Correction: the colour is Mexico Brown, not Tobacco Leaf Brown as 7,000 of you have pointed out 😅😅 Hilarious that a manufacturer offered two different shades of brown, but I suppose that's 70's Britain for you!
Not even watched it yet and I’ve liked it. Can’t wait til everyone in bed later and I can sit on my own and watch this. I know it’s gonna be a good one!!
Jaguars, Rovers & Triumph cars in New Zealand, were built at the Stoke plant in the Nelson Province. Many them ended up being painted brown, as your example in this superb video, of sparking life back into this great British Marque. Thank you for sharing.
Great video , I’ve got a 73 v8 p6 which I rebuilt myself as a fairly young chap at 27 years old (36 now) im a mechanic by trade myself but on modern cars and do the old stuff for fun and down time , it’s nice to see younger people getting into the old stuff without any prior knowledge.Your video was a fantastic watch and look forward to the next video ,
What a great video and project. Can't wait to see more on this Rover and I'm very happy that you are now at a larger property where you can work on more vehicles. Too bad the head gasket was bad on that new engine, but the cylinders should be steamed clean now. 😁 Keep up the great work. Also, you should always check compression on engines with no known history. I'll send you a compression tester if you'd like.
I actually did do a compression check, but didn't include it in the video because the audio didn't record properly. Cylinder 1: 125psi Cylinder 2: 120psi Cylinder 3: 100psi Cylinder 4: 130psi Very kind offer though, Jack, appreciate that
My father had a couple of P6's in the 70's. The second one came with a fader control for the radio (mono obviously) which meant my brother and I could listen to the radio at the back more than our parents sitting in the front. Totally pointless but boy did we think it was cool! Congratulations on getting it running and looking forward to more content. Good luck 👍
Congrats for bringing another one back to life. I have a 1971 3500S, different kettle of fish to your 2000 SC auto but these should all be saved. A misunderstood and overlooked classic in my opinion. Name me another car of this vintage which is as technologically advanced. You'll love it when you finally get it driving. Keep up the good work!
Couldn't believe it when you pulled that ice block out of the engine block. Brilliant channel. I love seeing channels where it's as it is, rather than showing everything going perfectly, which in reality it never does!
I love the way you underestimate your knowledge and skills. I am a big fan of Derek at Vice Grip Garage but that guy grew up on motors. He's something else. Your channel is exactly how every one of us is feeling plus it is funny (which I am not). So basically, great job and keep on coming with these great videos!!! Many thanks for them and cheers mate. 👍😉
I've had a few of these old rovers. My favourite one was 2000sc it was a pleasure to drive. Brought it for my 40th birthday. Sold it on my 50th. Its still rocking down the B roads.
My parents have a 1967 Woleseley Hornet with a '93 tax disk, safe to say it hasn't been run for 29 to 30 years, planning on getting it back on the road this year but vids like this are useful to know what to do to get life back in it. And yeah, I totally get the apprehension about working on carbs, luckily my car as well only has the single and not the double like the Cooper minis have.
My first thoughts were why bother as the P6 looked too far gone. However seeing you persevere with getting it going & learning about how it came apart made it all worthwhile. Well done, I really enjoyed this video & the Merc saga too.
Even the base 2000s can be worth pretty good money still climbing in value so a worthwhile endeavour. Plus I'm very happy to see one of these being saved. I'd love a 3500S but a nice one of them is very out of my price league!
1:00:00 remove the valve cover, put the first piston in the upper position, then the valves on the first cylinder must be closed and the distributor finger must point to the first cylinder
Despite all the smoke she runs beautifully ! If the head gasket is gone you obviously have the skills to do it after having removed the cylinder head from the old engine😁Good work💪
Great progress. Your first comment about the carburetor being part of the steering was brilliant, and made me watch your endeavors. Good luck and best wishes from Alaska
You are properly bonkers!... and are most certainly living out the channel's name. Great to see the new content. Loved seeing the old P6... my dad had a few in his time.
My dad had the manual 5 speed version in the same colour. His was a 1970 model which he later upgraded to a 1976 SD1 2.6 fastback, also a manual 5 speed. You'll need some BSF / BSW and / or AF spanners or a good adjustable or universal substitute. It would be super easy to round off fixings otherwise. Had to laugh at "not wearing gloves because I'm moron", absolutely classic. 😂
BRINGS BACK OLD MEMORIES I HAD A ROVER 2,000 AND THE 3.500 V8 BACK IN THE 70'S FANTASTIC CARS IN THERE DAY . I STILL SEE A 2,000 DRIVING AROUND OUR VILLAGE IN THE SUMMER TIME. JUST LOVE IT 👍 Thanks for the video. And Good luck if you restore it back to original CONDITIONS.
Couple things I would check…firstly, if the coolant was completely empty, the coolant might have looked low because the water pump sucked it all through. If it is the head gasket that has gone in this case there would possibly be combustion gasses in the coolant system which you can identify with a sniff test. Another thing worth checking is the fuelling…it was idling really high (maybe due to choke) but over-fulling will make it smoke too…that’s an easier check before pulling the head off! A compression test will also give you an idea on the health of the engine. Good luck anyway…looking forward to the next update 👍🏻
Thanks for that, Gav. I'll look into those bits and see what I can find. Was also considering sticking the camera down the spark plug hole and seeing if any of the coolant had gotten in.
@@NotEconomicallyViable good call…that way you can also inspect the bores for any obvious wear that might be contributing to the excessive smoke…if the bores still have visible crosshatching and there isn’t any obvious water/oil visible you might be OK. will say though from what I could tell through my crappy iPhone speakers the engine sounded really good for and old lump so I have my fingers crossed for you that it’s not anything major!
My late father had the v8 version 1974 and I had a 2000 tc 1971 great cars in their day ,This was like a blast from the past watching you get the old girl going again great to watch well done I was shouting yeeaaahhh with you lol .
