Discussion
Roverload said:
Update! Currently going through MOT, Failed on rear callipers and some welding. Welding is being done next week but since I posted last she's had:
New oil cooler to eliminate the cream
Full service, Short shifter,
MGF steering wheel which feels much much nicer than the old scabby one,
Hekko wind deflectors
Wheel refurb happening this week
4 Toyo T1-R's
New center cap badges
and a damn good clay and wax, the results of which I shall post shortly, the camera doesn't do the transformation much justice but all this is for Le Mans 2015, aiming to be ready to take her to 6 hours of Silverstone to see how she fares after all the work.
And how about that video you never shared? New oil cooler to eliminate the cream
Full service, Short shifter,
MGF steering wheel which feels much much nicer than the old scabby one,
Hekko wind deflectors
Wheel refurb happening this week
4 Toyo T1-R's
New center cap badges
and a damn good clay and wax, the results of which I shall post shortly, the camera doesn't do the transformation much justice but all this is for Le Mans 2015, aiming to be ready to take her to 6 hours of Silverstone to see how she fares after all the work.
Lol, don't know if its a good idea with it being on a public road. I'll make another one, I know of a private drive I can probably borrow, I want to do a proper 0-60-100 video to compare with a friends, I'm looking at different throttle boddies and de cats at the minute, with those he's got 0-60 down to 6.2!
Great thread 
Nice to see someone putting a lot of effort and time (and money no doubt) into a car that a lot of people will treat with indifference or worse. I had a drive of one of these when they were new. I thought it was utterly superb. Sounded fantastic, didn't hang about and had a lovely, controlled balance to the handling.
Hugely underrated then and now.
Good luck
Nice to see someone putting a lot of effort and time (and money no doubt) into a car that a lot of people will treat with indifference or worse. I had a drive of one of these when they were new. I thought it was utterly superb. Sounded fantastic, didn't hang about and had a lovely, controlled balance to the handling.
Hugely underrated then and now.
Good luck
I've been meaning to do a proper update on this for a while now so here goes. If I'm honest I have tried to sell her twice since I thought the head gasket went back in May and it hasn't seen the road really since then. It spent summer at my mothers out of sight and out of mind and I was constantly falling in and out of love with it. Thankfully I managed to recoup the love and we are a go! I've accumulated a lot of parts and am in the process of buying more!
She spent the winter in a friends garage so I could bring the paint back to life, apart from a quick going over now and then with some super resin polish I'd never really spend a good amount of time on detailing so I cracked out the clay bar and all my finest polishing kit and after 2 days just on the body I got to this stage.
Apart from half a dozen stone-chips and an odd looking scuff on the back bumper it's pretty much bang on, I've got a proper touch up kit for her now I just haven't had the balls to give it a go yet but it's pretty low on my to do list as you shall see. With the body looking so good the wheels were really letting it down so they are off for refurb tomorrow! I managed to wheeler deal my way to a set of barely used Toyo T1-R tyres, once I sold the rims they worked out at £75 for the set! Quite pleased with my Del Boy skills there. Also got new Center cap badges on order but the guy who's making them has gone a bit quiet as he's got a lot on his plate so may have to give him a nudge!
So I was swapping the wheels over tonight ready to get the horrid uncomfortable 40 profile tyres off tomorrow morning, I knew it failed mot on some rust and knackered rear brake callipers. I was quoted £150 to sort the welding so I didn't think much of it, I knew there was bubbling but hadn't looked underneath properly since may. The previous owner who's posted here earlier may want to look away....
That isn't the half of it, I did a video when I was using my phone as a torch which shows the full extent of the rot on the passenger side but A: my I pad won't upload it and B: there's an awe full lot of swearing. The jacking point is gone, completely rotted away! I feel quite ashamed because I used to be on it but I've become lazy over the years.
Anyway, I'm determined to actually get this car to the condition it ought to be in so a low loader will collect it on Wednesday and the welding begins on Thursday. As soon as he's done welding it'll have 2 new rear brake callipers and drilled and grooved disks all round with new pads and some dot 5 as braking has always been something I thought could be just that little bit better.
