[Dorchester]

So Gaby the cabby is gone... ... for the best I hope!
I drove her this evening at the saddler's.
He looks he knows his job well.
I can't understand how he can manage a living in so remote a place... less than 7mls from where I live.
However I'm a very lucky bunny to have a saddler at 7mls, a brilliant mechanic at 2.5mls and a good coach-builder at 6mls whilst living in the country.
Result probably on Saturday evening or on Sunday morning.

 

[ROVER-25X]

So what does the fleet compose of now ?

 

[Dorchester]

Obvious, my dear Watson, with a good glance on my signature!
The missus' daily hatchback (25), the comfy saloon (75) for the long journeys and the pretty cab (214) for the fun in the sun.
Good news! I've just had a call from my saddler: Gaby the cabby is ready.
I'll take her back at 6 p.m.
On Monday to come: at the mechanic's.
On the following Monday: at the coach-builder's.
No dithering as you can see.
She'll be ready to go out proudly in her former beauty on the 1st of November.

 

[ROVER-25X]

I say Jeeves, good show old bean !

 

[Roverlike]

I made small change to the title of this thread ...

 

[Dorchester]

Thanks buddie: well done! I couldn't.

 

[Dorchester]

A dreadful job it was: taking off all the rust (I've seen the pics my good saddler has made, awful!), treating all the corroded parts and painting them in the end, swapping old broken screws, making new straps (the genuine ones were gone long since...), and other bits & bobs.
Then watering and stretching the new hood to gain some 2 cm more or about and repeating the process as long as it wasn't yet back in place. A galley slave job!
When I arrived the bloke was cleaning the inside of the car with his vacuum cleaner.
A very good work and an earning well deserved: the guy asked me exactly what had been previously agreed, not a penny more: £413 (480€)! But it's worth all the money by a long chalk.
And guess what... when I was to come back home, the cabby refused to fired up with any of the keys... until I saw that the 'alarm' light was on...
Then ?: I got out, closed the door with the key then re-opened it with the fob and... tadah! the fob was recognized and the engine fired up!
Mind you: I'm the only one who is worthy of so whimsical a mood & such a saucy behaviour! Neither the saddler nor the mechanic have had any problem. Vicious & malignant protection that works only against its master!
EDIT: some of you may ask what's the meaning of 'GB' on a nonetheless French car owned by a French lad... First may I remind you my British granddad, but secondly those 2 letters should have another meaning related to a very hot event played today... You know my thoughts on that matter, I shan't say any more...

 

[Dorchester]

My mechanic yesterday looked a bit grumpy: an overload of work to do because some jobs didn't go nicely & took far more time. Hence nothing was done yesterday on my cabby and I fear it may likely be the same today, because I haven't heard of him. I don't want to harass him if he has still some concerns. After all the cabby is safe in the garage, I don't need it this week but on next Monday the coach-builder should have it.
Only worrying bit: I've got no information so far about my right front door actuator: you may have a look at
HELP: Rover 200 cab actuator central door locking!
But my French mate is a good man: he told me he'll keep his 418 as long as I need it. Hence I asked him the favour of a 3rd parcel with all the bits & bobs regarding the right front door locking, and probably the left front one & maybe the right rear one as well just in case. But to be sure he agreed to give me the Rover reference of his right front actuator he is to take off this evening.
Tomorrow is another day...

 

[Dorchester]

Gaby the cabby is back home.

Here is what has been done for 320€ (£276 - 8 hours labour - rather fair I assume):

• new full kit belt + pulley + pump
• new gearbox oil
• new brake fluid & full bleed (he told me the old fluid was as black as coal!)
• new crank sensor (the one that was fooling the petrol feeding)
• new coolant
• stripping of RH door trim & back (he gave me the faulty actuator, good motor but a peg had been broken hence it couldn't lock & unlock the right door)

Several screws were missing on the belt cover, one has been damaged on the crank sensor and the best for the end: he found within the door trim a spare long screw that was due to tighten the black vertical post between the moving windows & the still one (triangular - sorry for my clumsy mechanical English...), and some plastic clips were broken as usual.

On the to do list now:

• right door actuator to change (FUD10052 - but I hope my good mate will be able to send me his used one)
• right door trim clips to renew (I hope my good mate will be able to send me some of his used ones)
• gasket-Crankcase Oil Sump - LVF100290P LVF100290P to swap (ordered from Rimmer's - my good mechanic insisted it was mandatory because there was a seepage, the sump was dirty and that did no good)

And next Monday & Tuesday Gaby will be rejuvenated at the coach-builder's & painter's.
I hope she will come back dapper & sexy!

BTW I've got now 2 French technical revues about the 200/400 series mk1 & mk2. Better pics than in Haynes and lot of information I didn't know. I'm ready know...

