Tearing It Down
The Question of Space and How Bad was It Really?
I owned the Rover for five years before tearing into it. I knew the frame was awful, the doors might fall off, and the wrong whoopdedo could break it in two. I drove it anyway. It was not my daily driver, so I just tried to be careful. During that five years, I rewired it the way I wanted, for function and safety, not authenticity. The wiring is often the weak link in Brit cars, and I needed reliability in the woods. I replaced the carburetor with a Rochester, which made sense, at least I could get a kit at NAPA.
I also put on a Delco 10si alternator. The tough part was establishing my parts sources, and being back in school, I had little free cash. This period of time enabled me to troubleshoot many small and medium sized bugs, however, and get a reliable vehicle. Only one problem remained once I had positive cash flow; that daunting, rotten frame.I had no garage, so I rented a miniwarehouse and set it up as a shop. This had the advantage of keeping the project secure from my children, who might get hurt, and from my wife who always needs storage space. I worked at night and on weekends.
There are points in a restoration that one feels are points of no return. Once I had the front cap and doors off and saw how bad the bulkhead really was, I knew I had to keep going because the Rover would never go back together again by backing up. Boy was I glad I had rented the warehouse so I would not feel the pressure of freeing up space.
Next
[ Electrical Considerations ] [ Bulkhead Removal ] [ Car Wash! ]
[ Engine Painting, Bulkhead Prep ] [ Rotten Frame ] [ Clearing The Shop ]
[ The Galvanized Frame ] [ Running Wires & Brake Lines ] [ I Drive It Again! ]
[ Finishing Up ] [ Rover Home ]
