Impromptu BL line up

Author
Discussion

55palfers

5,910 posts

164 months

Monday 24th April 2017
quotequote all
Lowtimer said:
dbdb said:
There's no romance in your soul!
Personally I'm with Palfers on this tbh, But not in a biblical sense, obviously.
I wouldn't mind some sort of camper van as a mobile workshop, but don;' really feel the urge to sleep in them.
Yes, indeed.

I also have no desire to drive around with a old plastic box of turds sloshing around in the boot.



anonymous-user

Original Poster:

54 months

Monday 24th April 2017
quotequote all
I was right with you until you mentioned that. I sometimes give my lawyer friends a lift in my cars, so I am well into having a bunch of turds in the back of the wagon.

Mr Peel

482 posts

122 months

Monday 24th April 2017
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Great work. I own a VW T4 Transporter Auto Sleeper conversion but would have one of these were I more courageous and adventurous...

Unbeliveably cheap but, as has been mentioned, can you get bits for them?

anonymous-user

Original Poster:

54 months

Monday 24th April 2017
quotequote all
Parts gettable? The O Series engine is in the SD1 base model and in Itals and such like, so, yes. SU carbs, yes. Lucas ACR alternators, dizzies, etc, yes. Radiator, not sure. Gearbox, not sure, but do not think it's complex or rare or irreplaceable by summat else. I may see if I can get a Laycock de Normanville Overdrive for better motorwaying and an extra 0.00001 MPG. Suspension not complex, brakes dunno, chassis just bits of metal (with free bonus iron oxide add ons), panels are just panels. You would struggle a bit with some parts eg the great big ginormous speedo, dashboard top, and so on, but the switchgear etc is standard BL parts bin stuff (same wiper and indicator stalks as a Dolomite, for example).

Morningside

24,110 posts

229 months

Monday 24th April 2017
quotequote all
Breadvan72 said:
Parts gettable? The O Series engine is in the SD1 base model and in Itals and such like, so, yes. SU carbs, yes. Lucas ACR alternators, dizzies, etc, yes. Radiator, not sure. Gearbox, not sure, but do not think it's complex or rare or irreplaceable by summat else. I may see if I can get a Laycock de Normanville Overdrive for better motorwaying and an extra 0.00001 MPG. Suspension not complex, brakes dunno, chassis just bits of metal (with free bonus iron oxide add ons), panels are just panels. You would struggle a bit with some parts eg the great big ginormous speedo, dashboard top, and so on, but the switchgear etc is standard BL parts bin stuff (same wiper and indicator stalks as a Dolomite, for example).
I had the Rover 2000 SD1 auto and the damn thing was so gutless it could hardly climb a kerb. All the O series models I had seemed to leak oil everywhere (Princess and Montego). Oh and overheat as well. I had my Rover's head skimmed and then it died again.

Bloody thing was more unreliable than my TR7 and that blew its big end...twice!

anonymous-user

Original Poster:

54 months

Monday 24th April 2017
quotequote all
The O Series was the wrong engine for the SD1, but the engine had a reasonable rep in smaller cars and in the vans. My dad had a Princess, an Ambassador and a Montego (all company cars, the company in question being BL). The Ambassador was a bad one, but not mainly because of the engine. His Princess was one of the good ones, and even went quite fast, and his Montego was pretty reliable too, although not fast. He kept that one after he left BL.

Rover doing a four cylinder SD1 was probably a bit of a mistake, but I suppose that there were pressures to get some sort of fleet sales on the books. The diesel SD1 was, IIRC, aimed at Italy, and maybe the 2 litre pezzer one was also focused on tax brackets in places like Italy.

Was the diesel version a Perkins Prima? Was that a sort of Satan-fuelled O series? I could Google this stuff but I CBA.

Edited by anonymous-user on Monday 24th April 16:42

55palfers

5,910 posts

164 months

Monday 24th April 2017
quotequote all
Breadvan72 said:
I was right with you until you mentioned that. I sometimes give my lawyer friends a lift in my cars, so I am well into having a bunch of turds in the back of the wagon.
Motoring in "unusual" cars is all about enjoyment.

Do you derive enjoyment from the (pro-bono?) transportation of lawyers?

anonymous-user

Original Poster:

54 months

Monday 24th April 2017
quotequote all
Well, I don't charge myself for driving myself around, so I suppose it must be pro bono, and pro bono is always fun. [The last bit is not true]

Morningside

24,110 posts

229 months

Monday 24th April 2017
quotequote all
Breadvan72 said:
The O Series was the wrong engine for the SD1, but the engine had a reasonable rep in smaller cars and in the vans. My dad had a Princess, an Ambassador and a a Montego (all company cars, the company in question being, er, BL). The Ambassador was a bad one, but not mainly because of the engine. His Princess was one of the good ones, and even went quite fast, and his Montego was pretty reliable too . He kept that one after he left BL.