The feel through the gear stick could also be better so when it returns from Falmouth it'll come home and get the shortshifter fitted and a bush and linkage refurb kit. I also bought a new leather steering wheel for an MG TF as they're slightly smaller and have a much nicer feel to them. Then it's a case of repairing all the cracks in the underseal that as yet are not causing a problem, waxoyl and a tidy up. Each inner arch will be waxoyled and callipers painted, any nasty looking bolts replaced and repaint things like bottom arms and track rod ends just to get it as tidy as possible. I WILL update as and when for posterity!
Few pis as she stands now
She spent the winter in a friends garage so I could bring the paint back to life, apart from a quick going over now and then with some super resin polish I'd never really spend a good amount of time on detailing so I cracked out the clay bar and all my finest polishing kit and after 2 days just on the body I got to this stage.
Apart from half a dozen stone-chips and an odd looking scuff on the back bumper it's pretty much bang on, I've got a proper touch up kit for her now I just haven't had the balls to give it a go yet but it's pretty low on my to do list as you shall see. With the body looking so good the wheels were really letting it down so they are off for refurb tomorrow! I managed to wheeler deal my way to a set of barely used Toyo T1-R tyres, once I sold the rims they worked out at £75 for the set! Quite pleased with my Del Boy skills there. Also got new Center cap badges on order but the guy who's making them has gone a bit quiet as he's got a lot on his plate so may have to give him a nudge!
So I was swapping the wheels over tonight ready to get the horrid uncomfortable 40 profile tyres off tomorrow morning, I knew it failed mot on some rust and knackered rear brake callipers. I was quoted £150 to sort the welding so I didn't think much of it, I knew there was bubbling but hadn't looked underneath properly since may. The previous owner who's posted here earlier may want to look away....
That isn't the half of it, I did a video when I was using my phone as a torch which shows the full extent of the rot on the passenger side but A: my I pad won't upload it and B: there's an awe full lot of swearing. The jacking point is gone, completely rotted away! I feel quite ashamed because I used to be on it but I've become lazy over the years.
Anyway, I'm determined to actually get this car to the condition it ought to be in so a low loader will collect it on Wednesday and the welding begins on Thursday. As soon as he's done welding it'll have 2 new rear brake callipers and drilled and grooved disks all round with new pads and some dot 5 as braking has always been something I thought could be just that little bit better.
The feel through the gear stick could also be better so when it returns from Falmouth it'll come home and get the shortshifter fitted and a bush and linkage refurb kit. I also bought a new leather steering wheel for an MG TF as they're slightly smaller and have a much nicer feel to them. Then it's a case of repairing all the cracks in the underseal that as yet are not causing a problem, waxoyl and a tidy up. Each inner arch will be waxoyled and callipers painted, any nasty looking bolts replaced and repaint things like bottom arms and track rod ends just to get it as tidy as possible. I WILL update as and when for posterity!
Few pis as she stands now
Edited by Roverload on Monday 2nd March 22:07
Looks nice! My little brother has just bought a 56 reg ZR Trophy as his first car. Nice enough car and goes well for a little car, but even I couldn't believe how poor the interior and other bits is on it! A fair amount of car for the money really, I've just put a couple of replacement track rod ends on it as they were knackered. It does seem to use a fair bit of oil though, is this head gasket trouble? There's no marks or anything or visible leaks underneath.
Roverload said:
The previous owner who's posted here earlier may want to look away....
Thanks for the warning . A shame to see that but really great you are taking the time to sort it out. Look forward to seeing when it is finished as in this colour I always thought the car looked mega and if you get it as good under the skin as it is outside you will have a great car
That looks superb, such a rare colour - very special indeed.
Do not worry about head gasket issues, the KV6 is absolutely fine. The early KV6 as fitted to the Rover 800 might have had liner/gasket problems but the type fitted to the Rover 75/ZT and MG ZS does not have those issues at all. I have known of a ZS 180 with 230k miles on original engine and head gaskets.
