1980 Austin Princess mild custom - 1951 Lanchester LD10

As thjat is just a basic rotary switch can you get a new landrover one?
You might have to fix it on to the key part with JB weld or similar but it will last for years then.

Brand new one here - fit & forget.

www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Genuine-rover-maestro-montego-rover-metro-early-ignition-switch-BHM-/332026273151?fits=Car+Make%3AAustin&hash=item4d4e4edd7f:g:dTIAAOSwHMJYIeRi

Another here;

www.ebay.co.uk/itm/LUCAS-39683D-IGNITION-SWITCH-WITH-WIRING-HARNESS-FITS-AUSTIN-MORRIS-/222431837501?hash=item33c9f87d3d:g:I9gAAOSwuxFYvo83

And slightly different plug;

www.ebay.co.uk/itm/IGNITION-SWITCH-76-36-30377-WITH-WIRING-HARNESS-THOUGHT-TO-FIT-VARIOUS-LEYLAND/222431909235?_trksid=p2047675.c100005.m1851&_trkparms=aid%3D222007%26algo%3DSIC.MBE%26ao%3D2%26asc%3D20140122125356%26meid%3D84f392cb62c94e94ad1e19040c8810de%26pid%3D100005%26rk%3D4%26rkt%3D6%26sd%3D222431837501

blackpopracing: Got the first one on the watch list, found that earlier tonight. It's my back-up plan. The other two are, I think, Land Rover ones and the diameter of the plastic collar is actually larger than the diameter of my switch so would have to be trimmed to fit, which is annoying.

jimspolicev8sd1: Probably the same ones. Ital and Princess were on sale at the same time, just. My dad's second car was a bright yellow Morris Ital estate. They're a proper Dad car.

Peugeot 206 is now up for sale. No fuss, no drama, I have reached a point where the running problem is either the valves or the mechanical timing and both require me to remove the head or engine from the car, which I'm not prepared to do again. So, I'm calling it quits and moving it on.

I've learned a lot on the little green car and I know some of you will be quite disappointed but it's a relief to have made the decision to sell the project on which strengthens my belief it is the right thing for me to do with it. I can put the proceeds of the sale towards the Princess and the Rover instead and spread myself less thin.

Please, do not suggest solutions to the Renault's problems. I appreciate the help and advice offered but it is now time for us to go our separate ways. I'd rather do this while I feel comfortable and content to do so than when I've lost my temper chasing a problem I don't understand.

You can find the advert here: retrorides.proboards.com/thread/196234/1975-renault-600ono-stockton-tees It's also on the brown forum but I can't link you to that because of RR's censor filter thing wrecking the links.

Indeed. You've been spreading yourself too thin. 

2 project cars = 1 too many, good choice.

Thank you for understanding, chaps, I appreciate that. Princess update shortly, now that it's running again.

curse word happens, even the best jugglers can only keep so many balls in the air at one time, take it as schooling in repairing obscure problems, now move on.

I often think the cars that old French engineers sent to Britain were a special design just to wind up Brits, how come Jolly Jacques Motors can fix the FDM models with a rusty snail hook and garlic press in an abandoned 2nd WW nissan hut on a dirt floor with only an Obelix to lift the heavy bits, and what we got required a dozen possible parts for each assembly that then needed a gynecologist to fit using a kit of special tools as big as a Biffa bin?

But that's why we love the crazy things. Take every French car as a challenge, but be prepared for reach a point when only a Gallic shrug and a "phhhnuue" whilst walking away, is the appropriate action to take.

accord83: I am inclined to agree! French cars in France don't seem to cause half as much of a headache as they do elsewhere. I still love them though, I'll have another in the future I have no doubt. Another BX estate is a very appealing proposition to me if I can find a Mk1 petrol with no rot. It'll probably be parked up right next to a big pile of poor quality wobbly children's play pony poop.

---

A little more progress made again today in my couple of spare hours before work. Gradually ticking items off the MoT desnag list and discovering a few new items along the way, as is to be expected really. I wanted to tackle the last item on my old MoT failure sheet which was the insecure CV joint, something that didn't make any sense. On getting the car up in the air the first thing I actually noticed was that the centre exhaust hanger has failed pretty spectacularly so I'll have to order some replacement bits for that, pretty sure it's a generic component for this.


Then, so I could see what I was doing, scrubbed some degreaser on the worst of the gunge on the gearbox and lower engine before Mike volunteered to jetwash it all off. Came up pretty well really, a more dedicated scrub should see it looking very presentable.




The advisory was on the driver's side and now that I could see the boots and clips I could check. There's absolutely nothing loose here, or missing, or damaged. Even the steering rack boots are good. I can only think a mistake was made on the test. Everything checks out as being completely normal and in rude health so I'm considering that item done. I even checked the passenger side, just to be extra sure.






Then I had to take the dashboard out. Again. Thrice, in fact. The first time was to replace the fuel gauge with the one I knew worked from the old dashboard. In the new instrument cluster it too appears not to be working, there should be enough fuel in the tank for it to register in the red but the needle isn't even moving. I'm going to try and fault find this before reinstalling the dashboard again. Then I had to remove the dash a second time because I'd dislodged one of the fan plugs on reassembly. The third time the dashboard was removed was because the seatbelt warning light bulb blew, it was an old bulb so that's probably why, and some new ones have been ordered. It's annoying that the dash has to come out to replace this bulb, there's no other way to do it as far as I can tell. Getting quite good at taking this dashboard in and out now.


The NOS ignition switch arrived today too. The loom plug was different and the fixing screw wouldn't bite into the plastic casing properly so there was some modification required. Mike fitted the Princess loom plug and removed the extra wires from the new switch and then helped me change the old plastic cap onto the new internals. Bit of a faff, but at least I have an ignition switch that now works beautifully well. It works so nicely, in fact, I'm more convinced than ever that the supposed 74k or so miles this car has done is a complete fabrication.


The carburettor problem was also identified and it's a problem the car has had before which is that of a sticking float. Internally, the carb is lovely and clean, the new parts I put in a few years ago still look new and once I'd emptied out the fuel and reassembled the carb the car starts on the key and runs quite well. We're still to set the carb up as it's idling a little high and possibly running a little rich still but I'd run out of time because of the dashboard fiasco so it will have to wait for another day. Still, for all it was annoying to take the dash in and out so many times, I did get some items off the list and the items added are minor service items for the most part, such as fluid changing.

MoT list update:
> clean carburettor to resolve excessive overflow - DONE
> tune the carb
> identify why brake lights aren't coming on with pedal
> identify why passenger side reversing light not working
> replace hazard relay (ordered)
> replace fuel gauge - DONE
> identify why fuel gauge not registering (potentially just not enough fuel in tank)
> coolant flush and change
> exhaust downpipe/manifold joint is blowing
> exhaust stay needs replacing
> exhaust centre hangers need replacing
> trim/bend exhaust pipe tip so it clears fog light better
> bleed the brakes
> identify insecure CV joint fail from previous MoT - DONE

> make hazard switch work - DONE
> identify why fuse #5 is blowing - DONE
> connect fog lights - DONE
> connect number plate lights - DONE
> stick number plates on - DONE
> make the indicator lights work - DONE
> pump up the suspension - DONE
> fit the new tyres - DONE
> fit a new washer jet pump - DONE
> find the loose steering component - DONE