AROnline blogs

Keith Adams

SD1 is all finished and ready to go at MOTEST

Well, finally, the time for remote updates and telling how much I am looking forward to driving my SD1 in the future is over. As I write this, the car is sat on my drive, the tinkling sound of gently cooling metal a reassurance that I’ve finally begun to live the dream by actually driving the car…

It’s been a long journey, and at times, it’s been a pain, but I really do think it was worth it.

I actually went to collect the car from MOTEST Farnham yesterday, and on the train journey down, had plenty of time to reflect on the drive back. The day was sunny, the skies blue, and for me, it looked like spring had finally come. There were niggles and doubts in my own mind – mainly over the fact the car hadn’t been run very far in a very long time. And I’d accepted that it was likely I’d not make it home.

When I made it to Farnham, it was good to meet the guys who’d made the SD1’s return to legality. They’d literally sweated over getting things right for me, and the job list included a carburettor rebuild, new brakes all round and all manner of other little bits and pieces. They commented that it was great that everything they needed (including the smallest grommet or gaiter) was still available new from Rimmer Bros – something that they wouldn’t have thought possible for a car so old…

Anyway, after I’d had some pictures taken, and chatted to the local press, it was time to drive home. I was confident that we’d do okay, although clearly, I’d be listening closely for any untoward noises or rattles. After firing it up and drinking in the soundtrack, we were underway – tentatively.

By the time I’d made it to the M3, I’m wearing myself back into SD1 ownership. The driving position and visibility are first rate, and the steering is phenomenally impressive – direct and full of feel, and able to give the SD1 a wieldiness you’d not associate with a car of its size that’s almost 35 years old.

Taking a breather at Toddington services

The engine is pulling well, and cleanly, there’s a satisfaction to be had from tooling along in the outside lane, while other drivers look, stare and smile. Obviously, the world’s moved on since my last SD1 a few years ago, and they have now slipped comfortably into genuine classic car status.

For mile after mile, the SD1 rolls on. The M3 and M25 are taken in their stride. All gauges are reporting nothing abnormal, there are no unwelcome noises, and all is good with the world. I am finally bonding with the car that I bought so rashly five years ago.

Heading north on the M1, I decide I should take a quick breather, and make a splash ‘n’ dash stop at Toddington. Once back in the car, I set back off… and as I rejoin the M1, there’s a cough, a splutter and it stops dead. Ah, no. I had been expecting this, but had been seduced into thinking we might be okay.

The AA take a look and can't fix the fuel problem

To cut a long story short, it’s Relayed back to Northamptonshire, and today at lunch time, we tow the car to Edward, Octane’s unofficial tame local mechanic near the office. I leave it with him, and wonder whether I’m going to be buying a whole load more stuff.

As it happens, I needn’t have worried. He diagnosed the problem as a faulty oil pressure switch, and ended up replacing it. Job done.

And tonight, I’ve driven it home, and think that it’s fantastic again. I guess there are going to be a few more teething problems that will need to be ironed out now the car’s being used again, but tonight’s drives have convinced me that the whole exercise has been worth every second of my time.

It’s going to be fun!

Rangie rescues Rover... off to the local garage

Before I sign off this one, I really must thank those who have made this possible: Andy Jones (for selling me the car), Brian Gunn (for working out my parts list), Alexander Boucke (for getting me set up in Poland), Rimmer Bros (for supplying the parts), Graham Rimmer (for the use of his Range Rover and trailer), John Ball at MOTEST (for getting it roadworthy), and of course, Jerzy and Monica for making it all happen. Oh, and Mark Evans for egging me on to do it in the first place, and setting me a deadline!

Old knackers, Polish Rover SD1

Keith Adams

SD1 on the ramps at MOTEST

There has certainly been plenty of progress on the Rover SD1 project since the last update. You might remember that I’d trailered the car down to MOTEST in Farnham to get a few little jobs for the test done before putting it in for its first MoT since 2004.

Well, the boys have certainly been busy! The car is looking in great shape now, though, and the words of wisdom I’d received from several people about not driving it home seem to have been borne out. Because here’s what MOTEST have done so far…

Rebuilt carburettors
Fit new brake calipers
Replace brake pipes
Install new brake shoes
Bleed and refresh the braking system
Fit a new brake compensator

Can you imagine doing a 120mph emergency stop on the Autobahn in a car that needed that lot doing?

I suspect that once it’s done and an LPG kit is fitted, this going to be one fine daily driver. Really, really can’t wait!

MOTEST's ex Austin-Rover technician working on the new calipers

The rear showing new handbrake linkage, pipes and back plates

Old knackers, Polish Rover SD1

Keith Adams

Rover SD1 at MOTEST in Farnham...

