Mr Whippy
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| posted on 3/11/08 at 10:52 AM |
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P4 Rover, whats one like?
What are they like? There’s one sitting along side a house nearby for the last 2 years at least and although never been worked on and definitely an
abandoned project car, looks in extremely sound condition. Even if the engine was knackered or missing I have a v6 and a type 9 ready to bolt in. I’ve
read that they are remarkably robust cars. Anyone got or had one? Does it have a column or stick shift?
looks very like this one -
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Peteff
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| posted on 3/11/08 at 11:08 AM |
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My great grandad had one 
They had a pre select column change with a fluid flywheel, probably similar to some of the buses you've driven.
yours, Pete
I went into the RSPCA office the other day. It was so small you could hardly swing a cat in there.
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mookaloid
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| posted on 3/11/08 at 11:23 AM |
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I had a ride in one once - it had a knob on the dashboard which you had to wind to put it into 'freewheel mode'  for down hills to save
fuel.
You then had to wind the knob back in to re-engage drive!
It would be a fun car to have but it would be heavy and would need some attention to the suspension if it was ever going to handle 
"That thing you're thinking - it wont be that."
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Mr Whippy
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| posted on 3/11/08 at 11:28 AM |
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quote:
Originally posted by mookaloid
I had a ride in one once - it had a knob on the dashboard which you had to wind to put it into 'freewheel mode' for down hills to save
fuel.
You then had to wind the knob back in to re-engage drive!
It would be a fun car to have but it would be heavy and would need some attention to the suspension if it was ever going to handle
hmm sounds a right dodgy system that, think I'd rather use my own engine and gear box. Quick look on the web shows a simple landrover type
chassis well suited to an engine conversion. Think I'll go up tonight and speak to the guy. Fancy doing a lowered custom cruser job on it in
metalic purple and some nice alloys and a set of sidepipes
this red one looks ok but needs to be lower -
[Edited on 3/11/08 by Mr Whippy]
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splitrivet
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| posted on 3/11/08 at 11:51 AM |
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My dad used to have one, just about made it from one filling station to the next.
Cheers,
Bob
I used to be a Werewolf but I'm alright nowwoooooooooooooo
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Mr Whippy
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| posted on 3/11/08 at 11:52 AM |
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quote:
Originally posted by splitrivet
My dad used to have one, just about made it from one filling station to the next.
Cheers,
Bob
I'd run it on LPG...
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x_flow57
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| posted on 3/11/08 at 12:08 PM |
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I've had a few.
They didn't call them an Aunty Rover for nothing. Heavy, slow, cumbersome & by hell do they rust!
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Mr Whippy
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| posted on 3/11/08 at 12:12 PM |
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quote:
Originally posted by x_flow57
by hell do they rust!
anywhere in particular?
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x_flow57
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| posted on 3/11/08 at 12:20 PM |
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Just about everywhere  it's a classic british car, chassis, sills, floors etc etc.
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MikeR
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| posted on 3/11/08 at 12:21 PM |
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Bloke in the office has two (he's been making one into a runner for years but never bothers working on it).
Its de-dion rear, handles bumps well and cruises would be how he'd describe it. Has things like intermittent wipe - based on using a vacuum!
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Mr Whippy
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| posted on 3/11/08 at 12:52 PM |
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quote:
Originally posted by x_flow57
Just about everywhere it's a classic british car, chassis, sills, floors etc etc.
hmm true, but this one is a bit odd, it's amazingly straight looking and only shows some surface rust on one half of a bumper. Worth a further
look me thinks.
cheers.
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jimmyjoebob
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| posted on 3/11/08 at 06:49 PM |
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My mate has had several of these. First thing he would do when buying them is to strip the kingpins out and clean out all the grease. The steering is
transformed when they are oiled as this is what they were designed for!
Great cars for smoking around in!
If at first you don't succeed, hide all evidence you ever tried!
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britishtrident
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| posted on 3/11/08 at 07:37 PM |
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With the exception of the Land-Rover powered Rover 80 the engine was an over head inlet side exhaust (IOE) with an alloy head. The entry model 60
was a 4 cylinder all the rest (apart from the 80) were straight 6.
Gear change was via remote on the bottom of the dashboard.
The top model the 110 produced a claimed 123 bhp which made it faster than the contemporary 2.4 Jag.
The handling wasn't that bad either most of the chassis and suspension components were re-used in the 3 Litre P5 and the 3.5 V8 P5B.
Steering was lighter and more precise than the directly competing Humber Hawk & Superb Snipe.
The car in the picture looks like one of the lower priced models perhaps an 80 or 75.
The IOE engine was produced well in to the late 1970s for the original 1 ton model Land-Rover and 109 Station wagon so spares are still
available.
[Edited on 3/11/08 by britishtrident]
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David Jenkins
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| posted on 3/11/08 at 07:38 PM |
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My dad had a 1953 Rover 100 (P4), and I drove it for a while.
Expect 13 - 15 mpg for a 100 model (2.6 litre straight 6, single BIG SU carb). Conventional 4-speed gearbox, with an overdrive switch on the column
(4th gear only). Heavy, reasonable to drive, comfortable.
The chassis is a twin rail ladder with HUGE members. The body is mostly skinned in aluminium, with steel wings - so rust between panels is a risk.
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britishtrident
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| posted on 3/11/08 at 07:45 PM |
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quote:
Originally posted by MikeR
Bloke in the office has two (he's been making one into a runner for years but never bothers working on it).
Its de-dion rear, handles bumps well and cruises would be how he'd describe it. Has things like intermittent wipe - based on using a vacuum!
Live rear axle --- leaf springs very much the same as a a Series 1 or Series 2 Landy.
[I] “ What use our work, Bennet, if we cannot care for those we love? .”
― From BBC TV/Amazon's Ripper Street.
[/I]
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britishtrident
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| posted on 3/11/08 at 07:48 PM |
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quote:
Originally posted by Peteff
My great grandad had one
They had a pre select column change with a fluid flywheel, probably similar to some of the buses you've driven.
Think you might be confusing it with a Daimler or Lanchester which used the Wilson Pre-selector box -- Rover used a conventional transmissions.
[Edited on 3/11/08 by britishtrident]
[I] “ What use our work, Bennet, if we cannot care for those we love? .”
― From BBC TV/Amazon's Ripper Street.
[/I]
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David Jenkins
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| posted on 3/11/08 at 07:53 PM |
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Originally my dad had a Rover 90 - that had a 4-cylinder engine, conventional 4-speed box and a strange free-wheel device operated by a large knob on
the dash (maybe what he was thinking about). It wasn't a pre-select box, but the free-wheel meant that you could change gear without using the
clutch - but it was a slow change, so using the clutch was quicker.
It was quite scary, as all I'd driven before was an old mini - a 2-ton car with no engine braking was an 'interesting' experience!
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britishtrident
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| posted on 3/11/08 at 07:57 PM |
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This is a true British classic a quality car don't molest it --- really not something to ar*e with crappy Ford engine & box
[I] “ What use our work, Bennet, if we cannot care for those we love? .”
― From BBC TV/Amazon's Ripper Street.
[/I]
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