Rover 820 Vitesse Sport Lux Gold

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Manalishi
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Re: Rover 820 Vitesse Sport Lux Gold

Post by Manalishi » Wed Aug 08, 2018 6:14 am

scoobyh123 wrote:
Tue Aug 07, 2018 10:32 pm
Manalishi wrote:
Tue Aug 07, 2018 9:55 pm

Where did you find the new buttons? :o
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Rover-600-80 ... 3362363164

Those are the ones i used Henrik, i'm guessing James did the same. :wink: :D
Ah thanks Dave. I bought some other that really didnt fit. Smooth surface on both buttons. Useless.
Henrik
Rover 820 Vitesse Coupe 180bhp -93 (Italy)
Rover 827 Vitesse manual (non cat) -89 (Spain)
Lexus GS450h -13
Austin Seven Special -36
Gone:
Rover 820 ti -95
Rover 216 DOHC coupe -93
Rover 620 ti -98

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Re: Rover 820 Vitesse Sport Lux Gold

Post by n1tr0_9 » Wed Aug 08, 2018 8:44 am

CHR15E wrote:
Tue Aug 07, 2018 9:58 pm
Not as a critiscm purely curiosity, have you kept a running total on what you've spent on the car so far?
I started to, but when i very quickly got to £800 (including original purchase price) i got scared and stopped counting. My estimate is £1000 to £1500. Yes i know i could buy one for that blah blah blah, but id probably be doing all the same jobs anyway, just strung out over a longer period of time where you forget about the costs.

Whats funny is that there are cars in our office car park that have probably depreciated that much in the one month that i have had this one!

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Re: Rover 820 Vitesse Sport Lux Gold

Post by n1tr0_9 » Wed Aug 08, 2018 8:44 am

Manalishi wrote:
Wed Aug 08, 2018 6:14 am
scoobyh123 wrote:
Tue Aug 07, 2018 10:32 pm
Manalishi wrote:
Tue Aug 07, 2018 9:55 pm

Where did you find the new buttons? :o
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Rover-600-80 ... 3362363164

Those are the ones i used Henrik, i'm guessing James did the same. :wink: :D
Ah thanks Dave. I bought some other that really didnt fit. Smooth surface on both buttons. Useless.
Yes they looked like that. Different seller though and took ages to arrive!

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Manalishi
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Re: Rover 820 Vitesse Sport Lux Gold

Post by Manalishi » Wed Aug 08, 2018 9:01 am

n1tr0_9 wrote:
Wed Aug 08, 2018 8:44 am
CHR15E wrote:
Tue Aug 07, 2018 9:58 pm
Not as a critiscm purely curiosity, have you kept a running total on what you've spent on the car so far?
I started to, but when i very quickly got to £800 (including original purchase price) i got scared and stopped counting. My estimate is £1000 to £1500. Yes i know i could buy one for that blah blah blah, but id probably be doing all the same jobs anyway, just strung out over a longer period of time where you forget about the costs.

Whats funny is that there are cars in our office car park that have probably depreciated that much in the one month that i have had this one!
I'd say the cars will never be worth their true value, so spending what seems silly cash on making a Rover 800 into a great car is well worth it, in my opinion. It's as comfortable and reliable as anything else if not better. A great car for journeys, even though not perfect for driving in cities. I don't do that anyway. I think I've spent 3-4 times the cars value on mine and that is not repairing it as it has been very reliable. And also it's becoming a classic. No one has one over here and with parts available it's the perfect hobby car. And regarding depreciation, ours actually tend to rise!
Henrik
Rover 820 Vitesse Coupe 180bhp -93 (Italy)
Rover 827 Vitesse manual (non cat) -89 (Spain)
Lexus GS450h -13
Austin Seven Special -36
Gone:
Rover 820 ti -95
Rover 216 DOHC coupe -93
Rover 620 ti -98

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Re: Rover 820 Vitesse Sport Lux Gold

Post by CHR15E » Wed Aug 08, 2018 4:01 pm

n1tr0_9 wrote:
Wed Aug 08, 2018 8:44 am
CHR15E wrote:
Tue Aug 07, 2018 9:58 pm
Not as a critiscm purely curiosity, have you kept a running total on what you've spent on the car so far?
I started to, but when i very quickly got to £800 (including original purchase price) i got scared and stopped counting. My estimate is £1000 to £1500. Yes i know i could buy one for that blah blah blah, but id probably be doing all the same jobs anyway, just strung out over a longer period of time where you forget about the costs.

