It's been a long time since I last updated this thread, and in that time, quite a lot has happened to the car!
First of all, the engine swap was successfully carried out throughout December, and the car was ready by the second week in January. The new engine was put in, using the original rocker cover, the rebuilt carb from the previous engine, a new waterpump, high quality HT leads, a Lucas Sports coil, and a few other bits and pieces. The first day I had the car back, it ground to a sudden halt in Dumfries, as a result of water contamination in the fuel, meaning that the car had to be recovered home to get the tank drained.
The next weekend I was home from uni, I ventured out once again, only to break down on that Friday evening, with an intermittent running problem, particularly when the car was warm! Eventually, it just wouldn't start at all, so I called the breakdown service, and by the time they arrived, it would start. I then drove it home, followed by the breakdown company, and as soon as they left, it stalled, and wouldn't start again.
The next morning, one of my friends offered to lend a hand in diagnosing the problem, cleaning various contacts, replacing fuses, and spraying things with GT85, to no avail, with the car cutting out again. Eventually, I had another look at the rotor arm, and realised what a poor quality one it was, so this was replaced with a red one from Simon BBC, and since then, the car has run very well indeed, which leads me onto the car's most recent big outing! I’ve still not got round to fitting the electronic ignition kit, nor the square 8s, but I’ll get these jobs done when I’ve got another free weekend!
Over the weekend, I toured the Lake District with my friends, who had a few classics, and a couple of moderns too, which I’ve tried to keep out of the photos. Despite some fairly large concerns regarding snow, and other bad weather, we were very lucky.
On Saturday morning, I got the Rover out of the garage, only to find a bit of an ATF leak, so the level was checked, and topped up. I’ll need to sort this in the next few weeks. One of my friends was coming from Ireland, so we left Castle Douglas at around 12:30, and arrived in Penrith at 2pm. The Rover performed brilliantly on the way there, sitting quite happily at motorway speeds, and pulling far better on steeper sections than it has done previously. It’s now a lot more relaxed on the motorway, with the new differential fitted last year, and the new engine. I got quite a few big waves when I was in the outside lane.
From the Rheged centre, we travelled a rather contorted route through Keswick, skirting round Honister, where we stopped for an ice cream, in defiance of the wintry weather. From there, we drove to Eskdale, where we had booked a Youth Hostel, and we retired to a nice country pub for some dinner, and a chat that evening.
On Sunday morning, the weather was spectacular, and although still cold, the roads were pretty good. From Eskdale, we decided to tackle Hardknott and Wrynose, both of which were spectacular, though somewhat icy in the more shaded parts. The 2000 didn’t struggle much at all with the climbs, with the temperature gauge remaining resolutely in the green zone. I’ve noticed an appreciable difference in performance, and a real opportunity to enjoy the car’s handling to a greater extent too! We then progressed to Ambleside, where we had a spot of lunch before embarking on the final leg of our trip. From Ambleside, we decided to head over a series of roads known as the scissors, and a route very popular with 12 car rallies, back in the day! Despite its bulk, the 2000 kept pace with the Midget with ease, and this section was most enjoyable. We then went though Kirkby, over Kirkby Moor into Ulverston, where the Rover was filled with petrol, again. From there, we drove to the Lakeland Motor Museum for a perusal, as it was a while since many of us last visited. We had the only classics in the car park, which, given that it was a nice day was quite surprising. I can highly recommend the museum, though the £7.80 entry is expensive for what is really a relatively small museum. The exhibits are varied though, and it’s possible to have a proper look at the cars, which, if anyone has visited the new Glasgow Museum, comes as a pleasant surprise.
Once we’d all had a coffee and a chat in the tearoom, we all headed back home, though my Stephen, and I decided to head back North through the Lakes, coming off the A595, going through Ambleside, up to Keswick, across to Penrith, then North to Carlisle, where we had some dinner, then I went back home along the M74, to Lockerbie, then home.
In all, an excellent weekend, with some fantastic company, as ever, and, for the first time in a very long time, a perfectly behaved Rover, despite some very spirited driving! Fuel economy was borderline ridiculous, but it wasn’t being driven very sedately, and I still could set it up better.
So, the next jobs I would like to sort out are a good coating of underseal, fitting the square 8s, the electronic ignition kit, some new window seals, and, if it behaves itself, some cosmetic work!
As always photos were taken!
8) The show was excellent as well, and it was great to meet up with some familiar faces, and some new ones! I always enjoy getting back into the show season, and seeing just what I need to improve about my car, comparing it to other examples.
