1964 Riley One Point Five
Discussion
Whilst scrolling through Facebook market place (please don't judge me!) I discovered this Riley 1.5, a car I know very little about and thought it had a charm about it that I liked. I kept scrolling but would see it popping up for about a week and a half.
About a week into the occasional glance and some wishful thinking about the sort of car I would turn it into I showed Mrs. Jim. Normally she would roll her eyes and pat me on the head and tell me "ok", this time she said "why not go and have a look?"
We turn up at this yard and it is stacked out in classic cars which just amazed me, they had a few Healey's 3000's and sprite's, Lagonda's, Jaguar's and MG's and this unassuming Riley 1.5. Apparently from the same collection that had been abandoned and the owner had been taken into care with his family selling the cars off to fund his care.
The Riley looks rusty and needs a lot of work but Mrs. Jim gave me a look, the sort of look when we decide to get another drink or have fish and chips but this time we bought a Riley!
With money exchanged The Riley was delivered to us.
Despite the musky smell and the pile of rust it dropped I am happy
The engine is seized solid and hasn't run since the 90's I might as well try to see if it will run.
A bit of research says that this sticker dates back to the early 70s which is cool.
This all happened back in May but will get the thread up to speed but I have also started to make some YouTube videos of it if anyone is interested.
About a week into the occasional glance and some wishful thinking about the sort of car I would turn it into I showed Mrs. Jim. Normally she would roll her eyes and pat me on the head and tell me "ok", this time she said "why not go and have a look?"
We turn up at this yard and it is stacked out in classic cars which just amazed me, they had a few Healey's 3000's and sprite's, Lagonda's, Jaguar's and MG's and this unassuming Riley 1.5. Apparently from the same collection that had been abandoned and the owner had been taken into care with his family selling the cars off to fund his care.
The Riley looks rusty and needs a lot of work but Mrs. Jim gave me a look, the sort of look when we decide to get another drink or have fish and chips but this time we bought a Riley!
With money exchanged The Riley was delivered to us.
Despite the musky smell and the pile of rust it dropped I am happy
The engine is seized solid and hasn't run since the 90's I might as well try to see if it will run.
A bit of research says that this sticker dates back to the early 70s which is cool.
This all happened back in May but will get the thread up to speed but I have also started to make some YouTube videos of it if anyone is interested.
I quite like these. I think the later ones like this have a slightly "better" engine, incorporating some improvements from larger capacity versions? Not sure if they got the 5 bearing crank that some B series had about that time?
Would say if it's largely original, I'd try to keep the original engine. Even if it's very seized, it's probably saveable.
Body shell looks a little crusty, but that's business as normal for this kind of period, and frankly I'd rather have that than one that looks "ok" but is full of bodges.
I know sills are available new (at a price), but I assume there's an owner's club, and possibly they have a supply of bits you would need?
Would say if it's largely original, I'd try to keep the original engine. Even if it's very seized, it's probably saveable.
Body shell looks a little crusty, but that's business as normal for this kind of period, and frankly I'd rather have that than one that looks "ok" but is full of bodges.
I know sills are available new (at a price), but I assume there's an owner's club, and possibly they have a supply of bits you would need?
Great purchase and wishing you all the best with it.
I have fond memories of one of these which I inherited from and Aunt, and have waffled on about within this forum.
I’d quite like another to do some form of Historic rallying.
There’s one just round the corner from me which I periodically see out and about in the summer months. The odd thing about it, is that it resides on the same street as my late Aunt lived and is the same colour as hers.
I have fond memories of one of these which I inherited from and Aunt, and have waffled on about within this forum.
I’d quite like another to do some form of Historic rallying.
There’s one just round the corner from me which I periodically see out and about in the summer months. The odd thing about it, is that it resides on the same street as my late Aunt lived and is the same colour as hers.
With regards to the engine it's a 1500cc 3 bearing B series. Personally it's nothing spectacular and my intention is to build a car i could drive daily.
I figure whilst it's still in there i might as well try to get it to run. A fortnight of throwing diesel down the bores had it freed up and turning by hand.
With a battery thrown on everything works apart from the starter motor that needed to be stripped and cleaned.
From the outside I want it to look like a riley but underneath it needs disc brakes, a stronger axle (the original is weak as Mr. Hobbs's receipts show). Whether that means an escort axle and some adaptor plates or i mix mx5 chassis etc into the Riley.
There are a lot of things I want to keep.
The gauges, although the mechanical rev counter might need some modernising!
The dashboard and the central speaker.
The aluminium facia for the heater controls
I had some help with AI etc to get an idea on how I'll want it to look. (Wheels Tbc)
There's more but these are some of the finer points. I also want to turn the mummified mouse into a gear knob- it seems fitting that it keeps it's house!
I figure whilst it's still in there i might as well try to get it to run. A fortnight of throwing diesel down the bores had it freed up and turning by hand.
With a battery thrown on everything works apart from the starter motor that needed to be stripped and cleaned.
From the outside I want it to look like a riley but underneath it needs disc brakes, a stronger axle (the original is weak as Mr. Hobbs's receipts show). Whether that means an escort axle and some adaptor plates or i mix mx5 chassis etc into the Riley.
There are a lot of things I want to keep.
The gauges, although the mechanical rev counter might need some modernising!
The dashboard and the central speaker.
The aluminium facia for the heater controls
I had some help with AI etc to get an idea on how I'll want it to look. (Wheels Tbc)
There's more but these are some of the finer points. I also want to turn the mummified mouse into a gear knob- it seems fitting that it keeps it's house!
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