Abandoned Range Rover P38... Resurrection or Bust
Discussion
In between trying to establish where the Jazz is leaking into the rear footwell, I managed to cover the sunroof blind:
and to give it, and the headlining a coat of Scotchguard. Well, I had to do my new trainers so, while I had the Scotchguard in my hand...
Just want some heavy rain now to check that I have indeed cured the worst of the leaks and the headlining can go back in.
and to give it, and the headlining a coat of Scotchguard. Well, I had to do my new trainers so, while I had the Scotchguard in my hand...
Just want some heavy rain now to check that I have indeed cured the worst of the leaks and the headlining can go back in.
Stick Legs said:
The bumpers can be brought back to black using a paintstripping heat gun & a liberal application or Autoglym Bumper Care.
I did this on my P38 and it came up like new from a very grey start.
Wave the heat gun over the plastic until it starts to colour change then let it cool.
Too long in one place & it melts.
Once black & cool lather the gel on wipe off the excess.
It looks like new & lasts years as effectively you have re-born the plastic, and removed the oxidation.
Thanks. it's on my "to do " list.I did this on my P38 and it came up like new from a very grey start.
Wave the heat gun over the plastic until it starts to colour change then let it cool.
Too long in one place & it melts.
Once black & cool lather the gel on wipe off the excess.
It looks like new & lasts years as effectively you have re-born the plastic, and removed the oxidation.
Mrs TT drove the Lord Nelson on her own for the first time today (I was trying to trace a water leak on the Jazz dogmobile which rendered it unavailable for her to take the pooch to meet a friend so her choice was limited to the Lord Nelson or the Lexus - she chose Nelson.)
Waiting to hear the verdict as she has come back and gone into her office to do some marking.
Waiting to hear the verdict as she has come back and gone into her office to do some marking.
The Jazz and TVR both have new MOT's so Yay!
The headlining is back in the Range Rover but all trim bits not back in just yet as I need to sort some broken clips.
It was dark when I stopped for the evening so no pics.
Had to pop out and drop off a gearbox earlier and really enjoyed how well it's running and the versatility of the old heap.
The headlining is back in the Range Rover but all trim bits not back in just yet as I need to sort some broken clips.
It was dark when I stopped for the evening so no pics.
Had to pop out and drop off a gearbox earlier and really enjoyed how well it's running and the versatility of the old heap.
Had the old boy up to the Autogas man earlier in the week to check the mixture on gas. It was bang on lambda for part throttle opening and very close on tickover but very rich at WOT. Autogas man says probably needs new gas injectors but I'll probably not bother. Mixture is good on Petrol too; well as good as a petrol P38 Range Rover will ever be.
When I removed all of the pillar covers some of the clip posts snapped off. I ordered some velcro so I could use it to secure the covers but before it arrived I had a brainwave and managed to repair them using plumbers pipe adhesive.
I put the (covered) A pillar covers back on (after repairing one of them) and was about to put the seatbelts back (temporarily) but couldn't find the rear seatbelt nuts. I then spent the next 2.5 hours looking for them. I'm usually very careful and put things either back on the nut/bolt they came from or in a box. As I was looking for the nuts I was doing a few little jobs. The rear seat back release button on the passenger side had been so sticky since I got the car that each time you pressed it, it had to be pressed so hard that it was bending the release rod and the button disappeared inside the rear trim. It seems it needed greasing and adjusting after which it released beautifully. I also sorted the base release on the drivers side.
I was tidying up, giving up for the day and as I put the rear seats back in place I moved the seatbelt brackets out of the way and spotted that the nuts are in fact captive in the brackets! Doh! Oh well, at least I attended to some of the smaller jobs that make it a more usable car.
Today I spent an hour and a half at the utility room sink cleaning up the B/C/D pillar covers with a toothbrush, microfibre cloth and soap. I was considering covering them in the same material as the roof but they've cleaned up so well I don't think I'll bother.
Example of some of the marks (apart from the general grubbiness)
A bit of soap, water and elbow grease later:
I reckon the suspension knock is the Panhard bushes so I've ordered a set and a set of bolts as I understand they can seize.
While I had the bonnet up with the Autogas man, I managed to locate a squeak on the engine which is one of the idlers is on it's way out so I ordered one of those too.
Just need some warmer weather now so I can get out there and see if I can get some of the jobs done on all of the cars.
When I removed all of the pillar covers some of the clip posts snapped off. I ordered some velcro so I could use it to secure the covers but before it arrived I had a brainwave and managed to repair them using plumbers pipe adhesive.
I put the (covered) A pillar covers back on (after repairing one of them) and was about to put the seatbelts back (temporarily) but couldn't find the rear seatbelt nuts. I then spent the next 2.5 hours looking for them. I'm usually very careful and put things either back on the nut/bolt they came from or in a box. As I was looking for the nuts I was doing a few little jobs. The rear seat back release button on the passenger side had been so sticky since I got the car that each time you pressed it, it had to be pressed so hard that it was bending the release rod and the button disappeared inside the rear trim. It seems it needed greasing and adjusting after which it released beautifully. I also sorted the base release on the drivers side.
