Manalishis 820 Vitesse Coupe

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Manalishi
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Re: Manalishis 820 Vitesse Coupe

Post by Manalishi » Fri Aug 19, 2016 5:56 am

Well, the Austin didn't have a temp sender or a temp gauge, but I actually installed one to keep track of my water temp as my radiator is lowered and this upsets the syphon effect somewhat. (It doesn't have a water pump...) Lovely piece of machinery.
Henrik
Rover 820 Vitesse Coupe 180bhp -93 (Italy)
Rover 827 Vitesse manual (non cat) -89 (Spain)
Lexus GS450h -13
Austin Seven Special -36
Gone:
Rover 820 ti -95
Rover 216 DOHC coupe -93
Rover 620 ti -98

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Re: Manalishis 820 Vitesse Coupe

Post by scoobyh123 » Fri Aug 19, 2016 8:30 am

Would it be possible to fit an electric water pump to aid circulation?
Cheers,
Dave

'02 Honda CR-V SE Executive
'99 Jag S Type 3.0 V6 SE


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Re: Manalishis 820 Vitesse Coupe

Post by Manalishi » Sat Aug 20, 2016 8:22 am

Yes, and people do that with the special called Hamblet Cadin, (very low cigar shaped body) but in normal guise there is no need as the cooling is so adequate. As long as the car isn't held sitting in queues etc there are no issues. I've never had any boiling rad and I don't even have a fan. Normally they were equipped with a two blade fan, and the export versions with a four blade (as mine is) but after driving without fan for several years only hot summer days, I see no reason. And the lack of thermostat helps with a good flow of coolant. (The reason why I don't use a fan is that my design of the body, made by me from 4 pieces of sheet aluminium, meant moving the radiator cowl lower and further back, so there is no space for a fan.)

Actually I read from some expert that the sidevalve as construction needs to be very hot regarding power, so many of the aluminium heads actually lower the power as a result of low combustion chamber temperature, but then gained thanks to a better design and higher compression ratio.

Mine is quite fiddled with. Bored to 790cc, (original 747cc so .060 oversize) Larger inlet valves from a Fiat, better intake manifold from a sports taking a downdraught Zenith from an Austin A35 and bunch of bananas exhaust from 1950s specialist Dante, and the tappet radius is reduced for faster opening and closing of the valves. The head however is a standard low compression (1922-36 with useless design) so the power is somewhat moderate at maybe 15-20bhp (compared to 13 in original.) With a later head (1937-1939) the compression ratio jumps and so would the power. Unfortunately very hard to find and expensive. Plus as it runs so very very nice now I'm not too keen on ripping the head off.
Henrik
Rover 820 Vitesse Coupe 180bhp -93 (Italy)
Rover 827 Vitesse manual (non cat) -89 (Spain)
Lexus GS450h -13
Austin Seven Special -36
Gone:
Rover 820 ti -95
Rover 216 DOHC coupe -93
Rover 620 ti -98

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Re: Manalishis 820 Vitesse Coupe

Post by scoobyh123 » Sat Aug 20, 2016 9:19 am

Given the fact the car is 80 years old, i'd be surprised if it hadn't been fiddled with at some point. I have heard of people sourcing original standard engines to replace the engine that came with the car from new because it had been over-bored, compression raised/head skimmed, big valves, high lift cam etc because they want it to be as it left the factory. They then have to rebuild the standard engine and by the time they've done that and had any remedial work done, they're near enough at a similar stage (except the big valves, cam etc) because of rebores, head skim (to make sure it's flat) etc.
That probably wouldn't be an option for you to find an original, untouched engine because of the rarity of the car but even if you did, the same would apply, you'd have to rebuild it so a rebore, head skim, valves etc would all be on the cards.
Cheers,
Dave

'02 Honda CR-V SE Executive
'99 Jag S Type 3.0 V6 SE


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'88 Volvo 760 V6 Estate
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Re: Manalishis 820 Vitesse Coupe

Post by Manalishi » Sat Aug 20, 2016 5:54 pm

Very true Dave, most Seven engines have been rebored and stripped over and over again, mainly due to the fact that they don't last very well. My engine is a bit different as I put together from parts. The crankcase is the original for the car (I can tell from dating the engine number with chassis number etc) but I got 2 or 3 blocks and heads, a million valves etc. So the first year of the build was down to cleaning up and looking for the best parts in all of the boxes mating them into one working engine. The rebore was made prior to me, and going over 060 is not recommended even though possible. With the boxes came a bunch of oversize pistons for .030 and .040 and .060 so probably somewhere along the line work had been done.

They are truly fantastic cars and engines. Not as simple to fix as everything is so small but the technology is very straight forward. The 'spit and hope' makes it all very simple. I put it together in my garage on the bench with the aid of a hammer and some busted knuckles...