Whats funny is that there are cars in our office car park that have probably depreciated that much in the one month that i have had this one!
I always preferred to do as you're doing as long as the body was sound.

You now know it's been done right rather than trust a previous owner or garage.
Chris
19 Vauxhall Astra 1.6T SRi Nav Estate
08 Vauxhall Astra 2.0T Design Twintop
02 Jeep Grand Cherokee Overland 4.7 V8 HO

Previously owned 57 800s 2000-2012
Relapse of 1 in 2021 Now Sold

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Fastback
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Re: Rover 820 Vitesse Sport Lux Gold

Post by Fastback » Tue Aug 14, 2018 8:28 am

What else are you going to buy for that money that is comparable? Sounds like a bargain to me. I'd happily spend 2K on each of my cars, if I had it.... Don't really care what other people think if it's worth it to me. Everybody here really appreciates what you are doing, which is fantastic by the way.

Just a note on the remote buttons if they're like the ones I bought (Polish chap on ebay). The inside of the button may be hollow, whereas the originals had a 'cross' of rubber in them. What I have done is pack the inside with a dense material, leather/piece of trainer, which gives it a much better feel and you don't have to use your nail to make it work. And that stops the buttons being damaged in the first place.
Mark
'99 Sterling KV6 Fastback :D
'96 Vitesse Lux Fastback, rolling resto :?
'96 825 SLi Fastback, just waiting. :|
Previous:- 'J' 820Si Fastback, part Tickford
MG Maestro 2.0i (I loved that car, I did)

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Re: Rover 820 Vitesse Sport Lux Gold

Post by scoobyh123 » Tue Aug 14, 2018 2:01 pm

Very good points there Mark - most of what James has done (apart from the obvious repair works) is stuff you'd be doing to any car if you wanted it to be reliable so better to do it on a car that came cheap and make it right so you know it's right when you start using it properly than pay that sort of money on a car that should be right then find it's not and still have to throw bucket-loads of money at it.
A case in point on the Volvo forum where i also lurk is a guy who has bought two 940s in as many months, both described as "mint" and "running perfectly" and has had problems with both. Now he's looking for a third! :shock:
I've pointed out to him he'd be better off spending the money on making this one right and sticking with it, very much like James is doing with this Vitesse. :wink: :D
Cheers,
Dave

'02 Honda CR-V SE Executive
'99 Jag S Type 3.0 V6 SE


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Re: Rover 820 Vitesse Sport Lux Gold

Post by n1tr0_9 » Tue Aug 14, 2018 7:03 pm

Not sure what happened recently. I couldn't get onto the forum???

Anyway its working again now.

Mark - Good tip with the remote buttons. Ill try something similar.

Back to the car. The selection of bungs, seals and sensors arrived and I messed around till it all went together nicely. Thanks for the advice in that Dave.

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Before I refitted the rad I changed all the O-rings on the aircon pipes. Some were a fiddle but got there eventually. Then stuck the rad in the car, this time with the fan on the right way up!

Then I fitted the remaining pipes etc and the slam panel. I realised that I bought the wrong air con condenser, so it will run without one for the moment. Filled it with new coolant and burped it to get the air out.

Turned the key and.... after a fair amount of cranking it started. That was just the result of time taken for the fuel to get through the new filter to the rail.

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It had a very lumpy idle, which initially was a little concerning. However I lifted the idle for about 30 seconds and when it dropped back it was much better. I'm not to familiar with theses cars but I know some have to re learn idle when the battery has been disconnected for a while, so hopefully that's all it is. Had the usual smoking off the hot manifold, but not surprised given my grubby hands.

I took the car for a very short trip up and down the road and I'm not sure if its just my happy optimism but it certainly feels perkier! I don't have much power steering fluid in it at the moment or the exhaust fully secured, so once that's done and the headlights are back in, ill run it up to temperature, insure it and actually give it a full road test!!!

Looks kind of mean without headlights

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Did a couple videos of 1st start

https://youtu.be/kQ2Yd_aZ9oA

https://youtu.be/EOME-I1gKI4

It sounds better in the flesh. I'm hoping to have it all sorted for the retrorides gathering this sunday.

