1985 Rover 3500 Vitesse
Discussion
gforceg said:
We finally made it to C&M on Saturday morning on the way up country and I was quietly hoping to see an immaculate red Vitesse. Missed you by a day!
Bugger! I did consider popping across on Saturday too. But I didn't get up early enough to get a good spot so I spent the day with the GoPro getting videos instead! Joe
gforceg said:
We finally made it to C&M on Saturday morning on the way up country and I was quietly hoping to see an immaculate red Vitesse. Missed you by a day!
And I was back again today! 
I've now done 570miles on the motor now, so it'll get it's running in service tomorrow 😁
Joe
Julian Thompson said:
Excellent thread just read the lot.
Great skills on display, loads of patience and of course the old Rover was always a lovely car.
Remember shopping for a car with grandfather in 1986. Rover showroom had one of these in a light metallic green colour. It had ELECTRIC WINDOWS and a COMPUTER - I was 11 and that was impossibly cool.
Unfortunately grandad bought a merc 230e which had neither and also had the wheezy and rattly 4 pot.
Great memories! Thanks!
Thankyou, I am pleased with how it all came out, definitely worth the time spent. Great skills on display, loads of patience and of course the old Rover was always a lovely car.
Remember shopping for a car with grandfather in 1986. Rover showroom had one of these in a light metallic green colour. It had ELECTRIC WINDOWS and a COMPUTER - I was 11 and that was impossibly cool.
Unfortunately grandad bought a merc 230e which had neither and also had the wheezy and rattly 4 pot.
Great memories! Thanks!
I think the spec is brilliant, I love using the trip computer, and it even heated wing mirrors! Shame he went for the 230E, but it was probably very reliable in its wheezy way though!
cosworth330 said:
Great thread. I always wanted one of these back in the late eighties but the vitesse was still quite pricey in the eighties and by the time I could afford one in the early nineties I bought a Sierra Cosworth instead as the Vitesse was a bit old hat and slow by then. My mate had an ex police 3500 V8 manual that he bought from an auction in the eighties, felt like a best back then. Also a young lad in the next village had a moonraker blue Vitesse with a 3.9 Rovercraft conversion which back in 1988 was something else considering he was about 18 years old!
The 3500 Vitesse is such a classic, just love them. Looks great in red as well, probably the best colour they did.
My dad bought his second in around 1991, and as you said, the Vitesse's held their value remarkably well compared to other SD1s. I can see the appeal of the Cosworth over the Vitesse, definitely a car I'd love to try. I think the Vitesse has it beat in the sound department though....The 3500 Vitesse is such a classic, just love them. Looks great in red as well, probably the best colour they did.
Now that's a bloody cool car at 18, and a lot of car to handle! I wonder if it survived.
It does suit the red and it's grown on me a lot. I actually wanted a black or blue one!
I also did also do a little walk around a while back, but never got around to uploading it. Shows off the engine bay and interior a little. Exterior was well polished at this point too, so it shows off the car nicely.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5PGsSF2aBmQ
Joe
njw1 said:
I've read the whole thread over the last few days and all I can say is awesome, absolutely bloody awesome! OP, I'm very jealous of your car and very impressed by your car mending skills, keep up the good work! 
Thankyou 
I'm glad you've enjoyed reading my ramblings, I've really enjoyed it, and it still surprises me the reception the car gets.Well with some more miles on the Vitesse, it was time for some more fluid changes!
First up was the gearbox oil, it was always a bit of an unknown, so with the engine now making actual power it was definitely time for a flush and change. I didn't go for a fluid change when it was out of the car as it needs to be warm to really get all the crap out!
The colour wasn't too bad a slightly darker cherry red, but definitely still ATF, it was a little low though.
With the fluid change it is now much smoother so definitely worth doing.
Next up was the first run in service.
Oil was still a lovely colour, but worth it for the peace of mind.
And yes I have done 572miles in it in the last 3 weeks...
