WarrenL
Active Member
Hi to everybody on the forum! I found this site a couple of months ago and have been enthusiastically posting ever since, but I thought I should put up something on this board.
My name is Warren, of course, and I have owned my Tobacco Leaf NZ-new P6B since January 1996. Despite 10 years of company cars in the interim, I've never been able to bring myself to get rid of Brown Rover, and now, having quit my job and no longer having the convenience of a company car, I'm very pleased to be resurrecting my favourite car ever from 7 years of storage and returning her to regular use.
GF148 is almost completely original. By 1998 she was still in remarkably good condition but suffering from crazed and thinning paint so I took the opportunity to strip her right down to the base unit and have her resprayed. Not a single skerrick of rust was found, anywhere on the panels or in the base unit, but while disassembled I pumped every available orifice (including such areas as the A-pillars) full of cavity wax, and coated every surface I could get to with underseal. Particular attention was paid to repainting the internal window frames, polishing up all the stainless steel, and cleaning, cleaning, cleaning.
Nowadays the old girl is suffering a little from the extended period of storage (blame marriage, children and endless bloody house renovations) but I'm looking forward to getting on top of all the jobs, big and small.
The current list, mostly in order of precedence:
- Brake system renovation (completed).
- Conversion to electronic ignition (completed).
- New inlet manifold gasket (at some point I'll be asking the forum a question about getting the inlet manifold recoated while it's off).
- Carburettor overhaul.
- A reshuffle of the front seats to place the ever so slightly worn driver's seat back on the passenger side to slow any further deterioration.
- Repair of the two-inch crack in the dash top (before driving around makes it any bigger).
- Warrant of fitness and registration (the first since 2002).
- Conversion to PAS (still trying to collect up the last few little bits required).
- Paint job touchups (unfortunately, after 11 years a number are needed).
- Rechroming of my "correct" rear bumper to replace my German Series 1 2000 item (I need to obtain the correct rectangular number paint light).
- A new bootlid liner (all the screw holes in the old one have disintegrated and it won't stay in place).
- Electric fuel pump.
- New sound system (something which doesn't require invasive surgery of door cards, parcel shelf, etc).
- New exhaust system (the current one is in good nick but when I had the tailpipe and rear muffler replaced some years ago, I lost some of my cherished V8 burble and gained an element of fart in its place. It has to go).
- And the BIGGIE: a possible conversion to a ZF 4HP22 box, to make the car a far more modern driving experience. I don't need 3000 rpm at 70 mph. 2000 or so will do.
Enough to keep me busy for years. I'd better find another job...
My name is Warren, of course, and I have owned my Tobacco Leaf NZ-new P6B since January 1996. Despite 10 years of company cars in the interim, I've never been able to bring myself to get rid of Brown Rover, and now, having quit my job and no longer having the convenience of a company car, I'm very pleased to be resurrecting my favourite car ever from 7 years of storage and returning her to regular use.
GF148 is almost completely original. By 1998 she was still in remarkably good condition but suffering from crazed and thinning paint so I took the opportunity to strip her right down to the base unit and have her resprayed. Not a single skerrick of rust was found, anywhere on the panels or in the base unit, but while disassembled I pumped every available orifice (including such areas as the A-pillars) full of cavity wax, and coated every surface I could get to with underseal. Particular attention was paid to repainting the internal window frames, polishing up all the stainless steel, and cleaning, cleaning, cleaning.
Nowadays the old girl is suffering a little from the extended period of storage (blame marriage, children and endless bloody house renovations) but I'm looking forward to getting on top of all the jobs, big and small.
The current list, mostly in order of precedence:
- Brake system renovation (completed).
- Conversion to electronic ignition (completed).
- New inlet manifold gasket (at some point I'll be asking the forum a question about getting the inlet manifold recoated while it's off).
- Carburettor overhaul.
- A reshuffle of the front seats to place the ever so slightly worn driver's seat back on the passenger side to slow any further deterioration.
- Repair of the two-inch crack in the dash top (before driving around makes it any bigger).
- Warrant of fitness and registration (the first since 2002).
- Conversion to PAS (still trying to collect up the last few little bits required).
- Paint job touchups (unfortunately, after 11 years a number are needed).
- Rechroming of my "correct" rear bumper to replace my German Series 1 2000 item (I need to obtain the correct rectangular number paint light).
- A new bootlid liner (all the screw holes in the old one have disintegrated and it won't stay in place).
- Electric fuel pump.
- New sound system (something which doesn't require invasive surgery of door cards, parcel shelf, etc).
- New exhaust system (the current one is in good nick but when I had the tailpipe and rear muffler replaced some years ago, I lost some of my cherished V8 burble and gained an element of fart in its place. It has to go).
- And the BIGGIE: a possible conversion to a ZF 4HP22 box, to make the car a far more modern driving experience. I don't need 3000 rpm at 70 mph. 2000 or so will do.
Enough to keep me busy for years. I'd better find another job...