After the success of having it running, I put it back into a none running state by removing the battery and battery tray. It was very rusty. All the powder coat was faking off and it looked genuinely crappy.

A few weeks a go I bought a shot blast kit. Its a tiny gun with a little hopper and designed for very small areas. I though it would be ideal on the battery tray. It works, but it empties the hopper in no time. That means its extremely limited in what it will do. I ended up spending more time filling the bag than actually blasting.

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In the end I got frustrated and returned to more conventional methods i.e. Mr Grinder and a tank of deox solution!

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Painted all the de-rusted stuff black, then refitted it.

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Then I set to work trying to fix the alignment issues. Nearside front wing was easy. It was just a bit tight at the front, so I loosened the bolts, pulled it out and nipped the bolts back up again.

Before


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After

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Offside wing was slightly more troublesome. It was tight at the front, bowed out at the middle, and the rear end where it meets the door was a mess.

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So I got the jack under the rear of the wing, my foot pressing in and 'reshaped it'! Then I fiddled around with the top. Still wasn't great, so I put some wood in the top and closed the bonnet on it. Getting there now. Headlights in. Its not perfect but better than it was.

Foot and jack applied

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To celebrate I jacked up the rear of the car and fitted the remaining exhaust hangers and exhaust clamps. Then took the car for a quick spin. I parked it up somewhere else so I could show you all the other side!

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With the car insured and taxed I took it for its first road test...

...pretty good actually. Didn't give it maximum beans as I was paranoid I hadn't tightened up the offside front wheel and I haven't actually pumped the flatish tyres up.

One really annoying thing was the clutch. The pedal had a horrible action combined with a nasty noise. I wasn't too worried as its on the cabin side (ie not a gearbox out job) but warranted further investigation.

Cue lots of awkward upside down poking. Quickly found the problem. It looks like someone has taken a grinder to the link pin between the pedal and the master cylinder rod. No idea why? They have then replaced it with clearly the wrong washer and a bit of wire instead of a split pin. The actual pin has worn badly.

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This all needs sorting out. More worrying is that the hold in the pedal is a weird shape.

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I might have to remove the pedal to either replace it or weld up and re-drill the hole. Access to the nut on the back side of the pivot bolt is approaching nightmareish. Ill need some brave pills before I tackle this one.

bolt can just be seen at the top of this photo

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Next I started tarting up the interior. Here is the incredibly sad looking gear knob and gaiter.

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Once the gearknob was off, I found a mint plastic knob inside??? Like an alien hatchling or snake shedding its skin.

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The replaced the gaiter with a brand new leather one. Very impressed with the quality and fit.

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Then started cleaning the drivers seat leather. Super dirty. Bought a cleaning kit off ebay with a very soft nail brush and worked it in. So much crap came off. Lots more to do though.

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Re: Rover 820 Vitesse Sport Lux Gold

Post by scoobyh123 » Tue Aug 14, 2018 7:32 pm

More great work there James and you've got it running too! :D

Looks like it has spent a lot of time with someone "riding" the clutch, hence the wear on the clevis pin - someone has obviously tried repairing it before from the look of the washer etc and the wire instead of the "R" clip.

Think your idea of weld up the pedal and re-drill it is the best one, not sure if Rimmers still stock the clevis pin or "R" clip but if so it would make life easier for you.

Oh yeah, MEMS needs time to re-learn the engine, you may have to do a stepper motor reset as well, i can never remember how to do it but it's something along the lines of ignition on, pump the throttle all the way to the floor 5 times in less than 5 seconds, ignition off and a few other bits - hopefully someone will tell you the rest of the procedure and correct what bits of that i've got wrong! It's 20+ years since i had to do it on my first 820 so the memory is a little vague now! :lol:
Cheers,
Dave

'02 Honda CR-V SE Executive
'99 Jag S Type 3.0 V6 SE


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'94 827 Sterling saloon
'88 Volvo 760 V6 Estate
'95 827 Coupé LPG gone but not forgotten!

