Badhuis
New Member
Three years ago a very good friend of my sister called me to ask if I would know someone to take over the P6b of his father, which had died. We made an appointment to check on the car which was in a huge storage barn. It has been there since 1997. Barn find?
History. The car was owned previously by a friend of the family, who was the second (or first, have to ask again) owner and had the car for years. After the father bought the car, it was restored using new wings and doors, and a respray. It was used for a couple of years, then stored. They did run the engine at least once per year but the last time could have been a couple of years before. Or so he said.
The Rover itself was looking very sorry for itself, under a thick cover of dust. But a glance at the underside did not reveal any rust, quite remarkable I thought. I knew all about the rust horrors so was surprised. Also surprised to see the leather seats all intact, no rips. The paint seems to be OK although this was hard to see under that dust. So, it looked to be quite a good car however the mechanical state was unknown.
I then said that if they could not find a buyer I was willing to take on the car. Two months ago the friend asked me to get the car, which I did yesterday.
Expecting to have to retrieve the car with flat tyres and binding brakes, I brought many tools and a portable compressor. All of that was not needed, the barn owner had brought the car outside the day before. It was just a matter of putting the car on the trailer!
So, the car is now at home, in my garage. One day in the open, raining of course, made all the dust and leaves into a spongy wet mess in all of the gutters. The car now is drying out, all doors, bonnet and boot lid open.
About the car!
Outside bodyworks looks pretty good, there is a small scrape / dent in the LH front door. The front valance is not rust free but not too bad I think. Is this bolted on or welded? Paint overall is flat but maybe restorable to a more glossy finish (suggestions welcome!). The brown vinyl roof is bad and need replacement. Had small splits and some bubbling can be felt. I am not a fan of sunroofs - they always leak and cause problems. Maybe it is easier to replace the roof panel? The D posts are bad - crumbling rust under the vinyl. Are these available?
Bumpers, door handles and rear number plate surround are reasonable - some pits visible. Chrome surrounds for the rear lamps and front wing lights are the same. Maybe they can be improved a little but it will never be show quality.
Interior is pretty good. Carpet is acceptable, has overmats. Seats are fine but dirty. Rear top part of the rear RH seat has sun damage - ripped. 3500S steering wheel fitted. An electric sliding sunroof is installed, underside of the sliding part regrettably has a rip. The back rest adjustment lever of the LH front seat is broken. Difficult to replace?
Under the bonnet all is there but not looking good. Seems the radiator has a leak, and the brake master booster is looking quite bad. Also some rust on the inner wings - hope it is superficial only.
Air conditioning is installed - how rare is that? The original handbook makes no mention of the AC.
The plan is to get the car running up to MOT standards. Then see about improving it.
First and main point to do is to see if the engine is free. I tried to move the fan but it seems stuck....
Probably will remove the radiator first as this seems to have a leak. This will provide more room to try turning the engine.
Let the fun begin!
History. The car was owned previously by a friend of the family, who was the second (or first, have to ask again) owner and had the car for years. After the father bought the car, it was restored using new wings and doors, and a respray. It was used for a couple of years, then stored. They did run the engine at least once per year but the last time could have been a couple of years before. Or so he said.
The Rover itself was looking very sorry for itself, under a thick cover of dust. But a glance at the underside did not reveal any rust, quite remarkable I thought. I knew all about the rust horrors so was surprised. Also surprised to see the leather seats all intact, no rips. The paint seems to be OK although this was hard to see under that dust. So, it looked to be quite a good car however the mechanical state was unknown.
I then said that if they could not find a buyer I was willing to take on the car. Two months ago the friend asked me to get the car, which I did yesterday.
Expecting to have to retrieve the car with flat tyres and binding brakes, I brought many tools and a portable compressor. All of that was not needed, the barn owner had brought the car outside the day before. It was just a matter of putting the car on the trailer!
So, the car is now at home, in my garage. One day in the open, raining of course, made all the dust and leaves into a spongy wet mess in all of the gutters. The car now is drying out, all doors, bonnet and boot lid open.
About the car!
Outside bodyworks looks pretty good, there is a small scrape / dent in the LH front door. The front valance is not rust free but not too bad I think. Is this bolted on or welded? Paint overall is flat but maybe restorable to a more glossy finish (suggestions welcome!). The brown vinyl roof is bad and need replacement. Had small splits and some bubbling can be felt. I am not a fan of sunroofs - they always leak and cause problems. Maybe it is easier to replace the roof panel? The D posts are bad - crumbling rust under the vinyl. Are these available?
Bumpers, door handles and rear number plate surround are reasonable - some pits visible. Chrome surrounds for the rear lamps and front wing lights are the same. Maybe they can be improved a little but it will never be show quality.
Interior is pretty good. Carpet is acceptable, has overmats. Seats are fine but dirty. Rear top part of the rear RH seat has sun damage - ripped. 3500S steering wheel fitted. An electric sliding sunroof is installed, underside of the sliding part regrettably has a rip. The back rest adjustment lever of the LH front seat is broken. Difficult to replace?
Under the bonnet all is there but not looking good. Seems the radiator has a leak, and the brake master booster is looking quite bad. Also some rust on the inner wings - hope it is superficial only.
Air conditioning is installed - how rare is that? The original handbook makes no mention of the AC.
The plan is to get the car running up to MOT standards. Then see about improving it.
First and main point to do is to see if the engine is free. I tried to move the fan but it seems stuck....
Probably will remove the radiator first as this seems to have a leak. This will provide more room to try turning the engine.
Let the fun begin!