Original thread can be found here: Red Robbo's Revenge
If anyone is interested, PM me.Remember that 820 Sterling I told you about? Well, I have spent the last 3 hours fannying about with it, so here are some pics!
I knew that the current owner had not done anything with it since I first saw it last week, so I took my spare battery from my garage along with some tools and a bucket and sponge before journeying down this morning. First job was to bosh the battery on, imagine my surprise when the old girl fired straight up - gaining a standing ovation from the owner's kids! Not bad for an old Cowley Shed that has sat for 6 months.
Next job was to try and free off the handbrake, this was achieved by putting it in gear and giving it some beans. A quick low-speed drive round their close revealed a good clutch and 'box, and the footbrake seems OK - although the handbrake definitely needs work, as it has loads of travel and only seems to (partially) work with the lever pointing towards the sunroof.
The exhaust is pretty shot, sounds like the downpipe (manifold seems OK) and the MOT failure sheet seems to indicate the rear box is none too healthy too. But I left it idling for an hour while I washed it and there was no overheating or smoke, quite pleased with that! Idle sounds fluffy at times, probably down to the exhaust blow, but interestingly the "Check Engine" light does not illuminate.
After a quick wash and brush up the next job was to check the electrics; amazingly (for an old Rover) it all works, with the exception of the front passenger window which only goes up/down in 1-inch increments. Annoying, but usually means a dry solder joint in the fusebox. Fully loaded this bad boy certainly is. Thankfully, the radio code was present in the service history so I was able to enjoy Radio 2 while playing with everything.
So - it's up for sale, on eBay in fact (http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll? ... 0275857669), as I have finally decided I don't really have the time to repatriate it to the road. Anyone interested? In terms of price the owner isn't expecting much - wave a ton under his nose and he'll bite your arm off up to the shoulder I would say - and I reckon someone handy (handier than me!) with the spanners could have it up and MOT'd for about £200-ish in parts and a weekend's work (handbrake, 3 tyres, anti-roll bar bushes and exhaust, which may actually only need bodging).
Car is in Gosport
Thanks,
Lord Sterling