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Re: Rover 820 Vitesse Sport Lux Gold

Post by austinpowers » Wed Aug 15, 2018 12:38 am

Sweet, good going, do like these write ups :D
1989 Rover Sterling in Atlantic blue 35k miles. - Sold
2017 "special" edition in white
1990 Rover Vitesse manual - Sold
1990 Rover Sterling - Sold

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Re: Rover 820 Vitesse Sport Lux Gold

Post by mercedade » Wed Aug 15, 2018 7:49 am

Same here - I'm weirdly (ok, maybe not that weirdly) transfixed.

I remember doing so many of these jobs on my own Vitesse over the 5 years I had it, but not over the course of one summer!
Adrian
1998 Rover Mk2 820 Vitesse Hatchback (white gold)
Gone...1998 Rover Mk2 820 Vitesse Hatchback (green)
Gone...1992 Rover Mk1 827 SLi Manual (green)
Gone...1998 Rover Mk2 825 Diesel (green)

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Re: Rover 820 Vitesse Sport Lux Gold

Post by scoobyh123 » Wed Aug 15, 2018 8:38 am

https://rimmerbros.com/Item--i-EDP7864

https://rimmerbros.com/Item--i-SYT10002

Those links there James are for the spring/"R" clip and clevis pin respectively, clutch pedal is NLA (part number SUB10005) from Rimmers, might have more luck with allbrit.de or a search on MG Rover Partfinder or weld and re-drill.
Cheers,
Dave

'02 Honda CR-V SE Executive
'99 Jag S Type 3.0 V6 SE


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'94 827 Sterling saloon
'88 Volvo 760 V6 Estate
'95 827 Coupé LPG gone but not forgotten!

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Re: Rover 820 Vitesse Sport Lux Gold

Post by n1tr0_9 » Fri Aug 17, 2018 7:57 am

Parts ordered! Thanks Dave(again!!!!)

Ahhh life is good. Just been on my first proper journey. 40 Miles to my girlfriends last night, then 40 Miles back this morning (via McDonald’s in east grindstead for pancakes and coffee). Car goes great. Tracking is a bit off and brakes feel a bit wooden but other than that drives very well.

Radio has a mind of its own. Sometimes it comes on and works perfect, other times you press button and it illuminates but you get no sound?

A couple of annoying rattles to trace and fix too.

I was parked up in Wadhurst and chap came over to admire the car! His words not mine. We had a good chat. Turns out he had a succession of fast rovers, 220 GTI, 220 GSI turbo, 620ti turbo and a metro gti 1.4. He also used to trade these and told me I needed to get the wheels refurbished. He is right, they are a bit crappy close up.

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Re: Rover 820 Vitesse Sport Lux Gold

Post by scoobyh123 » Fri Aug 17, 2018 8:29 am

Great news James! Worth getting the tracking checked front and rear, rear adjusters are likely to be seized though so you might have to mix some of my favourite - WMP - Weapon of Mass Penetration, 50/50 acetone/synthetic ATF. Give it a good shake, drizzle/spray it on and keep sealed in between use, always shake well before use as well.

Also check the steering rack is centred correctly before having the front tracking adjusted. Here's the facts/figures etc and the last one (although for the 2.7) includes a method of checking the rack is centred.

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Makes a huge difference getting the rack centred correctly! If it's not, whichever way it's slightly off centre towards, it will pull in that direction as it just opens the spool valve for the hydraulic assistance. In turn this can boil your PAS fluid which then froths up and overflows the reservoir, leaving you short on fluid! :shock:

Also i know on the 2.7, the self-centring action of the rack is quite strong, not sure if the 2.0 is the same but if so that can make it pull the opposite way to where it pulls through being off-centre. Even when the wheel alignment is correct, this can make it pull to one side. :wink: :D
Cheers,
Dave

'02 Honda CR-V SE Executive
'99 Jag S Type 3.0 V6 SE


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'94 827 Sterling saloon
'88 Volvo 760 V6 Estate
'95 827 Coupé LPG gone but not forgotten!

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Re: Rover 820 Vitesse Sport Lux Gold

Post by Richard Moss » Fri Aug 17, 2018 4:31 pm

Vanish soap or the W5 equivalent from Lidl/Aldi works verywell on that sort of grime
Out in the desert with a 1998 Grand Cherokee V8, 2004 Jeep Grand Cherokee 4L and a 1997 Chevy Tahoe V8. Back home: 1969 MGC GT

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