What can I say, it's a really enjoyable car to drive now!
I also pulled all of the plugs to see their condition. The centre electrodes are still lovely and clean, with the ceramic also unmarked. the side electrode looks to have the timing ok (currently set at 12°BTDC at Idle) , and maybe a little too rich judging by the base ring(1.8% CO at MOT Test) . But I'm also open to others interpretation!
Overall I'm incredibly happy with how the engine build went, definitely worth the effort. It drives so much nicer than before, and to have the original motor back in is very satisfying.
I also managed to pick up some original Austin Rover Fast Check devices, they might be useful or just fun garage decoration! I'm yet to try them out!
Joe
Sammo123 said:
I spent most of yesterday reading the whole thread and I loved every minute of it! Always loved the Rover SD1 and I’m very sad that they’re out of my price range these days (plus I have no space for any more cars, especially a behemoth like an SD1 
)
Keep up the great work and I’ll keep reading about it
Thankyou )Keep up the great work and I’ll keep reading about it
I thought that would also be the case, but there's still a few good deals out there, and the market is a little stagnant at the moment, bad for selling, good for buying though! I know what you mean about space, it's a little harder to hide than the mini's I'm used too! Last weekend was Bicester Heritage's Sunday Scramble, and of course I had bought tickets. The weather forecast was seriously off putting though, and I was on the fence if I was going to risk it at all. It's just not that fun looking at cars when you're getting soaked!
But regardless I had to get it ready in case.
Cleaned and polished, but the engine bay had been missing something...
Finally decided to reinstall the air-con compressor and hosing, it's still a little way from being functional, but I'm getting there and it looks so much more complete under bonnet now.
So Sunday rolled around, and despite some serious rain overnight, I woke to a dry outlook.
The journey down was a little spray-ie and I spent it mostly dodging lorries on the M1.
I arrived a little later than I would have liked, but still in time to get a good spot. I also managed to miss all the TRAX traffic so worked out well.
Almost exactly the same spot as last time.
The usual bonnet up shot when I had arrived, with a helpful chap checking that my engine was still present and correct.
It draws people in and more importantly helps cool it off a little.
Traffic into the Technical Centre meant it had got a little warm...
But it also meant I could keep my coffee warm while I ate my sandwich
It's the one thing that I'm not 100% on yet, it controls its temp when driving perfectly, but in stop start traffic it creeps up.
I definitely think it's due a replacement radiator, I've got a slight weep from the top hose outlet, and I fear it's cracked. I'll either re-core and repair my radiator, or invest in a radtec one.
Always such a good variety of cars. I didn't hang around mine too much, but did enjoy walking past to see people having a look.
Even got to see double with Nathan's red Vitesse.
I also couldn't help when it quietened down to move around a little to get some different locations.
Gratuitous service station picture on the way home.
Such a good event as always, probably my favourite events of the year. You get to see such a variety of cars, must have taken hundreds of pictures!
Really easy journey home with no drama. I'm really enjoying the car when I can, and have done nearly 900 miles in the month since putting in the new engine. The rad I'll sort over the next few weeks, as I still like to take it out when the weather looks nice.
Joe
tvrfan007 said:
Lovely looking car and glad to see it isn't being a garage queen!
You'll get good reviews and bad reviews of most companies but I had bad experience with aforementioned radiator company myself. Had one of their rads on the ever so marginally designed cooling system of my 220 Turbo (rad shortened and fattened to accommodate intercooler), replacing my rotten oem one. It was forever secreting anti freeze deposits along the core to end tank interface, although it didn't lose any fluid. When I stripped the car and sold the rad it popped an end tank within a month on the person who bought it. Said company replaced it with another... Which behaved in exactly the same manner with the same end result, only in an accelerated sequence of events!
