The Rover P3, P4, P5, P5B, P6 and P6B are all considered 'classics' in their own right.  They're useable as everyday transport, too with maybe the exception of the P3 which to be truthful, is now a summer weekend only car.  The P3 has running boards and a wooden floor; maybe rod brakes depending on the model.  It was the post-war 'export or die' model. P stands for either project or post-war.  Take your pick.

 The post-war P3. Delightful.

 (oops ... I made a mistake ... I meant to say that the P2 had wooden floorboards and rod brakes ...  The P3 in some respects is an earlier version of the P4. I was teaching in China when some ebay members emailed me to point out that I'd made a mistake.  Though at the time I couldn't log into to Ebay to correct matters...  Still, a Rover's a Rover, eh?)

P4 Models

These are known as 'Aunty' Rovers.  Images of miss Marple and village greens and all that...  They come in a variety of types  i.e Rover 80, 90, 95, 100 and 110 which just designates their top speed.  With the exception of the Rover 95, they all have overdrive.  You can swop gearboxes between the different models to your heart's content.  The Rover 110 does not have 'kickdown' - stamping on the accelerator does not take it out of overdrive.  There are other P4 variants such as the 75, but those listed here are the most well known.

The Rover 80 has a two and a quarter litre 4 cylinder engine (like early P4 models); which is identical to the land rover of the same era.  Out of all the P4 models this is the least sought after car amongst P4 enthusiasts.  Yet, it is a fine car which is identical to it's stable mates in all other respects. The 90-110 all have 2.6 litre 6 cylinder engines. The Rover 80 was characterised by an air leak on the rubber hose on the carb ... nothing could be easier to fix.

Fuel consumption for all models is 18-25 mpg, with the top figure being with a strong tail wind ..  They're heavy cars indeed.  Later models had steel doors fitted instead of aluminium ones.  The P4 has the IOE engine - that's inlet over exhaust which just means that it has it's inlet valves in the head as per normal, with the exhaust valves in the block, side-valve fashion.

Later P4s have a paper air filter whilst earlier ones (unless they have been modified by owners) had an oil-bath air filter.  Air was cleaned by passing through oil/metal gauze.  The engine oil needs changing every 3000 miles - and the P4 needs two gallons of the stuff.  Depending on what model of P4 it is, it may have brake shoes all round or disks at the front.  It's easy enough to convert them to disks.

P4s have king-pins (think of them as swivel-pins) at the front.  Despite having lubricating nipples on them these king pins need oil, not grease.  Don't worry if the king pins drip oil - it's just the felt seals at the bottoms have perished with age.  Just keep topping the king pin reservoirs up with oil once a week.  The easiest way to do that is just to unscrew the air-bleed valve at the top of each swivel and use a can of oil.  Don't bother with the oil nipples.  Use engine oil mixed 50-50 with something like Molybdenum or a similar additive.

There's no real Achilles heel with these cars other than age.  Spares can be picked up at classic car autojumbles easily and cheaply enough although body panels and trim are hard to find.  A set of Whitworth tools also comes in handy as these cars are definitely pre-metric.  They're surprisingly easy to work on as well.  A cautionary note is to remember that you will have  a positive earth car on your hands .. positive .. not negative earth  like modern cars. Forget. . and that electric fuel pump in the boot instantly becomes history.

Prices really do fluctuate according to region and model/condition. As a general rule of thumb, it makes more sense to buy a reasonable example than it does to buy one for restoration, unless that's your  hobby...  the cost of restoration usually far outstrips the value of the car.  Though of course within the Rover club scene it's the pleasure of owning and driving a Rover that's the driving factor, not values of cars.

The Rear Springs
The P4 models sag at the rear with age.  That's the leaf springs becoming tired (not the dampers).  You can change the shock absorbers to more efficient modern gas-filled equivalents. The springs need re-tempering (or replacing).  Re-tempering is cheaper.  Undo the big nut that that goes through the leaf spring and the undo the threaded bolt itself - that bolt undoes.  It does not just knock out after the nut has been removed.  It is threaded and needs to be unwound ..

