1985 Rover 3500 Vitesse
Discussion
1275 GT said:
I have seen your advert, car looks amazing and is a credit to you, good luck with the sale, worth every penny.
Well you've all been waiting long enough, and you're going to want good speakers for this.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ybFOnwn48UI&fe...
Joe
That is aural sex.Well you've all been waiting long enough, and you're going to want good speakers for this.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ybFOnwn48UI&fe...
Joe
gforceg said:
That does sound very nice. I like the crackle and burble on the overrun.
miniman said:
Greendubber said:
Sounds great, one of my favourite Reader Rides this.
Great stuff.
Great stuff.
gweaver said:
That is aural sex.
I absolutely loved that comment, did make me laugh. 
Thankyou all, I'm so happy with how the motor turned out. The burble and pops on the overrun are brilliant!
It sounds even angrier in the flesh, and it finally has that edge higher in the RPM range that I was always after.
There's also another 1500RPM to go before redline so plenty more noise to come.
Definitely made the most of the glorious weather on Friday and took it back to JE Development so John could give it a look over and a quick health check, he was very happy and loved the car. He kept telling me not to baby the new engine, so I have been enjoying it a little more. Hence the videos!
I then popped over to Caffeine and Machine, always a fun crowd
Joe
Edited by 1275 GT on Sunday 15th September 22:07
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
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!
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!
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.
The 3500 Vitesse is such a classic, just love them. Looks great in red as well, probably the best colour they did.
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
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
)Keep up the great work and I’ll keep reading about it
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
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!
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!
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
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