badfluffy
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gives you 3 years to rebuild it
Classic Questions regarding the future
- Thread starter hef19898
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norseman
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Unnecessary, original condition with just 63k miles FSH & just 2 previous owners.
Just as well as I wouldn't know where to start
So, just to close this thread with a defenitive update:
She will get new 4-2 exhaust manifolds (the old ones are gone), a Weber / Edelbrock carb, full heat shielding and sound deadening, all of that this year. Maybe even a roof top tent, depending on the condition and price of a used one I might have found. Paint job (car in Sahara Dust, roof in Tangier Orange and new hood in British Racing Green, because why not embrace the color mismatch that just so happened?) either this year or next year, that depends on me finding someone to do a decent paint job that doesn't require a second mortgage. And the mandatory AT winter tires to get to Tunsia in January through Italy and back.
And since I am holding a job that involves obsolescence management, I am 90% decided to replace the LT95 with a refurbished R380 and one of Ashcrofts new LT230s as long as my LT95 is still working and can be, potentially, sold. The last 10%, well, that depends on the price I can sell the LT95 for, or not. That is something for next year around winter, so I have the remainder of this year and all of 2026 to drive and ejoy her.
TL/DR: I'll keep her and build the car well from exterior to mechanics.
She will get new 4-2 exhaust manifolds (the old ones are gone), a Weber / Edelbrock carb, full heat shielding and sound deadening, all of that this year. Maybe even a roof top tent, depending on the condition and price of a used one I might have found. Paint job (car in Sahara Dust, roof in Tangier Orange and new hood in British Racing Green, because why not embrace the color mismatch that just so happened?) either this year or next year, that depends on me finding someone to do a decent paint job that doesn't require a second mortgage. And the mandatory AT winter tires to get to Tunsia in January through Italy and back.
And since I am holding a job that involves obsolescence management, I am 90% decided to replace the LT95 with a refurbished R380 and one of Ashcrofts new LT230s as long as my LT95 is still working and can be, potentially, sold. The last 10%, well, that depends on the price I can sell the LT95 for, or not. That is something for next year around winter, so I have the remainder of this year and all of 2026 to drive and ejoy her.
TL/DR: I'll keep her and build the car well from exterior to mechanics.
norseman
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One last point of view on what has been an interesting discussion & one close to my heart as a one-time owner of four RRC's, all V8 autos.
It's all very well valuing these cars at £10-15K for something decent rising to £30K for a really good one, but you still have to find the right buyer. My 64K mile (3 owner) '87 is something of a niche market, being valued at £20K by the insurer it's only worth that figure to someone who particularly wants an original/unmolested example in a market that has plenty of 'fully restored' ('yeah right) offerings for less money.
Advertising a vehicle at that figure, however worthy of the price, is one thing .. selling it is quite another.
I've had mine on this forum's 'for sale' section for over 2 years without a single serious enquiry & of the three 'can I have first refusal if you sell' I've had at classic car shows not one has resulted in even a request for a test drive .. the most common reason given is 'the other half wants a new kitchen' or something similar
It's all very well valuing these cars at £10-15K for something decent rising to £30K for a really good one, but you still have to find the right buyer. My 64K mile (3 owner) '87 is something of a niche market, being valued at £20K by the insurer it's only worth that figure to someone who particularly wants an original/unmolested example in a market that has plenty of 'fully restored' ('yeah right) offerings for less money.
Advertising a vehicle at that figure, however worthy of the price, is one thing .. selling it is quite another.
I've had mine on this forum's 'for sale' section for over 2 years without a single serious enquiry & of the three 'can I have first refusal if you sell' I've had at classic car shows not one has resulted in even a request for a test drive .. the most common reason given is 'the other half wants a new kitchen' or something similar
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Yeah, the market changed sine Covid, before a lot of people wanted to "overland", now, well, camping cars in general are in decline from ehat I hear.
Maybe I find someone interested in good condition LT95 for some close to original restauration. If so, yeah, why not get a better gearbox for an actually driven car as long as the old one has some value. If not, I'll just drive the LT95 until it fails.
I did hear a lot of crazy stories of rich folks with too much money speding 10s of thousands of Euros on resto-mods for no apparent reason. Keeps garages in business and people employed I guess. There was one of tbose projects for sale last week (luckily it gone now, I was tempted for a moment): full nuts and bolts rebuild, galvanized body and chassis, rebuild engine and gearbox. A nice Lego set of a Classic three door Range Rover. A garage specializing in those things sold it for its customer, asking price until a year or so ago was 95k, then 75k and now it sold for 25. All you had to do was put it back together and do the interior. No idea how people can afford to wrote of 50k on a resto project like that (I know ot was 50k because the mechanic I found sub-conzracts with said garage and knows the car in question). Honestly, for 25k, it was no brainer.