Rover Marauder
It's unlikely you will ever see one of these.  The Marauder was a sports car based on P4 mechanicals. Rover only produced 13 (I think .. based on the Rover 75 engine/gearbox .. maybe it was P3 ..).  Rover abandoned the project/production.

Rover P5

  

3 Litre straight-six P5    and   P5B (3500cc V8)

The earlier Rover P5s had 3 litre engines, then came the P5B with the V8 3500cc engine.  The 'B' in any Rover configuration -P5B, P6B - stands for Buick.  It's part of motoring history that an executive on a visit to the Buick factory in America spotted an unused type of engine - the all aluminium 3500cc lump later fitted to many Rovers.  Buick had given up on the all aluminium engine because of casting problems.  The UK used a different casting process which didn't cause the block to crack.  The rights to the engine were bought by Rover.  That's all history however, see any Rover advertised as P5B or P6B and it just means there's an all aluminium V8 lump under the bonnet.

P5s with the 3 litre straight-six engine are pricey and not too common. The straight six engine is similar in many respects to the P4 Rover 100.  P5b's with the V8 engine are relatively expensive as well in contrast with other Rover models.  Like the P4, you can struggle if trying to find items of trim.

Rover P6

 

Early P6's had the pressed steel 'shark's teeth' grill whereas the Series2 has the 'eggbox' grill

This came in a number of variants - the 2000 single carb, the twin carb version,the single carb automatic and the 2200 single carb.  Initially the P6 was intended to be powered by a jet engine; hence the layout of the engine bay and steering arm that runs along the rear engine bulkead with an idler on the opposite side to the steering box.  Contrary to common misconception, the jet engine was never intended to 'blow' the car along - it would have powered the rear wheels as per normal.  It was abandoned on the grounds of cost and conventional 4 cylinder engines fitted.

By todays standards the single carb 2000cc engine won't exactly set the world alight but for the price these cars can still be purchased, they're worth having.

The 2000 automatic can best be described as a slug.  Nice car, but ... Plus when old (like they are now..) the gearbox and engine mountain rubbers could become 'tired' and soft, allowing the auto box to move and rock - causing the flexi plate (instead of a flywheel) that connects engine to gearbox to crack then break. 

For the home mechanic repair means removing the engine first to get at the flexi plate.  The easy way to do it is to lift the car on a hoist  to get at the gearbox, though not everyone has a hydraulic 4-post ramp at home.  Trying to remove the auto transmission from the engine bellhousing using ordinary diy drive-on ramps is a no-no unless you particularly enjoy hassle and ruing the day you were born.  Take the engine out first.  It can be done in 45 minutes.  A quick check is to reach underneath the car and see if you can rock the auto box from side to side -if so, things need tightening before trouble occurs.

The 2000 Twin Carb model, as expected, produces more power than the single carb version.

From 1973 to 1976 the twin carb 2200cc version was produced.  Up to a point, these fine cars are're comparable with the V8 in terms of power and performance.  The truth is however, that nowadays there's no such thing as a deserted road to unleash the horsepower.  Ours is now a world of speed cameras and traffic jams. Plus the whole concept of driving a classic Rover is different.

The TC versions are not rare nor or are they much more expensive than the rest of the P6 range.  The entire P6 range is a sturdy car that has bolt-on panels and is relatively easy to work on for the home mechanic with one noteable exception.

Then there's also the P6B - the one with the V8 engine.  The beast of the P6 range.  The real steel of what was then Rover.  It's these V8s in the P6 range that command higher prices but are real value for money.

Early V8s (the Series 1) are identifiable by their pressed steel/aluminium grill. These  Series 1 V8s have the higher compression engines (10.5:1)Series 2 models had the 'plastic eggbox' grill and lower compression engines.

