Barn find TC

K

KiwiRover

Active Member
I have just returned from a looong drive down to Eltham, a small town near Mt Taranaki on the West coast of our North Island about 450kms south of Auckland in a rental van, towing a car trailer to pick up a 1970 Rover 2000TC that has spent the last decade(?) languishing in a barn.
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It was offered to me 6 months ago and I have finally managed to find the time and money to go down and get it. It was given a quick clean and loaded onto a trailer. It didn't look too bad with a wash.
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So, why on earth would I drive for 5 hours each way to collect a scruffy old 2000? Well, from the above pic, you can see the series 1 side strips (as discussed elsewhere on this forum) and you should be able to make out the Sundym glass and maybe even the ebony ET headrests. But the main reasons for this tiring trip...
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Delanair Air conditioning which appears to be all present and correct (Compressor still turns too!) Also, woodrim wheel and gearknob and...
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Rear headrests! Yay!
The wheels are 13" from a VDP 3litre or Westminster or some such. The former owner pinched the 14s from the Rover to use on his Austin. It appears to be quite solid with very little rust apparent although I have not had a lot of time to inspect it thoroughly yet. It did come with it's toolkit and owners handbooks and it was apparently imported from Bankok in 1973. The chassis number (for Rudiger) is 41603183G and it is Sage green with ebony leather.
 
That looks good I take it you will restore it rather than use it for spares ? It looks far too good for that

You may also have started a new trend for putting smaller wheels on your P6 ! Everyoner else is fitting 15" +
Those 13's must be off a late Westminster , 6/110 or Vanden Plas which had 13s and high profile tyres .The early ones had 14s
 
That's a good find, Al! I'm already jealous of the steering wheel. Once GF148 has its PAS I'm hoping to find a nice smaller-diameter wheel to fit. It'd make the car feel so much more modern if that giant ferris wheel was removed. And you won't be breaking this for spares, will you Al? It looks way too good and special for that.

Speaking of barn finds, did you see this one?

http://www.trademe.co.nz/Trade-Me-Motor ... 958989.htm
 
My word! Over in the UK that's almost a museum candidate, what with Rover-Delanaire A/C (I've never seen one in the metal!) plus thin side stripes and all the interior trimmimgs! I bet it had 14" Rostyles!

Great result!

Chris
 
I have never seen one like that in Sydney, or anywhere else for that matter during my trips around the country side.

An excellent find,...well done!

Ron.
 
Hi folks! Apparently the wheels were just the plain steelies but I do have a set of cosmics :wink: My first intention when I first saw it was to strip it for parts, after all, 10 plus years in a dirt floored barn after failing it's W.O.F on rust didn't sound too promising but it really does look quite good. I still haven't had much time to look it over as I got home with it rather late on Saturday and had to work Sunday but I spent about 20 minutes on it after work today before it got dark. Changed the plugs, cleaned the points, chucked in a battery and a bit of gas down the carbs and she started! Briefly.The fuel in the lines is obviously ancient (still leaded apparently) so I will have to drain the fuel lines and get some fresh stuff through it and fix the leaky reserve tap. There are a few issues to deal with...the clutch is stuck (disengaged strangely) and the brake pedal is rock hard so I will probably have to change everything there and while she does crank and start ok, there were no dash lights showing up so I will have to check all the fuses and such. i have become quite fond of the old girl in avery short space of time. It obviously has an interesting history and I really like the colour too so it will have to stay (providing I can find somewhere to keep it) I'm trying to convince the Missus to sell her 'S' to make room :?
I think it will be very easy to get her running and the brakes shouldn't be too much trouble, it's just a matter of finding the time. Unfortunately the rear brakes on the red TC have just started scraping which is my cue to replace the noisy and leaky diff and worn mounts. Yippee :( Maybe Sunday...
But this Saturday I fully expect to have the Sage beasty running!
As a bonus, the car came with some spare parts including a pair of early taillights (no reverse lights) some Dunlop front suspension bits with the elsewhere mentioned strengthening braces and a set of early heater knobs (the little ones). I would have loved to see the chassis number off that car!
 