Thank you, and it's definitely not, I didn't spend all that time on it to not enjoy it! I'm hoping to have the cooling sorted so I can really enjoy it next summer, hopefully a roadtrip is on the cards. You'll get good reviews and bad reviews of most companies but I had bad experience with aforementioned radiator company myself. Had one of their rads on the ever so marginally designed cooling system of my 220 Turbo (rad shortened and fattened to accommodate intercooler), replacing my rotten oem one. It was forever secreting anti freeze deposits along the core to end tank interface, although it didn't lose any fluid. When I stripped the car and sold the rad it popped an end tank within a month on the person who bought it. Said company replaced it with another... Which behaved in exactly the same manner with the same end result, only in an accelerated sequence of events!
That is very disappointing to hear, I've also heard of a lot of people with the RV8 variant experiencing the same as you have with the weeping.
I was on the fence as they also don't offer an air-conditioning option (extra temp sensor in the side tank) and at double the price of having mine re-cored I really don't think it's worth the risk!
Joe
BGarside said:
Allisport in Gloucester (?) seem to have a good rep for custom made alli rads.
They do look nice, expensive though! One of the appeals of an off the shelf rad is that I could just swap it in. Having a custom one done I assume would mean I would have to send my radiator to them anyway, and Gloucester is a little far to take it over to them.
I also want to keep it relatively stealthy looking, so the powder-coating option of the Radtec was appealing. (I know I can just paint it, but it's not really the same)
I've been recommended J&J Radiators, and that's a little closer to me too.
Joe
Well it's been a little while since I updated this!
The Vitesse hasn't gotten a great deal of use over the last month, mainly due to the weather.
I have also been doing some more radiator research.
After listening to some more advice I was more convinced to either re-core my rad, or source a original replacement.
Although the car is infrequently used at the moment I really didn't want to immobilise it, and after spending a small fortune earlier in the year another £300 on an exchange radiator wasn't entirely appealing either.
After a good time looking, a V8, manual, aircon, rad came up.It looked in really good condition, so definitely worth a look.
Engine bay before any changes.
Radiator out. By taking it out with the front bar you don't even have to remove the fan or shroud.
Definitely a little grotty, and you can see where it's been leaking from the top hose outlet for a while. From the silicone applied to the temperate sensor just below the outlet that leak was also incorrectly diagnosed.
I can also see some coolant weeping at the bottom of the radiator too, so definitely on its way out.
The replacement radiator after being checked and painted looked much better. After chatting with the SD1 club historian, I think I got lucky with an original late spec V8 radiator after Rover went to a more universal fit. (two outlets and the aircon temp sensor) I also checked my next project (and really late unmolested TP Vitesse) and it has the same radiator.
Very happy with both the visual improvement and the lack of leaks. Painting it matte black just makes it blend in rather than stand out like the old one.
Coolant system bled up really nicely, and seems to already be controlling it's temperature better.
I had it idling for sometime to see if it would overheat, and so far so good.
It's also much happier in its new home, as am I!
Just need some better weather now to test it properly.
Joe
The Vitesse hasn't gotten a great deal of use over the last month, mainly due to the weather.
I have also been doing some more radiator research.
After listening to some more advice I was more convinced to either re-core my rad, or source a original replacement.
Although the car is infrequently used at the moment I really didn't want to immobilise it, and after spending a small fortune earlier in the year another £300 on an exchange radiator wasn't entirely appealing either.
After a good time looking, a V8, manual, aircon, rad came up.It looked in really good condition, so definitely worth a look.
Engine bay before any changes.
Radiator out. By taking it out with the front bar you don't even have to remove the fan or shroud.
Definitely a little grotty, and you can see where it's been leaking from the top hose outlet for a while. From the silicone applied to the temperate sensor just below the outlet that leak was also incorrectly diagnosed.
I can also see some coolant weeping at the bottom of the radiator too, so definitely on its way out.