I actually don't want 50-50 weight distribution in a 2wd car because I want to maximize traction, not handling, and so want 70% or more of the weight on the drive wheels, like a loaded Corvair wagon or vw squareback, with an empty trunk. This is far simpler and more efficient than 4wd. Of course keeping all your tools in the boot helps, especially combined with the lightest engine option.
Delighted to see a new vid and congrats on the new home and private space for these projects… great 70’s icon love the colour…perhaps consider putting something on the ground to stop the inevitable oil spills etc. good to keep the Mrs happy.. cheers
Don't be down because that sounds a good engine with an easy enough fix. There was also a Brazil Brown which was slightly darker. Great project i wish you well with it and look forward to seeing it all sorted
That dark brown should be Mexico Brown, Tobacco Leaf is more of a beige shade. There should be a small sticker on the inner wing, next to the engine data sticker, confirming its original build colour. I've had loads of P6s, and it's easy to swap all the outer panels and just paint the door shuts for a complete colour change. Check the bolt on engine side plates on 4 cylinder cars, they corrode and leak coolant. One thing P6's suffers from, depending on brake system layout, is brake fluid leaking from the master, or tandem cylinder into the servo vacuum chamber. The fluid then gets sucked into the engine via the servo vacuum pipe and burnt, giving out loads of white/grey smoke that appears to be a blown engine. Checking the fluid level and removing the vacuum pipe off the engine end and cover the hole in the inlet manifold. Running the engine should show if it's been sucking in brake fluid, smoke should stop once any residue has burnt out of the engine.
Yeah, it's Mexico brown. To be honest when I googled to find out the colour name it didn't occur to me that a manufacturer would offer two different shades of *brown* haha, so I just assumed it was the first one I came across. Thanks for the tip. I'll definitely have to try that, although the brake fluid reservoir was already completely dried out, so I was assuming that the whole brake system would probably be dry too
@@NotEconomicallyViable They are great cars, if looked after, so advanced for their time. The master cylinder seals can leak into the vacuum chamber, so if you have mystery fluid loss, and no visible leaks, that's your likely problem. They had various brake system component layout. Earlier 4 cyliner cars had their battery under the bonnet. V8's had a cramped engine bay so they always had the battery in the boot. It's place behind the r/h headlamps was taken up by the tandem brake master cylinder and servo vacuum chamber, then you had another primary brake mater cylinder on the bulkhead, connected to the pedal. The layout changed depending on if it was manual/ auto and 2000/2200/3500, so you need to get the right replacement parts. The base units can rot severely, most are repairable, just a lot to strip out to get access to it. Main rot areas are inner sills ( lift the rear seat bases and check the space filled with insulation between seat base and sill, you may see a big hole or crumbling metal), and the box section behind the cover sill that carries the jacking points. Floor pan edges, and what's know as the "hockey stick"- that's the reinforcement inner wing box section from bulkhead to behind the headlamps. D posts and rear inner wings and boot floor. The area on the bulkhead around front suspension is rot prone. One othe problem area is the rear suspension tie bar can break away from the boot sidewall/ chassis. This was a weak area when they were new if a rear wheel hit a pothole or kerb. You'll know as the rear end sways side to side as you accelerate/ decelerate. It's also not a good idea to use the factory jacking points behind the big rubber sill plugs, they're notoriously prone to buckle under just the car's weight, even if they look solid. All the 19 outer panels that are vinyl covered, or painted are removable; held on by a variety of bolts, screws and rivets. It is very easy to make a rotted out wreck look good by swapping good panels. One common fault that causes poor starting and odd electrical issues, with boot mounted battery cars is the main battery cable junction. It's a big insulated double sided bolt union, under the foot pedals on the floor on r/h drive cars. Power takes off there for the interior and engine bay. Then under the floor it feeds the starter motor. The connections suffer if water leaks soak the under carpet felt insulation. Yes, colours changed over the years, but Mexico was a long used shade. In the last couple of years production, they were painted in the new SD1 paint plant and shared some new colours, but those cars suffer the same paint adhesion issues early SD1 cars had.
@@NotEconomicallyViable Thank you. I started out at a multi franchise dealer and main Datsun importer in the late 70s. We had Ausin Rover, Datsun, Renault, Lotus, TVR, Relant and Scimitar as well as muti franchise bikes and caravans. We always had various Rovers in the family, from P5's in the mid 70, through to late SD1 seriess 2. Did all the workshop / bodyshop/ restoration side and into management and insurance/ accident repair assessment. I used to mix n match P6's back in the 70s/80s to make a good one, to a spec as me and my late dad wanted, and always had a couple in reserve to use. Not much I haven't done with P5, P6 and SD1, and some Land /Range Rover models too, so you could say I'm a bit of a fan, especially anything with the V8 under the bonnet. I broke a few P6 to the last nut and bolt for spares when they were cheap cars, sold the bits I didn't want, and a few AC Cobra replica builders snapped up the engines, gearboxes and instruments etc.
Half the reason the outer panels are all easy to fit / remove is because Rover borrowed quite a few ideas from the Citroën DS, which was similarly designed to have accessible panels
Excellent video. If you're planning to take this project further, I would strongly recommend taking off the sill covers to check the condition of the sills. It's a simple job, as they're only held on with a dozen or so screws, and the sills themselves are prone to rot. I would also take out the rear seat bases, you'll see a sort of well where the rear of the sill meets the wheel arch, an area particularly prone to rot and not that easy to repair.
Really enjoyed this and you did well to work it all out. ......What you really need for checking the timing on old cars is a 12v light bulb on a piece of wire that you connect to the coil and just as the points open it lights. So put one connection on the distributor side of the coil and the other to earth, turn the engine by hand with the ignition on and you will see when the pulley notch lines up at TDC when it lights. Turn the distributor to adjust timing. Take off the rocker cover to see the valves will help. This is good for the static timing and then you can use a strobe light when the engine is running but be carefull not to stick you hand in the fan !!!!!! Also a "remote" starter push switch is handy to turn over the engine and you can fiddle at the same time, easy start helps on that first start, and you can also not use the fuel pump and just gravity feed the fuel a bit like a hospital drip.........a compression tester is good and etc etc the list goes on. keep up the great vids.
