Buying a Rover P6

OK, I don't need one of these, but it's local and cheap so I figured I may as well have a look. Several MOT fail points are listed, most of which sound straightforward. The one I'm less sure about is "Offside rear hub universal joint gaiter requires replacing (rubber cracked)" Anyone know if this is an easy job, or one that requires lots of dismantling, industrial sized hub pullers and the like?

I know to check the body frame for rot, not just the outer panels, but are there any other potentially expensive problem areas? Car is a

2000TC, but fitted with a single carb for some reason.

There's also mention of a blowing exhaust manifold, suggesting it just needs a gasket, but I remember changing the manifold on a friend's

2200TC once because it had cracked badly. We had to reject two scrapyard ones before finding a sound one, suggesting that these are a weak point. Am I right?

I'm heading over this evening (Tuesday) so any tips arriving beforehand will be gratefully received. Thanks.

Reply to
Willy Eckerslyke
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That's reassuring, thanks.

Definitely. A web search suggests that the inboard brakes are far easier to work on than is often assumed, which is nice.

I was told that the previous owner had fitted it as an unleaded conversion, and remember reading on here once that the TC didn't like running on anything less than 5* fuel. The lack of originality is a shame, but I could live with it. And it would be an advantage if I ever went for an LPG conversion...

I had a very good look. Nothing to worry about, I could hardly even hear it blowing. Also, it appears to be wearing the SC's manifold which looks a simpler affair than what I remembered of the TC.

Incidentally, I didn't realise the undersides of these were so streamlined. At first I assumed someone had plated the floorpan, but it looked too genuine for that. I'm talking about the curvy panels below the seats, where other cars are all channels and folds.

Reply to
Willy Eckerslyke

Early TCs had a high compression ratio designed for 5 Star, but then so did early V-8s. And IIRC, the compression on the four is determined solely by the pistons, and the TC was certainly still made after the change to 4- Star only.

Yes - IIRC the entire top of the engine is different. Perhaps the exhaust system too. The TC had quite a bit more power than the SC.

Yes - it's pretty smooth. The first place rust usually shows is inside the car at the joint between the floor and sills - you'll have to peel back the carpets to check. Many are crudely plated here. The other thing is the original jacking points. If these are sound, there's a good chance everything is. Few bother to repair them even when doing a 'good' job on the inner sills.

Reply to
Dave Plowman

This is a 2000TC from '72. Would it be the 2200TC (from '73 onwards?) that came after the change to four star?

I peeled back the carpets as much as I felt I could with the owner watching. What I could see looked sound, so even if it does need work, it should be well within my capabilities (I hope). One visible area of rust was a small hole below the pedals. The dented floor adjoining it suggested some twit had tried jacking it there. The cover sills and jacking points looked pretty horrid. If I get the car, I won't be able to resist removing the covers and investigating before long.

I suppose the other way of looking at it is, how many cheap examples of P6s are likely to be sound in these areas? The last one I looked at properly was a friends 2200TC when it was about ten years old!

Reply to
Willy Eckerslyke

Youch! Thanks for the tip. I'll check again very carefully before parting with any dosh.

Reply to
Willy Eckerslyke

Ah well, it's all immaterial anyway as I didn't get it. I reckoned that once MOT'd and recommissioned it would be worth 500 or so, hence paying anything over 250 and then having to do the work on it and probably replace all the tyres would be cutting it fine. It went for 271 pounds, hopefully not to the guy who the seller told me was intending to switch plates making his younger P6 tax exempt!

It was this one:

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photos are flattering, it doesn't look quite that good. If one of you bought it, good luck.

Thanks for the tips, everyone else. Hopefully they'll be of use to someone. Or perhaps me, when the next one comes along.

Reply to
Willy Eckerslyke

Reply to
Elizabeth Hall

Thanks, Elizabeth. I'm not really that serious about a P6 at the moment, just tempted by the low price and relatively easy jobs needed to improve that particular example. In the long term, I'd definitely like one, but have a few other projects to sort out first.

Reply to
Willy Eckerslyke

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