Interceptor, advice, tips and info required!
Discussion
So, further to my previous thread here xxx, I won't repeat where it came from cost and any pictures of said car.
This is the big thread of begging and pleading for useful advise tips and general info.
To start a quick explanation of what im going to use the car for, expecting it to be used 3 times a week to and from work/ friends for 6 months a year (mid may to mid Nov) then have the winter to do any upgrades each year.
The big one is in 2027 when I will cover almost 6k miles in 1 month going from east coat to west and back again (I live in the US) via Route 66 (for at lest one way).
So the big thing here is reliability!
So before I list whats def needs doing and what id like doing I do have a a general question, its a 71 S2 and when I look on the Martin robey site it feels like mechanically its a totally different car to the S3 in parts!
Given I have no desire for originality, if the S3 is a better/ more sorted car and I can just bolt in S3 items then that's the route I would prefer to go so please let me know, don't want to be constrained by tradition or originality, I want the best sorted car I can have.
Known issues
Brakes don't work (will explain later)
Fuel line runs next to exhaust under the car so needs rerouting and covering in heatproof material
Front shocks need replacing
bottom joint on bottom joint suspension needs adjusting
replace rebound rubber
refit bottom suspension plate
replace prescollan washers top and bottom
So brakes, they (company ipurchased the car through) recommended new brake lines calipers and pads.
Note when it got delivered I jumped in and as the truck tipped the car up and I rolled back I hot the brakes and very little happened, case of eventually you would stop but they won't stop dead, more slowdown then stop even at 5-miles an hour!
The brake pedal has around 2 inches of travel the stops dead, no spongy feel or and 'soft resistance' at all. you can't 'pump the pedal back up' either so I don't think its fit in the system.
All disks are brand new with zero wear and so assume (I didn't take the wheel off) the pads must also be new as fitted at same time usually.
It's my guess the issue is the servo requires refurbishment?
does this reasonable?
At sometime I will upgrade to vented disks (17 or 14inch im undecided due to the cost of the upgrade to the new wheels) but if they are all working with new pads and disks seems a waste to upgrade to new ones at this point and wait for them to wear first.
Ive tried googling reviews on 17inch 6pots v vented 14inch brakes but can't find any feedback. Cost seems to be around almost 1k more for the Ron ones (id leave rear stock) plus wheels and tires at another 2k ish, so at least GBP3k , but you do get the new wheels and tires which I also understand make the car handle better? again not much feed back on this. much difference in comfort and ride?
Finally my wheels and tires are also brand new on the car so another painful time to swap over.
Looks wise, I do love the 17inchers!!
So anyone who has experience of the 2 different brake size as well as wheels and tires for stopping, ride and handling would be very very much appreciated (Robey have the wheels on offer the scoundrels, its like they know im making this decision)!
Suspension.
So bit to do and it feels like it might be worth going through the entire mechanism on each side, renew all rubbers, bearings and possible blast and paint the metal
or is that a difficult thing to do?
Also whilst upgrading is it worth putting in a new sway bay, and then with a more beefed up version?
Re springs, as I understand it its best to leave as if your happy with the ride hieght( which I am), and get adjustable shocks?
Note the rear suspension has original leaf springs but again, nice ride hight, new poly bushes have been fitted and new adjustable shocks fitted
Any part of the suspension when doing a big job would you replace( excluding rubber and bearing already mentioned) track rod ends etc?
It has its original fuel tank, so that's a also a concern with regard to gunk after 50 years, but id like to keep that for another year as another option (next year) might be to fit fuel injection, but that's def off the menu right now.
Engine, has electronic ignition fitted, not much else to comment in it that I can see.
On smaller items, both the windows are extremely slow /stop goin down, I assume a strip down and grease will help,
The window rubbers on the door are a mess, does anyone have a close up of how they are supposed to look?
So I think I have listed it all, what would you do for this first round of work? how far should I go.
Is anything really tricky and should be done by pros 9for example I would not rebuild the servo myself but pay for it fully refurbished. Small springs, ball bearings and tiny gaskets that need to be fitted precisely for the brakes to work, that I would pay for!
As mentioned due to the reliability side of things I would rather get ahead of things and change things that fail before they fail.
Also as my order form Martin Robey will be considerable and postage expensive id rather get it in one shot to save as much as possible, so any partsyou would keep spare regardless of current condition please let me know!!!
Finally, im a member of JOC so will cut and paste most off this there too to get the most advise as possible!!!
Hopefully this makes some sense and your smallest helpfull comments welcome on the finest item of above!
im looking at buying workshop manual, parts catalogue and 383 engine manual, makes sense?
This is the big thread of begging and pleading for useful advise tips and general info.
To start a quick explanation of what im going to use the car for, expecting it to be used 3 times a week to and from work/ friends for 6 months a year (mid may to mid Nov) then have the winter to do any upgrades each year.
The big one is in 2027 when I will cover almost 6k miles in 1 month going from east coat to west and back again (I live in the US) via Route 66 (for at lest one way).
