The Dark Wob

Thinking I might be getting one next. I know there is quite a lot of knowledge with these on here.

As I'm a moth to a MAP blow torch flame so it's will be a project. A bodywork project.

But it's cheap.

Anyway I want to know more about the P4 as I don't really know much about them. What I do know is that the engines and body is rather different to what I'm used to with my previous BMC/BL/Moderns. To fix that I need to do some reading.

What books are there and what is recommended literacy material? Max knowledge in little time is preferred.

Classics Monthly had a P4 project recently, this is from the Aug 22 synopsis:

"work continues on the TR7, Rover P4 and Reliant Regal projects."

https://www.roverp4dg.org.uk/index.php

Cros will be a good reference point on here too.
Brandersnatch ran them daily too.

mercrocker wrote: ↑Mon Feb 13, 2023 4:44 pm https://www.roverp4dg.org.uk/index.php

Cros will be a good reference point on here too.
Brandersnatch ran them daily too.

Yeah I plan to sign up to the drivers guild soon once I have the car agreed and land on my driveway. Just waiting for pictures before I give the final nod.

What this means is I'll receive the pictures, see the rot, nod and have it anyway.
If it looks more than a weekend or two work, it'll get dumped into storage immediately. Otherwise the plan (as always) is to get it into a usable state that I can drag it in/out of storage under its own power.

I know it's a project but as it's body on frame and tatty, less guilt in slapping a patch over holes in body. It's a sub 1k car delivered. I really can't get precious over it.

Also need to figure how and when I'm going to break it to the other half...
I better get the drive cleared first. It's valentines day tomorrow too.

It’s a cheap car. The Cambridge stood me at a grand delivered and that P4 appears to need less work, it’s certainly been on the road a lot more recently.
I don’t know a lot about P4s. I’ve ridden as a passenger in a later one (110 I think it was) and it was very comfortable as you’d expect.
There’s a dealer in secondhand P4 bits, Richard’s Rovers, who lives not far from me in Lincolnshire, and appears to have pretty much everything.

SiC wrote: ↑Mon Feb 13, 2023 5:24 pm
It's valentines day tomorrow too.

Perfect present then.

You will find it far superior to all the old BL rubbish. These were built when Rovers were a decent car. They were called aunties for a reason though due to the sedate driving experience though. Expect rattles and creaks as normal and wandering handling is pretty much a given. That IOEV engine is quite an interesting thing and can run really sweetly. Expect it to have an interesting smell inside as they pretty much all do at this age and if your mrs is anything like mine she won't be a fan. They are old cars and need treating gently and will do everything you will ever want just don't try to rush it. I have only had the 6 cylinder versions and even sold one to a German guy who drove it home from Essex to Hamburg. I wouldn't have another though as the 3 litre or P6 are both nicer cars as long as they are pre BL. The difference in quality was noticable on the P6's I had.
Also at under a grand it is a no brainer just don't go stripping it down and rebuilding it just get it roadworthy and experience a bygone age.

Prod it, sweep up and donate the exterior door handles to the Reliant cause.

I’ve said before I loved both of mine. Motoring not driving. I did, with help, change the knackered engine on the 100. It was huge! Stood on its sump it came up to my hip. Hopefully you won’t have to mess around like that.
I put new Barum crossplys on it too. New tyres always make a car much better. I think a lot of them are on radials nowadays which apparently makes the steering even heavier.
Lovely old things. Don’t mess about with it too much, get it safe and drive it.

My stepdad had one when they were just 'old cars' and his was... It was a 110 (I think) and I loved it even though it was really very tatty in most places outside but the interior was lovely and smelt great even then. It used to lock the brakes on randomly in traffic and you had to park it where it stopped (usually in the most inconvenient places!) until it cooled down/got fed up hanging around and would free itself off and off you'd go again. I was always surprised at how lively it was, it went well for a bloody old heap but that could have been down to the diet of constant thrashing the old man gave it, 100 mph past the old Ferrari concessionaires on the Egham (?) bypass with Ferrari Daytona's and 365GTCs flying about and being hassled by ancient Auntie Rovers!

It had a beautifully smooth sounding engine though I knew nothing about engines and what inlet over, side exhaust meant, I had no idea. Sounded much quieter/smoother than my old girls 420 Jag but wasn't as quick...

Brian (my stepdad) always reckoned that if the vanes in the rad grill were loose at the bottom then the chassis was fooked. Sounds a tad like bollox to me but... Suicide rear doors were fantastic! It had a great long wavy wand gear lever that was all chrome and bakelite headed perfection, like an early Mini's with added class.

I really liked that car and was very upset when it went off to be made into bean tins or whatever and he got a P5B Coupe that was the canines conkers and went like stink. I think I preferred the P5 but only 'cos it had a rev counter and other gauges below the pod and a rev counter (sorry, tachometer) is obligatory in any halfway decent motor car