vitalspark

That looks a huge improvement over the original product and take it the pipes are flexibles. Are you connecting directly to the pump and anti roll bars or jointing with compression fittings? Either way you can assemble the tricky bit off the car and simply offer it vup[ and connect. Well done ..let me know how it goes. Dave.

The only non British car in al of the pics. Great images and note its always sunny in Eberdeeen….(For those conversant with the Doric..Furry boots nae needed)

'First cut is the deepest' .. model american railroad enthusiast Roderick.

'Nimbus' on the Scotsman leaving Edinburgh May 1975…a favourite slide of mine and one I use in my profile. I took this shot myself and we were travelling on the 10.15 Peak hauled train to West of England heading for York as the 10.00am only stopped at Newcastle. 'Nimbus' was the only member I believe to retain the cab quarterlights to the end. Dave.

West Highland line Fort William sleeper southbound at Bridge of Orchy. Dave

My old Disco passed on to my daughter who passed it on to her collie. He loves it. Dave.

Yes the petrol 4.4 is a peach and without a turbo instant response. Theres nothing like a normally aspirated unit and there's no substitute for CCs..lots of them. Good luck with the valve block ..I was driven to9 distraction truing unsuccessfully to repair the leaking pipes. As you will know they don't thread in but are held in place by a system of plastic olives and clamps. A crazy set up ..why dont they just use hydraulic type unions? The pipes for the system are installed on the chassis before the body goes on so purchasing shaped originals..very expensive..is oily possible if you can route the pipes ok. If the leak is on the pipe and back far enough from the valve block you can cut the pipe and join with high pressure brass compression fittings but if its close to the block you risk disturbing the thing and end up with more leaks. To work on this it requires scrupulous cleanliness as one speck of dirt in the system can bu**er the whole thing up and its very difficult to satisfy these conditions under an ageing Disco. I eventually abandoned all hope of repairs and fitted coils and isolated the ACE pump and replaced with an idler..its a LR component as non ACE equipped cars have this in place of the pump. I didn't replace the anti roll bars though as suggested and it was fine. I had a load of the plastic clips that connect the swaged ends to the block but haven't seen them for a while now or you would have been welcome to them. I might still have a pair of new ride height sensors though. Good luck! Dave.

Its a large and well equipped garage catering for commercial restorations with facilities for cutting sheet materials and several pits plus wheels free jacks for double deckers. There are many long term projects behind the scenes and the residents change with some departing and others arriving. Gasgow corporation collection Smell of nostalgia! In a corner of the workshop Dave.

I think there were 102 at the last count…room for more though! D.

Outside our local Vintage bus garage.. ..and inside Dave.

Clever stuff but things have moved on a bit now..mind you at £1.2m..! D.

That is a stunning looking car and a credit to you. I can't imagine wanting to part with it after the work carried out but when it cones to the tinworm a decision has to be made. The good thing about such desirerable classics is that anything you spend on them will be realised in a sale. Steel wings are more expensive but they will help retain value because purists will be knocking off £000s if you have flitted otherwise. The big show at Essen in Germany with 21 halls indoors and more displays outside is Europes biggest possibly the worlds biggest and the cars going through auction are incredible with Gullwing mercs from the 50s fetching over a million quite common. 635CSIs were there too shoulder to shoulder with classic Porsches and Mercs and BMW who along with the other big German manufacturers have a hall of their own had an immaculate example in the usual Martini colours on show. If you don't already there will come a time when you will wish you still had it! Pint of Guinness is a nice touch too. Dave.

'The Ballad of Tom Jones'..Cerys from Wales..where is she now?

Now thats a Classic!..saw 635 CSIs for sale at Essen Techno Classica in April going for 6 figure sums.

I woudn't entirely agree with you there as I have owned both. I don't know if you have direct experience of these units but I have heard many tales of woe from those who have only 'heard' about such things and not actually owned themselves. I had the 5 cylinder TD5 engine replaced under warranty by LR at just under 4 years old and 35000 miles due to the head shifting on the block..a design fault and known on early models. Car had been supplied and serviced by main dealers and with an extended warranty which was just as well. After that the 5 cylinder unit was reliable enough but the transfer box continually leaked at the seal contaminating the handbrake drum on the transmission. The air suspension was next to give issues and after couple of airbags admittedly easy to change at 15 mins in the path and under £100 the ACE hydraulics gave up when corroded pipes at the valve block failed. Long story but resulted in coil conversion as many end up. Throw in two electric sunroofs replaced under warranty due to leaks ..and yes it was a great car! In comparison the L322 4.4 BMW petrol admittedly not diesel was reliable to a fault as was the rest of the car with only costs being age related and servicing. The know weak spot on the L322 is the gearboxes which can be problematical and costly so an eye needs to be kept on them. They are supposedly 'sealed for life' as far as transmission fluid is concerned but thats utter rubbish and a fluid change at 50k miles results in a super smooth box again that you had probably not noticed was going off a bit. Sump change at same time because these things corrode and would mean fluids again which is costly plus the gearbox cooler pipes need checking for corrosion..I changed both as preventative measures. They are both complex cars and need specialist servicing and preventative maintenance but on the whole the 322 was definitely better. I owned the TD5 for 4 years and the L322 for 5 years so do have a fair bit of experience with them. On the L322 diesel of the same age (2004) it was the same unit that was fitted to the BMW 530d which is a strong engine however turbo failure is not unknown and economy is poorer than the 5 cylinder LR unit so yes I would agree the homegrown unit as long as its post 2002 is the better choice..however the car thats built around it is definitely inferior and more problematical. I still have LRs.. daughter has one and I have a Sport with a twin turbo SDV6 unit so glutton for punishment. With the need for a strong tow vehicle I have had LRs since the early 3.5 V8s and spent more hours under them in the past than building models but thankfully they are not like that now plus I'm getting too old for it. Happy motoring. Dave.

