looking fairly ropey as its a daily and I can leave it anywhere without worrying too much. Thr front wings could do with some work or replacement though.
I really had forgotten how much fun can be had in a low powered car, its a standard 120mpi MG.
Then we move on to the Tomcat, I needed to get to work this morning and the MG parts are not going to be here for a few days, so a last minute bid and then rush to collect it while I could get a lift means this week I will be commuting in a coupe.
Again, this is going to need work, but I don't mind, as I wanted an R8 at some point anyway. So now I have it a bit sooner than planned.
I also have a bubble shaped Rover, but that is not really practical for daily use,
Lots of bits on order etc, so photos and updates to follow.
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May 11, 2018 21:39:13 GMT
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This is still available. Non runner, huge project, or break for lots of good parts.
It has been on ebay but the prick that bid on it days ago has now messaged to say it was a last minute mistake bid.
I need the room its taking up and I don't want to resort to scrapping it, far too many rare parts.
If you can make use of it, please feel free to make an offer....
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I learnt to drive in a 5.2 litre one of these. awesome cruiser.
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