Reliant robin or regal to buy

[triumph]

hi Not sure if any one can help so just a quick line on the lookout for an 850 reliant robin or regal in useable state to take parts from for a reliant kitten repair, must have a good engine with lowish miles perf cumbria or northumberland area all the best c.

 

[stuvy]

theres loads on ebay mate,
http://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/Cars-Moto..._nkw=reliant&_catref=1&_trksid=p3286.c0.m1538

 

[CompoSimmonite]

Regal not suitable as a parts donor for a Kitten as completely different mechanically -early had 600cc and later 700cc. The Rebel however would use Regal parts.
Best source is join the Kitten club as they remanufacture / recondition parts.
I've had 3 Regal vans, Kitten, Salamander (low production vehicle based on Kitten chassis but Ford engine & autobox !) and Fox.
Budget, as you might have aready found, £1000 (really) to fully recondition an 850 engine so be prepared to pay serious amount for a good unit as they are in demand. I paid £200 for a set of liners, pistons and reground crank which was an amazing bargain and managed to double my money when selling. In fact besides me at present is a new boxed set of oversize big end shells which I keep meaning to put on eBay

Paul H

 

[stuvy]

I bought my reliant for £250 delivered! i wish id kept it but a company car at the time and 2 road bikes ment it was just getting in the way so i sold it for what i payed for it and the guy chopped it into a trike in the end

 

[triumph]

Hi

hi thanks for replys didnt mean to put a regal as u say cannot be used meant to put reailto , on the hunt for a car to use so hopefully one will turn up soon cheers again c

 

[CompoSimmonite]

hi thanks for replys didnt mean to put a regal as u say cannot be used meant to put reailto , on the hunt for a car to use so hopefully one will turn up soon cheers again c

Buying complete Rialto is best move.
Remove engine / gearbox and any trim you want / can use. Sell doors / tailgate before scrapping the rest of the body. I don't know about the Rialto but the Robin three wheeler rear axle is slighlty different to the 4 wheeler Kitten (Fox item is ultra rare and desirable due to diff ratio). Possible to "mix and match" brake backplates and weld on handbrake brackets but if your's is OK then not worth keeping as a spare.As long as you have a V5 in your name then you'd have no problem someone buying the rolling chassis to build a motorbike powered trike as all they really would want is the rear axle and V5 !

Paul h

 

[Landy Lad]

Hi I assume Shropshire is a bit too far away. My neighbour has a kitten, (4 wheels not paws), that he hasn't touched in the last couple of years. He has spoke of selling it once or twice.

 

[stuvy]

Hi I assume Shropshire is a bit too far away. My neighbour has a kitten, (4 wheels not paws), that he hasn't touched in the last couple of years. He has spoke of selling it once or twice.

Id snap his arm off trumpet!

 

[triumph]

Not a bad day out at mo have viewed a few cars and to good for breaking or expensive for what they where paul h is rite that would be the best way to go to recover some cost , the engine and doors are my main prob areas at mo , would love to see the kitten in Shropshire may be a wee bit far due to recovery something with a bit of tax and test to get home would be great. many thx craig

 

[Wedg1e]

I've often fancied a Kitten... mind it'd have to end up with a Rover V8 instead of that Chieftain tank starter motor

 

[CompoSimmonite]

I've often fancied a Kitten... mind it'd have to end up with a Rover V8 instead of that Chieftain tank starter motor

Kittens are now getting very expensive to restore. A lot of the parts were unique to Reliant and not enough sold for the aftermarket manufacturers to bother making pattern items so often you are hunting down NOS or reconditioned.
Engines are around £1000 to fully recondition ! Front suspenion is horrendous as well. On my Fox (virtually the same mechaniclaly as a Kitten) to rebuild the front suspension and brakes would have cost £650 10+ years ago. That was 4 ball joints, reconditioned shocks, reconditioned steering rack and 4 wheel cylinders
Moral of story is if you fancy one ensure mechanically perfect and ignor body condition otherwise you are looking at a money pit worthy of a far bigger car.
Oh - also the chassis rots as metal is paper thin (Fox is galvanised)

Paul h

 

[triumph]

hi Paul agree with you comments think mine is not bad suspension wise yet to get into, the main prob is getting the engine sorted and some bits which can be taken from another reliant 3 wheeler just trying to locate one within a reasonable distance missed one in scrappy by a day or so never mind cheers craig

 

[CompoSimmonite]

Shame Reliant bent bump as they were great cars and used to be very cheap to run / maintain. As well as the Kitten, Salamander and Fox I also had 3 x Regal Supervan III's.
The 4 wheelers give amazing mpg if set up right - 60+ easily. Handling is good and I had a towbar on my Kitten (estate) so great work vehicle. Only negative I can think of about is difficult to add a roof rack !

Paul h

 

[hareng]

Just waiting for Mr Bean to pop up

 

[Weldinator]

This time next year rodders, we'll be miyonaires lol

 

[triumph]

Goodevening, managed to get hold of a relato so now the rebuild can move ahead when the weather gets better poor at mo, engine is sweet but has stood in car for 11 years showing 40 k was brought back to life very carefully by previous owner, have found that it has a wee oil leak from rear of cylinder head and was going to try to retorque it down to see if that may help to try and get the summer of it, any thoughts welcome on oil leak cheers c

 

[CompoSimmonite]

Goodevening, managed to get hold of a relato so now the rebuild can move ahead when the weather gets better poor at mo, engine is sweet but has stood in car for 11 years showing 40 k was brought back to life very carefully by previous owner, have found that it has a wee oil leak from rear of cylinder head and was going to try to retorque it down to see if that may help to try and get the summer of it, any thoughts welcome on oil leak cheers c

Don't mess around with the leaking gasket. Remove head and change gasket. They can blow easily and overtightening can crack them between valves or distort. I've also had blocks crack between cylinder liners where the head studs go in due to overtightening as well as stripped threads. If the leak is small then just leave - it's part to the character of old engines
Are you 100% sure the leak is from the head gasket and not rocker ? The pressed steel rocker cover can be sometimes bent so it doesen't seal properly. I always used to glue the new gasket to Reliant covers as they can be a PIA to ensure they stay in the location groove - even worse on three wheelers where engine is part way under the bulkhead.

Paul H