'One more Try' .. Stones

You are obviously very knowledgeable regarding Rover engines Stewart and I agree that proper servicing and maintenance are vital in ensuring reliability however the KV6 in question was only 7 years old and had covered only 53000 miles when it failed. It was an idler which has a composite material that forms the centre of the boss which cracked and failed. I believe they modded these in later units but that didn't help me of course. It had been serviced every year regardless of mileage with oil and filter changes plus other fluids like auto box checked and all done at main dealers however the belt changes were due not down to mileage but age the year it failed and I was addressing the issue as in should I carry this out or trade it as they had quoted over £800 as it was an engine out job however as stated events overtook me on that one! This was nine years ago so £800 was a serious bit of dosh for servicing then but I did find a general lack of interest by dealers regarding the KV6 F/L and work on it seemed to be actively discouraged. It was a shame because the V6 in the F/L produced a smooth and very quick car quite unlike the diesel models. I wonder if anyone in your group has had experience of cam belt changes on the V6 in situ in the F/L? Just looking at it it was daunting to say the least as I did consider tackling it myself however when I learned the main dealers allow less hours for the job when the engine is dropped out I realised it was a non starter one the ramp. All history now but I still wonder if it was wise of LR to use a 24V 4 cam unit in what is really a utility vehicle although I suppose the compactness of the V6 and the high power output was the reason. They how have their latest 4 pot diesel producing well over 200bhp and around 50mpg in their smaller 4x4s so I doubt we will see the likes of these smooth V6s again. Interesting reading of your experience. Regards Dave.

Thats very interesting Stewart especially your endorsement of the KV6 engine. It is indeed a beautifully smooth and powerful unit and I bought two.. in LR Freelanders..but my own experiences with them were very different. Perhaps I was unlucky or maybe it was only when installed in the Freelander it was problematic but it most certainly was and the LR dealers were the first to shy away from them. I know the K series was used successfully in other marques.. did Lotus not use it at one time?..but the problem when installed in the Freelanders was inadequate cooling resulting in overheating and damaged engines with the LR guys commonly referring to them as K for Kettle as they were forever boiling up!.. the Rover installation is clearly better in that respect so there must be a difference there. However my issue was not with the overheating but the failure of an idler allowing the cam belt to slacken with disastrous results. The engine is a fairly complex 24 valve quad cam unit as you know and setting up the three drive belts really needs to be done on the bench with the two belts driving each pair of camshafts being set up on a jig. LR recommend that belt changes along with idler and water pump are undertaken at a set age but I don't know of anyone that has done this with a Freelander due to cost. Interestingly is the hours allowed for such job bib the main dealer are actually more with the engine in place than the unit removed. It was designed to drop out on a subframe from below so was relatively straightforward as engine removal goes but still a serious and costly job and one which considering it was only preventive was usually skipped. I bought mine from a main dealer and the attraction was that it was several £000s less than the higher mileage less well specd TD4 alongside and as my wife who was the main driver was a low mileage user the low 20s fuel consumption didn't matter considering the bargain it appeared to be. I should have shelled out more though and bought the excellent BMW engined 2 litre diesel (sorry!)..in the TD4 because at 53000 miles and with no warning the idler failed. Drove to the post office ok came out started it..fired then stopped. On recranking the thuds from below the bonnetv told all. I was advised to not even lift the bonnet by the cynical but to stick it on e bay for spares which with hindsight I should have done but I tried unsuccessfully to find garage to repair it and eventually did find an independent so called LR specialist who made a total ar*e of it. Biting off more than they could chew would best describe the fiasco and I eventually walked away and left it with them. I bought another!..yes I know.. but it really was such a sweet unit and I was convincing myself that I had been unlucky. Again it was top spec with only 15k miles and full history and from main dealer carried a 12 month warranty. It ran ok for nearly three years but at 35k it started mysteriously using water with no visible leaks. Presure testing showed nothing but I wasn't prepared to take the chance so it was traded…for a 'BMW Mini'..and thats my story from KV6 to BMW! As an aside I still run LRs myself and love them although I think this anti diesel lobby will make me even more of a pariah in the eyes of the eco hatch brigade. Anyway great to hear you have not experienced the difficulties I encountered and good luck with your Rovers.. Dave.