Such a shame about that rust, they are normally pretty good these cars. Front floor pan near the jacking points are prone to rust on all 45/ZS's and Civics. Garages being slightly careless jacking it up without a rubber pad etc. doesn't help, if you catch it in time you can treat it before it becomes serious.
Do not worry about head gasket issues, the KV6 is absolutely fine. The early KV6 as fitted to the Rover 800 might have had liner/gasket problems but the type fitted to the Rover 75/ZT and MG ZS does not have those issues at all. I have known of a ZS 180 with 230k miles on original engine and head gaskets.
Such a shame about that rust, they are normally pretty good these cars. Front floor pan near the jacking points are prone to rust on all 45/ZS's and Civics. Garages being slightly careless jacking it up without a rubber pad etc. doesn't help, if you catch it in time you can treat it before it becomes serious.
Couple more of the rust, the fact that the jacking point seems to be soaking wet indicated that water must have been pouring down the chassis leg for quite a while. These 3 pics are all from e passenger side inner arch down to the front jacking point. Quite demoralising but hey oh, off to be welded tomorrow!
Wheels ready to be reconditioned today!
But one of my favorite editions, mainly because I get very wet in the mornings with the window open
To make myself feel better about the rust did a buy and got 2 brand new rear callipers and a full set of coated drilled and grooved disks and new pads to go with them. Do have that sinking feeling though, I get it every time I spend lots of money!
Wheels ready to be reconditioned today!
But one of my favorite editions, mainly because I get very wet in the mornings with the window open
To make myself feel better about the rust did a buy and got 2 brand new rear callipers and a full set of coated drilled and grooved disks and new pads to go with them. Do have that sinking feeling though, I get it every time I spend lots of money!
Update! So the car went off for welding, wheels went off and a load of car porn ordered. All of that was achieved. Still got to fit rear callipers and the disks and pads. May attempt that tomorrow depending on weather. Certainly missing my mates double garage! Still waiting on the badges for the center caps but I bought a load more polish to keep me busy when I'm waiting / poor. Getting close now. Anyway, I will let the pics do the talking.
It is an arch roller yes. Not for the zs though. I make a bit of money off the boy racers with it.
Yeh, I have a set of silver ones too. Personally I really like the gunmetal but as you said. Personal choice. I don't really want to modify it much but little changes to standard parts really do it for me.
Yeh, I have a set of silver ones too. Personally I really like the gunmetal but as you said. Personal choice. I don't really want to modify it much but little changes to standard parts really do it for me.
Completely forgot to update this. The car passed it's MOT and has been on the road ever since. Ended up with a few advisories, there's still 2 bits of rust that need dealing with but weren't quite bad enough to fail. A trailing arm bush and brakes not biting equally, It was nearly two weeks of blissful motoring before the first problems reared their heads, I had expected something with the car being laid up for nearly a year, I had an oil cooler pipe collar brake due to corrosion, boy did that make a mess of my car, the road and the white Peugeot overtaking me at the time, it came spiriting out of the drivers side front wheel. No harm done though so with hindsight pretty funny. Couple of new pipes from my local hydraulics fitters and another load of new engine oil and I was back on the road, next day had the calliper on the same wheel seize on, had a spare in the garage but this is binding slightly and sending my ABS haywire so this is what I'm currently tackling. The thermostat is jammed open and the trailing arm bush on the other side wants doing now aswell, it's going to be heading to Le Mans in June so all this needs to be sorted by then. Other than that it's been awesome feeling the car on the new toyo's which have made such a difference, it's running beautifully, much better on fuel now I have a longer commute than before so I'm pretty happy with it.
However....
After an accident involving a friends wet vac that was allegedly empty but then turned out to be full of someone else's vomit, it transpires that the area under the rear seats has been and still is filling up with quite a lot of water, the boot has always been damp and I've never managed to work out where it was coming from, now every single seam where panel meets panel has started corroding, I've tetra shultzed everything as a temporary measure but it's become clear that the floor of this car needs some serious attention, my direction with this car may be about to change the only way to make them faster without spending stupid money is to make them lighter, so I'm toying with stripping it out and turn it into more of a fast road / track car. I'm tired of being precious over the condition of it, part of me just wants to prep it for fun rather than show n shine. Will do another update when things move on!
