Nice to see it's coming back together swiftly Haydn.

It's running

 

Just having a bit of trouble bleeding the coolant. Typical K-Series, either bleeds straight away or it can be a right pain in the ring piece. It's being a pain in the ring piece so I'll sort it tomorrow night. Left it with the expansion tank cap off for now, it might clear itself as it cools down. Maybe. Anyway, once that's sorted, it just needs a driveshaft swapping over and then it's good to go.

 

It's probably in a better state than me, the two hours sleep I had is catching up with me now, head hurts bad :(

Job done

 

Took 20 miles to de-glaze the brake pads and get a decent feeling back in the pedal but it's all good. Everything working and no leaks or bad noises. Pleased I am. Told you it'd be ready for How fast next weekend

Smart.

Nice picture from the Autosolo I did last Sunday. Nice bit of lift off oversteer

 

Got a little list of jobs to work through to get the car prepped for giving passenger rides at the Autosport show in a couple of weeks and an upcoming track day at the end of January.

 

First job was replace the torn cv boot

 

 

I then took all the front  suspension apart so that I could first put my new 25mm GTi front arb on. The standard 1400cc arb is only 19mm so a reasonable upgrade.

 

 

 

Front end has felt a bit floaty for a while so new lower arms have gone on too.

 

 

I had a bit of trouble getting one of the bolts back in on the n/s arm and got hurt when my pry bar slipped. The sharp bit hit me first and it's only just stopped bleeding after 4 hours.

 

 

 

Anyway, got it all back together and went for a successful test drive. Front end feels so much tighter and the comedy roll feels massively reduced

 

Still plenty to do, brake fluid needs changing, hand brake needs attention, interior needs removing, driver's seat rocks a bit so that needs looking at, exhaust is blowing and probably some other stuff too.

I love the Brisk Rover and the slightly bonkers bloke that drives it; my favourite combo from the Briskoda meet at Blyton Park earlier this year.

More progress today, no pictures today as I was a bit tight on time. Brake fluid changed, rear calipers cleaned up and handbrake sorted. Also found the exhaust was a bit wobbly. Out of 3 hangers, the back box was holding on by just one that looked a bit ropey. New hangers dug out of the garage so that's all sorted.

 

Wound healing nicely and the concussion has subsided now

 

Probably do a bit more tomorrow if I get out of bed at a sensible time.

Good to hear progress

Been a busy (and expensive) few weeks with this machine.

 

Broke the clutch at Oulton Park at the end of January

 

 

No problem, didn't need the car for a month so when Mardi Gras told me it would be 7 - 10 days for my Helix replacement to arrive, I wasn't too fussed. However, after three weeks, time was running out and a busy week at work meant I wasn't getting much chance in the evenings. As usual, nothing was straight forward and stripped threads on gearbox mountings didn't help. With a Road Rally looming, I ended up taking a day off work to work on it in day light. Anyway, got it done in time, new fast road clutch is good, for driving fast, bit on/off for normal driving. Made Rally, won it, great

 

Following Monday was MOT, passed with just one advisory for slight bit of play in steering rack. Even the emmisions are fine, better than fine actually, CO 0% at fast and natural idle and HC of just 7ppm. Cleanest engine I've ever had, let alone K series.

 

With a fresh MOT, I was very happy bunny until I came home from work two days later to find a massive wet puddle underneath the thing. Expansion bottle empty, checked all hoses and water pump but they were all good. Noticed front of the block was soaking wet, usually indcating bad things

 

Cleaned it up a bit and started the engine. That's when I noticed the coolant escaping from that seal between the block and head known as the Head Gasket. "Bugger and Aids" I said.

 

So, off came the head

 

 

Whilst the head was off, I thought I'd change the little gasket behind this lumpy jobby behind the inlet cam spocket as that had a very slight weep. I have learned that as long as it's not ****ing oil out, leave it bolted up as the lumpy jobby is lumpy because it contains a load of complicated cammed and slidy bits for controlling the VVC stuff. That took me about two hours to research and reset.