Some people have too much money it seems...
Maybe I find someone interested in good condition LT95 for some close to original restauration. If so, yeah, why not get a better gearbox for an actually driven car as long as the old one has some value. If not, I'll just drive the LT95 until it fails.
I did hear a lot of crazy stories of rich folks with too much money speding 10s of thousands of Euros on resto-mods for no apparent reason. Keeps garages in business and people employed I guess. There was one of tbose projects for sale last week (luckily it gone now, I was tempted for a moment): full nuts and bolts rebuild, galvanized body and chassis, rebuild engine and gearbox. A nice Lego set of a Classic three door Range Rover. A garage specializing in those things sold it for its customer, asking price until a year or so ago was 95k, then 75k and now it sold for 25. All you had to do was put it back together and do the interior. No idea how people can afford to wrote of 50k on a resto project like that (I know ot was 50k because the mechanic I found sub-conzracts with said garage and knows the car in question). Honestly, for 25k, it was no brainer.
Some people have too much money it seems...
So, I slept over my tinkering ideas. And had a closer look at the car. Hence, a change of plans. A) I need a new oil cooler, the old one is leaking at the thermostat and one crimped in hose. And the connectors are impossible to remove from the cooler, so a new one with thermostat and fittings is in order, now, not end of this year.
B) the sump pan is leaking at the front left corner, no idea why. If it is the sump pan, assuming the engine block is good, I might a new one as well. Not now, but later this year.
So no fancy mods, the necessary stuff first. Expensive enough, if you want good quality. Only mod, becaus it is easy to do, are better valve springs.
B) the sump pan is leaking at the front left corner, no idea why. If it is the sump pan, assuming the engine block is good, I might a new one as well. Not now, but later this year.
So no fancy mods, the necessary stuff first. Expensive enough, if you want good quality. Only mod, becaus it is easy to do, are better valve springs.
Grrrrrr
Technician, Bodgit & Scarper Ltd
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On my P38A I cut the cooler pipes and used compression fittings and a new bit of oil hose. Others used a flaring tool on the stub of pipe remaining.
Sump can probably be plugged with Quiksteel. You'd be amazed what it seals!
Whem she goes back to the mechanic for the carbs, I'll ask him. Not urgent, I can juat seal it with that red silicon stuff, worked great last time.
I did go a bit over board with the oil cooler so. Remember the motor sport shop I found? Yeah... That's where the new oil cooler, hoses and fittings are coming from. Let's just say, I know have a better understanding of the reasons why race cars are so damn expensive!
I did go a bit over board with the oil cooler so. Remember the motor sport shop I found? Yeah... That's where the new oil cooler, hoses and fittings are coming from. Let's just say, I know have a better understanding of the reasons why race cars are so damn expensive!
Ok, today started well enough, getting everything out of the car for the caroet and soind deadening. Turned less good when I failed to remove the front prop shaft, no big deal so. The real downer was the indicator light so. Those don't work any more without the transistor ignition from a Jaguar XK. No idea why... The harnesses are mess since the day I bought her.
Well, I accepted my fate. New harnesses it is. Those from Famous Four are left hand drive, adaptibg those, worst case, should be doable. With some professional help that is. They are make to order so, which seems bad news for the planned trip to Corsica in October... As long as the January Tunesia trip is safe I am happy so.
Well, I accepted my fate. New harnesses it is. Those from Famous Four are left hand drive, adaptibg those, worst case, should be doable. With some professional help that is. They are make to order so, which seems bad news for the planned trip to Corsica in October... As long as the January Tunesia trip is safe I am happy so.
Good morning everyone! Turned out I have a serious question: I only found RHD harnesses, mi eis obviously a LHD car. So to anyone who did harness replacements, how different are those two in your opinion? And how is routing of the two different? My mechanic sees some problems and using a RHD harness as a basis...
Anyway, I'll call Caddocks tomorrow and ask them the same question. If it is inly cable lengths that are different, well, that coupd (should) be a solvable problem. Anyway, I need to confirm that the harnesses are compatible with my VIN range-wise, LHD or RHD.