Congratulations on getting it running i always fancied one of these when i was much younger but they were just far too expensive back in the day. I did have a rover 216 for about 7 years though it was a great car and i loved it
Greetings from Adelaide Australia, im going through a similar experience with a P6 3500 I've purchased , it started straight away but won't build any oil pressure so I have to prime the pump with petroleum jelly with the pump notorious hard to get to, love the content of your video enjoyed every minute, cheers Geoff 🍻
I've had dozens of P5, P6 and SD1 Rovers since the late 70s Geoff. The V8's can suffer with low or slow oil pressure build up after a long lay up. Packing Vasseline petroleum jelly in the pump gears is recommended to prime the system, but awkward to get at on some cars. You could tow it in a high gear and drop the clutch to turn the engine fast if it's a manual, but most Borg Warner 35 / 65 autos don't have a rear transmission oil pump. They won't turn the engine or torque convertor, and you risk serious gearbox damage if towed any distance with the wheels turning the propshaft and auto trasmission. Because they crank over very slow if the hydraulic lifters have drained of oil, you're basically cranking the engine against multiple cylinders under full or part compression. That's why they always sound lumpy and difficult to turn over with closed, or valves not properly opening without oil pressure. The easiest way to quickly prime the engine oil pressure up is to mark the position of the distributor base and timing case. Remove the clamp, and distributor cap, then pull out the distributor, take note and mark where the rotor arm point before you pull the distributor out. Then take note of where the slot or tang is positioned on the oil pump drive, as you'll need it in that position later. Spin the oil pump over with an electric drill and a long bit or old screwdriver shaft with a notch or flat end ( oil pump drive / distributor drive engagement ends changed over time and model, but most can be mixed and matched by changing the floppy end drive on the distributor to suit ). A few minutes spin with a drill should give a full pressure prime. Then, set the pump drive back in position and refit the distributor. Note that the distributor will skew sightly as it twists down into place. Best done with the distributor cap off as you can check the rotor arm position and use it to engage position back on the drive cog. Make sure it goes back fully and exactly to the rotor arm and base/ clamp marks you made. It may sound complex, but it's easy and usually works if the engine isn't completely dry of oil after a rebuild. It's also far better than working underneath, in the confines of the P6B's cramped engine bay and crossmember.0
@Brian Whittington thanks mate appreciate the long response 👍 I'll give it a crack tomorrow, the p6 is mostly un appreciated here in Australia , but our climate means they are mostly rust free , can't wait to get my P6 S on the road, cheers mate 👍
@@geoffthecarpenter You're welcome Geoff, owned Rovers since I first started in the motor industry, still have my 1985 SD1 Vanden Plas V8 manual, a rare factory development spec one l bought in 1989..The 3500S manual is the top of the tree overe here in the UK, especially if you can find one of the ultra rare VIP end of production, full spec models. I had a 1972 3500S in the 80s, one of the fastest production 4dr saloons you could buy. Properly set up, they'd leave the hot hatches of the day trailing behind. One of a few I regret selling as it was built before they detuned them to run on 4* fuel. I've still got one of the late 1975 production 3500 auto Huntsman models, owned it 40 years. It's not that rare, but it needs a full major restoration after extensive vandal damage in storage. I doubt you'll lose money on it as they're appreciating in value here, even real basket cases are worth £ hundreds as spares cars. You can download manuals and parts catalogues etc online for many BL makes and models from Rimmer Brothers here in the UK.
Engine sounds good and the panels on this car simply unbolt so easy to dissemble as long as chassis is good it might be a viable project but expect to spend a fortune.
I'm gonna have to take the panels off at some point and take a look at the damage underneath. Hopefully isn't too bad as I'd like to keep this old girl
And I always thought the carb was something to do with the exhaust, learn something new every Day 🙂Although I like the P6, one of the cars I learnt to drive in the Police Force (V8 though) I LOVED the P5, that Coupe look, always wanted to customise one, shave all the handles off, French the lights and a spiffing paint job.
You criticise your new set of imperial spanner’s saying you don’t understand them but you have imperial all around you with half inch drive sockets etc and also miles and yards, well done with the rover🙂
delighted you got it going . monumentalise challenge ahead. i remember taking on a 1986 passat gl5 once but had to bail after 10000 miles. best of luck .
It's more efficient when trying to free an engine to rotate from the flywheel rather than from the crankshaft nut. This will create a greater mechanical advantage. Remove the starter motor and use a lever on the teeth of the ring gear and against the bell housing.
Great content nice to see it burst into life, my first mini was that colour, Russet or Mexico brown if I recall correctly, it's hilarious to old guys like me that the next generation have no knowledge of carburettors 😆
Great to see you uploading again dude! Love your approach. Much like mine, just have a go and hope for the best! Would be great to see more on the Audi A6 👍🏻 Nice work, congratulations on the recognition of a tool company too!!!
Not long joined the channel and I am hooked, love your content. I am watching your back videos. I wish I had the space to do up cars, watching you is second prize 👍👍
Had these back in the 80s only the V8 you could pick these up for a few pounds then , interior hard to source. Panels ok. Joined the p6 owners club went to the p6 shows where you can get parts. Good luck you'll need it trust me done many of these rust is a big problem. Good thing every panel including roof comes off no welded panels.
Beautiful car happy memories in a tobacco brown rover like this to the isle of Sheppy with my mum and brother. It had a fantastic sound system as I remember. Leather interior and wooden dash. Gorgeous. I'd love one. Great video.