The replacement radiator after being checked and painted looked much better. After chatting with the SD1 club historian, I think I got lucky with an original late spec V8 radiator after Rover went to a more universal fit. (two outlets and the aircon temp sensor) I also checked my next project (and really late unmolested TP Vitesse) and it has the same radiator.
Very happy with both the visual improvement and the lack of leaks. Painting it matte black just makes it blend in rather than stand out like the old one.
Coolant system bled up really nicely, and seems to already be controlling it's temperature better.
I had it idling for sometime to see if it would overheat, and so far so good.
It's also much happier in its new home, as am I!
Just need some better weather now to test it properly.
Joe
Well after a very wet few months I was looking forward to letting the Rover out for a good run!
As last year I wanted to get to Bicester Heritage to look at some seriously cool cars. So tickets where bought for the Sunday Scramble on the 5th.
For those who have been reading for a little while know that event didn't go so well for me last year...
I did a 40 mile run out a couple of days before to test things, and everything behaved.
So I started very early ( I wanted a good spot!) Got a good cold start video, and was going to do a time lapse of the journey and everything!
All seemed well and I was looking forward to showing her off.
Looks like an inconspicuous totally picture, just stopping for some coffee...
Cue puddle of coolant and the AA again!
My gamble on a second hand radiator did not pay off...
It had burst and would come out faster than I could put it in . Which only left one option
Very helpful as always and a short journey back home, only made it to junction 16 of the M1!
And back home.
Since I now had a free morning/afternoon I may as well crack on.
appears to have crapped out most of the bottom left side.
Just for fun I timed myself, from tools up to radiator on the floor I managed 11 minutes. Definitely helped that I'd already done this a few months back.
It did put a downer on the day, and I was gutted to miss out on one of my favourite events of the year, but aww well!
I have now dropped off both the original and the replacement radiator to be re-cored with uprated cores, and fully pressure tested, not taking any chances this time! Hopefully get it back on the road within a week.
Joe
As last year I wanted to get to Bicester Heritage to look at some seriously cool cars. So tickets where bought for the Sunday Scramble on the 5th.
For those who have been reading for a little while know that event didn't go so well for me last year...
I did a 40 mile run out a couple of days before to test things, and everything behaved.
So I started very early ( I wanted a good spot!) Got a good cold start video, and was going to do a time lapse of the journey and everything!
All seemed well and I was looking forward to showing her off.
Looks like an inconspicuous totally picture, just stopping for some coffee...
Cue puddle of coolant and the AA again!
My gamble on a second hand radiator did not pay off...
It had burst and would come out faster than I could put it in . Which only left one option
Very helpful as always and a short journey back home, only made it to junction 16 of the M1!
And back home.
Since I now had a free morning/afternoon I may as well crack on.
appears to have crapped out most of the bottom left side.
Just for fun I timed myself, from tools up to radiator on the floor I managed 11 minutes. Definitely helped that I'd already done this a few months back.
It did put a downer on the day, and I was gutted to miss out on one of my favourite events of the year, but aww well!
I have now dropped off both the original and the replacement radiator to be re-cored with uprated cores, and fully pressure tested, not taking any chances this time! Hopefully get it back on the road within a week.
Joe
NNH said:
Have you considered a side gig as a mechanic at Le Mans? 11 minutes is good going!
Thankyou! I did actually consider it at one point, and have a degree in Motorsport Engineering!Mr Tidy said:
Sorry to read you didn't make it to Bicester. 
Hopefully it will be a case of 3rd time lucky!
Yeah I was a bit gutted and couldn't believe it was happening on the way to the same event! I managed to get there twice last year though with no problems, must just be the january one that the Rover doesn't like! Hopefully it will be a case of 3rd time lucky!
I probably shouldn't but I'll definitely try again in 2021!
Just heard back from the radiator company, it'll be ready on Monday, so back on the road next week.
Joe
I was very happy to receive a call on Monday to say my radiators were ready.
As a precaution I had both re-cored one for the Vitesse, and the other for another Vitesse...