I was tidying up, giving up for the day and as I put the rear seats back in place I moved the seatbelt brackets out of the way and spotted that the nuts are in fact captive in the brackets! Doh! Oh well, at least I attended to some of the smaller jobs that make it a more usable car.
Today I spent an hour and a half at the utility room sink cleaning up the B/C/D pillar covers with a toothbrush, microfibre cloth and soap. I was considering covering them in the same material as the roof but they've cleaned up so well I don't think I'll bother.
Example of some of the marks (apart from the general grubbiness)
A bit of soap, water and elbow grease later:
I reckon the suspension knock is the Panhard bushes so I've ordered a set and a set of bolts as I understand they can seize.
While I had the bonnet up with the Autogas man, I managed to locate a squeak on the engine which is one of the idlers is on it's way out so I ordered one of those too.
Just need some warmer weather now so I can get out there and see if I can get some of the jobs done on all of the cars.
Tyre Tread said:
It's all back together but Mrs TT has decided she doesn't want to drive it as she can't get in and out easily (hip problem) and the neighbours are complaining about "that bloody thing" and "too many cars" so it looks like it'll have to go. 
It's so bloody useful. I picked up a s/h Ikea Poang chair and a s/h chest of drawers yesterday and just chucked them in the back. It's running so well too. Looks like someone will get a good project that's mostly sorted.
Oh well, at least its not going to be scrapped.
MDMA . said:
I forgot to mention earlier in the thread that I think I know the previous owner. Someone I used to work with years ago went on to become the landlord of The Lord Nelson and we are both from Wigan.
Looks like it’s been quite a journey!
The landlord did own it for a bit but sold it to his "boss" who owns several pubs I believe. Looks like it’s been quite a journey!
Ask him if he wants to buy it back
C70R said:
As others have said, I've really enjoyed your attitude towards this old truck, and admire your persistence to getting it roadworthy again.
All that being said, it was always going to be a challenge to press this Range into regular service, moreso if your partner struggles to get in easily.
Even if you do move it on, you can take comfort in knowing that you saved one from scrap.
As mentioned above, there's no need to go 'full Avensis' from here, even if you need sensible motoring. You could always compromise with something a bit more rugged, like a Subaru Forester/Legacy/Outback or V70XC.
Thank you for your kind words.All that being said, it was always going to be a challenge to press this Range into regular service, moreso if your partner struggles to get in easily.
Even if you do move it on, you can take comfort in knowing that you saved one from scrap.
As mentioned above, there's no need to go 'full Avensis' from here, even if you need sensible motoring. You could always compromise with something a bit more rugged, like a Subaru Forester/Legacy/Outback or V70XC.
No Subarus for me I'm afraid. I'm not that much of a masochist.
A friend recently caught an old V70 as a daily and I've spent quite a few hours helping him trying to get it reliable and useable so I'll pass on that.
I love the reliability of the Lexus, hence my move towards either Honda or Toyota for SWMBO's daily. I can then concentrate resources (time and money) on the TVR and Rover or maybe even begin a new car based adventure.
If only she'd drive the Lexus it would make life so much easier. She's usually easy going about this stuff but she prefers a manual as she thinks driving an auto will de-skill her driving
Edited by Tyre Tread on Thursday 23 March 16:06
Tom4398cc said:
Worried about de-skilling her driving? Simple - she can daily drive the auto Lexus but do 3 or 4 tracks days a year in anything manual to keep her hand in!
She's in her 60's with a bad hip and I refer to her as my rev limiter. The one occasion she has driven me in the TVR, we were overtaken by a Diesel discovery 5 up going up a hill on the 4 lane A6. The idea of her driving on a track is amazing but unlikely.agent006 said:
Get her to do IAM Masters in an auto if she's worried about de-skilling.
Her driving is very good if, to me at least, a bit pedestrian.I think it's more to do with the fact that when her old dad started to drive autos into his late 50's his driving became sloppy so she is wary of falling into the same trap. I've tried to tell her that the fact she is aware of that potential trap is indicative of the fact she is unlikely to go the same way but... woman.
I had an XFS jag for a while which Mrs TT drove a few times and each time she drove it there was a gearbox fault warning. It seems she left foot brakes and right foot accelerates and at time she was (slightly) overlapping braking and accelerating and the gearbox detected that as a fault.
In all the cars she has had Mrs TT has never gone through a clutch (that includes an Audi A4 diesel that she took from 20K miles to 196K miles (The buyer wouldn't believe me that it had never had the clutch replaced) . She has much mechanical sympathy and likes to drive. She learned to drive (as a civilian) at Hendon Police driving school when she was 17.
I've widenened the search for a replacement from Auris Estate to Avensis or Mazda 6 Estate. (Petrol, Manual)
If what she end up with is suitable as our main car (our youngest are currently 16 years old i.e the Jazz and Lexus) then I might look at something a bit more fun as the second car (GT86) or even try without one for a while and make more use of the TVR and Rover P5
Huntsman said:
Nice P5. Jensen wheels?
Thank you. Yes. The originals were way past their best and I like to Jensen Wheels which are a direct replacement (different nuts obvs) and I always thought the Coupe should have had different wheels to differentiate it further from the saloon.I still have the original wheels in the loft but they're pricey to refurb
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