This is a big project I remember my brother in law having one of these in the beige when I was a kid takes me back to when I used to do bits to my first car a Triumph dolomite
Great video. Every other Rover P6 was either Tobacco Brown or a pale mustard colour. They were a quality car in the day. Love the wifes crackup moment. 😍😍
@@NotEconomicallyViable I can't believe you thought the carburettor was to do with the steering system... everyone knows carburettors are in the gearbox!😂 Seriously though, great stuff, these old P6s are worth saving and fetch pretty good money these days, saw a beautiful red P6 2000 today on the M11 as it casually ripped past me 😊
I can remember seeing these model cars everywhere, in about 1978/79, when I was 5/6 years old…I also distinctly remember being this a very common car used by the Police around this time… I’m actually surprised it had only been unused since about 1992/3, relatively speaking, that’s quite recent for a car that would have been in its prime in the 1970’s, even by 1992, this model Rover would have been totally obsolete…
That white “smoke” looks ominously like a head gasket. Still great work to get this far and a new gasket isn’t too bad a job. Great video. Look forward to more!!
Looks more blue and hangs about so I'd say oil smoke. I bet that donor engine has sat around nearly as long or longer than the car has! I'd say gummed in rings. Worth leaving the cylinders full of something along the lines of marvel mystery oil for a few days then gently bring her around again and see if it's cured 😊 Could also be valve stem wear or maybe just stem seals though that usually exhibits itself on the overrun.
I owned a P6 3.5V8 in white with the spare wheel mounted on the boot lid 1973 I think I paid £80 for it it belonged to my maté’s grandfather who died and his family just wanted rid of it my mate was a mechanic once we got it running it ran great I kept it for a couple of years until I got rid of it and bought a Mini Cooper s now 47 years later and a life time of cars I’ve enjoyed every one of them the faster the better
Nice to see you and the rover back ! Annie Walker eat your heart out. When British engineering and British steel was something special. Don't know if it was my internet speed but commentary was like a 70's porn film....(majorly out of sync) was this to mate to the heritage of the car 😉😊 Keep up the great work and vlogs. G 🦉🙏
Cheers, Gary. Couple of people have said it's out of sync, but only seems to be when streamed to a TV! I'm hoping that sorts itself out as that's a UA-cam issue
Correction: the colour is Mexico Brown, not Tobacco Leaf Brown as 7,000 of you have pointed out 😅😅 Hilarious that a manufacturer offered two different shades of brown, but I suppose that's 70's Britain for you!
They also offered Puke Yellow, flares and porno mullets. I should know, I was there!
50 shades of brown
I had the same issue trying to work out what shade of white my Wolseley Hornet was, apparently it's Toga White.
Everything you say about what am I doing out side messing with an old car is so relatable 🤣 it's a man thing 🤣👍👍
Really great content again! Glad to hear again from you! Keep up te good work!
Pulling the head off in the snow, freezing your bits off. You've unlocked a new level of tinkering. You're officially addicted mate. Fabulous content.
Not even watched it yet and I’ve liked it. Can’t wait til everyone in bed later and I can sit on my own and watch this. I know it’s gonna be a good one!!
Haha cheers, Wayne
To Wayne baldycanning. Good for you mate!
Jaguars, Rovers & Triumph cars in New Zealand, were built at the Stoke plant in the Nelson Province.
Many them ended up being painted brown, as your example in this superb video, of sparking life back into this great British Marque. Thank you for sharing.
Was amazing when the radio came on, was half expecting a song from the 70's to come on. Great video overall!
That would have been cool...but weird now I come to think about it haha
Ala Steven King's 'Christine' 😂
CONGRATULATIONS ON GETTING THE ENGINE RUNNING BUD. Glad to see you back 👍
Cheers, bud 👍🏻
Great video , I’ve got a 73 v8 p6 which I rebuilt myself as a fairly young chap at 27 years old (36 now) im a mechanic by trade myself but on modern cars and do the old stuff for fun and down time , it’s nice to see younger people getting into the old stuff without any prior knowledge.Your video was a fantastic watch and look forward to the next video ,
Cheers, Tony 👍🏻 (Also, we’re the same age lol)
@@NotEconomicallyViable saw a p6 just like this at the classic restoration show on Sunday , had to double take thought it may have been yours !!
What a great video and project. Can't wait to see more on this Rover and I'm very happy that you are now at a larger property where you can work on more vehicles. Too bad the head gasket was bad on that new engine, but the cylinders should be steamed clean now. 😁 Keep up the great work. Also, you should always check compression on engines with no known history. I'll send you a compression tester if you'd like.
I actually did do a compression check, but didn't include it in the video because the audio didn't record properly.
Cylinder 1: 125psi
Cylinder 2: 120psi
Cylinder 3: 100psi
Cylinder 4: 130psi
Very kind offer though, Jack, appreciate that
My father had a couple of P6's in the 70's. The second one came with a fader control for the radio (mono obviously) which meant my brother and I could listen to the radio at the back more than our parents sitting in the front. Totally pointless but boy did we think it was cool! Congratulations on getting it running and looking forward to more content. Good luck 👍
Haha young me would have found that cool, too. Cheers, Alistair
Now that brings back my youth, my dad had the exact same car. Great to see you back mate
Congrats for bringing another one back to life. I have a 1971 3500S, different kettle of fish to your 2000 SC auto but these should all be saved. A misunderstood and overlooked classic in my opinion. Name me another car of this vintage which is as technologically advanced. You'll love it when you finally get it driving. Keep up the good work!
Great to see you back with some decent space to work on your projects, good for the channel too!
So pleased to see you back.
Couldn't believe it when you pulled that ice block out of the engine block. Brilliant channel. I love seeing channels where it's as it is, rather than showing everything going perfectly, which in reality it never does!
I love the way you underestimate your knowledge and skills. I am a big fan of Derek at Vice Grip Garage but that guy grew up on motors. He's something else. Your channel is exactly how every one of us is feeling plus it is funny (which I am not). So basically, great job and keep on coming with these great videos!!! Many thanks for them and cheers mate. 👍😉
I've had a few of these old rovers. My favourite one was 2000sc it was a pleasure to drive. Brought it for my 40th birthday. Sold it on my 50th.
Its still rocking down the B roads.
Ahh I love that. Would love to get this back on the road.
My father had a1966 Mk1 Rover 2000 in British Racing green I loved it I felt so posh in it full leather and thar strip speedometer fantastic.