You are right in that so much has changed and we take for granted heated electric everything now but the downside is that there is usually a microprocessor controlling everything from the fan in the heater to the fuel rail and as you say many don't know what goes on under the bonnet. And when a problem arises the good old computer frightens the sh*t out of you with a warning chime and symbol suggesting the thing will Implode if you go any further and of course lifting the lid shows nothing as you need to plug in the laptop and download fault codes. Then comes the sore part when you have to shell out for some sealed box of an ecu or the like. It is of course progress as in engines now do many more miles between services last much longer and are amazingly clean and economical compared to my '73 Volvo and your 'B' which does sound nice and is down to amongst other thing much finer tolerances and better lubricants. In saying that I find working on even the newer of my two the Volvo a delight as there is really nothing you can't do and everything accessible. The Cresta is even more basic but the front drum brakes I could happily see far enough at times. All ancillaries bolt on and are easy reached..the box can be removed without any fancy tools and things like replacing a clutch is no more than a Sat afternoon and few skint knuckles. Interestingly the Volvo gave some trouble last year being difficult to start and guess what the only non standard component and the only piece of electronics was to blame..the after fit electronic ignition! I was on my way for an mot at the time so isolated the unit and stuck a set of points in and off it went. I love the simplicity of old cars and the B series engines are strong and reliable as you will obviously know but for everyday driving we expect to turn the key on a cold morning and the electronically controlled diesel or whatever fires immediately and sits dead on its tick over speed and pulls cleanly from cold…it also returns mpg figures which in relation to its power output would be mythical figures 50 years ago. Anyway I drive and appreciate modern technology but my heart is back with the classics hence the reason I have kept my two. Dave.

Do you seriously think anyone out there actually thinks its anything other than British? I'm sure the Germans would encourage you to display these stickers in fact if you asked they would probably print some and send you them free.. D.

As a footnote its interesting to see on that most British of cars the Range Rover brake callipers stamped BMW and the BMW propeller roundel on the underside of the 4.4 V8/auto box. There were many many more parts including the sdash layout and TV screen etc all lifted from the X5. The model was a 2004 when of course BMW owned same however it was still built in the UK by British workers so could be called British. It was of course a great car with a great engine unlike the previous BL inspired P38 model that nearly sunk the company with its dreadful build and reliability. Range Rovers are now probably the UKs biggest automotive export and the rest of the world can't get enough of them but I would suggest BMW kick started this by investing in the company and introducing the first properly screwed together model for decades to win back owners before they deserted the marque forever. Dave.

Yep I would say so and if its down to choosing BMW build quality theres no contest. We're not talking comparisons here which is a good job as one's a classic and the other a modern well built car. I've still got my old Vauxhall to remind me of what we accepted as ok with poor heating and demisting poor visibility in wet weather due to the wipers leaving more unwiped than the opposite and of course brakes and lights to ensure you kept your wits about you on a wet night. Given that lot and with no seatbelts and large metal switches protruding from the dash it's a wonder we lived to remember this 'golden age'. I love my Classics and travel to Essen every year for Europe's biggest show but on modern busy motorways most are out of their depth. Dave.

My old Cresta has found a welcome home at the Dundee Museum of Transport where it is currently on display but can be out on the road easily too. An excellent and friendly facility and well worth a visit. Another member of the family is my late dads Volvo 144S on the road and taxed (free!) and insured. Dave.

My Mk1 1600 Vitesse was a first car and getting on even then but it was very sweet. Twin Solex carbs made it reasonably lively but it was a good job it wasn't any faster because the unmodified Mk1 transverse leaf spring rear end could definitely catch an 18 year old out. What it did though along with most rear wheel drive cars of its day was to teach you to drive and how to interpret all the signs coming up through the seat. Todays small hatches with all their electronic driver aids allow drivers to charge on until they exceed the limits then its usually goodnight. A good Mk 2 is a great useable classic easy to maintain with olkenty of parts available and plenty performance for todays traffic…could talk myself into one if only I had the room. Dave.

The wifes Cooper s Countryman was manufactured in Austria and is 100% BMW.. and all the better for it. She had an original and lots of fun but build quality?.. Its an entirely different car of course and hardly a mini with the wheelbase within an inch of a Range Rover Sport..but drives like a proper Cooper S and certainly puts a smile on my face. And just to show I am not committed to all things modern my fair weather Sunday Classic. Dave.