 

Anyway, once I sorted that and all surfaces were cleaned up, the new, uprated Multi Layer steel gasket went on with new head bolts and new strengthened oil rail for them to bolt into. Rebuilt everything and turned key. Fired straight up and ran fine. Took ages to get the coolant bled though but eventually all bubbled out and got heat out of the heaters. Test drive good apart from one of my brand new camshaft oil seals was duff and started leaking. Cam sprocket off, seal reaplaced again and all good.

 

Took it to the Mids meet in Coventry and made it there with all levels and temps staying stable and nothing falling off. Was supposed to be doing an Autosolo yesterday, but I withdrew my entry as I'd rather get some miles on the new gasket before any abuse. Completed a total of 260 miles over the whole weekend and so far so good so hopefully should be ok for the next Road Rally this coming Friday :clap:

 

That's all for now, until I break it again

Well two months on the new clutch and I haven't been overly happy with it. Still very juddery. I was expecting a bit of judder with it being a performance clutch,but it's just not getting better. I was sort of thinking maybe the flywheel is warped so I've whipped the box off again today and found the issue. One of the locating bits has snapped off the release bearing causing it to bounce about. It's buggered.

 

 

Fortunately, the release bearings are available separately, just hope it doesn't take as long to come as the clutch did in the first place.

 

While it's all apart, I'm gonna put my lightened flywheel on

 

 

It's 5lb lighter than the standard one weighing just 9.2lb.

 

Can't put it on just yet though as when I undid the first flywheel bolt, a nice dribble of oil came out so I'm ordering a new crankshaft seal.

 

 

I did manage to put some new discs on the front, that I found in my Dad's attic, along with a fresh set of Tarox Corsa pads.

 

 

And while I was doing brakes, the lower caliper sliders were dry and seized so they got a good clean and grease up and are now sliding freely

 

 

 

So, it sits on the drive in pieces while I wait for parts to come. Nothing new there and there's still plenty of time before the national meet at Rockingham

I must get a ride in this at the national. Wanted to at Bedford.

I must get a ride in this at the national. Wanted to at Bedford.

 

You should've said mate, you'd be more than welcome.

 

Get in early to avoid disappointment as there's going to be 3 of us driving the thing so passenger rides will be available but not as plentiful as at Blyton park.

The last couple of days have been very productive. Got the new crank seal on last night along with the flywheel and clutch back on. I picked up my new release bearing this morning so that was the last piece of the puzzle. Box went back on very easily and I even got all the suspension back together without hurting myself. Then a fresh set of pads on the back and it's all tip top again. Clutch is working as it should now and I won an auction on Ebay this morning for a set of Federal RSR tyres so the car has just done a 100 mile round trip and everything is still where it should be.

 

I think it's actually ready for Rockingham with 3 weeks to go

I must get a ride in this at the national. Wanted to at Bedford.

I am not brave enough to get in the Rover with Haydn..         

I am not brave enough to get in the Rover with Haydn..         

 

Last rider said it was "relaxing"

We will see, I may hassle you for a lift at Rockingham.    Just a lap or two.

I giggle like a kid all the way round (helmet smashing against the door...)

Time for an update I suppose.

 

June saw the National meet at Rockingham.

 

 

All went well, good fun was had and the worst thing that happened was a cv boot popped off so I put it back on with a bigger cable tie which is still holding.

It drove onto the trailer at the end of the day rather than needing to be winched so that was a big bonus

 

After Rockingham, I didn't do a lot with the car for a while due to a slight change of circumstances at home which took up a fair chunk of time and money.

 

Once that got sorted and I got back on my feet I did an autosolo at Kemble airfield. Weather was very changable but I had a great bit of play time

 

 

 

After the solo at Kemble came a road rally which went rather well as we won. Then I did another Autosolo at Finmere, North Oxfordshire. Was only out for a bit of a play but came away with 3rd overall out of 41 competitors. Even did my bit for international relations as we had some visitors from the Japanese Autosport Federation who've never seen an Autosolo before.

 

 

That solo hurt it a bit though as I really was pushing it hard. It finished off the steering rack, which had a little bit of play, but now had a lot of play and turning the wheel was a bit like putting in a request that may get responded to.

