Testing times

Keith Adams

The Polski-Rover gets its first refill since 2005
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…

Keith Adams

2 Comments

  1. Broken nipples and cracked ribs – what a Christmas you’ve had, Mr. Adams!

    Good luck for the MOT: she deserves a pass with flying colours.

    And can you please get rid of that towbar while you’re tinkering; it really does spoil the line. And what happened to the stainless steel bonnet badge? It was on there when you took her to Poland.

    Happy New Year to you, Keith – keep up your excellent work.

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