Yo all.
I have a history with Marinas in New Zealand.
I once bought a 575 Van having decided that it was;
a. An extremely useful vehicle for carrying curse word
b. A potential touring and camping tool
c. A project that could utilise many of the Marina bits I have collected.
Several things happened after I purchased this example.
Initially it seemed perfect with much carpet in the rear..
The main thing that happened was that the city I live in was very much destroyed by a series of earthquakes.
I had to abandon the 100 year old brick stables I lived/worked in, and hastily find storage for all my treasures.
As you could imagine - hundreds of thousands of others were trying to do the same thing - so I mostly lucked out.
Moving forward 4 years - the city is still in a mess, but I have found a new place to be.
Much of my stuff has survived.
But the stripped 575 Van project has stalled completely.
It needs sandblasting in the engine bay due to years of exposure and having had a battery explode in there at some stage.
I can do any mechanicals at all - but welding and suchlike is a mystery to me.
It was looking like a bridge too far.
In June this year I spied another 575 Van for sale and decided that buying it would short circuit all the other stuff.
I purchased this and flew to Napier NZ to drive it home. It happened to be a weekend of extreme weather during which the main highway was interrupted by a missing bridge on State Highway 1.
We were on State Highway 2 - but detoured to even lesser roads as the wee van was very slow and the highway was crazy with detoured traffic.
Had a brilliant drive amongst flooded farmland with the little 1275 powerplant doing its honest best and displaying a meagre fuel appetite.
Top speed however was restricted to around 50mph due to very low original gearing, and a propensity to lay smoke after any downhill runs.
No concern - it was always my intention to upgrade to car running gear. The trip was fun and we arrived home in fine style.
Entirely coincidentally I was offered an unfinished race car - a Marina Coupe.
I knew its origin, and the chap who had died while building it owed me several auto transmissions in return for me giving him two complete Marinas.
A friend of mine had also bought a very nasty Coupe body from the same chap - it was to receive a Rover V8 transplant, but the body was going to need much work.
The body on the race car was just brilliant..
It also had a megabuck MGB new build race spec engine which was installed but unfinished.
I had a cunning plan.
I would buy the race car and sell the body to my friend - it would save him thousands.
I would keep the engine and gearbox, and fit them to my newly acquired 575 Van.
This could elicit a whole boxload of fun.
I managed to track down some info on the camshaft so I could set the valve clearances.
I also found people who had worked on the engine machining - seemed it had received every possible benefit in its preparation.
I lifted the head and found new race pistons, plus much new stuff suggesting a thorough build program.
This is going to be fun.
I have just completed building up a very nice rear axle which will promote the gearing from 4.57/1 to 3.63/1 - it awaits installation..
The engine is meanwhile gathering the missing bits and a few other extras.
I have fitted an alloy rocker cover, and am considering whether to use the twin SU's or a 48mm Dellorto I happen to have lurking.
More as it takes place...
I have a history with Marinas in New Zealand.
I once bought a 575 Van having decided that it was;
a. An extremely useful vehicle for carrying curse word
b. A potential touring and camping tool
c. A project that could utilise many of the Marina bits I have collected.
Several things happened after I purchased this example.
Initially it seemed perfect with much carpet in the rear..
The main thing that happened was that the city I live in was very much destroyed by a series of earthquakes.
I had to abandon the 100 year old brick stables I lived/worked in, and hastily find storage for all my treasures.
As you could imagine - hundreds of thousands of others were trying to do the same thing - so I mostly lucked out.
Moving forward 4 years - the city is still in a mess, but I have found a new place to be.
Much of my stuff has survived.
But the stripped 575 Van project has stalled completely.
It needs sandblasting in the engine bay due to years of exposure and having had a battery explode in there at some stage.
I can do any mechanicals at all - but welding and suchlike is a mystery to me.
It was looking like a bridge too far.
In June this year I spied another 575 Van for sale and decided that buying it would short circuit all the other stuff.
I purchased this and flew to Napier NZ to drive it home. It happened to be a weekend of extreme weather during which the main highway was interrupted by a missing bridge on State Highway 1.
We were on State Highway 2 - but detoured to even lesser roads as the wee van was very slow and the highway was crazy with detoured traffic.
Had a brilliant drive amongst flooded farmland with the little 1275 powerplant doing its honest best and displaying a meagre fuel appetite.
Top speed however was restricted to around 50mph due to very low original gearing, and a propensity to lay smoke after any downhill runs.
No concern - it was always my intention to upgrade to car running gear. The trip was fun and we arrived home in fine style.
Entirely coincidentally I was offered an unfinished race car - a Marina Coupe.
I knew its origin, and the chap who had died while building it owed me several auto transmissions in return for me giving him two complete Marinas.
A friend of mine had also bought a very nasty Coupe body from the same chap - it was to receive a Rover V8 transplant, but the body was going to need much work.
The body on the race car was just brilliant..
It also had a megabuck MGB new build race spec engine which was installed but unfinished.
I had a cunning plan.
I would buy the race car and sell the body to my friend - it would save him thousands.
I would keep the engine and gearbox, and fit them to my newly acquired 575 Van.
This could elicit a whole boxload of fun.
I managed to track down some info on the camshaft so I could set the valve clearances.
I also found people who had worked on the engine machining - seemed it had received every possible benefit in its preparation.
I lifted the head and found new race pistons, plus much new stuff suggesting a thorough build program.
This is going to be fun.
I have just completed building up a very nice rear axle which will promote the gearing from 4.57/1 to 3.63/1 - it awaits installation..
The engine is meanwhile gathering the missing bits and a few other extras.
I have fitted an alloy rocker cover, and am considering whether to use the twin SU's or a 48mm Dellorto I happen to have lurking.
More as it takes place...