My parents have a 1967 Woleseley Hornet with a '93 tax disk, safe to say it hasn't been run for 29 to 30 years, planning on getting it back on the road this year but vids like this are useful to know what to do to get life back in it.
And yeah, I totally get the apprehension about working on carbs, luckily my car as well only has the single and not the double like the Cooper minis have.
My first thoughts were why bother as the P6 looked too far gone. However seeing you persevere with getting it going & learning about how it came apart made it all worthwhile. Well done, I really enjoyed this video & the Merc saga too.
Even the base 2000s can be worth pretty good money still climbing in value so a worthwhile endeavour. Plus I'm very happy to see one of these being saved. I'd love a 3500S but a nice one of them is very out of my price league!
Cheers, Stuart
my dad had one of these back in the day all i can say good luck with the brakes well done on getting it started 😊
1:00:00 remove the valve cover, put the first piston in the upper position, then the valves on the first cylinder must be closed and the distributor finger must point to the first cylinder
Despite all the smoke she runs beautifully ! If the head gasket is gone you obviously have the skills to do it after having removed the cylinder head from the old engine😁Good work💪
Yeah I got the old one off, so doing it again shouldn't bee too difficult at all. Would be great to have her back on the road
Great progress. Your first comment about the carburetor being part of the steering was brilliant, and made me watch your endeavors. Good luck and best wishes from Alaska
It seems people either got that joke or they didn't haha. Glad you enjoyed.
Well done , you got there in the end 👍🏻I’m an ex rover man from the 70’s , I was telling you what to do all the way through 😂😂🥇
Haha thanks, Mike
My dad had one of this just love them wish i still had it
My dad had 3500s. he couldn't afford the insurance in 1980 as 25 year old. Stunning cars im. 43 i would love to own one
You are properly bonkers!... and are most certainly living out the channel's name. Great to see the new content. Loved seeing the old P6... my dad had a few in his time.
Haha nothing I touch is economically viable and that's the way I like it
My dad had the manual 5 speed version in the same colour. His was a 1970 model which he later upgraded to a 1976 SD1 2.6 fastback, also a manual 5 speed.
You'll need some BSF / BSW and / or AF spanners or a good adjustable or universal substitute. It would be super easy to round off fixings otherwise.
Had to laugh at "not wearing gloves because I'm moron", absolutely classic. 😂
A manual one of these would have been cool. Currently working on adding to my tool collection, which is all I seem to do these days to be honest haha
@@NotEconomicallyViable I have a wider tool collection spanning a few decades now but just a teeny weeny garage to keep them all in 😕
I know the feeling of not having enough space all too well
Love it, well done young fella on your perseverance. Looking forward to seeing how this progresses 👏👏👍
BRINGS BACK OLD MEMORIES I HAD A ROVER 2,000 AND THE 3.500 V8 BACK IN THE 70'S FANTASTIC CARS IN THERE DAY .
I STILL SEE A 2,000 DRIVING AROUND OUR VILLAGE IN THE SUMMER TIME.
JUST LOVE IT 👍
Thanks for the video. And
Good luck if you restore it back to original CONDITIONS.
Cheers, bud
Couple things I would check…firstly, if the coolant was completely empty, the coolant might have looked low because the water pump sucked it all through. If it is the head gasket that has gone in this case there would possibly be combustion gasses in the coolant system which you can identify with a sniff test. Another thing worth checking is the fuelling…it was idling really high (maybe due to choke) but over-fulling will make it smoke too…that’s an easier check before pulling the head off! A compression test will also give you an idea on the health of the engine. Good luck anyway…looking forward to the next update 👍🏻
Thanks for that, Gav. I'll look into those bits and see what I can find. Was also considering sticking the camera down the spark plug hole and seeing if any of the coolant had gotten in.
@@NotEconomicallyViable good call…that way you can also inspect the bores for any obvious wear that might be contributing to the excessive smoke…if the bores still have visible crosshatching and there isn’t any obvious water/oil visible you might be OK. will say though from what I could tell through my crappy iPhone speakers the engine sounded really good for and old lump so I have my fingers crossed for you that it’s not anything major!
My late father had the v8 version 1974 and I had a 2000 tc 1971 great cars in their day ,This was like a blast from the past watching you get the old girl going again great to watch well done I was shouting yeeaaahhh with you lol .
I actually don't want 50-50 weight distribution in a 2wd car because I want to maximize traction, not handling, and so want 70% or more of the weight on the drive wheels, like a loaded Corvair wagon or vw squareback, with an empty trunk. This is far simpler and more efficient than 4wd. Of course keeping all your tools in the boot helps, especially combined with the lightest engine option.
Delighted to see a new vid and congrats on the new home and private space for these projects… great 70’s icon love the colour…perhaps consider putting something on the ground to stop the inevitable oil spills etc. good to keep the Mrs happy.. cheers
Don't be down because that sounds a good engine with an easy enough fix. There was also a Brazil Brown which was slightly darker. Great project i wish you well with it and look forward to seeing it all sorted
A single SU HS carb. That's about as easy to deal with as it gets. SU carbs are brilliant. Good job reviving this one!
Really enjoyed this one. Really took me back to working on my Cortina’s engine in mid 80’s
Thanks, Simon
Just came across your video. Loved it. Good watching u. Started watching just after midnight, had to watch until the end.
Cheers, Justin
I shouted with you when that started up first time. Yes!!!!!! Love the sound effects you make too. And the word Groo is my new word of the week
Haha groo everywhere
Good work to get it going. My dad had a 1972 2200 tc. Great cars. Looks like it maybe head gasket? Look forward to seeing it on the road.
THAT`S A BIT OF A TREASURE TROVE THAT IS FULL OF GOOD PARTS, I`D LOVE TO RESTORE IT WITH THE OLD GOOD PARTS THAT ARE THERE.
that semi-muttered rant at ~23:30 was brilliant. thanks for the video!
