Hi everyone

E

Erik The Viking

New Member
Hi everyone,

I thought it was about time that I returned to this forum, and welcome to all new members :D

I've been a bit busy lately to say the least! Shortly after the national rally at Crich, my car has spent most of it's life in my garage, undergoing a major transformation. Most of the outer body panels that were on the car at Crich are now in the skip!! :laugh:

If I get a moment, I'll post up some pictures of the new look "Erik The Viking" later
 
Hi Zebedee,

Items replaced so far............ front bumper, front valance, front wings, front scuttle, front doors, rear doors, rear 1/4 panels, rear wings, rear decker, bootlid, rear valance, rear bumper, and most of the interior!!

Oh, and 16" alloys are on the cards as well.......If the one I have will clear the D post that is!! Might be time for the multi-purpose persuader to have a little chat with the rear arches...............:laugh:
 
Eric the Viking; After such a major reworking of this car , how many P6`s is it made up from and can it still be classed as the original vehicle ?
I value originality in P6 vehicles (and all classics for that matter) as much as is possible - bearing in mind they do rot but ,like Zebedee37, am alarmed that your panels were bad enough to end in the skip.

Skips:
Good question - earliest known skip was brainchild of Edwin Walker in 1922 who used specially adapted Pagefield lorries to remove the wheeled bins in Southport, Lancs.
 
Hi Mike,

A very valid point about originality. And your question has left me using up most of my fingers counting! I reckon that there is the best side of 8 different P6's making up my car now.
I have often joked that my P6 was pretty unusual in that the base unit is really good, but most of the outer body panels were shot. I think that at some stage my car had belonged to a "Tinkerer" who liked to do the odd bit here and there, using aluminium gauze and filler. I found quite a lump of this stuff in the bottom of one of the back doors. The front valance was rotten at the ends, front wings were going where the bracing is welded inside, rear decker going round the fuel flap, and where the rear screen seal is screwed on, rear wings holed at the top, and swelling all the way down the front edge, rear valance holed at the ends,rear 1/4 panels rotten under the vinyl. The bootlid had some alloy corrosion around the lock hole, and I wanted a boot mount kit anyway, so I bought a really nice bootlid with the kit already fitted.

Originality was always going to be a big problem for my car. It was one of the cars that was originally fitted with the Dunlop "Denovo" tyres. I guess my chances of getting these now is pretty slim. The car does still have it's windscreen sticker for the Denovo's, and when I removed the front scuttle, it had Denovo written in yellow crayon on the base unit panel underneath.
Last year there was a pretty good thread on this forum concerning weather to keep a car it's original colour. I seem to remember the car was Tobacco Leaf, and was going to be changed to black. I guess that this will always be a good area of discussion. I myself wanted a white P6 when I was looking for one about three years ago, preferably with the Huntsman top, and Bronze interior. I couldn't find one, and wound up buying a car that was identicle to the first P6 I had when I was 18, a Mexico Brown V8 auto. Knowing that the car was going to need most of the outer panels replacing, my head was telling me to keep original, and have everything painted Mexico Brown, but my heart kept butting in and saying White!! What clinched it for me, is the fact that I really am not planning on selling the car any time in the future, so I may as well make the car I want. Who know's, if it ever needs doing again, maybe it will be back to Mexico Brown :;):
The Bronze interior in my car was boxpleat cloth, but with my car being well used the front seats were sagging a little, and looking a little worn, so the car now has Bronze boxpleat leather. The original seats are in the loft, wrapped up nice and safe.

I myself love to see a really original, low mileage P6. I have to admit though, I would be a little frightened of owning such a car, as I have frequently done 400 mile round trips in mine, visiting family. I also love to see P6's that have been modified. There was a wonderful series 1 2000 at Crich, in battleship grey, and a full V8 conversion. I loved it. Chris had his modified blue V8 there, which was very interesting to see all the suspension mod's, and of course, not forgetting Team Willpower's V8 racer.

