1981 Rover 3500, brutish!

[tigran]

Yeah, nabbed this one off slammed 66 on here (who even drove it all the way down from grimsby). It's an awesome car, a couple of issues with it - but nothing major.

Main points - it's got a healthy 3.5 up front and a loud pipe out back, that's all really.

Pics:





Sharing some space in a london underground car park with a cool beemer





It's currently my daily - and totally ruining me financially, but at least it puts a smile on my face every time i drive it.

Quick vid, all at legal speeds of course officer.

[B-8-D]

excellent... love sd1's..#
must get mine done soon!
si

[street]

Orzum purchase!
Another great addition to your collection, cool daily too

[coggers]

'Its Got Big Hairy curse word'

Great car

[Marc]

Love it.

My uncles had a pair of these in the '80s, one was a Vitesse! Absolutely loved them then and still do now. My dads mate was running one up until a couple of years ago when rust finally killed it off.

Any plans for it Tig?

[tigran]

Yeah plenty of plans - but until i go back to the bouncing (after exams) and earn some wonga over summer it's staying as is. Afterwards i'm getting on the blower to rpi - either doing something along the lines of cams, heads, roller rockers, headers and downdraught webers on this engine (it's a gold seal so was factory-rebuilt around 30k ago) as it's a goodun. Or see what they can do for me with a bore'd and stroked engine on injection - either way it needs a manual conversion. But like i said that won't happen until at least june/july.

[Captain Slow]

Oh bloody hell....

I know a bloke who wanted to buy this before it gained the Vitesse Alloys and rear spoiler. I've seen it for sale a couple of times in the last 6 months and wanted it. One of only twelve (yes, twelve) surviving S1 Vanden Plas SD1s


Can't say I like the Vitesse Spoiler when applied to S1s - looks truly cack around the base of the window IMO due to the fact that S2 windows were lower - but other than that it's a cracking car and I want it.

Is everything standard inside?

[tigran]

Yeah it's all bog standard apart from the mota-lita steering wheel.

The spoiler doesn't just look a bit meh - but it stops the bloody boot from staying open so you have to prop it, and it has slightly wayward effects on handling (front end becomes so light) beyond the 120 mark.

p.s. didn't realise there were so few left. Could you get VDP's in manual form?

[Captain Slow]

Yes...

But I don't know about the Series 1 versions like yours. You'd be better off asking on the SD1 club forum.

[surprisingskoda]

man car.

approve.

[skoda_norman]

I want your car!

Love the viynl roof

[Andersdanders]

Quote:

Pics:



Sharing some space in a london underground car park with a cool beemer



I spot an Andy brandishing a rusty manifold, pre bead-blast-day-glo-orange spraying action.

Productive Day.

[tetleysmooth]

Was that video taken at Sth Mimms services?

Great car.

[tigran]

Sure was tetley, and ta.

[Ether]

Seventies sex pest chic

[klunk]

Nice purchase.

When contacting RPI, make sure and be sitting down! I am just rebuilding my 'spare' engine to replace the wheezy one in at present.

All I am doing is new shells, new oil pump, uprated Cam and ancillaries. including timing chain, lifters, water pump etc etc

Once you add in all the liquids, gaskets and odds and sods, the above comes to well over £500!

So in effect that's just a spruce up and cam change.

Regards manual conversion, the tricky bit will be getting a bellhousing and flywheel, regards a gearbox, just get a Sherpa box (exactly the same, except longer first gear, and a different gearshift linkage) But you can easily change the shifter as these tend to get thrown and replaced with sherpa ones as they are shorter and therefore fit in other cars easier. (I think I have a couple of SD1 linkages lying around)

[tigran]

Yeah i know rpi are bloody expensive, but i guess yous pays yours moneys etc

Thinking of not curse word about with this un-known entity engine and just getting a new 4.something from them. Will investigate it when i actually have the cash laying around.

Cheers for the gearbox advice.

[Davenger]

Nice one Tig.
My old next door neighbour had an SD1 Vitesse, it was friggin' awesome

[klunk]

Apr 28, 2008 15:07:16 GMT tigran said:

Thinking of .......... just getting a new 4.something from them.

Make sure you are sitting in a very comfy chair with several cold beers and a busty blonde near by. They are around the £2.5K mark!!!!!

www.v8tuner.co.uk/product.php?id=8

and a 5.2l is over FIVE LARGE!!!!

www.v8tuner.co.uk/product.php?id=13


Honestly! Rovers are cheap as chuck in and use, but try tuning one and you may as well stick a 350 Chevy engine in it!

[xbo11ox]

why not get a cheap ass 3.9 off the bay out of a Range rover or summert.