Just bought '72 2000TC - first P6 in 30 years.

Roveragedkid

New Member
Hi, it's Almond, showing 70k miles, and is registered CFW348L. The previous owner had it for two and a half years and has done quite a bit to it. I'd be interested if anyone knew anything of the car's history as there is little history with it. It seems rather slow and surprisingly noisy although the engine has good oil pressure, is not smoky and sounds sweet enough. I remember driving a 5 year old Series 1 TC when I worked as a salesman at Middlesex Motors Queensbury 1972-73, and it went like stink so there's something not right!
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It's all relative. Modern cars are much quicker and quieter these days. So your memory can play tricks on you.
 
It's all relative. Modern cars are much quicker and quieter these days. So your memory can play tricks on you.


Mine must play tricks in reverse, my very first memory of driving a P6B V8 was how slow it was and that a mini of the day would leave it for dead.
 
I remember driving a Series 1 3500 back in '72-'73 and I thought it was a bit slow. The F-plate 2000TC I drove would wheelspin in 1st and 2nd in the dry!
 
It seems rather slow and surprisingly noisy although the engine has good oil pressure
I would give it a good service including all ignition components & get the carbs tuned & balanced correctly. I had a '72 TC for 9 years & it flew when the carbs were right. However, they soon go "off" on a TC & it makes a real difference..
 
I recall when I had an escort mexico way back in 1972. that was fast in its day and could easily keep up with jags etc ( to 60 at least) and actually out turn ( handling was excellent) them on corners with late braking etc.
recall rover 3500 as police cars and they were fast away too. brother actually drove one as an officer in met though said later SD1 was far better car. my own 3500 series 2 is i think slow and not doing as it used to. having carried out compression check( ok) new lead. new exhaust. cam check (ok) carb refurb.new fuel filter .air filter full accuspark electronic dizzy .HT leads .fuel additive .still aware car is ok but lacking its original urgent lunge for standstill and acceleration isnt as rapid as it ought to be.
no brake drag ( all calipers renewed) .hand brake checked . boot empty apartment from spare so not a weight issue. checked half shafts and propshaft all seem perfectly free turning no friction or juddering. cant see where anybody found a 2000tc and 3500 slow? true these days they are simply average but ought to keep up with modern traffic flow.
in their day they were pocket rockets though the faster jag's still had the edge.
odd... seem to be if anybody actually found one 'slow' it was that particular cars issue ( much like mine now) rather than all rovers. I was going to have fast getaway at lights once in my mexico as a 3500 rover traffic car had pulled in lane next to me ..was going to zip up to 40mph ( posted limit at time) but sod pulled off rapidly when light went amber and not green! amber as we aware is a get ready and not an actual GO .. traffic cop too. I think driver was aware I was going to zoom off and simply wanted to beat me away from lights so ignored traffic rule and went on the amber.. so if you are that officer hang your head in shame !
 
If your car is anything like as good as it looks on eBay (& solid underneath), you've got a real bargain!
 
I'm told by the previous owner that the base unit is very good with very little in the way of repairs done. All panels are solid and the head has been off and the valves ground and shimmed. The interior is fairly good, with good carpets. It shows 70k. It was MOT'd by the BT workshop and both the seller and I are ex-BT so I think he's been straight with me. Thanks for the encouragement. I got it home and garaged just before the weather got bad!
 
Re: 3500 vs 2000TC driving. Having driven both I’d say the V8 is a lazy cruiser, the TC makes you want to rev it and be naughty! It’s amazing how two otherwise similar cars can have such different characters.
 