I think that standard, original low mileage cars should be left original,and preserved for the future, but a well used car is there for enjoyment. I won't be taking mine out on salty roads anymore, but if there's a nice clear day, I'll be out and about with a big grin on my face :D I can always put the car back to original relatively easily at a later date.

Best Wishes,
Rich
 
MJP6B said:
Eric the Viking; After such a major reworking of this car , how many P6`s is it made up from and can it still be classed as the original vehicle ?
I value originality in P6 vehicles (and all classics for that matter) as much as is possible - bearing in mind they do rot but ,like Zebedee37, am alarmed that your panels were bad enough to end in the skip.
Click to expand...
Hi mjp6b.
I think you will find that a totally original P6 does not exist!!
Its had new tyres,exhaust,the odd wing,maybe a door,windows,brakes, etc,etc
Keeping our chosen classic cars on the road is hard enough!! When you have panels with more rust holes than metal its fortunate good donor panels are cheap and plentiful at the moment.
And as there were many spec's of colour,trim,etc!! We can chose what we want to do with it! as per factory or as we want it to be!!
And when restoring a car I think it is well accepted that restoration will take the route of the owners desires for a list of spec.
Like Rich,I wanted white,huntsman,"with webasto",bronze leather etc,so I built one!! :p
I met Rich and Eric at Crich! He was definately due a makeover!!!
I think he must of been urged on when he saw mine
:laugh: :laugh:
How many cars do you think it took to do "make" my ideal car??? I stopped counting at 14!! Ive also fitted a moto-lita wood wheel now,that took 3 cars!! for the boss,the wheel and the p5 centre badge.
Its even got some non rover bits on it,but you cant tell!!
Can anyone spot a non rover bit ???
And do you know what car its from ???
Dave
IMAG0193.jpg




Edited By pilkie 0 on 1197540558
 
Hi Richard and Dave,
Sorry not to respond to your post sooner –Richard, unfortunately much as I would have loved to be at Crich I couldn’t make it, and now that you have explained the condition of your old outer panels I fully appreciate your dilemma and understand your wish to dress your good base unit in worthy tinware. I look forward to seeing it next year when I shall be able to attend events, and yes– avoid the salt at all costs ! I am sorry if my post seemed a bit overzealous, and Dave I do of course understand that in order to keep our beloved P6`s on the road it is necessary to rob Peter to pay Paul sometimes, as you so rightly say second hand parts are still available at present but there will come a time when they are at a premium and expensive.
I can honestly state that my series 2 is all original – excepting service items like tyres, brake pads bulbs & clutches etc, oh yes and paint, I have had it resprayed in the original Corsica Blue.
I further admit that my front and rear bumper bars do have pin pricks of rust showing through but on a bright sunny day one has a job to see them, and whilst driving with a silly grin – I don’t care (one day when I win the lottery I will get them rechromed !)

If I can fathom how to I will post a couple of pics.

Kind regards to both. Mike J


PS All my pics are within my pictures on PC cannot fathom how to u[pload, help please...
 
Hi Mike

Just a quickie as I am off to bed,but you need to open an account with photobucket to host your photo's,Its Free!!,and then you can upload them onto the rover site! The other forum site I frequent, "TR Register" allows me to search and load direct from my pc.
Look forward to a pic or 2,and you can also do a link to the whole album as well as individual photo's.
like this, my album
Cheers Dave
 
Hi Mike,

Don't worry, your post didn't seem over zealous to me, and was taken in good spirit:D

I work in an accident repair centre, and I have been messing about with old cars since I was 16. I'm now 35, and the only cure for rust that I have come across that works is cut it out, and replace it!:laugh: I could have repaired the original panels, but the price of lower door repairs, and the vast amount of time that it would have taken repairing everything else, far out weighed the cost of good second hand panels. I was lucky enough to get 4 rust free doors for 100 quid, and the car has also benefitted from some of IanP6man's lovely California import panels.
Another dilema I had with this project was the painting of the car. The firm I work for didn't want a load of P6 panels kicking about, so I was faced with DIY at home. Not very pleasent for the neighbours, and then factor in the cost of 2 pack primer, 2 pack paint, thinners, hardener, rubbing down materials..... It was looking expensive in terms of cash and time. So I rung around a few local smaller bodyshops, and got a few quotes. The work went to a small bodyshop that was recommended to me, and all the panels were done in their spray booth, so there was no dirt in the paint. They made a really nice job of it, and the total cost was a 1000 quid. Not actually a lot more than it was going to cost me at home!