YES ! YES !! YES !!! - Well done bro you now have a running car ! - Great effort and video - Best of luck with this project man 👍👍👍
Great stuff. Can't wait for the interior part of this new project. I keep my fingers crossed for your progress
The interior part is the part I'm least looking forward to haha. Most of it looks beyone saving
I'm a Yank, so I've Never seen one of these State-side. The chassis does look fine, so a rebuild is in order, if you're so inclined. Best of luck!
That dark brown should be Mexico Brown, Tobacco Leaf is more of a beige shade. There should be a small sticker on the inner wing, next to the engine data sticker, confirming its original build colour. I've had loads of P6s, and it's easy to swap all the outer panels and just paint the door shuts for a complete colour change. Check the bolt on engine side plates on 4 cylinder cars, they corrode and leak coolant. One thing P6's suffers from, depending on brake system layout, is brake fluid leaking from the master, or tandem cylinder into the servo vacuum chamber. The fluid then gets sucked into the engine via the servo vacuum pipe and burnt, giving out loads of white/grey smoke that appears to be a blown engine. Checking the fluid level and removing the vacuum pipe off the engine end and cover the hole in the inlet manifold. Running the engine should show if it's been sucking in brake fluid, smoke should stop once any residue has burnt out of the engine.
Yeah, it's Mexico brown. To be honest when I googled to find out the colour name it didn't occur to me that a manufacturer would offer two different shades of *brown* haha, so I just assumed it was the first one I came across.
Thanks for the tip. I'll definitely have to try that, although the brake fluid reservoir was already completely dried out, so I was assuming that the whole brake system would probably be dry too
@@NotEconomicallyViable They are great cars, if looked after, so advanced for their time. The master cylinder seals can leak into the vacuum chamber, so if you have mystery fluid loss, and no visible leaks, that's your likely problem. They had various brake system component layout. Earlier 4 cyliner cars had their battery under the bonnet. V8's had a cramped engine bay so they always had the battery in the boot. It's place behind the r/h headlamps was taken up by the tandem brake master cylinder and servo vacuum chamber, then you had another primary brake mater cylinder on the bulkhead, connected to the pedal. The layout changed depending on if it was manual/ auto and 2000/2200/3500, so you need to get the right replacement parts. The base units can rot severely, most are repairable, just a lot to strip out to get access to it. Main rot areas are inner sills ( lift the rear seat bases and check the space filled with insulation between seat base and sill, you may see a big hole or crumbling metal), and the box section behind the cover sill that carries the jacking points. Floor pan edges, and what's know as the "hockey stick"- that's the reinforcement inner wing box section from bulkhead to behind the headlamps. D posts and rear inner wings and boot floor. The area on the bulkhead around front suspension is rot prone. One othe problem area is the rear suspension tie bar can break away from the boot sidewall/ chassis. This was a weak area when they were new if a rear wheel hit a pothole or kerb. You'll know as the rear end sways side to side as you accelerate/ decelerate. It's also not a good idea to use the factory jacking points behind the big rubber sill plugs, they're notoriously prone to buckle under just the car's weight, even if they look solid. All the 19 outer panels that are vinyl covered, or painted are removable; held on by a variety of bolts, screws and rivets. It is very easy to make a rotted out wreck look good by swapping good panels. One common fault that causes poor starting and odd electrical issues, with boot mounted battery cars is the main battery cable junction. It's a big insulated double sided bolt union, under the foot pedals on the floor on r/h drive cars. Power takes off there for the interior and engine bay. Then under the floor it feeds the starter motor. The connections suffer if water leaks soak the under carpet felt insulation. Yes, colours changed over the years, but Mexico was a long used shade. In the last couple of years production, they were painted in the new SD1 paint plant and shared some new colours, but those cars suffer the same paint adhesion issues early SD1 cars had.
Thanks for all that info, Brian. That's a lot of knowledge - are you ex-Rover or just a big enthusiast?
@@NotEconomicallyViable Thank you. I started out at a multi franchise dealer and main Datsun importer in the late 70s. We had Ausin Rover, Datsun, Renault, Lotus, TVR, Relant and Scimitar as well as muti franchise bikes and caravans. We always had various Rovers in the family, from P5's in the mid 70, through to late SD1 seriess 2. Did all the workshop / bodyshop/ restoration side and into management and insurance/ accident repair assessment. I used to mix n match P6's back in the 70s/80s to make a good one, to a spec as me and my late dad wanted, and always had a couple in reserve to use. Not much I haven't done with P5, P6 and SD1, and some Land /Range Rover models too, so you could say I'm a bit of a fan, especially anything with the V8 under the bonnet. I broke a few P6 to the last nut and bolt for spares when they were cheap cars, sold the bits I didn't want, and a few AC Cobra replica builders snapped up the engines, gearboxes and instruments etc.
Half the reason the outer panels are all easy to fit / remove is because Rover borrowed quite a few ideas from the Citroën DS, which was similarly designed to have accessible panels
Excellent video. If you're planning to take this project further, I would strongly recommend taking off the sill covers to check the condition of the sills. It's a simple job, as they're only held on with a dozen or so screws, and the sills themselves are prone to rot. I would also take out the rear seat bases, you'll see a sort of well where the rear of the sill meets the wheel arch, an area particularly prone to rot and not that easy to repair.
Thanks for the advice, Andy. I'll probably do just that at some point
ABSOLUTELY FANTASTIC I knew you would get it running ....
Really enjoyed this and you did well to work it all out. ......What you really need for checking the timing on old cars is a 12v light bulb on a piece of wire that you connect to the coil and just as the points open it lights. So put one connection on the distributor side of the coil and the other to earth, turn the engine by hand with the ignition on and you will see when the pulley notch lines up at TDC when it lights. Turn the distributor to adjust timing. Take off the rocker cover to see the valves will help. This is good for the static timing and then you can use a strobe light when the engine is running but be carefull not to stick you hand in the fan !!!!!! Also a "remote" starter push switch is handy to turn over the engine and you can fiddle at the same time, easy start helps on that first start, and you can also not use the fuel pump and just gravity feed the fuel a bit like a hospital drip.........a compression tester is good and etc etc the list goes on. keep up the great vids.