Rover doing a four cylinder SD1 was probably a bit of a mistake, but I suppose there were pressures to get some sort of fleet sales. The diesel SD1 was, IIRC, aimed at Italy, and maybe the 2 litre pezzer one was also focused on tax brackets in places like Italy.
I have heard of but never seen a diesel SD1. Any left and were they any good? I suspect they were quite agricultural and non turbo charged.

anonymous-user

Original Poster:

54 months

Monday 24th April 2017
quotequote all
Not many sold in the UK, IIRC, although maybe some sold in Europe. Very few left, IIRC. I have a faint notion that the diesel may have have had a turbo, but am not sure of this. If it didn't, it would surely have been pretty terrible. 2.4 litres? Not sure. Again, CBA to Google. My Boys' Bumper Book of SD1 PHACKTS is upstairs. CBA to go and look at it!

55palfers

5,910 posts

164 months

Monday 24th April 2017
quotequote all
My diary had a 15 second window....

http://www.sound-research.co.uk/vmhist.htm

I was quite surprised.

anonymous-user

Original Poster:

54 months

Monday 24th April 2017
quotequote all
'kinnell! Posh, modern, swanky, Italian, and so forth.

I hate all diesels with an abiding passion, but I gather that Italians (eg Alfa) are good at diesels.

Edited by anonymous-user on Monday 24th April 17:31

Lowtimer

4,286 posts

168 months

Monday 24th April 2017
quotequote all
I met one and didn't like it at all, though Autocar was strangely charitable towards it
https://www.flickr.com/photos/7869726@N02/sets/721...

The notion that 29.6 overall mpg and a 0-60 time of 14.3 seconds can be regarded as a good result in a 1470 kg family car seems extraordinary these days. Shows how far we have come engineering-wise.

At the time I thought the manual 2600SE petrol was firmly the pick of the range (pre Vitesse), not much thirstier, vastly quicky and properly refined and tubeful in comparison.

Edited by Lowtimer on Monday 24th April 17:23

anonymous-user

Original Poster:

54 months

Monday 24th April 2017
quotequote all
Which is why I have that very one. It is mucho fast, mucho smooth, mucho luxe, and I have seen 30 MPG plus on a run. Mid to high 20s is easy, even when you yam it a bit.

anonymous-user

Original Poster:

54 months

Monday 24th April 2017
quotequote all
To me, diesel is and always has been the spume of Beelzebub himself, but I hear that Alfa invented something called a common rail diesel engine, whatever TF that might be. Really, who cares? Ban all diesels now, FFS.

finlo

3,762 posts

203 months

Monday 24th April 2017
quotequote all
Breadvan72 said:
The O Series was the wrong engine for the SD1, but the engine had a reasonable rep in smaller cars and in the vans. My dad had a Princess, an Ambassador and a Montego (all company cars, the company in question being BL). The Ambassador was a bad one, but not mainly because of the engine. His Princess was one of the good ones, and even went quite fast, and his Montego was pretty reliable too, although not fast. He kept that one after he left BL.

Rover doing a four cylinder SD1 was probably a bit of a mistake, but I suppose that there were pressures to get some sort of fleet sales on the books. The diesel SD1 was, IIRC, aimed at Italy, and maybe the 2 litre pezzer one was also focused on tax brackets in places like Italy.

Was the diesel version a Perkins Prima? Was that a sort of Satan-fuelled O series? I could Google this stuff but I CBA.

Edited by Breadvan72 on Monday 24th April 16:42
I seem to recall it using an Italian VM unit like the diesel Range Rover of the time.

anonymous-user

Original Poster:

54 months

Monday 24th April 2017
quotequote all
It did - see a few posts above yours for details, and thanks to 55palfers for the link.

williamp

19,258 posts

273 months

Monday 24th April 2017
quotequote all
Breadvan72 said:
Which is why I have that very one. It is mucho fast, mucho smooth, mucho luxe, and I have seen 30 MPG plus on a run. Mid to high 20s is easy, even when you yam it a bit.
Enough of the Sherpa already. Very fond memories of our air cadet sherpa minibus in the early 90s. KLF blasting out of the ghettoblaster on the way back from Fairford '91, vinyl seats burning our backs, the sound of a MiG29 rining in our ears.... then Biggin Hill in '92, and about 8 of us getting changed in the back, including Judy. Very sepcial girl was Judy...

anonymous-user

Original Poster:

54 months

Monday 24th April 2017
quotequote all
My Air Cadet memories are from the 1970s, and we had a Series 2a Landy, and the Squadron WO's P6 Rover 2200 TC. We had a Gloster Meteor parked outside the Squadron hut. At annual camp (West Raynham, Odiham, Lyneham, Coltishall), we flew in Chipmunks, C130s, big helicopters, Slingsby open cockpit gliders and did night infantry combat exercises with self loading chalk. At the ranges, we fired Short Magazine Lee Enfield .303s from WWI/WW2, and also NATO era .762 GPMGs. Climbing in Snowdonia with nailed boots, hemp ropes, no harnesses (body belays, a few knots and hitches, some snapgates, no Friends or hexes or all that modern rock kit), Vango Force Ten tents. We would keep our uniforms on, take off the cadet brassards, and get served in pubs near the stations, aged 14-15. "Aren't you a bit young to have made Corporal already?" Avoid being cheeky to the RAF policeman lifting the barrier at the gate when staggering back in.

Edited by anonymous-user on Monday 24th April 20:11


Edited by anonymous-user on Monday 24th April 20:11

P5BNij

15,875 posts

106 months

Monday 24th April 2017
quotequote all
Sounds like a typical episode of 'Get Some In'..!