I'm hoping a good as new radiator will keep the old girl cooler than a knackered old one!
It also required an order from Rimmer Bros for the level sensor grommets and temperature sensor seals, another £27 I wasn't expected to spend!
On Friday I headed home and cracked on.
After some wiggiling, securing and 11 litres of coolant later...
One continent Rover.
Well semi-continent the new temperature sensor seal has a slight weep, typical!
I did give it a cautionary run out though, and ran it up and down a local dual carriage way. Temperature seems to stay at a stable 80-90 degrees on the move, and leaving it idling stays just below 100. Still hasn't got hot enough to kick in the fans.
Better than I've managed before!
This is a hot start when I'd just got back and had left it idling for a couple of minutes. Something she's always struggled with.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t-_coZQAAlM
Yesterday with the weather being so amazing I couldn't resist taking it out again. I fixed the temperature sensor leak, and then did around 50 miles running it at higher speeds to see how the cooling system coped, seemed very much in control of the temperature!
Hopefully it's back to being a turn key car again! My mistake really not testing new parts!
Joe
As a precaution I had both re-cored one for the Vitesse, and the other for another Vitesse...
I'm hoping a good as new radiator will keep the old girl cooler than a knackered old one!
It also required an order from Rimmer Bros for the level sensor grommets and temperature sensor seals, another £27 I wasn't expected to spend!
On Friday I headed home and cracked on.
After some wiggiling, securing and 11 litres of coolant later...
One continent Rover.
Well semi-continent the new temperature sensor seal has a slight weep, typical!
I did give it a cautionary run out though, and ran it up and down a local dual carriage way. Temperature seems to stay at a stable 80-90 degrees on the move, and leaving it idling stays just below 100. Still hasn't got hot enough to kick in the fans.
Better than I've managed before!
This is a hot start when I'd just got back and had left it idling for a couple of minutes. Something she's always struggled with.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t-_coZQAAlM
Yesterday with the weather being so amazing I couldn't resist taking it out again. I fixed the temperature sensor leak, and then did around 50 miles running it at higher speeds to see how the cooling system coped, seemed very much in control of the temperature!
Hopefully it's back to being a turn key car again! My mistake really not testing new parts!
Joe
So after the hassle with the radiators and the terrible weather I haven't done much with the Vitesse.
I felt a little bad leaving it neglected so I decided that I would treat it and tackle a very minor problem. It's always had a bit of a squeak from the rear end, and I always meant to update the trailing arm bushes.
So after a lot of research the OEM bushes available all seem to be NOS, so at least 34 years old. So I opted for SuperFlex. I've heard good things.
I went for the diff extension bush, and front and rear trailing arm bushes. Plan is to also do the watts link, but I needed to check I still had the larger Vitesse spec linkage.
Trailing arm bushes are nice and easy as I've already had them off and repainted them when I had the rear end apart before.
I still don't have a press but a bench vice stands in nicely.
The diff extension was another matter, that was a complete arse to get off. Unbolting from the diff once supported was easy. But the mount to the cross member, the bolt can't be removed fully without hitting the fuel tank! I managed to get it out but by unbolting the cross member and doing some wiggling!
The rubber was split and definitely needed changing. I also gave it a strip and repaint while it was off.
Nice simple satin black. Getting the new mount in was a little tricky, kept slipping trying to press it in!
All ready for installation.
The diff mount again fought me, and with the new bush I had even less room to work with, but I got there in the end.
Rear end definitely feels more secure, no more squeaks!
It definitely needs a damn good clean though, it's got seriously dusty parked up.
Tickets have been bought for the April Sunday scramble so hopefully I have better luck next time.
Joe
I felt a little bad leaving it neglected so I decided that I would treat it and tackle a very minor problem. It's always had a bit of a squeak from the rear end, and I always meant to update the trailing arm bushes.
So after a lot of research the OEM bushes available all seem to be NOS, so at least 34 years old. So I opted for SuperFlex. I've heard good things.
