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Mar 12, 2024 21:30:50 GMT
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It's me, I am back with the same old complaint about the banner ads at the bottom of the page... For a while it was good - there was an occasional ad across the bottom that could be closed; now, more and more the ad appears and, even though there is an arrow to minimize it, it just stays put...
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Well, I'll give him another twenty minutes, but that's it! Patience young Grasshopper, patience.
Now... where was I? Ah yes, Tuesday.
Truth be told, I already knew the answer to the Tuesday question as I heard back from the seller pretty sharpish. Let's just say that the car is not registered, the back fees are not paid and I didn't pay $1,400 - and the sigh of resignation that emanated from the seller's location could be heard far and wide across the land.
I have access to my mate's big trailer that has been used on previous excursions such as the 1000 miles in a day Stag and the "you drove 750 miles to get that" Country Squire but, this car runs and it wasn't far from home and I was too lazy to drive to pick up the free trailer. Instead, I went to U-haul and paid a small fortune for a smaller trailer that did the job but wasn't nearly as nice. Of course, because it's U-haul all trailers only have four pin trailer wiring, so I had to buy an adapter. Anyway, other than the first two U-haul locations not having trailers the whole thing was pretty uneventful.
I arrived in Anaheim, home of Disneyland and other atrocities, spoke to Majid and handed over a pitifully small amount of cash, gave him an "attaboy, better luck next time" slap on the back, loaded the trailer and left.
I made the short and uneventful journey to John's shop, home of the Rover and the Stag - now, while John knew I was pursuing the Merkur he did not approve/understand and I did not have landing permission at his shop. Tea was drunk and the car was unloaded with the understanding that it is temporary while I find a longer term solution - basically anything that isn't here.
This is my first encounter with the Merkur XR4Ti and I don't know that much about them - however a few things jump out. It has an inter cooler fitted which is not standard and, it has twin exhausts - well 4 into 1 into 2, again not standard. There was a company called Rapido that did a lot of upgrades (debatable) and tuning products for these and the exhaust looks like one of theirs. I am going to have to dig a little deeper to know what I have so I will get some better pictures and post on the FB group page and see what feedback I get.
The interior seems to be "okay" - people don't realize you have to maintain leather seats, especially in a hot climate like southern California so, as the case with a lot of 35+ year old cars the seats show signs of neglect - I don't know how bad yet as I haven't taken the front seat covers off yet. The dash has a crack or two, which is par for the course for these. The driver's seat is stuck in the gansta lean position which I will take a look at this weekend. Also, the height adjustment seems to be on the high side for me - I am hoping it's a maintenance thing that can be solved with some lube, otherwise I will find it quite hard to comfortably drive. The photos aren't great as I was in a hurry and it was very sunny. I will try and get some more over the weekend.
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Last Edit: Feb 2, 2024 17:54:38 GMT by wildrover
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Davey you are correct, it most certainly is later (and please don't call me Shirley, etc., etc.) While you are waiting patiently, please enjoy a photograph of some genuine California rain
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There was someone on here who had contact with Madam, but I cannot for the life of me remember who it was. I'm re-reading this thread from the beginning now, only wish I had discovered it before the youtube videos were taken down gucci88 is who you are thinking of, although he hasn't been on the forum since last October.
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So... Tuesday happened More on that later.
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Jan 28, 2024 22:41:37 GMT
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I'd have bought it at $2000. I know, I agree but, I am currently practicing being a grown up - it's not going well in case you wondered Great buy, can't wait to follow this one. Not quite there yet, but so close I can taste it... You've come back here for advice whether to buy it or not? Not sure if serious When do you collect it? I find a certain delicious comedic irony in getting the wrong kind of advice from strangers on the internet Especially when it agrees with what I want to do but know I shouldn't. Now I have you to blame!
So... there have been developments on the XR4Ti front.
In my last post about this car I told you that my $1,400 had been accepted and I felt fairly committed to buy it. Since then something came to light that caused me to rescind my offer.
I left the UK some 32 years ago and in that time there have been some changes - at least I don't remember the stuff that gets talked about on here and other forums - for example SORN... I have been able to gather that it's a mechanism to allow you not to tax the car as long as it's not on the road and then re-tax when ready without penalty. If I am correct then that is the same as a California PNO - Planned Non Operation. Basically we have to pay registration every year on our vehicles, the price correlates to the vehicle's age and value - I think the lowest you will pay is now $156 as it went up recently. However, if you don't pay or put the car on a PNO it will accrue fees and penalties - which can get very expensive, very quickly - and those fees/penalties become the problem of the new owner.