The Ruby my father and I started restoring 20 years ago is different as it is all very very unique. Matching numbers all over and very unusual as it is a Willys Overland Crossley, sold in Berlin in 1936. That car comes with full history, dating from 1945 when it was first registered in Sweden. Unfortunately my father passed away 2 years ago but we managed to get it up and running with full MOT before his much too early passing.
Henrik
Rover 820 Vitesse Coupe 180bhp -93 (Italy)
Rover 827 Vitesse manual (non cat) -89 (Spain)
Lexus GS450h -13
Austin Seven Special -36
Gone:
Rover 820 ti -95
Rover 216 DOHC coupe -93
Rover 620 ti -98

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Manalishi
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Re: Manalishis 820 Vitesse Coupe

Post by Manalishi » Wed Apr 12, 2017 7:51 am

This thread is lacking some updates!

Last summer really delivered with 3 long motorway runs at 400-600km each, one way. Never an issue. A terrific car on the stretch, even though the sound is a bit too loud with the Mongoose. After 70mph the front corner of the left window starts to leak some, with a tiny whistle, but nothing too bad. Actually I made the whistle a lot less noticable a few years ago with a tiny strip of foam rubber in the right place.

I also got an electronic boost controller from Grant Baker that is really sweet and stable. It's obvious the car is getting a bit tired as it can't hold boost properly over 5000rpm. Yes, T16 with Garrett T25 tends to drop off in the higher revs, but I'm pretty sure the turbo/actuator/boost lines are telling me the are getting old as it tails off to factory boost of about 0.70-0.75. Most of the time I use a preset of a just actuator boost, but with a press of a tiny button I can choose from 6 presets of boost. Handy.

Last week I went to the annual Swedish bilprovning (MOT) and unfortunately for the first time (IIRC) ever in my care it came with some things that needs attention, as both lower ball joints need replacing. Actually I wasn't surprised and it feels quite ok as it is a regular service detail that comes with age and miles. I wont touch it myself but made an appointment with my mechanic.

Next up was the problem with it not starting. I think I've found the problem as it hasn't been an issue for a few days now. The positive terminal has an extra bolt added to it, and it looked firm and good but the short lead running from it to the starter was, well not loose, but not properly attached. The nut could take an extra turn to really make it firm. The terminal itself was no problem though. (you tend to wank that all the time when looking for problems, but this was a bit hidden.) If not that, then it's the starter relay. I took that apart in the process and softened it up a bit, the springy piece, giving it some gymnastics.

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Checking brakes and emissions. Perfect result as usual.
Henrik
Rover 820 Vitesse Coupe 180bhp -93 (Italy)
Rover 827 Vitesse manual (non cat) -89 (Spain)
Lexus GS450h -13
Austin Seven Special -36
Gone:
Rover 820 ti -95
Rover 216 DOHC coupe -93
Rover 620 ti -98

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Re: Manalishis 820 Vitesse Coupe

Post by SJG » Wed Apr 12, 2017 8:11 am

Great news Henrik, the car looks great still and those lower ball joints need changing every now and then.

I think you mean yank the cable, I had to read it a couple of times, it does sound very funny!
Simon

Rover Vitesse Coupe - 1997

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Re: Manalishis 820 Vitesse Coupe

Post by scoobyh123 » Wed Apr 12, 2017 8:34 am

I think you're right Simon, it probably is yank. I was actually thinking about this the other day, it's amazing we don't get more unintentional words on here that err, perhaps shouldn't be!

I know my own typing is pretty grim and the fact that the letters "u" and "i" are next to each other leads to some mirth when i describe something as "shut" when my typing is particularly bad. Another thing is "auto-correct" when people use mobile devices to post - they can come up with some real howlers as well!
The worst problem i think comes from people that "think as they type" and they are thinking they "made a real f*** up" but don't change it to "foul" which would have the same meaning.

Anyway - back to the thread!

Henrik - did you just forget to check the ball joints or did you think they'd be ok or was it a case of knowing something wasn't quite right but you couldn't find it so put it in for test and deal with the results?
Other than that, excellent news on the rest of the test! :wink: :D
Cheers,
Dave

'02 Honda CR-V SE Executive
'99 Jag S Type 3.0 V6 SE


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'94 827 Sterling saloon
'88 Volvo 760 V6 Estate
'95 827 Coupé LPG gone but not forgotten!

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Re: Manalishis 820 Vitesse Coupe

Post by Manalishi » Wed Apr 12, 2017 12:46 pm

Oh, wank seems stupid. ;)
Henrik
Rover 820 Vitesse Coupe 180bhp -93 (Italy)
Rover 827 Vitesse manual (non cat) -89 (Spain)
Lexus GS450h -13
Austin Seven Special -36
Gone:
Rover 820 ti -95
Rover 216 DOHC coupe -93
Rover 620 ti -98

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Manalishi
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Re: Manalishis 820 Vitesse Coupe

Post by Manalishi » Wed Apr 12, 2017 12:57 pm

scoobyh123 wrote:Henrik - did you just forget to check the ball joints or did you think they'd be ok or was it a case of knowing something wasn't quite right but you couldn't find it so put it in for test and deal with the results?
Other than that, excellent news on the rest of the test! :wink: :D
Well, they put strain om them during the annual test and last year there was nothing so. I'm not surprised that they are bad after 220.000km and 25 years of driving. :) No sign of them been replaced before. When it comes to the handling and stability my car is really great. New tires last year really transformed the car. So now I have the thick ARBs, PU-bushes for the new arb-bushes (PU) for the rods (forgot the name) going to the front crash beam, anti-brake-roll something... Plus new shocks a few years back. Excellent road car, actually a lot more stable, and with a better feel than in my Lexus even though that is a totally different car in every aspect.