 

[Dorchester]

A bit of a development since, have a glance here: Rover 214 & 216 gearbox compatibility?
It looks that the advice I've got are all going the same way:

• final drive ratio slightly different, 3.9 for mine & 3.5 for the intended 1.6, which doesn't make too much difference,
• swapping will be a direct fit for both boxes are R65 ones,
• just needs the sensor within the gearbox to be swapped as well, for I'm told my 214 mk2 gearbox has got a mechanical sensor while the 216 mk3 gearbox has got an electronic one, hence the speedo wouldn't work. That's all.

The reason I'm grasping at that 1.6 mk3 (1997) box is that the fully overhauled & controlled gearbox in question - coming from an official French breaker - is costing 125€ (£108) shipping included when the usual price here on the continent for a good used one averages 250€ (£216) or thereabouts (and sometimes more) plus shipping cost!
That makes sense, doesn't it?

 

[gnu]

Makes perfect sense

Glad to see your cabby is coming along nicely. Looks good. I’ve not been around here much lately as other things have been taking priority. Plenty of time for you until next spring to get things sorted...

 

[Dorchester]

Makes perfect sense
Glad to see your cabby is coming along nicely. Looks good. I’ve not been around here much lately as other things have been taking priority. Plenty of time for you until next spring to get things sorted...

Thank you old chum for your encouraging words.
I hope the main niggles along with some smaller ones will be sorted before Xmas of course!
But who knows but the malicious gremlin...

 

[Dorchester]

While the cabby is at the coach-builder's since the morning (I hope I will be able to get her next Wednesday afternoon), I was advised by good chums that swapping the gearbox on an old car without swapping the clutch wasn't a wise move. I've had a close look on the car history and it appears that it had been changed in 2012. So not so old but not so new. But as I want to rely on the car and don't want to have any regret, I've ordered a new clutch as well - a good Valeo one, ref. 801117 - at Oscaro a well-known French part provider for 90€ (£78) which is not too much compared to Rimmer's prices that are nearly twice as much, currency conversion & shipping costs not being helping.
I'll receive soon the door lock mechanisms (ref. FVC10096 & FVC10097 - both sides of 418 mk1 rear doors) & trim clips.
And I'm waiting for the manual starter button, 10k Ohms resistor & wire (to easily start on a chilly morning with a full E85 tank), the same that was fitted to my 75.
It looks plain sailing provided any gremlin doesn't want to intervene...

 

[Dorchester]

No sign from the coach-buidler so far: no bad news for I hope a job nicely done demands time.
However I've got today lots of stuff for decent prices:

• Gearbox from a 1997 216 (125€ - £108)
• new Valeo clutch ref. 801117 (89€ - £77)
• bits & bobs from my mate's 418 - whole right front light block, front bumper chrome rods, dashboard rubber cloth, front wash jets & boot lighting (40€ - £34.50)

Tomorrow is another day...

 

[Dorchester]

Before :

After:

 

[Dorchester]

 

[gnu]

Nice job

Is cabby BRG? Looks a bit more blue than I’d expect BRG to be on my screen.

 

[Dorchester]

Nice job

Is cabby BRG? Looks a bit more blue than I’d expect BRG to be on my screen.

Yes she is.
But as usual colours on pictures are barely reliable.
I must add that in the 90s Rover has made several slightly different BRG, mine being the lighter.
Thank you. I'm doing my very best to take her back to her former glamour and glory.

 

[Dorchester]

Despite a miserable weather, I've tried to make some slight progress.
First I've swapped the left windscreen sprinkler which was blocked with one of those sent by the mate who is stripping his 418. Then I unblocked it with white vinegar and a very thin needle.
Then I swapped the right front wing chrome rod with another better one sent by the same chap.
At last I cut the bent extremity of the exhaust end to adapt a chrome tail I'd put in the first place on my 25 (then replaced on the latter by a twin piped 1.8 VVC back box).

Only failure of the day: my boot light doesn't want to work despite swapping the light block with another good one sent by the same chap.
But I don't know why a desperate idiot had glued the upper side of the light on the boot trim and - even more stupid! - one of the two small plugs going to the light!
I guess the glue is obstructing the contact and prevent its working, but I don't know how to proceed because it's not easy to reach in this cabby boot pit and the wire isn't so long. I reckon I've the only solution to cut the wire as close as possible to the extremity not to shorten it too much, strip the end of that tiny wire and find another small compatible plug (I think I've got one or two of them). However soldering the plug in an hazardous position (with my poor backbone) may look a bit risky... Another solution I'm thinking of: strapping the genuine wire with another short wire cum plug (already done, I've got it aside) thanks to a plastic & copper clamping device (I don't know its name, I hope you'll guess it). BTW before doing the job, the wire end being already stripped, I'll try to know whether there's any power with my tester. If no power I should look at the fuse but which one (fuse 17? I can't see any fuse box sketch in the guide!)? The 214 Haynes electric diagrams are like Chinese for me, they are far much puzzling that those of the 75 or 25.

 

[Roverlike]

Isn't your passenger compartment fusebox the same as in your Rover 25?

Also what happened with your post including gearbox and clutch you posted this morning?