DarthDude · Nov 28, 2020

brianp38dse said:
Ouch thats a lot, what you need is someone who works out there now and again who can bring bits over in there luggage

Would you believe it if I said it'll still be cheap, landed, compared to what Land Rover Malaysia would charge me for one (not that they have any in stock or will ever bring in additional stock- I asked)?

By the time it gets here and I've paid all the import duties and everything, I'll be down the equivalent of £300. If I went and bought STC3345 over the counter at Land Rover Malaysia, it's the equivalent of £700, the last time they had one in stock.

With these parts prices, it's no surprise that most remaining P38s in this country are running coil springs and 2JZ engines.... and from my perspective- utterly worthless. One of my buddies foolishly sold his DSE to buy a 4.6 HSE Vogue... and after a year of wrestling with it, threw in the towel, transplanted a 2JZ engine in there and buggered it up completely. IIRC the location of the 2JZ's output shaft obliged him to run the longshaft diagnoally across the bottom of the P38, meaning the car had to be permanently lifted with coil springs and spacers fitted. It looked like a monster truck and couldn't get into any multistorey carparks. Couldn't go offroad either because of the limited ground clearance to the longshaft, even though it was ridiculously lifted.

He then gave up completely and invited me to make an offer for it... which I did... and which I think offended him because we haven't spoken an awful lot since then. Apparently he's been very busy.

domino · Nov 28, 2020

Enthusiastman said:
Nothing. I now decided to keep away from P38,s as they are cursed. LOL

Probably best.

Dopey · Nov 28, 2020

DarthDude said:
I dunno what the market is like over there but I have never heard of a "minter" P38 that ran any length of time without giving some sort of trouble.

These cars are now WELL past their design lifespans and mechanical and electrical troubles of some description or other is par for the course and even if it doesn't have any gremlins lurking around upon delivery, it'll develop some in very short order.

If it were me contemplating the purchase of a P38 today, I'd look for a mint interior, no rust, no mods, non-leaking EAS (drops no more than 1cm in 24 hours when parked with engine off), all electrical toys in good order, no blue or white smoke from the exhaust (no black either if a v8), a diesel if possible... no obvious mechanical issues, and take my chances with the rest.

This isn't a car like, say... an E30 BMW or R129 Mercedes where you focus on getting a minter in the expectation that it'll demand no more than good maintenance and the occasional repair to keep running. They demand much more from their owners than that.

As soon as I drove mine out of the stealership it had troubles, they all did they had trouble built into them, I drove a lot of them new (I worked for Virgin Atlantic) and all the top hoses went on them at the start, don't know why I bought one tbh, I knew they had problems.... sometime we just never learn

Dopey · Nov 28, 2020

@brianp38dse managed to change the shower pump, and its working fine Yay!!!! I did something!!!! didn't fit the Surrey, the 45° is in the way to take it off.... but at least I have a shower again

DarthDude · Nov 28, 2020

I'm still steeling myself up to do the sunroof. I'm just trying to find a day where I'll have a whole day to do nothing but remove the sunroof and its rails, disassemble, rebuild, reassemble and reinstall.

It doesn't look like it's going to be difficult- just fiddly..... oh and demands a stepladder!

After that, it'll be change the crankshaft damper, calibrate the EAS and it should be running..... unless something else happens before I finish with that little list!

kermit_rr · Nov 28, 2020

DarthDude said:
I'm still steeling myself up to do the sunroof. I'm just trying to find a day where I'll have a whole day to do nothing but remove the sunroof and its rails, disassemble, rebuild, reassemble and reinstall.

It doesn't look like it's going to be difficult- just fiddly..... oh and demands a stepladder!

After that, it'll be change the crankshaft damper, calibrate the EAS and it should be running..... unless something else happens before I finish with that little list!

I need to do my sunroof too, the mechanism is all seized up, assume it needs taking out and cleaning. I've turned it off so i don't open it by mistake in the meantime

DarthDude · Nov 28, 2020

kermit_rr said:
I need to do my sunroof too, the mechanism is all seized up, assume it needs taking out and cleaning. I've turned it off so i don't open it by mistake in the meantime

I wish my braincell had fired the same message. Mine is stuck at the point where it has retracted, but not yet slid under the roof.... meaning enough water gets in to overwhelm the drains if it rains. Not quite a cabrio, but enough to send water trickling down your collar, as well as all over the Connoly and making a mess of the headlining.