So the big thing here is reliability!
So before I list whats def needs doing and what id like doing I do have a a general question, its a 71 S2 and when I look on the Martin robey site it feels like mechanically its a totally different car to the S3 in parts!
Given I have no desire for originality, if the S3 is a better/ more sorted car and I can just bolt in S3 items then that's the route I would prefer to go so please let me know, don't want to be constrained by tradition or originality, I want the best sorted car I can have.
Known issues
Brakes don't work (will explain later)
Fuel line runs next to exhaust under the car so needs rerouting and covering in heatproof material
Front shocks need replacing
bottom joint on bottom joint suspension needs adjusting
replace rebound rubber
refit bottom suspension plate
replace prescollan washers top and bottom
So brakes, they (company ipurchased the car through) recommended new brake lines calipers and pads.
Note when it got delivered I jumped in and as the truck tipped the car up and I rolled back I hot the brakes and very little happened, case of eventually you would stop but they won't stop dead, more slowdown then stop even at 5-miles an hour!
The brake pedal has around 2 inches of travel the stops dead, no spongy feel or and 'soft resistance' at all. you can't 'pump the pedal back up' either so I don't think its fit in the system.
All disks are brand new with zero wear and so assume (I didn't take the wheel off) the pads must also be new as fitted at same time usually.
It's my guess the issue is the servo requires refurbishment?
does this reasonable?
At sometime I will upgrade to vented disks (17 or 14inch im undecided due to the cost of the upgrade to the new wheels) but if they are all working with new pads and disks seems a waste to upgrade to new ones at this point and wait for them to wear first.
Ive tried googling reviews on 17inch 6pots v vented 14inch brakes but can't find any feedback. Cost seems to be around almost 1k more for the Ron ones (id leave rear stock) plus wheels and tires at another 2k ish, so at least GBP3k , but you do get the new wheels and tires which I also understand make the car handle better? again not much feed back on this. much difference in comfort and ride?
Finally my wheels and tires are also brand new on the car so another painful time to swap over.
Looks wise, I do love the 17inchers!!
So anyone who has experience of the 2 different brake size as well as wheels and tires for stopping, ride and handling would be very very much appreciated (Robey have the wheels on offer the scoundrels, its like they know im making this decision)!
Suspension.
So bit to do and it feels like it might be worth going through the entire mechanism on each side, renew all rubbers, bearings and possible blast and paint the metal
or is that a difficult thing to do?
Also whilst upgrading is it worth putting in a new sway bay, and then with a more beefed up version?
Re springs, as I understand it its best to leave as if your happy with the ride hieght( which I am), and get adjustable shocks?
Note the rear suspension has original leaf springs but again, nice ride hight, new poly bushes have been fitted and new adjustable shocks fitted
Any part of the suspension when doing a big job would you replace( excluding rubber and bearing already mentioned) track rod ends etc?
It has its original fuel tank, so that's a also a concern with regard to gunk after 50 years, but id like to keep that for another year as another option (next year) might be to fit fuel injection, but that's def off the menu right now.
Engine, has electronic ignition fitted, not much else to comment in it that I can see.
On smaller items, both the windows are extremely slow /stop goin down, I assume a strip down and grease will help,
The window rubbers on the door are a mess, does anyone have a close up of how they are supposed to look?
So I think I have listed it all, what would you do for this first round of work? how far should I go.
Is anything really tricky and should be done by pros 9for example I would not rebuild the servo myself but pay for it fully refurbished. Small springs, ball bearings and tiny gaskets that need to be fitted precisely for the brakes to work, that I would pay for!
As mentioned due to the reliability side of things I would rather get ahead of things and change things that fail before they fail.
Also as my order form Martin Robey will be considerable and postage expensive id rather get it in one shot to save as much as possible, so any partsyou would keep spare regardless of current condition please let me know!!!
Finally, im a member of JOC so will cut and paste most off this there too to get the most advise as possible!!!
Hopefully this makes some sense and your smallest helpfull comments welcome on the finest item of above!
im looking at buying workshop manual, parts catalogue and 383 engine manual, makes sense?
Firstly, I noticed you haven’t yet posted this on the JOC forum. That is quite honestly where you are going to get the best advice and most comprehensive replies to your questions. You will also get the benefit of posters who are USA residents who have already completed similar projects and can advise what to import and what to source locally. Who knows, someone on there may be local to you.
All that sounds like a plug for the JOC; it’s not, you are already a member and I am not (even though I own a Jensen). However, I will give a couple of suggestions:
1. Read through your post in slow time and edit it before posting on the Club Forum. It’s currently a pretty tough read and I have to admit to giving up part way through.
2. Tackle one job at a time. There is nothing quite as demoralising as a car completely in bits - especially if there is no real reason to do so.