Very interesting car !!!

The highest 416 chassis number of an existing P6 I know.

Very interesting combination of extra equipment !

As she came from Bangkok (!), ask her how many P6s she saw whilst cruising there :LOL:

Rudiger
 
Hi Rudiger, not the highest i've seen though. Years ago I scrapped a '70 TC that was 41603202G. (Burnt grey with Toledo leather)
 
I have seen a sage green TC in Bangkok. Perhaps it's Chris York's incognito car?

The ebony leather looks good with the beige carpet - I don't recall seeing that combination before.

Do restore it Al!
 
Hi Warren, Ebony interiors all had light grey carpet. This has been replaced with some crappy loop pile at some point but it is still in fair condition so I will leave it there for now. The car is currently at home which is somewhat limiting as all my tools are at work but if I can get her running and the brakes working, I will bring her down to work, do a small spot of welding, give her a good clean and see if she'll pass a warrant. (did I mention that the rego is on hold?) :D
 
That's a lucky score too - most barn finds have cancelled registration so you're up for the full monty when you go down to the Post Shop.
 
Crappy weather today so didn't acheive much. I did put a pair of proper wheels on one side with early hubcaps, just to see how it looks. Those old 13" rims with crossplies were taller than the 185R 14s! I did sort through some of the paperwork in the glove box and found....
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A complete export literature packet in mint condition! The handbook has details on the Air con and there are such goodies as the warranty cards, 'care of leather' slip and a subscription form for 'High Road' magazine. (I already have the full set of those to go with it 8) ) It even came with one of those plastic spare wheel stowage tags, even though it doesn't have a touring kit. Does anybody know where those tags are supposed to go?
 
KiwiRover said:
It even came with one of those plastic spare wheel stowage tags, even though it doesn't have a touring kit. Does anybody know where those tags are supposed to go?
Click to expand...

IIRC It fits over the battery cover knob if it's a car with the battery in the boot. As for yours..........
 
Little bit more progress today. I changed the oil and filter and drained the fuel tank, then replaced the reserve tap with 'one I prepared earlier'. I also dropped the crusty old Cosmics off to be chemically stripped so they should be ready in a couple of days. Can't wait!
A bit more of a look at the bodywork... There are moderate holes in the front ends of the sills (inside the front wheelarches) a little bit of crustiness in the 'D' posts and some bubbling at the front of the rear wings and back of the roof. The rear valance is crusty and the front is battered but not rusty and there are some holes in the corners of the base unit near where the rear wings meet the valance. Not too bad really. I'm sure I'll find more but all the underside looks good so I'm happy :D
 
Why is it that you wait all week for a day off and when it finally arrives, it pisses down all day? Have spent the day mostly indoors watching the rain apart from a brief dash outside during a dry spell to change a couple of wheels. So, not going yet but starting to look the part! 8)
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Maybe tomorrow?
 
Hi Ron, they are Dunlop Cosmic alloys. 5.5" x 14". Currently fitted with 185R x 14s 'cos thats what I had. They were a popular aftermarket wheel in the early '70s and were available in various sizes. I have seen them fitted to Escorts and Spitfires and the like and even a couple of other P6s. Although I have only ever seen one other set on a Rover in NZ.
 
Al, it looks to me like you could do with more garage space. Have you spoken to the wife about converting the lounge?
 
I really want to turn the downstairs rumpus and bedroom back into a garage but seeing as we're renting that out, I guess that wont happen. Next option is to build a double garage at right angles to the driveway, recessed into the front lawn basically directly behind the Sage car. Unfortunately, it all costs money and I will be paying off the Estate for a few years yet. The carport is a triple but that has my LHD 2000, my beloved's 3500S and her Celica. The Estate is in a carport at work (thank you boss!) and that means that both the TCs and the flatmates car have to live outside. At least the driveway holds about 10 cars :D
I can't really put the new car under cover until it's running so that I can move it. If it's still raining tomorrow, I'll shift the 'S' and push the TC in.
BTW Warren, that window winder has been listed if your still interested.
 
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