Spent the day squirting loads of Dinitrol into the SD1's cavities. Used a small compressor (briefcase size) I got from Lidl. Just about adequate pressure/flow for the gun which came with the Dinitrol kit. The wax is about twice as much in aerosol form, so the difference paid for the compressor. ;-) Just hope I've reached all the corners and seams.
How many SD1s are there still running around? I worked on the new paintshop built for them, many years ago, and then left to work in the US, so never saw any SD1s on the road. I haven't seen one since being back here for nearly four years now. Did they all rot away, or what?
Given that the paint was apparently stuck on with spittle, almost certainly.
There are approx 1500 still taxed at least for part of the year and many more on SORN. So not really rare, yet.
They were sold for a couple of years in the US, and quite a few still survive.
The early ones were particularly bad. I believe it was an early experiment with water based paint. But without a decent acid etch primer to kill any mild surface rust on the new panels. My late car used cellulose, surprisingly.
Thanks for the info. I never saw any in the US, but it's a very big place.
The area I was in was the paint ovens. The first item baked in the Reflow Oven was the exhaust manifold for my project at the time, a Daimler SP250. Thankfully, I had nothing to do with Body Prep. or Spraying!
Nowhere near enough to be common. That they were sold by Jaguar dealers (I assume just after the amalgamation) didn't help, as many didn't try very hard. They had an early version of the Lucas injection which I'd guess few in the US understood.
The SD1 club has a couple of very active US members. It may well have more who keep quiet. ;-)
It would be interesting to know just why the paint was so bad. Some had the clearcoat falling off weeks after purchase.
I've no doubt the management spending most of their time trying to bash the unions, and the unions doing the reverse didn't allow much left to spend on actually making the things.
I loved my SD1, but boy-oh-boy was it badly put together. I'm mulling over a post-retirement classic - I think I might put an SD1 on the list.
(Although the current leader is a 928.)
I can't help in that department, I'm afraid. But early tests with water-based paint everywhere were fraught with problems, so that may well have been part of it. That still would not explain bad assembly, which indeed could be down to management/union animosity. Or just bad design of the assembly line. I once watched an attempt in the US to speed up a running line, and the line workers were trying their best, but literally could not keep up with the conveyor. Eventually the whole thing ground to a halt, and restarted at the earlier speed. I left the SD1 plant before it went into production, I was needed in Turin. But while at Rover, I and my boss did take the SP250 around the test track one Sunday, it had no security!
There's rather a lot which is just poor design/materials.
The instrument cover, door cards and headlining former are all made out of some form of particle board (cardboard sort of stuff) moulded to intricate shapes. And all attempt to go back to their natural state.
The door cards in particular have a 'rolled over' edge which tends to try and go flat resulting in the card jamming on the frame and ripping off when you open the door - as shown on Top gear. But can be DIY fixed - if you catch it before the card is destroyed.
Roof lining former and instrument cover are now available in glass fibre.
Most of the body panels and mechanicals are easily available at reasonable prices. They're no worse for rot than most of that age - and better than many. But very good ones don't often come up for sale. Lots and lots of not bad ones - but the problem is they cost more to sort the body and paint than it costs to buy a really good one - rather the same as most 'ordinary' classics. Different matter if you can DIY bodywork welding and painting, though. They are quite easy to work on.
Yeah, it had been "cost engineered" to death.
They did a few weird things during the production run. Changed from a fairly normal central locking system which worked from either front door to one which only worked from the driver's door. And had no motor in that. So couldn't work with an added remote without modification. Also changed the stainless steel foglights to painted steel ones which rusted while you watched.
"Cost engineering", both.
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