With the above in mind I asked the seller if the car was on a PNO and I was told yes. In the interests of my pocket book I applied the Russian proverb of "trust but verify"... and asked for the VIN, which I checked on the DMV website... turns out it's not on a PNO and there are approximately $950 in penalties to pay before it can be registered
I emailed the seller with the news and conveyed my reluctance to purchase the car with nearly a grand in back fees. Some of you may think that it's still worth it at $2,500 but, I do not - as much as I would like a Sierra/Merkur it has to be at the right price. I think I mentioned before that the seller is the mechanic that did the recent work and he is selling for his customer - so I don't think he tried to pull the wool over my eyes or owt, just bad memory and/or misunderstandings. I said that I couldn't expect him to drop the price by a grand so, if his customer gets it registered I will pay the extra cost of registration but not back fees or penalties - so about $1,550.
I will know more on Tuesday.
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Last Edit: Jan 28, 2024 22:46:10 GMT by wildrover
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Jan 28, 2024 22:15:03 GMT
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Things on the Stag have slowed recently for a few reasons. Weather has been a bit rainy, inconveniently on Saturdays - I like the rain but John doesn't and, as my car is still outside we either don't go to the shop on wet days, or we are confined to the few jobs that can be done off the car. With the front suspension off and disassembled I have begun the tedious task of cleaning, blasting and refurbishing the parts I can - I am limited by the size of my blast cabinet and my teeny, tiny powder coating oven. Bigger parts will be farmed out as and when needed and/or the budget allows. Here, for your viewing pleasure, is a before, during and after of one of the brake shields. And the engine mounts Baby steps.
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Impressive stuff as always.
I may be too late, or this may not be for you, but... The chap I rent shop space off has quite a selection of California MG bodies and tons of spares. So if you need repair panels and would prefer used, rust free originals, let me know and I am sure something could be worked out.
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Jan 19, 2024 17:16:39 GMT
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Sierra/XR4Ti update... I really, really shouldn't do this - there are just so many reasons against buying this car, but... I stuck with my $1,400 offer and ignored all messages and calls from the seller - he countered at $1,550... I ignored him. I just got a voicemail from him saying he'll take the $1,400. I mean, at that price, I would be wrong not too, right? My decision making hasn't been helped by watching episodes of Spender - yes, yes I know, this isn't a Sapphire Cossie. So, instead of listening to the weird and often patently wrong advice from the voices in my head, I have come here for rational, reasoned and well grounded advice So, begin....
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Last Edit: Jan 19, 2024 17:17:28 GMT by wildrover
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I'm pretty sure the engine is basically a what we would know as a pinto, (as is the cosworth YB) and they only weigh around 1100kg would be very interesting to see on here. kevins You are on the money - I think I mentioned about how I should not be allowed access to a computer after I'd had an adult beverage... it's a Lima engine, not a puma and, it is, as you say a Pinto derivative.
I so, so want to buy this but... my references to the death/bodily harm I face if I do are only somewhat in jest. If I had somewhere to hide it nothing would stop me. I floated the idea to John in whose workshop parking lot the Stag and Rover currently repose - I was met with a dead eye stare, I spoke to my other mate (also John) and he is in the same boat... I can't ask the SOB that started this problem (Sal) as he already houses two of my semi-secret cars. There is hope left with my buddy Mike so, we'll see.
Currently I am afraid to check my email in case my offer was accepted... watch this space
EDIT: My offer of $1,400 was rejected I responded by reminding the seller that it was a limited market, he was at $1,700 and I was at $1,400 - where did he want to go from here? Bearing in mind that he has listed it on the most inappropriate site to get attention I feel fairly comfortable being a bit of a dick...
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Last Edit: Jan 14, 2024 8:36:53 GMT by wildrover
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I drove an XR4x4 regularly as we had it as a pool car at work, I loved it, for day to day use I prefered it to the Cosworths we also had. I drove a few XR4X4s back in the day and loved them too - never got to drive a cossie so, I can't compare.
The XR4Ti doesn't have an engine that we were familiar with over there - it's got the 4 cylinder 2.3 Puma lump, with (of course) fuel injection and a turbo but, from my understanding of it it was a little beast of an engine developing 175 hp in manual trim. I have seen claims that it's capable of going to 700+ hp in racing trim but, that's not for me.
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Buy it. I keep dreaming about Sierras. I hope you can sleep easy knowing that my blood may be on your hands...
I just offered $1,400 - we shall see.