 

So in has gone a new rack along with new track rods and ends and it's been at ATS this morning t have the wheel alignment set up and a new set of Michelin PS3 tyres. (Less than £60 each fitted for 15" )

 

Last night I found the source of a front end knock. R/H strut top nut had come slightly loose

 

 

And then this morning I managed to undo the N/S hub nut using just my fingers.

 

 

 

So with all my nuts now checked and tightened properly, new boots and all wheels pointing in the same direction, it's handling absolutely perfectly again

 

Think that's it for now, next weekend is a road rally and an Autosolo. Hopefully it'll survive

That trailer came in handy at Rockingham, for me anyway

Probably time for an update being as it's still refusing to die

 

I'm competing in the CMSG Autosolo Championship again this year so as per the rules, the full interior has gone back in. But before the championship started I had a little practice entering a Production Car Autotest. Runs on the same course as the Autosolo, but in a PCA, you must carry a passenger. This meant that my new girlfriend could have a go to. She did well driving but as a navigator she's crap. All she does is sit there and giggle.

 

 

 

After the PCA, the gearbox was really showing signs that it was on the way out. 2nd gear was proving very difficult to get into and whenever you put the clutch down whilst reversing, everything locked up. Being as I had a spare gearbox in the garage, I rebuilt that with a brand new Torsen Type A lsd and then fitted that. I changed the clutch at the same time as my year old Helix Fast Road clutch was down to the rivets. Wasn't very impressed with that.

 

 

 

The first round went very well, coming away with my first overall Autosolo win despite the timing being two teeth out on one half of the inlet cams. That only happened as I'd had the pulleys off the day before to replace the oil seals and rushed putting it back together. I also had a reasonable oil leak from a hairline crack in the oil filter housing. That was fixed the following week along getting it ready for it's MOT which it passed with only advisories on tyres.

Conditions were tricky but I kept it neat, quick and tidy on the way to winning by a comfortable 16 seconds.

 

 

After the MOT I was gutted to notice a small bit of coolant weeping out from between the head and block. I really couldn't be bothered with spending the time and money on replacing the head gasket again so I poured in a bottle of K Seal. Some people say that stuff should never go anywhere near a K Series engine but it's not leaking anymore so I really don't care

 

Round two also went well, a result of a class win and 3rd O/A despite the rear silencer falling off.

 

 

 

Round 3 bagged me another class win and 4th O/A this time but not without issues. 1st run of test2 saw the cabin starting to fill up with smoke. I couldn't see any flames so stayed on max attack and got a decent time. When I got to the finish line, quite a bit of oil was dripping onto the exhaust from somewhere. Turned out to be a driveshaft trying to escape the gearbox. I clicked it back in and the next run was fine. The 3 run then went very bad. There was a flapping noise as I left the start line and then I lost power steering. The alternator belt had disintigrated and took the power steering belt with it. No power steering resulted in a run that was 4 seconds slower so good job I already got two decent times in and that run could be dropped from my final score.

I always carry spare drive belts in my tool box so it was all fixed up before the next test and then it all ran faultlessly for the rest of the day.

 

Think that's about it for now, just gotta see how long it holds together.

Good to see it still going strong

Good to see it still going strong

 

I wouldn't say strong, just still going. Just.

Well it's still going and is definitely getting good results.

 

2nd O/A at last weekend's autosolo

 

little video here:

 

Well I think it's it's time for an update.

 

The car has cost me a bit of money this year with things starting to break at a little too regular rate and I think today might have finally sealed it's fate. Whilst pulling out of a busy junction it made the obligatory bang crunchy crunchy noise and lost drive. Hazards on and pushed out of the way with the help of a friendly passer by. Walked home to get the Skoda and dragged the stricken Rover back across town.

Something's gone again in the gearbox and I can't really justify rebuilding it all again. Particularly as I found a couple of slightly concerning cracks in the chassis last night.

Need to think with my head and not my heart this time so currently looking at BMW 3 series compacts as I've been hankering after rear wheel drive for a while.

 

Feeling sad but it's done more than anyone could have expected it to do in the 6 years I've owned it. Hopefully the replacement can bring as big a smile to my face as the mighty Rover.

 

Edited 27 November, 20169 yr by niceyellow vrs