Anyway, I'll call Caddocks tomorrow and ask them the same question. If it is inly cable lengths that are different, well, that coupd (should) be a solvable problem. Anyway, I need to confirm that the harnesses are compatible with my VIN range-wise, LHD or RHD.
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This is where the passion comes in..
Grrrrrr
Technician, Bodgit & Scarper Ltd
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Surely if you turn the harness upside-down you get the mirror of it? Although I guess not everything is mirrored on the LHD?
Datatek
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Unless everything is DIY.
For sure, I am really bad at electrical, well, things. I can read parts catalogues so.
Hence, while I wait for feed-back from Auto Sparks and some other people doing nuts and bolts restaurations, I dug into my RRC parts catalogue.
What I learned:
All changes happened at VIN ...100783 and then again at VIN ...147005 for the main harness. The rear harness changed at VIN ...125177. The engine harness depends on the alternator and whether or not the car has A/C.
I can get a main harness for VIN ...130659 (4 door, LHD). Mine is VIN ...127758, so both are well within the same VIN range. To be confirmed.
If yes, I was just set back another 1.5k, but who counts?
Oh, and if I am not completely mistaken, the LHD and RHD harnesses are identical, except for the orientation of the fuse box, turning a RHD one around wpupd have the fuse box upside down, shouldn't be a big issue. Also to be confirmed.
Anyway, it gets closer.
So, since my workshop manual doesn't say anything, how do I replace the harness? Engine looks easy enough, rear as well. Main harness so, I think the dashboard has to go? Heater matrix as well? Anyone did that already, without stripping the car completely?
Oh, and it seems the main harness is the same for 2 door and 4 door models. Differnces are in the rear harness.
Hence, while I wait for feed-back from Auto Sparks and some other people doing nuts and bolts restaurations, I dug into my RRC parts catalogue.
What I learned:
All changes happened at VIN ...100783 and then again at VIN ...147005 for the main harness. The rear harness changed at VIN ...125177. The engine harness depends on the alternator and whether or not the car has A/C.
I can get a main harness for VIN ...130659 (4 door, LHD). Mine is VIN ...127758, so both are well within the same VIN range. To be confirmed.
If yes, I was just set back another 1.5k, but who counts?
Oh, and if I am not completely mistaken, the LHD and RHD harnesses are identical, except for the orientation of the fuse box, turning a RHD one around wpupd have the fuse box upside down, shouldn't be a big issue. Also to be confirmed.
Anyway, it gets closer.
So, since my workshop manual doesn't say anything, how do I replace the harness? Engine looks easy enough, rear as well. Main harness so, I think the dashboard has to go? Heater matrix as well? Anyone did that already, without stripping the car completely?
Oh, and it seems the main harness is the same for 2 door and 4 door models. Differnces are in the rear harness.
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Follow up question, could someone be so kind and share photo of a RHD dashboard and steering column? Because if washer, indicator, light and so on switches are mirrored as well, a RHD harness won't cut it. Instruments would require some lengthening / shortening of cables (doable), headlights and indicator lights as well (doable, parking lights might be tricky, but still doable). If steering column switches are mirrored, well, then suddenly left is right and right is left...
So, are the indicator and light and horn switches on the left hand side of the steering column? And wipers / washers for the front and the tail fog lights on the right?
As for instruments (left to right):
Fuel gauge and water temp, speedo, voltage, oil temp, clock, oil pressure.
Other elements:
Rear wiper left of the steering wheel in the dashboard right of the choke. And heated rear window down by the gear lever, left side of the heater (I assume that one should be on the right for RHD vehicles).
Ignition switch / lock on the right of the steering, dashboard / courtesy lights and those two plugs for a torch light on the left.
So, are the indicator and light and horn switches on the left hand side of the steering column? And wipers / washers for the front and the tail fog lights on the right?
As for instruments (left to right):
Fuel gauge and water temp, speedo, voltage, oil temp, clock, oil pressure.
Other elements:
Rear wiper left of the steering wheel in the dashboard right of the choke. And heated rear window down by the gear lever, left side of the heater (I assume that one should be on the right for RHD vehicles).
Ignition switch / lock on the right of the steering, dashboard / courtesy lights and those two plugs for a torch light on the left.
No choice, without hazard lights, parking lights that always on on the right front and side indicators not worker neither not a chance to pass MOT / TÜV... And given the state of the Harnesses as is, no way to fix it without building basically a new one by hand.
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Remember the future is not written yet . . . . it's what you make it !!