I really shouldn't be allowed near a computer after I've had a drink... I have no idea where I am going to hide this car if I am "succesfull"
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Jan 12, 2024 17:25:29 GMT
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kevins it is - it's a 1988 Merkur XR4Ti - and therein lies my dilemma. My nemesis good friend Sal simply cannot stop sending me listings of cars that will surely lead me to an early death at the hands of my wife should I give in to my impulses. No matter how many times I tell him I have no time, no space, no money and no desire to be garrotted in my sleep, he continues to forward these ads. The two photos are all that are shown in the listing, the description is every bit as vague. But... it was local. The asking price was $4,950 - a bit on the high side but, you know... it is local. I messaged the seller and got no response - in the meantime the ad was de-listed but, as it's saved in my favorites I could still access it and, the price had dropped to $3,950. A few days passed and I heard back from the seller. The car was still available and the ad now showed the price as $1,950. Do you see where this is headed? I set up a time to see the car and decided I would make a cheeky offer of $1,000 and see where that got me. I mean life is short and if the wife does decide to do me in would I rather shuffle off this mortal coil with or without owning an XR4Ti? The car was at a mechanic's shop and he was selling in on behalf of his customer just to cover the cost of work that had been done. The car belonged to an older gentleman who had it for years - a California car from new it was rust free and in pretty good shape all things considered. The owner has suffered some back problems and can no longer drive it. There are some problems - for example the driver's seat back is stuck in the gangsta lean position, the paint needs some serious attention and the leather seats that weren't under covers were slightly cracked. It's a 5 speed manual - that wasn't mentioned in the ad, the electric windows work and so do the heated seats I am told. The shop had the turbo rebuilt, and installed a new alternator and timing belt. I took it for a drive and it's good... very good, it still needs work but it's good. The negatives... I am no longer the svelte young thing that owned a 1983 Sierra and I found things a little cramped. The gansta lean made it really difficult to drive, the drivers seat also appears to have the height adjusted up and it's either stuck or it doesn't go lower so the steering wheel was really low and close to my legs. I made an offer of $1,200 and was rejected - the lowest he will go is $1,700 although I could probably counter at $1,500. I am so torn right now. If I buy this will it be a case of "never meet your heroes" or will it be a smart move? At that price it's a bargain...
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Nice job. There used to be a bike breakers here, well up in the valley that would have had tons of bits for this - I checked to see if they were still around but, they've gone I suppose that was *mumble mumble* years ago when I was still a despatch rider in LA. So, glad to see you managed to find most of the bits you needed.
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Can we get the floors in by New Years day? If anyone can it's you!
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This Saturday we didn't do much in the way of anything on the Stag - instead, we built some shelving to accommodate the ever growing amount of stuff being removed from the car. I didn't know that the plan was to build shelves, so I didn't have any of my welding gear with me - instead I cut the angle to length and John cracked on with his trusty old stick welder. I didn't take many photos - here are a couple to give you a flavour of the project. They won't be pretty but, they will be sturdy. And, in a land overrun with pick ups - here is John's "shop truck" Merry Christmas and a happy and prosperous new year to all (other holidays/festivals/celebrations are available upon request).
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pollystag thank you for the feedback - John's brother, a Stag owner, has chimed in to say that his door handles operate with ease... so... that's as clear as mud then... it seems like some are easy and some not so much, that'll be BL then... We are at that part of a project when it seems as if nothing you do makes any progress. The engine is out and most of the interior is stripped and so, much of anything that gets done now seems to be small beer in terms of advancing the project - although it isn't really. We pulled the front suspension unit and began stripping it - please note the world's youngest and newest BL apprentice... Fair play to Gerry - he is a a trooper and, regardless of his desire to ignore all requests and instructions we got the front suspension removed. Once out, everything was disassembled - we had a couple of minor struggles but, nothing so dramatic as you would see in the UK. Almost everything apart quite easily. For now and the next few weeks it will be a question of sandblasting and then restoring the parts we have removed so, slow going for the meantime... While we were messing around we had a visitor... You may think "yeah, so, a 110 with a 300TDi showed up, what's the big deal?" Well, let me tell you... Only 500 Defender/110's were ever legally imported (by JLR) to the U.S. and, not one of them was a diesel - this thing is as rare as hen's teeth... especially when you consider that it is technically road legal in California, which is nigh on impossible to achieve - please don't ask how I know how hard it is to legally import a car into California
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Last Edit: Dec 17, 2023 9:18:06 GMT by wildrover
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The only good thing about a Stag engine is the sound it makes, mind you I would never buy one with any other engine in it. 100% agree with you, I am all about the noise the Stag makes/will make. I have access to dozens of Rover engines at John's shop and, he was pushing for the conversion but, I am going for the original Triumph lump. My P6 has a fully built 3.5 should I want the Rover experience so, in my book there's no option but the original 3.0. I read somewhere that of the surviving Stags in the UK 95% of them have the Triumph V8.
Just curious - are your door handles easy to operate? Mine take an awful lot of effort and only seem to work at the very top end of travel - they have been stripped, cleaned and lubed up but, they are still a bit of a bear to open.
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OK, the fear has set in, I will now be checking this website daily. Very cool wagon. I like an optimist... daily might be stretching it a bit as I am woeful about keeping things updates. I really do have to start making a serious effort to find a place for the wagon to land. No one is hassling me to move it yet but, I don't want to get to the point where they have to ask, if you know what I mean. Got to askā¦. Before winter settles in. Any progress on your wagon or other toys? grizz, so sorry I haven't responded to you sooner - I just don't know where the time goes.