Great to have you back Nino, Top work as always !!
Cheers, Martin
What a great, fun video...I am looking forward to part two already. And I am sure your old neighbours are not missing the cars too much 😆
Cheers, Elliott 👍🏻
Sneaky change of locations there😊
Congratulations on getting it running i always fancied one of these when i was much younger but they were just far too expensive back in the day. I did have a rover 216 for about 7 years though it was a great car and i loved it
The best thing to put in the bores to un seize an engine is a 50/50 mix of diesel and automatic transmission fluid, it works a treat
Great to see some young folks interested in old cars. BRILL !! Think you've done very well. Looking forward to see how you progress with the Rover. 👍
Greetings from Adelaide Australia, im going through a similar experience with a P6 3500 I've purchased , it started straight away but won't build any oil pressure so I have to prime the pump with petroleum jelly with the pump notorious hard to get to, love the content of your video enjoyed every minute, cheers Geoff 🍻
Appreciate that, Geoff. Good luck with the V8 - cracking car
I've had dozens of P5, P6 and SD1 Rovers since the late 70s Geoff. The V8's can suffer with low or slow oil pressure build up after a long lay up. Packing Vasseline petroleum jelly in the pump gears is recommended to prime the system, but awkward to get at on some cars. You could tow it in a high gear and drop the clutch to turn the engine fast if it's a manual, but most Borg Warner 35 / 65 autos don't have a rear transmission oil pump. They won't turn the engine or torque convertor, and you risk serious gearbox damage if towed any distance with the wheels turning the propshaft and auto trasmission. Because they crank over very slow if the hydraulic lifters have drained of oil, you're basically cranking the engine against multiple cylinders under full or part compression. That's why they always sound lumpy and difficult to turn over with closed, or valves not properly opening without oil pressure. The easiest way to quickly prime the engine oil pressure up is to mark the position of the distributor base and timing case. Remove the clamp, and distributor cap, then pull out the distributor, take note and mark where the rotor arm point before you pull the distributor out. Then take note of where the slot or tang is positioned on the oil pump drive, as you'll need it in that position later. Spin the oil pump over with an electric drill and a long bit or old screwdriver shaft with a notch or flat end ( oil pump drive / distributor drive engagement ends changed over time and model, but most can be mixed and matched by changing the floppy end drive on the distributor to suit ). A few minutes spin with a drill should give a full pressure prime. Then, set the pump drive back in position and refit the distributor. Note that the distributor will skew sightly as it twists down into place. Best done with the distributor cap off as you can check the rotor arm position and use it to engage position back on the drive cog. Make sure it goes back fully and exactly to the rotor arm and base/ clamp marks you made. It may sound complex, but it's easy and usually works if the engine isn't completely dry of oil after a rebuild. It's also far better than working underneath, in the confines of the P6B's cramped engine bay and crossmember.0
@Brian Whittington thanks mate appreciate the long response 👍 I'll give it a crack tomorrow, the p6 is mostly un appreciated here in Australia , but our climate means they are mostly rust free , can't wait to get my P6 S on the road, cheers mate 👍
@@geoffthecarpenter You're welcome Geoff, owned Rovers since I first started in the motor industry, still have my 1985 SD1 Vanden Plas V8 manual, a rare factory development spec one l bought in 1989..The 3500S manual is the top of the tree overe here in the UK, especially if you can find one of the ultra rare VIP end of production, full spec models. I had a 1972 3500S in the 80s, one of the fastest production 4dr saloons you could buy. Properly set up, they'd leave the hot hatches of the day trailing behind. One of a few I regret selling as it was built before they detuned them to run on 4* fuel. I've still got one of the late 1975 production 3500 auto Huntsman models, owned it 40 years. It's not that rare, but it needs a full major restoration after extensive vandal damage in storage. I doubt you'll lose money on it as they're appreciating in value here, even real basket cases are worth £ hundreds as spares cars. You can download manuals and parts catalogues etc online for many BL makes and models from Rimmer Brothers here in the UK.
@@geoffthecarpenter Are you aware of the Rover Club of South Australia? I recommend you join if you are not a member!
Always enjoy your vids and a fellow Chelmsford bloke. Love the P6, my favourite classic
Cheers, mate. Chelmsford for the win!
With all these barn finds, you’d think by now we’d run out of finds in barns by now.
Haha it's amazing how many keep showing up. I didn't know we had that many barns in this country!
The filming is amazingly clear so we can see everything!
Silver line are good tools for the price. If its stuff I don't use daily they're my goto brand.
Bought a Silverline brake line flaring tool, less than 15 quid and works like a treat!
Great to see you back on YT👍
Great to be back!
Fantastic to see you back
And a great starter classic
Very easy to work on
Wow! Absolutely amazed, i take my hat off to you, well done
👏👏👏👏👏👏👏
Thanks, Stephen
Engine sounds good and the panels on this car simply unbolt so easy to dissemble as long as chassis is good it might be a viable project but expect to spend a fortune.
I'm gonna have to take the panels off at some point and take a look at the damage underneath. Hopefully isn't too bad as I'd like to keep this old girl
And I always thought the carb was something to do with the exhaust, learn something new every Day 🙂Although I like the P6, one of the cars I learnt to drive in the Police Force (V8 though) I LOVED the P5, that Coupe look, always wanted to customise one, shave all the handles off, French the lights and a spiffing paint job.
You criticise your new set of imperial spanner’s saying you don’t understand them but you have imperial all around you with half inch drive sockets etc and also miles and yards, well done with the rover🙂
Welcome back! Ever thought about doing some sideline work as a sound effects man 🤣🤣
haha not a bad shout
Use coke for seized pistons works like magic
delighted you got it going . monumentalise challenge ahead. i remember taking on a 1986 passat gl5 once but had to bail after 10000 miles. best of luck .
awesome work! Congrats on the extra space... plenty of room for more projects 🥳 maybe a nice big garage too 🤑
It's more efficient when trying to free an engine to rotate from the flywheel rather than from the crankshaft nut. This will create a greater mechanical advantage. Remove the starter motor and use a lever on the teeth of the ring gear and against the bell housing.