If your car is anything like as good as it looks on eBay (& solid underneath), you've got a real bargain!
Got it on the ramp today. There is no rust underneath at all, anywhere! It's all undersealed and there is almost no evidence of repairs - brilliant. On the performance front, I now know that when I drove it home (10 miles only) the front tyres were very soft at 17psi and the ignition was set at 6deg ATDC instead of BTDC. Having corrected both, the car is fairly lively now but there isn't much at the top end. There seems to be a lot of road noise from the front on surface-dressed roads (stone chippings); is that usual? The rev-counter doesn't work. Is that a common fault and, if so, is there a usual cause and solution? The paintwork is all good although the doors are dull, the interior is quite good with decent carpets, door cards and headlining. The back seat is better than the fronts, with some restitching needed on the passenger front seat backrest. The dash tray is wavy. The rear bumper is as new; front bumper a bit speckled; it's very tidy under the bonnet. It drives and stops well and the cam has been reshimmed and valves ground, the front calipers have been reconditioned, and I'm the 20th owner! It's done very few miles in the last 12 years but before that there is no history to back up the 70k mileage shown. What would you think it could be worth? It came with a spare SC engine, windscreen and makers shop manual and driver's handbook plus a few other odds and ends. There is also a boot mounting kit.
 
It sounds as if you got your hands on a nice, clean car.
Regarding the engine, i would suggest that you have a look at the valve clearances again (with the engine stone cold, i.e. left overnight). If the valves were shimmed after a valve and/or seat job, the chances are that after they settle a little, they could be tight again. The giveaway is a very quiet top end. Normally it should be somewhat (not excessively...) noisy with the engine hot. Tappet clearances on these engines affect performance to a great extend.
If there isn't much at the top end as you say, then first have a look at the throttle linkage, and make sure that with the pedal on the floor you have wide open throttles.
Road noise, especially from the from suspension is indeed excessive compared with other designs. A decent set of fresh tyres can help, but other than that you have to live with this unique P6 feature.
 
It sounds as if you got your hands on a nice, clean car.
Regarding the engine, i would suggest that you have a look at the valve clearances again (with the engine stone cold, i.e. left overnight). If the valves were shimmed after a valve and/or seat job, the chances are that after they settle a little, they could be tight again. The giveaway is a very quiet top end. Normally it should be somewhat (not excessively...) noisy with the engine hot. Tappet clearances on these engines affect performance to a great extend.
If there isn't much at the top end as you say, then first have a look at the throttle linkage, and make sure that with the pedal on the floor you have wide open throttles.
Road noise, especially from the from suspension is indeed excessive compared with other designs. A decent set of fresh tyres can help, but other than that you have to live with this unique P6 feature.
There is a healthy sewing machine sound from the tappets. I think you may have something regarding the throttle linkage as there doesn't seem to be much movement at the pedal. Your comments about the road noise are reassuring and I suspect the bulkhead suspension mounting will have a great deal to do with it. Most cars of the era had the suspension mounted on a rubber mounted crossmember to isolate the body.
 
There is a healthy sewing machine sound from the tappets. I think you may have something regarding the throttle linkage as there doesn't seem to be much movement at the pedal. Your comments about the road noise are reassuring and I suspect the bulkhead suspension mounting will have a great deal to do with it. Most cars of the era had the suspension mounted on a rubber mounted crossmember to isolate the body.

The slop in the accelerator linkage sounds like the rubber bearing on the bracket supporting the shaft to the carbs has disappeared (a common fault). They can be replaced from new parts from Wins International or Mark Grey at MGDB.

On the NS rev counter: The gauge sense ignition pulses from the points - wire to the coil. That wire also has a ballast resister wire hidden in the loom. When it fails its quite common for people to just jump a - wire straight to the coil, thereby bypassing the back of the tacho. My guess is its happened to your car.
 
The slop in the accelerator linkage sounds like the rubber bearing on the bracket supporting the shaft to the carbs has disappeared (a common fault). They can be replaced from new parts from Wins International or Mark Grey at MGDB.

On the NS rev counter: The gauge sense ignition pulses from the points - wire to the coil. That wire also has a ballast resister wire hidden in the loom. When it fails its quite common for people to just jump a - wire straight to the coil, thereby bypassing the back of the tacho. My guess is its happened to your car.
Thanks, I'll check the wiring and the rubber bearing.
 
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