I’ve been getting a lot of people asking me about my Polski-Rover SD1. Is it MoT’d yet? When will it be on the road again? Will we be seeing it on the show circuit?

Well, with a little help from my friends, I went a long way to getting the first question answered today. Regular readers will know that, following my shake-down drive over the Christmas period, I discovered that the brakes were going to need ’some work’. There are a couple of issues – the pedal’s on the floor and the car pulls violently to the right when you do find stopping power.

The passenger side front brake caliper bleed nipple has been broken off and that means that whoever last tried to bleed the system only got as far as doing one side. Bad, but at least I know why it’s pulling.

However, with the weather being what it is and the roads what they are, there’s no way the car’s fit to drive to an MoT station. Cue another day towing the old girl – and adding to the mileage (on the back of a trailer) it’s covered since the restoration in Poland was completed. I reckon it must now be at leat 1600 miles.

Anyway, an early start had me heading up to Rimmer Bros to borrow their trailer once again and, at about 9.00am this morning, we were digging it out from under a liberal coating of snow in order to get it hitched to the Subaru.

Then it was back home (a round trip of 140 miles) to get the Polski-Rover on the back of it. Within a while, we were back on the road and heading to MOTEST in order to get it fixed and ticketed. The garage is in Farnham, which has been particularly hard-hit by snow the past few days, and its boss, John Ball, smiled as he said that he did wonder about my sanity in choosing today to get it down to him.

There’s method in my madness… get it done now, and it’ll be ready for the road in plenty of time for spring. That’s when I want to be enjoying it – and not worrying about getting this-and-that done.

I’ll keep you posted about how the MoT goes – but, before it goes near the bay, those brakes are going to need to be sorted.

Polish Rover SD1

Keith Adams

The Polski-Rover gets its first refill since 2006...

Well, finally, I’ve had a chance to give my SD1 its first run since getting it back from Poland, and it’s a mixture of good and bad news, but mainly good. For one, I don’t think the SD1’s actually been refuelled since 2006 and, well, it must be about due now. Anyway, with the car now insured for an agreed value with Hagertys and booked in for an MoT, I thought I really should give the car a bit of a shakedown to ensure it’s ready for the dreaded test.

I have, though, only given the car a very brief run but the engine pulls well, sounds crisp and seems to be running pretty much as it should now I’ve had a fiddle with the carburettors (one thing I remember about SUs is that you can roughly tune them by ear).

The steering and suspension are all okay and it feels solid and planted on the road – just as a good SD1 should. The electrics (what there are of them) are working as they should, although the wipers are lazy… I’m sure that with some work, they’ll be okay.

However, there are a couple of causes for concern, which I will try and address in the coming days…

The brakes badly need bleeding – the pedal’s on the floor and they need adjustment – when pressed, the car pulls strongly to the right… oops. Rather annoyingly, having looked at the front calipers, someone in the past decided to sheer off a passenger side bleed nipple and not replace it. Still, at least, I now know why it’s pulling to the right.

More of a concern is that there’s a bit of a fuel leak from the front end – I haven’t had time to investigate, but it’s more likely to be a join that’s not been tightened up properly, given that everything’s been out and in again in Poland…

There’s bit of work to be done tomorrow – and, before I go anywhere again, I need to get the brake calipers off and the broken nipple out.

I’ll keep you posted…

Old knackers, Polish Rover SD1 Polish Rover SD1

Keith Adams   

Rover 3500 - some work makes things a whole lot better

Well, Christmas and Boxing Day are out of the way and the snow’s cleared to such an extent that I can finally get the garage open and spend a little time getting my SD1 back on the road.   

It’s a process that should have kicked off rather sooner following its trailering back from Poland but, thanks to an unfortunate incident which left me with a pair of broken ribs and then Christmas, I’ve only managed to get things going properly today.   

The car’s due to take its MoT on Tuesday, so I really needed to pull my finger out. A few  half-hearted looks at the car in the garage revealed that the choke wasn’t connected, nor was the handbrake. The car was also running poorly, the battery was knackered and there was no proper coolant in it.   

Rover 3500 - power unit is smooth, refined and ready to go.

None of these jobs were going to be much effort to put right, but it’s surprising just how hard they are to sort in a cramped garage with cracked ribs! Still, after an hour or so of tinkering, the problems were largely solved. The carburettor linkages are all mucked up and, as a result, the throttle kept sticking open, but I’m hoping that all the lubricant I’ve applied will have it running sweetly now.   