All that sounds like a plug for the JOC; it’s not, you are already a member and I am not (even though I own a Jensen). However, I will give a couple of suggestions:
1. Read through your post in slow time and edit it before posting on the Club Forum. It’s currently a pretty tough read and I have to admit to giving up part way through.
2. Tackle one job at a time. There is nothing quite as demoralising as a car completely in bits - especially if there is no real reason to do so.
A couple of quick comments having just skim-read your post:
One thing you don't mention is the cooling system. Your car might be updated / fine, but worth a check.
Re brakes, no personal experience but have I read it correctly that you're thinking of 17" rotors? If so, and it is nothing more than my opinion, that seems like overkill unless you're intending to increase the performance significantly, and it wouldn't be the top of my priority list if I was looking primarily for reliability.
One thing you don't mention is the cooling system. Your car might be updated / fine, but worth a check.
Re brakes, no personal experience but have I read it correctly that you're thinking of 17" rotors? If so, and it is nothing more than my opinion, that seems like overkill unless you're intending to increase the performance significantly, and it wouldn't be the top of my priority list if I was looking primarily for reliability.
As the post said above….
The cooling system needs serious attention. You would be lucky as an Interceptor owner if it didn’t.
The common addition in years gone by was 2 Golf GTi electric fans mounted as per normal with some suitable bracketry. It could be a 2-stage affair.
One comes in when you are travelling slowly, and the other joins in when you are stationary. I fitted this on mine.
Flush the coolant, and replace ALL the water hoses. Big blocks use fuel, and that waste heat has to go somewhere. The thermal soak kills plastics, rubbers and cables….The radiator needs to be in top notch too, or replaced with something a LOT better. Improved water pump too. Plenty of Interceptor owners will know which one to buy. The heat that rises up opening the bonnet after a decent run (not even being driven hard) is something else. I had a boil over in mine when the original fans decided not to bother. Very spectacular. Interceptor ownership is characterised by keeping one eye on the road, and the other eye between the fuel gauge and, if approaching urban areas/traffic, the temperature gauge.
I wouldn’t even dream of fuel injection etc… at this stage. Make sure the car is reliable and replace all the nuts, bolts, washers, gaskets, seals, bushes that you can. Engine and gearbox spares are as a cheap as chips, but there is a huge temptation to start buying performance goodies.
The only worthwhile modification I can think of would be an overdrive transmission. Or a swap out for something 5/6/7/8 speed from GM/ZF.
I was told that the lower part of the front suspension was Bedford CF van, and the upper part and the steering was Triumph TR5/6. I have no idea if this is true.
The rear diff is standard Salisbury – a la Jaguar.
These cars are 50+ years old, the amount of hardware that will need refurbishment is almost endless.
I think most of your effort will be keeping the rust at bay and the electrics working!
The cooling system needs serious attention. You would be lucky as an Interceptor owner if it didn’t.
The common addition in years gone by was 2 Golf GTi electric fans mounted as per normal with some suitable bracketry. It could be a 2-stage affair.
One comes in when you are travelling slowly, and the other joins in when you are stationary. I fitted this on mine.
Flush the coolant, and replace ALL the water hoses. Big blocks use fuel, and that waste heat has to go somewhere. The thermal soak kills plastics, rubbers and cables….The radiator needs to be in top notch too, or replaced with something a LOT better. Improved water pump too. Plenty of Interceptor owners will know which one to buy. The heat that rises up opening the bonnet after a decent run (not even being driven hard) is something else. I had a boil over in mine when the original fans decided not to bother. Very spectacular. Interceptor ownership is characterised by keeping one eye on the road, and the other eye between the fuel gauge and, if approaching urban areas/traffic, the temperature gauge.
I wouldn’t even dream of fuel injection etc… at this stage. Make sure the car is reliable and replace all the nuts, bolts, washers, gaskets, seals, bushes that you can. Engine and gearbox spares are as a cheap as chips, but there is a huge temptation to start buying performance goodies.
The only worthwhile modification I can think of would be an overdrive transmission. Or a swap out for something 5/6/7/8 speed from GM/ZF.
I was told that the lower part of the front suspension was Bedford CF van, and the upper part and the steering was Triumph TR5/6. I have no idea if this is true.
The rear diff is standard Salisbury – a la Jaguar.
These cars are 50+ years old, the amount of hardware that will need refurbishment is almost endless.
I think most of your effort will be keeping the rust at bay and the electrics working!
bucksmanuk said:
The only worthwhile modification I can think of would be an overdrive transmission. Or a swap out for something 5/6/7/8 speed from GM/ZF.
Yep, a Gear Vendors OD would be a worthwhile mod, but not cheap, and the cost of it would pay for an awful lot of fuel. I guess if you are planning long term (20+) ownership, then it might be a cost effective mod.I wouldn't even consider bigger wheels, the suspension design was never designed for modern low profile rubber band tyres, but then again, I prefer ride quality over grip, the Interceptor isn't a racing car. I get some people want to 'modernise' old cars, but I prefer to keep it to hidden bits that don't affect the OEM looks.
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