- Thread starter Bigdaz101
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rikrobson
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No it will look better than it is. If its holed the sill it will rot from inside out and what looks like good metal on the outside will be paper thin and will blow through ar the sight of a welder.its rusted while its stood. that suggests dirt in the crevices that have hen rusted outwards.
Can you get replacement sills?
normspanners
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Mine used to handle just like a big escort, could go right round most roundabouts with steering on a full left lock and steer it with the throttle. mind you she did have about 240 bhp
One of my Dad's bosses when I was kid was an old chap who was pretty useful behind the wheel. He had a SD1 Vitesse and loved it. My Dad brought a BMW735i down for him to try(The bosses brother was getting rid) and he still prefered the Rover. Funny how times move on and SD1 still aren't hugely valuable but I don't recall anyone who liked driving/cars not loving their SD1 V8.
graffian
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I had a few they were all Bahama Gold;-)Every one of those I've ever seen was jobee brown
As The holes are quite small I was hoping just cutting a section out and welding in a patch would be a good repair, yes sills are available but to do the sill properly I think you have to remove the wing, I want it sorted properly but I have to have that done by a body shop and I just don't have the money, it was meant to be a easy cheep project
ms08
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It was a police car before it was restored - now in Boarders? police/transport museum I believe.
Migmac
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That's a fair cop, didn't remember it being a police car before
CompoSimmonite
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I had an early (S reg) V8 auto. Bought just for the engine to go into my MGB GT but seeing MOT's / taxed ran around in if for a while and was hooked as such a nice car to drive. Too rotten to restore so looked everywhere for a nice one worthy of being my main car - without success. Virtually every one has serious rust even when at the high end of the price range. Don't underestimate how bad they can be. Must be a BL thing with all their cars of that era. What can look like a tiny scab can turn out to be a massive section with terminal rot if you remove the blinkers. I bought a XJ40 instead - that was almost as bad so kept my Volvo 240 and moved the Jag on promptly 
If this is to be a cheap / shoestring project then seeing it's running take for MOT before you tackle any work. That way you will have a list of the min it need doing to get back on the road.
If this is to be a cheap / shoestring project then seeing it's running take for MOT before you tackle any work. That way you will have a list of the min it need doing to get back on the road.
Wallace
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Looks like quite an early one, what year is it? I've had at least 5 mostly to break but 2 were too good and went back on the road, kept the silver '78 S reg V8 for a couple of years. PAS was horrid with the big offset square wheel, fitted an Opel Manta wheel that improved the steering immensely and the brakes were crap just slightly better with Mintex 171's.
1979, the early ones where worse for rust so I've been told, I've been though the car so I know what it will fail on, before I brought the car I jacked it up as high as I could and checked every inch for rust, took the boot carpet up as well as they always go there and it really is a very good car,
Wallace
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I remember screen leaks being a big problem front and rear so constantly damp inside, mine was OK around the screens but in seriously heavy rain would pour through the rear hatch seal, never did cure that. This caused the headlining to progressively unglue so it would pat me on the head with the window open, one day I made the mistake of opening all the windows on the motorway and found myself engulfed in nylon headling.
A friend used to keep a length of tube in his '79 V8 to drain the gloveboxes out after it rained as if you accelerated hard water would slop out onto your knees and shins and in the winter the carpet would freeze so you twisted your ankle when getting in!
Another friend found the windows kept misting up and the carpet damp in his so took the interior out and fibreglassed the whole floor up to the doors to stop the water getting in and was dead chuffed with himself as it cured the misting problem. Then it rained heavily and he had to drill holes through the floor to let the water out!
A friend used to keep a length of tube in his '79 V8 to drain the gloveboxes out after it rained as if you accelerated hard water would slop out onto your knees and shins and in the winter the carpet would freeze so you twisted your ankle when getting in!
Another friend found the windows kept misting up and the carpet damp in his so took the interior out and fibreglassed the whole floor up to the doors to stop the water getting in and was dead chuffed with himself as it cured the misting problem. Then it rained heavily and he had to drill holes through the floor to let the water out!
Throughout the eighties I must have had every variant they did of the 2.6 and V8 models including the Vitesse. I don't recall any issues with the brakes just their never ending desire to stop at every fuel station. Especially the V8 which used to average 17mpg ish - the 2.6 was not quite so bad but I don't remember ever getting over 30mpg. Still, the SD1 holds some fond memory's, it might have got some stick and it was a rust bucket that leaked like a sieve but there was something about them that appealed.
