New purchase - Rover 214i

I have gone and bought another car!

Incredibly cheap for such a gorgeous little car. Only one owner before me who bought it using the Rover employee scheme and then cosseted it until he passed away. It's only done 53000 miles and I can only find 3 small blemishes on it.

I know about the head gasket failure syndrome but I am hopeful I will be lucky with this one and it has had it's coolant chnged very regularly through it's life. Also the cam belt was changed less than a thousand miles ago.

Many years ago now I had an early Rover 414Si as a company car and I loved it. I feel the same about this one!

Here's a number of photos for you to feast your eyes on. The last one is with the only modifications I intend to make to it, the Rover alloy wheels.

Original Rover Radio cassette - and it works like everything else on the car

Jack and wheel brace still in original wrapping

With Rover alloy wheels

Plugs,battery and coil

The 10CR is getting closer and I am tidying up PMW, finishing off a service etc.

So today I checked the brake pads and they have plenty of meat on them. Then fitted a set of new plugs I have had for a while and kept the old ones as spares.

Next I thought it would be a good idea to tidy up the battery tray which was showing some surface rust. Ideally I would ahve taken some photos at this stage but forgot so you will have to take my word for it. Anyway, a quick clean up, primer and a couple of coats of Valencia Blue from a rattle can and it is muche better preserved.

Something I have thought about but only now have actioned is the position of the coil. It's mounted to the engine block which doesn't seem optimum to me as heat build up does them no favours so with some careful thought I have remounted it at the rear of the battery tray. Unfortunately the photo is blurred but you should be able to see it here.

I had to re-attach a connection on one of the coild leads anyway as it broke so that would ahve been a possible breakdown in the future, now avoided (touch wood).

Below is a picture of the battery tray with battery and electric fan wiring looking pretty good.

The car actually started as well after all this! A test drive was fine apart from an annoying noise that I can't pin down that might be a bearing but I can't pin down where it is. Soemtimes it's quite loud, sometimes it disappears so I am hoping it will  last 3000 miles on the 10CR!