Great content nice to see it burst into life, my first mini was that colour, Russet or Mexico brown if I recall correctly, it's hilarious to old guys like me that the next generation have no knowledge of carburettors 😆
It's been so interesting to get into this old tech. These SU carburettors are are genius design when you actually think about it
Simon, the colour is/was called Mexico Brown. My 1973 P6B was of that colour too meanwhile it is painted in the colour Tobacco Leaf.
That car is an amazing find! It'll take me a few days to catch-up and see how far you got with this one.
New place looks awesome. Keep it up mate. This is so good to watch 😊
Cheers, Clint
Great to see you uploading again dude! Love your approach. Much like mine, just have a go and hope for the best!
Would be great to see more on the Audi A6 👍🏻
Nice work, congratulations on the recognition of a tool company too!!!
Thank you mate, appreciate that
Oh where have you been, absolute pleasure to see you back and with a ‘proper’ challenge 👍
If you can get the hood up enough to oil the hinges, you probably should, I saw it flex a little bit.
Not long joined the channel and I am hooked, love your content. I am watching your back videos. I wish I had the space to do up cars, watching you is second prize 👍👍
Oh yess im glad i found more of your content to watch keep up the good work 💯👍🏻
Had these back in the 80s only the V8 you could pick these up for a few pounds then , interior hard to source. Panels ok. Joined the p6 owners club went to the p6 shows where you can get parts. Good luck you'll need it trust me done many of these rust is a big problem. Good thing every panel including roof comes off no welded panels.
Beautiful car happy memories in a tobacco brown rover like this to the isle of Sheppy with my mum and brother. It had a fantastic sound system as I remember. Leather interior and wooden dash. Gorgeous. I'd love one. Great video.
This is a big project I remember my brother in law having one of these in the beige when I was a kid takes me back to when I used to do bits to my first car a Triumph dolomite
Well done you very entertaining I had all these problems 26. Years ago good luck my friend 👍
Thanks 👍
Great video , unbelievable perseverance in Baltic conditions amazing transformation into a Fog machine 😂 in stitches at the end , loved it
Hahahaha a fog machine. I just need some four-bar disco lights and I'm sorted
I think timing inverted happens to me about half the time I work on en engine.
Excepted monocylinders :)
Lovely car once you sort all the issues, very good content.
Thanks, Michael 👍
Just brilliant as always..... liking the new house with much improved space! Keep them coming 😊
Cheers, Ian
Great video. Every other Rover P6 was either Tobacco Brown or a pale mustard colour. They were a quality car in the day. Love the wifes crackup moment. 😍😍
This car is literally the colour of poo, but for some reason I really like it and wouldn't change it for the world haha
Loving this rover get her running 😊.
G,day what a amazing video I was screaming at my phone tell you what's wrong with the motor like timing and other stuff.
Haha next time shout louder so I can hear you!! Would've saved me days
Brilliant! Once again a great watch, and if i may say i laughed along while watching. Nice to see the Merc in the background. Thank you.
Loving the read the spark plug joke
😅
A mix of 3 part Kerosene and 1 part automatic transmission fluid will also get cylinders free too and it's easy to mix in large quantities
As soon as you said a carb was part of the steering “ I subscribed and liked 🤣🤣🤣🤣
Wait...so you're saying that it's not actually part of the steering?? 😅😅
😬 “ really hope you’re joking , good luck with the p6 ‘ I remember when they first came out and they still look good today 👍🏻
Haha cheers Robert
@@NotEconomicallyViable
I can't believe you thought the carburettor was to do with the steering system... everyone knows carburettors are in the gearbox!😂
Seriously though, great stuff, these old P6s are worth saving and fetch pretty good money these days, saw a beautiful red P6 2000 today on the M11 as it casually ripped past me 😊
50% each of Acetone and Transmission fluid. Leave overnight. Also great for rusted seized nuts.
Cheers Jack, I'll have to remember that one
I can remember seeing these model cars everywhere, in about 1978/79, when I was 5/6 years old…I also distinctly remember being this a very common car used by the Police around this time…
I’m actually surprised it had only been unused since about 1992/3, relatively speaking, that’s quite recent for a car that would have been in its prime in the 1970’s, even by 1992, this model Rover would have been totally obsolete…
That white “smoke” looks ominously like a head gasket. Still great work to get this far and a new gasket isn’t too bad a job. Great video. Look forward to more!!
Looks more blue and hangs about so I'd say oil smoke. I bet that donor engine has sat around nearly as long or longer than the car has!
I'd say gummed in rings. Worth leaving the cylinders full of something along the lines of marvel mystery oil for a few days then gently bring her around again and see if it's cured 😊
Could also be valve stem wear or maybe just stem seals though that usually exhibits itself on the overrun.
I owned a P6 3.5V8 in white with the spare wheel mounted on the boot lid 1973 I think I paid £80 for it it belonged to my maté’s grandfather who died and his family just wanted rid of it my mate was a mechanic once we got it running it ran great I kept it for a couple of years until I got rid of it and bought a Mini Cooper s now 47 years later and a life time of cars I’ve enjoyed every one of them the faster the better
That's a great story. I'd love to get this one back on the road, just not sure quite how much work that'd be
Excellent episode Nino!! Pain in the arse for the head gasket and the smoke did look worse as the episode went on 🙄 Merc next? 🙏
Cheers, Colin. Not 100% sure what's next just yet. I'm halfway through the Merc work right now, but it's slow going.
Very cool car and colour!
Nice to see you and the rover back ! Annie Walker eat your heart out. When British engineering and British steel was something special. Don't know if it was my internet speed but commentary was like a 70's porn film....(majorly out of sync) was this to mate to the heritage of the car 😉😊
Keep up the great work and vlogs.
G 🦉🙏
Cheers, Gary. Couple of people have said it's out of sync, but only seems to be when streamed to a TV! I'm hoping that sorts itself out as that's a UA-cam issue