Fast Marina Magazine

I won't be fitting another box - I am too much in favour of maintaining the simplest (standard) setup as far as ease of repair and parts - especially as I have quite a collection.

I am a conservative driver as far as the way in which I use my machines. I do use the power - but I am gentle in the application.
I also use my brakes very little other than around town - just back off sooner, and go around corners fast..

I believe this has much to do with the tremendous mileages I am obtaining from my cars.
That plus keeping the revs under 4500.

Use the torque Luke...

Oh - yes - that was original paint on the blue estate. Only ever saw one other - also an estate..




So now we are on chapter 2.. haha..





Cheers.

Loved that estate on superlites and the roadtrip stories that you did with it.
I'll raise a glass to it.

Kilroy wrote:I won't be fitting another box - I am too much in favour of maintaining the simplest (standard) setup as far as ease of repair and parts - especially as I have quite a collection.

I am a conservative driver as far as the way in which I use my machines. I do use the power - but I am gentle in the application.
I also use my brakes very little other than around town - just back off sooner, and go around corners fast..

I believe this has much to do with the tremendous mileages I am obtaining from my cars.
That plus keeping the revs under 4500.

Use the torque Luke...

A 2-litre with lots of bottom end torque - just go straight to fourth and let the torque do the work.

With the van diff ratio, you could just about start in top (like JC once did with a Jag on TG).

Kilroy wrote:This is it's 1905cc 11.5/1 B series and BW65 powerplant - 340,000K on and still going like hell.

Is that the milage for just the engine, or for the estate?

The estate has covered 340,000K - I bought it around 1994 with a sickly E series engine in situ and around 160,000K on the clock.
The engine came from a 1976 HL which I swapped for a used washing machine a year or so earlier.
From memory it had covered about 170,000K and was completely original but rusty.

The engine was running fine - had driven it up to Nelson for a holiday - but as I wanted the estate to go something like how it looked, I rebuilt the engine using used Zephyr pistons and a different camshaft.
That got us to about 335,000K when I decided I wanted the original camshaft back in - so I took the opportunity to throw a new set of bearing shells in and give it a valve grind. No other parts replaced. Did not disturb the pistons.
Unfortunately, I only got one more wof out of it before the rust became an issue, and it was taken off the road.
Now we are using the motor/transmission in the sandglow saloon - should be good for another 100,000K I reckon...

Carjam does not seem to handle the speedo going over 100,000 very well..

Sad News indeed I loved the look of that estate, I've almost given up on finding one up here!
I went to see one yesterday, yours was mint by comparison!

I do indeed have some Rover Box's in the shed if you need one
Hows things Kilroy?
I've been snowed under with work lately so I havent been around a lot!
Bryans got my number if you ever need anything.

Cheers mate.

Contact noted..