Now there’s coolant in it, the brakes all work (but could still do with bleeding) and it has a full complement of lights, I’m happy to report that I’m feeling a lot more confident about my drive to the testing station on Tuesday. I do need to give it a test run beforehand, but I think it’s going to be okay…   

However, the funny thing is that, although they were little jobs I did, it made me realise that it’s been far too long since I had a decent car to work on – and that I do enjoy tinkering. As a way of escaping the drudgery of seasonal television, a session with my tools and a Rover V8 is a nice little pick-me-up.   

I’ll let you know how the MoT goes… it would be nice if I had some positive luck for a change.   

Rover 3500 - Underbonnet details are a delight...

Old knackers, Polish Rover SD1

Keith Adams

Rover SD1 back from Poland and looking just fine...

It’s been a funny old week and one that will go down in my life as a landmark really. Why? Well, in the space of a couple of days, no less than three Rovers have been added to fleet… by anyone’s standards, that’s impressive/stupid/obsessive enough to have the boys in the white coats coming round to take me for a ride in the back of their nice van.

Mind you, as regular readers will know, one of those cars is a most welcome addition. The white SD1 3500, freshly restored in Poland, is quite literally a magnificent beast and one that – I hope – will help affirm the breed’s position in the Classic Car Hall of Fame. It really does have everything: style, performance, practicality and, most importantly, condition. The paint quality is near flawless, the shell is agreeably rust free and waxed up to the hilt and the spec is just right. What’s not to like?

The four-day trailering epic to get the SD1 back here wasn’t one of the most enjoyable journeys of my life, but it certainly felt like we’d achieved something special by the time we’d got back – until, that is, the car started on the trailer and then promptly ran out of fuel, leaving me to push it quite a way in order to get it into the safety of my garage. Nice. Next time I’ll listen to Andrew Elphick when he suggests putting some fresh petrol in on the way back from Poland…

That’s one of the three Rovers.

The other two came to me from Hyundai Motor UK Limited of all places. The company had been running what it described as a fleet of ’snotters’ in order to give the UK’s pampered motoring journalists something to drive by way of a comparison with its new cars. The message was clear – would you want a new Hyundai or one of its weather worn Rovers? That PR exercise had lasted a few months, but once the journos had done their bit in the Rover 200, Metro and Maestro, it was time to get rid. That’s, as you might have guessed, where I came in…

Yes, when Hyundai Motor UK’s PR Manager, Tom Barnard, approached me asking if I wanted to buy his Scrappage fleet, I found myself unable to refuse. My main reason for accepting Tom’s offer was because I could do with something usable for the winter to replace the Saab 9000 while it’s in storage for the winter. However, there’s another reason – I’ve been a strong opponent of the Scrappage Scheme, venting my opinions wherever anyone’s prepared to listen, and I thought it was time to put my money where my mouth is.

That’s why, last Friday, while I was on my way to Poland, the Metro 1.4LD and 214Si were delivered to the office and were, reportedly, greeted with knowing smiles by several of  my colleagues. Anyway, with the Poland epic now behind me, I’ve had a chance to drive both cars.

The 214Si came first and, although the badly dented driver’s door does it no favours visually, it actually drives amazingly well – so much so, that I kept checking the mileage – at 70,000 it feels as tight as a drum and brakes, stops and steers exactly as it should. The gearbox is slick, the seats are nice, the ergonomics and visibility are fine and performance willing. Given that this is being touted as a car to chop in under the Scrappage Scheme, I found this very sad indeed because, for me, it feels as easy to drive as any modern supermini and potentially has years ahead of it… or it would if it had a decent resale value.

Then there’s the Metro. Here’s a car that raised smiles in the car park and, if I am honest, isn’t great shakes to drive – and yet there’s some charm and character there. Fuel consumption will obviously be excellent and that small fuel tank has some psychological benefits, too, when it comes to filling up for £30 from empty.

I’ve already been offered a great deal on one of the cars, while the other will be staying throughout the winter, so that I can save as I drive. Here’s the funny thing, though: as much as I think the 214Si ticks the modern car boxes, it’s the Metro that stays on. Go and figure…

Either way, all three of my Rover stories are one in the eye for the Scrappage Scheme. The SD1, by all rights, should have been scrapped years ago, having cost me £200 to buy back in 2005, while the other two would be passed-over by most people for a) being old, and b) being Rovers but what do they know?

Two old Rovers and one in the eye for the Scrappage Scheme...