I went for the diff extension bush, and front and rear trailing arm bushes. Plan is to also do the watts link, but I needed to check I still had the larger Vitesse spec linkage.
Trailing arm bushes are nice and easy as I've already had them off and repainted them when I had the rear end apart before.
I still don't have a press but a bench vice stands in nicely.
The diff extension was another matter, that was a complete arse to get off. Unbolting from the diff once supported was easy. But the mount to the cross member, the bolt can't be removed fully without hitting the fuel tank! I managed to get it out but by unbolting the cross member and doing some wiggling!
The rubber was split and definitely needed changing. I also gave it a strip and repaint while it was off.
Nice simple satin black. Getting the new mount in was a little tricky, kept slipping trying to press it in!
All ready for installation.
The diff mount again fought me, and with the new bush I had even less room to work with, but I got there in the end.
Rear end definitely feels more secure, no more squeaks!
It definitely needs a damn good clean though, it's got seriously dusty parked up.
Tickets have been bought for the April Sunday scramble so hopefully I have better luck next time.
Joe
Jimmy Recard said:
Awesome. One of my favourite ever cars. I’ve always wanted one but never have, literally since I was a child.
Cheers It's one of mine too, my Dad had two when I was younger, and I had all the models! So far the real thing hasn't disappointed. Well the Sunday scramble isn't happening, very sad to receive the news, but in the current climate not unexpected. Hopefully it'll give me another few months to get the Vitesse looking even better.
Joe
Stick Legs said:
Beautiful work and a beautiful car!
A lot of people use the word 'rolling restoration' to describe keeping an old nail lobbed together with filler. This is the accurate use of the phrase and I hope you never sell it, what a beautiful thing.
Cheers that means a lot! Exactly gradual improvement to get it as nice as I can A lot of people use the word 'rolling restoration' to describe keeping an old nail lobbed together with filler. This is the accurate use of the phrase and I hope you never sell it, what a beautiful thing.
wormus said:
I do, I want to him to sell it to me! I do agree though, it’s a lovely car.
Don't worry you still get first refusal! cosworth330 said:
I’ve always liked these, only the V8 or the V8 Vitesse though. My mates dad bought a 2600 VDP brand new in 1986, always garaged and only covered about 30k in the 15 years he had it. It was absolutely gutless though and I remember the head gasket blowing at some point. Trying to keep the rust on the arch lips at bay was a game!
Also a lad in the village had a moonraker blue Vitesse with a Rovercraft engine conversion 3.9 I think? This was back in 1988-89. Also remember quite a few entertaining journeys in a mates ex police SD1 V8 bought from the auctions, A reg white one manual, felt really quick at the time and the noise it made was lovely.
I wouldn’t mind buying a solid SD1 Vitesse but have just bought another 850 T-5R, have two of them now. Moving to a house with a large driveway behind double gates and garage with a pit in a few months so more old cars are on the horizon!
I have to admit my only experience with SD1s has been V8s. I would like to try a straight 6 car, just to see how they compare. Also a lad in the village had a moonraker blue Vitesse with a Rovercraft engine conversion 3.9 I think? This was back in 1988-89. Also remember quite a few entertaining journeys in a mates ex police SD1 V8 bought from the auctions, A reg white one manual, felt really quick at the time and the noise it made was lovely.
I wouldn’t mind buying a solid SD1 Vitesse but have just bought another 850 T-5R, have two of them now. Moving to a house with a large driveway behind double gates and garage with a pit in a few months so more old cars are on the horizon!
My dad did have a 2300 before my time, and he said the cam seized in the head. So not a great start!
I think the arch lips are a constant SD1 battle! I had to de-rust and paint mine also.
I would love to try a spectrum of Vitesses to see how the different modifications change the car. I've never driven a completely standard car so I have no point of reference!