The one thing that does slightly annoy me at car shows, is people that claim that their car is totally original, and never been painted, when it so obviously has been resprayed, rechromed, etc. I like Pilkie's comments on originality. A friend of mine has an Escort 1300E, that has been restored to totally original, right down to the original Michelin tyres. You should have seen how nervous he was when it rained on the way back from a show...... Not because of getting the car wet, 30 year old tyres had absolutely no grip in wet conditions what so ever!!

I think that webmaster will know better how to put pictures up here, but I get my wife to link them to her website, I think that the other alternative is to open a "photobucket" type account, and then link them from there:;):

Look forward to seeing you at some of the shows Mike, Duxford National Rally perhaps?:D

Best Wishes,
Rich
 
Mmmm That looks really nice! All the details right as well, like the Huntsman spare wheel cover! Did you drill the back wings for the bumper fixings or have you left them free? And if so do they flap? Bit cheeky giving it an "S" badge, engraved NADA type perhaps?

Chris
 
That's one very pretty motor! Well done that man. Pat yourself on the back! Just when I thought I'd made my mind up to change the colour of my P6 along comes a resprayed example to remind me just how good the P6 looks in white!
Are those the 14" Rostyles or the 15" ones?
 
Hi Chaps,

Thanks for the comments:D

I haven't drilled the back wings for the extra brackets that the NADA bumpers have. It's so that should I wish, I can refit the standard UK bumpers at a later date. The sides of the bumper are rock solid, probably to do with the fact that the bumper also has reinforcing bars inside. They are a fair bit heavier than the UK bumpers. Fitting them involved wrapping the wrap round ends with old T shirts to avoid scratching the paint!:laugh: The engraved type 3500S badges are soon to be fitted. I've just got to get round to cleaning them up, and carefully brushing in the black enamel. Anyone noticed the lack of the Rover shields on the Huntsman rear 1/4 panels?
The Wheels are the 15" Rostyles, from a Rover P5B, fitted with 195/65 VR15 tyres. They just clear the rear D post. I've also got stainless wheel nuts on them, as I got fed up with cutting my fingers on the flaky chrome on the reproduction ones I had. At the moment, I have a 7 X 16" Jeep wheel, which is a diamond cut five spoke to try on. I have fitted a 205/55 R16 tyre. The stud pattern is right, but I think I may be being a bit optimistic for clearence on the rear:D
I'd like to say a huge thankyou to IanP6man for all his help getting the parts together, and advice on this project:D
 
I wish mine would look half as good when finished.
Is it any particular white?

Mine is currently painted in a creamy sort of white (It started Arden green, went through two browns, and an old English white...) that is very close to Pendelikan. I will keep it in this shade partially because i like it and partially because it makes painting one panel at a time easier :D
 
The car is now arctic white. I might do a few weddings if they come my way, but as we all know, the P6 isn't the easiest car to get in and out the back of!:p At some point in the future I want to have all the engine and gearbox out, and give the engine bay a right good tidy up. Might even go as far as building up a new hotter V8 as well:D
 
looks a little beter than it did at crich:laugh: well done you've worked hard, glad you kept it original.see you at the meets next summer
 
The car is now arctic white. I might do a few weddings if they come my way, but as we all know, the P6 isn't the easiest car to get in and out the back of!
Click to expand...

Try getting the bride into the back seat of a convertible, with front seats that don't fold down.... I ended up having to pick her up as the groom couldn't manage it !! :D
 
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