As it is now, there isn't much concern over the state of the car. There are a few dings and scratches, but I like it like that as I drive the car as a daily driver. Still the performance in the rev range from 2,5k-4k is amazing.
Henrik
Rover 820 Vitesse Coupe 180bhp -93 (Italy)
Rover 827 Vitesse manual (non cat) -89 (Spain)
Lexus GS450h -13
Austin Seven Special -36
Gone:
Rover 820 ti -95
Rover 216 DOHC coupe -93
Rover 620 ti -98

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Re: Manalishis 820 Vitesse Coupe

Post by scoobyh123 » Wed Apr 12, 2017 11:07 pm

I know the bars you mean - brake reaction bars is the official name, radius arm could also apply and a few others i can't think of just now! They seem to have a multitude of different names all meaning the same thing! :roll:

I've also heard Sierra/Granada/Scorpio compliance bushes work well as an alternative to the standard brake reaction bar bushes, think it was Phil B on here that tried them and gave us the heads up on that, i've a set or two to try but haven't got round to doing them yet. :wink: :D
Cheers,
Dave

'02 Honda CR-V SE Executive
'99 Jag S Type 3.0 V6 SE


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'94 827 Sterling saloon
'88 Volvo 760 V6 Estate
'95 827 Coupé LPG gone but not forgotten!

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Re: Manalishis 820 Vitesse Coupe

Post by Slamm » Thu Apr 13, 2017 7:46 am

Nice to see it still going and looking as good as ever.

Shaun
Mk2 Vitesse Fastback

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Re: Manalishis 820 Vitesse Coupe

Post by Alucard7002 » Thu Apr 13, 2017 8:23 pm

Good to hear the Coupe passed the test!

How many Km do you drive a year out of interest? I'm curious how many people here drive their 800s as daily drivers and for what distance.
Dušan - head lunatic @ Four Paw Racing

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Manalishi
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Re: Manalishis 820 Vitesse Coupe

Post by Manalishi » Thu Apr 13, 2017 9:15 pm

Thanks guys, yes really pleased even though the ball joints will be fairly expensive to fix. The parts are cheap (25 pounds from Rimmer) but the labour is quite high over here. But still, you never know what might turn up during the test when it comes to suspension parts and emission. Emission can be tricky and expensive.

Dusan, it's hard to say how much I drive it, but I use it from april to october (from break of spring to the start of winter) and I then keep it stored in garage during winter. I got it in 2009, so over 7-8 years time I've done about 45.000km. From the last MOT (april 2016) to this year april I've done about 6000km. Not that much, but it's not only a "polish and show"-car. I use it to work, to go shopping and as a daily driver when driving without the family. Actually it's comfortable enough for the family aswell, but the safety is of course not as good as in the newer family saloon. But I tend to use it more now than a few years ago as it is so sweet to drive.

Over the years I've had a few "breakdowns" which needed fixing:

Water pump once. (Leaking)
Clutch slave cylinder twice. This has been the weakest point of the car without a doubt.

Then I've mostly done upgrades and service. Shocks, bushings, exterior, stuff like that.
Henrik
Rover 820 Vitesse Coupe 180bhp -93 (Italy)
Rover 827 Vitesse manual (non cat) -89 (Spain)
Lexus GS450h -13
Austin Seven Special -36
Gone:
Rover 820 ti -95
Rover 216 DOHC coupe -93
Rover 620 ti -98

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Manalishi
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Re: Manalishis 820 Vitesse Coupe

Post by Manalishi » Sat Apr 15, 2017 8:31 pm

Fitted those iridium plugs today and I must say there are some noticeable differences from regular NGK BKR6E, (tried 5s and 7s aswell)

-more silent.
-smoother, no jerking when I lift my foot from the accelerator when cold.
-power, cant really tell but a nice, smooth pull all the way.

So it's even better today than yesterday! And I just put four wheels in the boot for a delivery tomorrow. I love my car!
Henrik
Rover 820 Vitesse Coupe 180bhp -93 (Italy)
Rover 827 Vitesse manual (non cat) -89 (Spain)
Lexus GS450h -13
Austin Seven Special -36
Gone:
Rover 820 ti -95
Rover 216 DOHC coupe -93
Rover 620 ti -98

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