I reckon an Vitesse is a safe bet these days, I can't deny the appeal of a T-5R though, serious cool car with one of my favourite sounding engine configurations! Saloons or estates, and what colours?
njw1 said:
My thoughts exactly, I think this is my favourite car in readers rides.
Cheers I did really love making readers car of the week. NNH said:
Add an SD1 to the 850s and you're starting to build a decent BTCC/ETCC collection. All you need is an XJ-S and a Capri!
That would make for an excellent combination. The road versions of touring cars is exaclty what I'm going for too. From my user name you can probably guess my choice for Group 1, and the thread gives away my choice of group A.
I'd love to add so many touring car homologations to my collection, from group 1, Group A, super touring...
I did spend a while looking at Pre-HE v12 XJSs and XJ12cs before I bought my Vitesses.
I even tried to make my 1275GT look like a Mini Challenge race car
Joe
cosworth330 said:
Both saloons and both manual gearbox, one Gul yellow and the other Olive green. Both are modded but the green one is more like a 90’s touring car! Quaife, forged rods, Stoptech big brake kit, Gaz gold, IPD ARB’s, RX7 intercooler. Not sure on the power but the yellow one was 293bhp on the rollers, the green one is a fair bit more, it’s very quick for an old car and I’m used to quick cars as I have a F80 M3, not as quick as the M3 but it surprises people! 5 pot sounds lovely as it had a 3 inch downpipe and exhaust.
Love the Vitesse though, that V8!
Oh brilliant, both sound good in their own way and excellent colour choices, I love interesting colours especially paired with anthracite wheels. (I assume yours are as I've only seen T-5R's on anthracite wheels!)Love the Vitesse though, that V8!
I love the touring car feel, and especially when you're into big boy power levels. Especially to compare it to an F80, I haven't driven one of those but I did love driving an E90 M3, and I've heard good things about the F80. I bet it sounds brilliant through a 3inch exhaust!
The V8 is definitely the appeal, it's not fast fast, but enough to surprise modern hot hatches and diesel rep mobiles. I've only really started to explore the upper rev range though as the motor is only just broken in.
Joe
cosworth330 said:
The Gul has the standard 17 inch anthracite Titan wheels and the green one has 17 inch Team Dynamics pro race in anthracite. If you type in T-5R I have two threads running on them.
Hopefully will get to see your car at one of the shows later on in the year when things are back to normal! What part of the country are you in? I’m down in Kent.
Simon
I enjoyed reading both threads, really interesting cars! Hopefully will get to see your car at one of the shows later on in the year when things are back to normal! What part of the country are you in? I’m down in Kent.
Simon
Yeah I intended on getting it out a lot this year, as it spent most of last summer without an engine! I'm up in Leicestershire but I plan to travel a bit with it so hopefully I'll see you around.
Joe
cosworth330 said:
Thanks.
I drove the yellow T-5R to Coalville in November to “Tim Williams Volvo guru” who fitted some aluminium subframe mounts for me as didn’t fancy doing that job. I was a bit nervous of driving an old motor 400 mile round trip but it was fine and actually very comfy on the motorway. Don’t get any tyre roar like I do with the M3.
That is quite close to me, good to know there's a specialist so close to me if i needed it! Yes there's always an apprehension to doing big miles. I got burnt with my Vitesse in January which I wasn't expecting! I drove the yellow T-5R to Coalville in November to “Tim Williams Volvo guru” who fitted some aluminium subframe mounts for me as didn’t fancy doing that job. I was a bit nervous of driving an old motor 400 mile round trip but it was fine and actually very comfy on the motorway. Don’t get any tyre roar like I do with the M3.
What tyres are you running on your M3? Seems to be big differences between brands.
I got quite a lot of tyre roar from my Michelin PS3s', but on the newer PS4s' they're much better.
I also changed the Brigestones on my mums Z4 for PS4Ss', such a good improvement.
Joe
Gassing Station | Readers' Cars | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff