Running a Silver Shadow everyday

[classicaholic]

Great post EdwardC - so did you buy it even though! There is something very nice about wafting in a RR that is very hard to actually put in writing!

[EdwardC]

Afraid I said no to the Continental R and bought another Shadow instead - photo enclosed. Mine is an early dash car, with the larger steering wheel and the lovely full width hub caps. Sadly it has the earlier 4sp box which isn't nearly as 'wafty' as the later 3sp.

[atomicpunk]

That’s my old car. I hope you’re enjoying it!

[911Thrasher]

Just got back from a quick and fast trip to Paris - 12mpg on the highway at speeds between 90-95mph

Now now at 80mph it’s quiet however above it gets loud: should I fit the secondary seals I got from Flyingspares?

Edited by 911Thrasher on Sunday 9th December 13:45

[classicaholic]

That Shadow looks very right i the poshest location in town!

[rollerderby]

Could a well looked after £9,000 Silver Spirit with LPG be a really cheap daily driver over 70,000 miles versus a 2 year eurobox?

[911Thrasher]

rollerderby said:

Could a well looked after £9,000 Silver Spirit with LPG be a really cheap daily driver over 70,000 miles versus a 2 year eurobox?

Maybe yes maybe no, but I’ve just spent over 25k£ (30k£ if I’m honest) making mine right and now it’s a daily...when I bought it I thought 10k£ max...way off

Edited by 911Thrasher on Sunday 2nd December 23:18

[anonymous-user]

911Thrasher said:

Maybe yes maybe no, but I’ve just spent over 25k£ (30k£ if I’m honest) making mine right and now it’s a daily...when I bought it I thought 10k£ max...way off

Roughly speaking, how much of that was cosmetics and how much on the running gear and day to day reliability?

[911Thrasher]

desolate said:

Roughly speaking, how much of that was cosmetics and how much on the running gear and day to day reliability?

25k of mechanical (including tyres, etc.)
it was driving and all when i bought it and after Rsande "Royce Engineering" saw it they described it as a very good and strong base...but to bring it to perfect 100% reliable, zero concession it would expensive.

We ended up replacing a lot of working bits/pieces just for the sake of piece of mind: i don't want to be driving to France worrying that a starter motor, a coil or a simple rubber hose might give up on me just because they are original and 40 years old!


my first invoice:
1. replace system 1 hydraulic accumilator valve body and both spheres - £1,280
2. replace ignition HT leads and supply haness/wiring to distributor - £740
3.clean out hydraulic systems reservoirs and sight glasses & renew pump feed hoses - £370
4. replace all coolant hoses and renew anti-freeze - £764
5. replace front suspension both lower bearing pin washers - £117
6. replace front of engine ancillary drive belts - £194
7. replace rear p[ark brake cables - £448
8. replace both front top suspension arm bushes - £576
9. strip/reassemble both sides of front suspension to replace both worn lower ball joints - £987
10. replace front brake discs and pads, renew hub seals - £980
11. replace damaged rear axle crossmember beam - £924
12. renew corroded pipework behind rear subframe beams - £444
13. replace horizontal and vertical rear subframe mounts - £2,210
14. deglaze rear brake pads and discs - £126
15. renew fuel pump - £625
16. replace power steering mark hose - £131
17. replace steering rack assembly - £728
18. replace exhaust components - £3558

and add 20% VAT on top....that's £18,342

[ruhall]

Whilst you've clearly had to spend a few pennies at least you know it's been thoroughly checked and maintained, even if it doesn't look any different to how it was before the work was carried out.You'll just have to hang on to it now to reap the benefits.

Out of interest, what tyres did you opt for and was there any noticeable difference in feel? I'm considering changing mine soon, due to age rather than wear, which is minimal, and whilst Avon Turbosteels seem to be the default option, Longstone Tyres suggest Michelins as a better-feel tyre, but they're not the cheapest option.

Edited by ruhall on Tuesday 4th December 22:04

[911Thrasher]

ruhall said:

Whilst you've clearly had to spend a few pennies at least you know it's been thoroughly checked and maintained, even if it doesn't look any different to how it was before the work was carried out.You'll just have to hang on to it now to reap the benefits.

Out of interest, what tyres did you opt for and was there any noticeable difference in feel? I'm considering changing mine soon, due to age rather than wear, which is minimal, and whilst Avon Turbosteels seem to be the default option, Longstone Tyres suggest Michelins as a better-feel tyre, but they're not the cheapest option.

Yes money was no object, nor an investment.
I went for the Avon purely because I couldn’t get the Michelin with the white wall. In France the highway is smooth so not an issue, but from central London to the Euro tunnel what a night mare, and this weekend again to Oxford: the UK road infrastructure is a disaster

[ruhall]

Thanks, very helpful. I hope that you enjoy your Shadow.

[anonymous-user]

ruhall said:

Thanks, very helpful. I hope that you enjoy your Shadow.

Seconded.

Toying with doing something similar.

[911Thrasher]

go go just dont look at the bills - truth is if you purchase a 7 series, S class, A8...you'll be loosing as much, just in a different way

it's all about the experience and nothing else...do you ride in style or not?

[anonymous-user]

911Thrasher said:

go go just dont look at the bills - truth is if you purchase a 7 series, S class, A8...you'll be loosing as much, just in a different way

it's all about the experience and nothing else...do you ride in style or not?

I agree.

I have run a v8 Bristol for years - the last few months has been the first time I have been without one for about 18 years.

I always fancied a t2 but saw some of the associated costs and stuck with Bristol. However Bristol values have climbed alot so you can now get a much nicer base vehicle Bentley/RR than you can a Bristol at the same purchase price.

Increased restoration and running costs are now ameliorated by significantly reduced purchase price.

[911Thrasher]

and the works/resto we put in them actually makes them very reliable, and am convinced def more reliable than when they originally came from the factory in the late 70s. Some good engineers out there today (Rsande one of them)

Edited by 911Thrasher on Sunday 9th December 13:48

[alabbasi]

Heading from Dallas to Memphis to do a trade and getting this:



For this:



Pretty excited. This will be my 5th Crewe car this year and I promised myself that this will the last purchase in 2018.

[OLDBENZ]

I took my recently reacquired Bentley T2 from London to the West Coast of Ireland to see the in-laws. I previously owned it from 2003-2014 and had always regretted letting it go. I was itching actually to take it on a decent trip and this was the ideal opportunity. My wife flew so this was a solo jaunt. I took the ferry from Holyhead having taken a roundabout route though Wales up the A470 which is one of my favourite drives.

Long and the short is that I convinced myself that if I had to have only one car this could very well be it.

Things of note:

1. I covered 1350 miles odd in 6 days (approx 500 of which were covered in a 16 hours slog on my return journey broken only by the ferry crossing) at average mpgs varying between 15 and 16 mpg. These were rather better mpg figures than I recall from my previous ownership;

2. I was very glad that I had tested the new TEX wiper blades I purchased for the trip before setting off. These were complete rubbish and seemed to fail to make any attempt to touch the screen for most of their coverage area. Hillier Hill kindly let me have some secondhand wipers from their secret stock of 'stuff that isn't made the same these days' and these were brilliant. Very handy as it rained a good percentage of the trip. Whilst I am on a rant the TEX wiper blades are completely straight where as the originals are curved. Interestingly, I had the same issue with TEX wipers on my old Astons but managed to find a satisfactory alternative. I can only assume that most old cars with these wipers are 'dry weather only cars';

3. I had made the same trip in early December in a Lamborghini Huracan and enjoyed the (very different) T2 experience just as much;

4. I bought some period-appropriate cassettes off Ebay for the trip for the princely sum of £9. Some period-correct things are best left in the past;

5. The T2 seemed to attract more positive attention than I remember from my previous ownership;

4. Ok - a confession to blot its otherwise perfect copybook: As I pulled into our Square in London at 5am at the end of my return journey through Wales from Holyhead the car cut out and had just enough oomph to coast to my front door. Technically, I guess it completed the journey. The culprit was a duff rotor arm which I see the previous owner had replaced and which only managed a couple of thousand miles. Beware the ignition stuff you buy even from the principal marque spares suppliers! The T2 is now back in storage with a new rotor arm from the chap dressed like a surgeon who advertises at the back of the magazines and who claims his stuff does not suffer from the general crappiness of the stuff made in the Far East and stuck in Lucas boxes.

I hope someone finds this ramble interesting.

Gratuitous pics below:

[SRT Hellcat]

there are so many Chinese knockoffs sold as original equipment it is frightening.

[ruhall]

Old Benz

Excellent write-up, thanks. As time goes on, I'm finding more appreciation of the T2 and Shadow 2s; the colour suits the car as well.

Interesting about the rotor arm, something for me to think about in due course; I've heard good reports about the vendor you're referring to.