11 replies to this topic

[Jacinto]

As I already mentioned somewhere in my Rover 213's thread (http://www.redpepper...showtopic=54035), my dad ended up buying another one.

 

This happened right after someone making some (minor) damage to my car, when it was parked just outside my home (in college, where I have no garage). I wasn't able to identify who did it.

 

 

 

I was so pissed off, that I called my dad and said I didn't want the 213 to be my daily drive anymore. If this happened, something worse could happen, and I didn't want to risk it. So, he said he would see what he could do.

 

In the meanwhile, he saw one ad, with a pre-restyled version of the Rover 213SE (mine is a post-restyle). This was it (these photos actually are from the ad):

 

 

 

 

 

 

The next thing I knew, he was calling me, to say the he bought it (without even seeing in the flesh). I was very very cheap (just under 200€), once the timing belt broke.

 

This would be very good as a donor car, and so I could be more relaxed about using my 213 every day.

 

Just two days remaining for 25th December (2012), and Santa arrived at my place:

 

 

[Jacinto]

We looked at the car for the first time, and thought it was very tidy to be a donor car... So... Let the work begin.

 

 

We had an extra EV2 engine, which came from my 213 when the D14A1 went in.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And so he came back to life.

 

 

(Sorry about the low quality of the vids)

Edited by Jacinto, 07 August 2014 - 01:35 PM.

[CRXer87hf]

That's quite a clean donor car.  I say, get that running and use it for your daily, and take out your baby on weekends! 

[Jacinto]

After that, the exhaust leak was eliminated. It was on the rear right silencer.

 

I had these fitted on mine, and it cost me 140€. Almost as much as this car!

 

This was the new rear set on my 213.

 

 

 

 

 

And so, knowing this is a budget project, what did my brother do? He elliminated faulty silencer (I have to say, with wasn't a job made with care... It was just for him to try and see how he could work with exhaust systems. In the meanwhile, he perfected his skills, and now I do want him to make me a custom rear section!). Now, at the rear, the Cooper has just one silencer... And I must say, it makes quite a good noise (not one of those rice car ones... It has a low tone, vibrant one). It is a shame the engine can't keep up with the growl!

 

And so, we got it back on its wheels, and gave it a bath:

 

 

 

On my brother's girlfrien helped me with the interior!

 

Driver's side, before cleaning:

 

 

Passenger side, after:

 

 

 

This is how he sounded... But I have to say that the camera's microphone couldn't cope with it. It sounds better "in the flesh"

 

[soycory]

I like the gauge cluster with the cool 80's squares....

[Jacinto]

That's quite a clean donor car.  I say, get that running and use it for your daily, and take out your baby on weekends! 

It sure is... But I'll get to that

And so, he was ready for the annual inspection.

 

 

 

 

And he brought home a green, clean paper! Which means he passed destinctively!

 

So, we had to make space for him in our home garage...

 

 

 

But then, we had some problems with it. First, thanks to the leaking radiator. We had an extra rad, supposedly to be fitted to my car.

 

Then, the thermostat decided to remain close, so he started to overheat. That was also sorted out and I managed to have some fun in it...

 

 

But then, it isn't a low mileage car, so, I always forgave all his bad behaviour.

 

 

Then, I fitted the black numberplates, which came in Portuguese cars before 1992 (once the letters went from the left side of the plate to the right side, also incorporating the EU logo with a P (standing for Portugal) in it). It looks so much better with the old plates!

 

[Jacinto]

I like the gauge cluster with the cool 80's squares....

 

Well... I have to say it looks cool, but I am a bit tired of it. Mainly after seeing this gauge cluster:

 

 

(Sorry SiRedge for "borrowing" your picture)

 

I do like those dials (illuminated, I suppose) and round-ish surroundings!

 

---------


The radiator replacement:

 

 

 

Then, he went to the annual inspection, which he passed once again... But just when arriving home, this happened:

 

 

 

So, the new rad lasted only about 10-15kms. Only the distance between my home and the inspection centre, and back. But he ended up being repaired.

 

And then... Another coolant leak. This time, from the steel pipe behind the engine, under the carb manifold. I previously went to Honda to get a new one, but they told me the car was "far too old for them to source spares". But luckily, the Rover parts distributor could get me one in two days time.

 

But still, after that... Bad news, again. There was too much pressure on the cooling system, so, probably it had an head gasket failure.

 

Another video of the exhaust sound:

 

 

But while he wasn't getting repaired, I tried to initiate on the detailing world.

 

The paint was decontaminated, washed, polished (with the 1Z trio), washed again and waxed!

 

 

 

I didn't notice the paint was getting a little bit "matt", until I polished it.

 

 

And also, I discovered that this car has been previously painted... More than once. At the back, it has the oldest paint, and probably the original. The finishing quality is better on this one.

 

Then, from the front fenders until the rear doors, there's a different layer. It is very, very similar to the rear, but you can notice the difference under the light, in some angles. It also looks good.

Finally, at the front, there is a rubbish paint. We already saw that the car had an accident, thanks to the non original fenders... But the paint quality is terrible! And also, it is quite different from the rest of the car.

 

During the initial polishing phase:

 

 

After:

 

 

[Jacinto]

The final result (with the Honda Concerto hubcaps )

 

 

 

You can see what I mean about the paint at the front:

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Jacinto]

The HGF repair:

 

 

 

 

And when it was done, and since my 213 wasn't road legal at the time, I had to try it.

 

 

 

But then, he refused to start, out of nowhere! And when we got him to start, he had a terrible misfire.

 

 

It turned out to be the intake manifold gasket, which was damaged. But this was replaced when it had the HGF... Anyway, with this sorted, the engine went back to its own smoothness.

[Jacinto]

He was ready just before the MG-Rover Clube de Portugal National Meeting... And I went there with it, even not "test driving" him before.

 

 

 

 

 

 

This ended up not being my daily drive, because... I couldn't spot driving my 213 every day. That was my car, and as much as I said that I couldn't see him being tortured by other careless drivers/pedestrians on my daily routes, I also can't be without driving him during long periods of time.

 

And also, my dad actually liked this 213, the "Copper" as he calls him due to its colour, so, he is the one driving it.

But this month I will have to drive on roads with bad pavement (this is, when there is pavement at all), so, I will borrow it.

 

I would like this car to have a more "sporty" upgrade, someday. I like my 213 for being a compromise, even though the rear suspension is a bit too hard... More of a looker, and less of a "goer"... But this one, I would like to be all go and no show.

 

In my head there are lost of ideas. The main one is doing something different and not going for a Honda engine. I dream about a 2.0 Turbo, from the Rover 220 Coupe turbo:

 

 

But maybe it is "too much" for it, and the swap wouldn't be, at all, an easy task! That's why, until I have tim€ for it, this project will remain a budget daily drive. And I hope one day I can get on with the full project

[CRXer87hf]

Nice work, and great pics!  I dig those cars!

[Jacinto]

Nice work, and great pics!  I dig those cars!

 

Thank you!

If you want, I could post a pre vs post-restyle comparison I made. The pre-restyled versions (85-86) are pretty much like the Civics (except for wood inserts, green instrument illumination, Rover seats, and other tiny details), but the post-restyle ones (87-89, but some of them were sold only in 1990) have more similarities with the next generation Rover 200/400 (or Honda Concerto). I must say, it almost doesn't feel that it is the same car!