However....
After an accident involving a friends wet vac that was allegedly empty but then turned out to be full of someone else's vomit, it transpires that the area under the rear seats has been and still is filling up with quite a lot of water, the boot has always been damp and I've never managed to work out where it was coming from, now every single seam where panel meets panel has started corroding, I've tetra shultzed everything as a temporary measure but it's become clear that the floor of this car needs some serious attention, my direction with this car may be about to change the only way to make them faster without spending stupid money is to make them lighter, so I'm toying with stripping it out and turn it into more of a fast road / track car. I'm tired of being precious over the condition of it, part of me just wants to prep it for fun rather than show n shine. Will do another update when things move on!
Right, she's ready for Le Mans! I had big dreams of taking her last year but due to me thinking the head gasket had gone she never made it and the trusty family wagon had to stand in, this year however she's running sweet, gleaming and every mechanical niggle is now sorted. This week she's had:
New driveshaft / diff oil seal
New gearbox oil
Rear disks and pads fitted
Replaced front calipers.
Whole braking system bled with new Dot 5.1 fluid
Full exterior detail.
I had hoped to paint all the suspension and braking components before the off as it all needs taking to bits and cleaning up but that will have to wait until our return. So she's stickered up and polished to within an inch of her life. Disaster then struck when the Trolly jack handle sprung back into the drivers door leaving a big fat dent in it. I was planning on having the whole car dent doctored at some point this summer but this one damaged the paint too so I'm going to start weighing up re spray options but that's pretty low down on the list at the moment. I thought I'd break down the cost so far of owning it:
Car itself £1300
4x toyo's after selling the rims they came on £50
Oil + filter + engine flush £80
Oil cooler (used) £15
Front callipers (used) £50
Rear callipers (recon) £74
Disks and pads (grooved and dimpled) £160
Diff seal + oil £55
New oil cooler pipes £36 (custom made not oem)
Touch up kit £30
Number plates £38
Battery £46
Underseal £20
Welding for Mot £170
TF steering wheel £20
Header tank cap £7
TOTAL : £783 excluding cost of buying car and excluding the blue 180 I bought for spares @ £400
Tyres are rubbing on inside arch for some reason
Fingers crossed for Le Mans. Crossing at Plymouth on Wednesday so we can enjoy the French countryside rather than the traffic jams on the A303. Needless to say, I have made sure I have very good European breakdown cover haha!
New driveshaft / diff oil seal
New gearbox oil
Rear disks and pads fitted
Replaced front calipers.
Whole braking system bled with new Dot 5.1 fluid
Full exterior detail.
I had hoped to paint all the suspension and braking components before the off as it all needs taking to bits and cleaning up but that will have to wait until our return. So she's stickered up and polished to within an inch of her life. Disaster then struck when the Trolly jack handle sprung back into the drivers door leaving a big fat dent in it. I was planning on having the whole car dent doctored at some point this summer but this one damaged the paint too so I'm going to start weighing up re spray options but that's pretty low down on the list at the moment. I thought I'd break down the cost so far of owning it:
Car itself £1300
4x toyo's after selling the rims they came on £50
Oil + filter + engine flush £80
Oil cooler (used) £15
Front callipers (used) £50
Rear callipers (recon) £74
Disks and pads (grooved and dimpled) £160
Diff seal + oil £55
New oil cooler pipes £36 (custom made not oem)
Touch up kit £30
Number plates £38
Battery £46
Underseal £20
Welding for Mot £170
TF steering wheel £20
Header tank cap £7
TOTAL : £783 excluding cost of buying car and excluding the blue 180 I bought for spares @ £400
Tyres are rubbing on inside arch for some reason
Fingers crossed for Le Mans. Crossing at Plymouth on Wednesday so we can enjoy the French countryside rather than the traffic jams on the A303. Needless to say, I have made sure I have very good European breakdown cover haha!
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