It's monsoon season now- and it'll stay monsoon until late January at least so until I get that sunroof fixed, the car's grounded.... and you know what happens to P38s if they're not driven regularly.

kermit_rr · Nov 28, 2020

DarthDude said:
I wish my braincell had fired the same message. Mine is stuck at the point where it has retracted, but not yet slid under the roof.... meaning enough water gets in to overwhelm the drains if it rains. Not quite a cabrio, but enough to send water trickling down your collar, as well as all over the Connoly and making a mess of the headlining.

It's monsoon season now- and it'll stay monsoon until late January at least so until I get that sunroof fixed, the car's grounded.... and you know what happens to P38s if they're not driven regularly.

Can't you wind it by hand? Or is it well and truly seized

DarthDude · Nov 28, 2020

kermit_rr said:
Can't you wind it by hand? Or is it well and truly seized

I THINK.... I THINK one of the lifters, or part of the rails has snapped. Maybe the bit that the cable engages to or something similar. The motor runs just fine, only the sunroof panel refuses to move. It's not like it's loose, either because I can't move it by hand- even to tilt it back up to the closed position.

Dopey · Nov 28, 2020

kermit_rr said:
I need to do my sunroof too, the mechanism is all seized up, assume it needs taking out and cleaning. I've turned it off so i don't open it by mistake in the meantime

My headlining how to will help you

DarthDude · Nov 28, 2020

Dopey said:
My headlining how to will help you

I'm saving that for another day. Once I have the car repainted.

It seems I've always been saving up to paint that car- only something always happens to it before I get enough dosh together so what has been saved usually goes toward fixing whatever trouble it's giving at the time.

Yeesh!

Enthusiastman · Nov 28, 2020

domino said:
Probably best.

Yep. Buy a decent car instead i think.

kermit_rr · Nov 28, 2020

Enthusiastman said:
Yep. Buy a decent car instead i think.

That doesn't break down, give you headaches, drain your wallet!? What will you do with all that spare time and cash???

tomcat59alan · Nov 28, 2020

Dopey said:
@brianp38dse managed to change the shower pump, and its working fine Yay!!!! I did something!!!! didn't fit the Surrey, the 45° is in the way to take it off.... but at least I have a shower again

Glad about that,you were beginning to smell.

DarthDude · Nov 28, 2020

kermit_rr said:
That doesn't break down, give you headaches, drain your wallet!? What will you do with all that spare time and cash???

I wouldn't even know what that would feel like! My Mrs lives like that, though. She has this Lexus CT200h which will be 10 years old next year... and I kid you not- all it's ever wanted was a set of balljoints, lower arms and steering rod ends in all that time and I see it with my own eyes and I STILL can't imagine how life would be if I ever owned a car like that.

Enthusiastman · Nov 28, 2020

kermit_rr said:
That doesn't break down, give you headaches, drain your wallet!? What will you do with all that spare time and cash???

Spend it on my other toys in my collection buddy.

tomcat59alan · Nov 28, 2020

DarthDude said:
I wouldn't even know what that would feel like! My Mrs lives like that, though. She has this Lexus CT200h which will be 10 years old next year... and I kid you not- all it's ever wanted was a set of balljoints, lower arms and steering rod ends in all that time and I see it with my own eyes and I STILL can't imagine how life would be if I ever owned a car like that.

We got one to test drive to replace the Boss's 325i what a heap of tinny sh1t.The salesman was v impressed when I told him it misfired at 120mph,when you eventually got it there.luved that Beemer.Dover to home 298 miles in 3hrs 10 mins.at night

stuu · Nov 28, 2020

Recon Gearbox is fitted.
New oil cooler.
New flex plate.
Absolute easy as anything to do apart from the weight.
Ideally needed an e socket for the transfer box bolts but I didnt have so I made one.

Rough but it worked.

The lump of gm cheese.

And me happy as a pig in s**t

badfluffy · Nov 28, 2020

went for a drive in the country, low coolant warning came up, levels fine,

domino · Nov 28, 2020

Enthusiastman said:
Yep. Buy a decent car instead i think.

Definitely. No point in buying something that requires maintenance when you can't handle a spanner.

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