Old knackers, Polish Rover SD1, Scrappage

Keith Adams

Okay, so today I deposited 1200 Euros into Jerzy’s bank account, leaving me with a total of 800 left to pay on my Polish SD1 restoration. The final two clutch parts that needed changing have been ordered from Rimmer Bros and should be on their way tomorrow and I’ve also sent the guys there a nice parcel with some magazines and a Wreck Rescue DVD in it that should keep them amused. I, at last, feel like we’re actually reaching the end of the restoration. The SD1 is coming back to the UK.

The next step is to collect and actually bring the old girl home. Now, as many of you know, my immediate thoughts have been to drive the car home despite questionable legality (the MoT ran out in 2005) but, the more I think about it, the more I know that I’m really going to have to put it on a trailer and trundle back at 56mph. It wouldn’t be exciting, but it’d certainly be safe. But most importantly, after all this time, it will just be nice to get it back home so I can touch, smell and drive it…

The plan, therefore, is to hitch a trailer to the back of my Subaru Forester and head East on the final weekend of this month. I’ll keep you informed, but I’m really beginning to get excited about the whole thing now… The big question, though, is does anyone fancy riding shotgun?

Old knackers, Polish Rover SD1

Keith Adams

Rover SD1 restoration - check out the depth of that paint...

Back in the UK after an intense night drive from Dresden… what fun that was. But before I unpacked my suitcase and relaxed with a cup of cocoa, I thought it would be nice to upload some more images of the SD1. I’d obviously got a bit of the old rose-tinted-spectacles going on when I was in the showroom looking at my car, because a quick glance at my photos reveals that there are still one or two bits and pieces left to tweak. But nothing too serious…

Anyway, see what you think. Just don’t mention the mirrors.

Old knackers, Polish Rover SD1

Keith Adams

Rover SD1 looking all sparkly and ready for action

I must admit that I’d been a little nervous. While driving over to Poland yesterday, I’d been screwing myself up a little wondering whether Jerzy’s garage would still be in business when I got to Częstochowa – I hadn’t, you see, heard from his English-speaking daughter, Monica, for quite some time. I was heading off eastwards without actually knowing what was going on…

Some might say that was a little weird.

Anyway, sitting in the hotel restaurant this morning, eating breakfast, I take a call from Monica. ‘What time will you be here?’ she asked… Phew!

An hour later, I was at the garage looking at my car. And, wow, the SD1 looks the business. It’s not running yet, due to the fact that the clutch slave cylinder I brought along with me (thanks Rimmer Bros) lacked the pipework (my fault for forgetting to bring the old one with me). D’oh. Other than that, though, the car’s ready to go, and I’ll be collecting it in the next few weeks.

Jerzy wasn’t keen on me driving the car back to the UK, saying that it’s a long way to go, and recommended I bring a trailer with me next time. So, that’s what I’ll do.

This is what the SD1 looks like now. More pics to follow when I get home…

Old knackers, Polish Rover SD1

Keith Adams

Rover's still in Poland, but hopefully for not much longer

In case you’ve been wondering, I’m still around, and still very much alive. The lack of blogs from me has been inexcusable, especially considering I’ve pretty much kept them going regularly since I started doing them in 2004. It’s a great discipline to follow for any budding writer – creativity comes from necessity and the need to write about stuff on a daily basis keeps the brain cells ticking over nicely.

It’s been a busy few weeks for me though. Due to some financial problems, my anticipated pick-up of the Rover SD1 from Poland late last year simply never happened. I’ll not say too much on the subject – other than make sure you keep an eye on your tax statements… Anyway, because of that, the Poles still have my Rover, and none of the money to pay for the brilliant restoration they did on it.

Work at Octane magazine’s been keeping me busy and stimulated and, as a result, the months have passed rapidly by. However, as spring came and went, my resolve to get something done about the SD1 hardened so I decided to put in extra time working as many additional hours as possible in order to raise the €4000 I need to pay for the job. The rubbish exchange rates certainly sapped my motivation – currently, that comes in at £3581 – but I guess that, compared with the cost of getting all the work done in the UK, that’s still something of a bargain.

Anyway, after a few fraught days last month, I’ve managed to earn most of that money and now it’s time to actually start planning my trip to collect the car.

It seems that – for once – fortune has played into my hands. Thanks to a job near the Polish border early in June, I’ll be less than 300 miles from my Rover – in my car – and perfectly placed to go and see the guys (and hope they’ve forgiven me for taking so long to get in touch), hand them a massive chunk of that €4000 and take stock of the restoration. Given all that, and with a slightly favourable following wind, I should have the car in my garage before the end of June.

Am I excited? Yes, I am! Will I get blogging again more regularly? I absolutely promise…

Old knackers, Polish Rover SD1