Winter isn't a big problem for me in regards to being able to work on the cars. In fact, it's often a better time of year as the temperatures are more conducive to working outside - which is where both the Stag and the Rover, still reside. I say the temperature is more conducive but, I am still getting sunburn when I forget to put sunblock on... doh!
I am more limited by my aching bones than the weather - that and the fact that as both cars still live outside and I have yet to gain an indoor space in the workshop I am limited to working for a few hours on a Saturday as long as John is around. At some point, I will gain an indoor spot and a key but, as mentioned before, John works to his own rhythms and no one, least of all me, will ever change that. Don't get me wrong, I am not complaining as I have somewhere to park both cars where they are relatively safe and, I have indoor storage for my tools, I am not paying rent (at least not with money) - and, best of all, I have John's help when needed, all of which I am truly grateful for.
As for progress, well - it has been all Stag all of the (available) time, so everything else is taking a bit of a back seat for now.
I am feeling a little pressured on the Stag project as it really seems to have captured the imagination of a few people around me, and some that are not even close by.... John is really keen on the Stag, even after nearly half a century of working on British cars he has never worked on a Stag and he quite enthusiastic. John's brother, who lives in England and is a Stag owner, regularly asks for updates.
And, then there's Gerry! Gerry is 92 and, if I am half as capable at his age (assuming I make it there) I will consider myself to be doing well. Gerry is driven by a desire not to lose his mental faculties and, so he has several projects on the go - his own '63 MGB that John is building and engine for, a 914 he just purchased to name just two. And, he has "inserted" himself into the Stag tear down/rebuild - he shows up on Saturdays and insists we find him something to do. Finding a suitable job for a 92 year-old isn't as easy as it sounds but, we usually find him something to do. He keeps asking when it will be finished as he wants to see it running and driving - given that my Rover has been a *ahem* somewhat lengthy project I am feeling the pressure to get this going while Gerry's still around to enjoy it.
Anyhoo, here are some pictures of the current state of play.
We have been loading the bores with all sorts of concoctions to try and get the pistons to break free - all to no avail though. It was finally time to drag the engine out.
And, in the words of the great mechanic and engine builder, MLK, Jr. It's free at last, free at last, thank God all mighty it's free at last...
Here's a picture of Gerry marveling at the zenith of British engineering.
Anyone that has every worked on a Stag, TR7 or Dolly engine knows all bout trying to separate the heads from the block - we expected and were prepared for a fight. John even has a tool he made many years ago when working on TR7s. Although they put up a bit of a struggle, the heads came off surprisingly easily.
Here's an idea of what lies beneath
I'm thinking some Scotchbrite, some WD40 and some elbow grease and we can throw a couple of new gaskets on and we'll be driving in no time.
What's that you say? Still frozen solid and can't rotate the crank to get all the pistons out? So, won't be driving again soon?
Still, at least the oil looks okay...
And, it looks as if the bores just need a quick hone...
Actually, in all seriousness, most of the bores were okay-ish, quite amazing as it's been stood in unknown circumstances for 40 plus years. The pistons are all standard sized so, it all comes down to the machining that will be required for the worst barrel. If the pitting can be removed by going to +.040" then I can order a set of pistons without a problem. If not, I can re-sleeve that one barrel and figure out what size over I will need to go for the others.
The crank on the other hand, is already at .040" - Rimmers have bearings at + .060". There is some slight pitting on the journals but, not as bad as you might expect. The cranks is at a local specialist for evaluation - we'll know more soon. I hope I can get away with it as Rimmer wants the best part of $1,000 for a refurbished crank - plus shipping, plus the cost of sending my core to them.
The block has been taken to L & R www.lnrengine.com/ for assessment on the badly pitted bore - they will let us know how things stand in the near future and plans can be made for pistons sizes. There was also some damage to the deck - they will drill it out, re weld and machine the deck flat.
One of the heads is in okay shape, the other has seen better days. John has a few TR7 heads in great shape and has earmarked one for me - unfortunately, the head that's in the worst shape is the right hand one and so, isn't cross-compatible with the TR7.
I stripped the RH head and it is off to L&R for a check - hoping we don't need to try and source a replacement.
Here is a view of the Stag in it's current state of undress.
There is more rust than previously thought - not UK bad, but enough. I am debating on the best method to get the body bare metal so I can begin the repairs and bodywork. I am leaning towards sand blasting as the closest place that dips is in Oregon, a short 1,000 mile one way trip and, would cost about $2,200 and, take over a week.
I think the current plan is to remove the front suspension and build a dolly to allow us to still move the car around.
More soon. Ciao for now.
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