The P6B was available with either automatic or manual gearbox although the vast majority of V8s you'll see for sale are automatics.  The reason being that -at the time - a specially strengthened manual gearbox (beefier bearings) was available for police cars (the traditional jam-jar seen on the motorways at the time) and those manual boxes weren't fitted as standard to the ordinary P6B on the the grounds of cost.  The V8 engine produced so much torque at that time of motoring history that ordinary manual boxes soon became 'shredded.'  It wasn't until later that a decent manual box became available to the general public - at extra cost.

It is for this reason that manual versions are a bit more expensive (and not so common) than the automatic variants.  The manual version is designated by the letter 'S'   i.e 3500S. It is possible to put a manual box from the later SD1 Rover into a P6B, though you need the crossmembers and prop shaft from the donor car as well.  And you also have to make sure that it is the correct SD1 gearbox - not any old box will do.

P6 V8 Estate
The estate wasn't actually produced by Rover.  Firms like FLM Panelcraft modified them into estates.  They command slightly higher prices than the bog standard V8, though with the exception of the tailgate and a couple of specialised filler-panels they're the same car.  I owned an estate for a while.  As estate cars they're not much practical use.  The flooring that sits above the fuel tank cuts down storage space.  They're more of a curiosity and a piece of motoring history.

TC2
Or was it TCZ?  The memory plays tricks after many years .. No, I think it was TC2 ... a 2 seater sports car based on the mechanics of the 2000TC engine. I think they made 2-3 of these prototypes and then abandoned the idea all together.  I think it was about 1982 at Ally Pally in London at a P6 Rally I last saw one of these cars.

Fuel Consumption
The entire P6 2000/2200 range - take 25 mpg as a realistic topmost figure.  They're not out and out fuel guzzlers in comparison with other cars, but they're not 1000cc diesels either.  For the P6 V8 range take 21 mpg gallon as a realistic norm.  There's no noticeable difference between the manual and auto versions (people tend to put the pedal down more in the manual version ..).  The P5B is heavier on fuel as it's a heavier car.

Achilles heels
1.  4 Cylinder P6
The 4 cylinder P6's are overhead cams with a top timing chain and a lower timing chain.  If the timing chain tensioners become worn (they're adjustable) or have insufficient engine oil to lubricate them, the chains rapidly wear.  A worn timing chain is characterised by a 'ringing' sound.  The top timing chain is relatively easy to replace; the bottom one - remove the engine.  If the top timing chain snaps say goodbye to the valves etc .. If the bottom one snaps there'll be less to smile about.  Not an every day occurrence of course, just something to be aware of.  They're tough, hardy cars.

2. P6 Rover V8
More of a niggle really.  The car comes to a grinding halt because fuel isn't getting pumped to the carbs.  You fit a new pump and the same thing happens a week later.  A stop-gap measure is to remove the  gasket that sits between the pump and block so that the arm othe pump reaches furher inside to sit on the driving cam..

The real fault is that the cam (not the camshaft) that drives the mechanical fuel pump is worn.  The easiest option is to fit a high-pressue electric fuel pump instead.  The V8 has relatively low oil pressure.  A worthwhile modification is to fit a high-pressure oil pump which is a straightforward task.  The oil pump is mounted on the side of the engine.

The (rear) Brakes
All P6's irrespective of whatever engine they have are fitted with inboard rear callipers/disks.  The rear brakes are located at each side of the differential and not in the wheel hubs as per usual.  Plus they're hinged calipers - they 'swing' because the brake piston only acts on one disk pad; the caliper swings slightly forcing the other pad against the disk.

To change these rear pads get the back of the car up on diy ramps as high as possible.  Don't try and change the pads with the car resting on 4 wheels - it's hassle.  The important point is to be aware that before the new pads are fitted, the brake piston must be fully retracted - and that piston winds in.  Don't try to push it home with a screwdriver -it must be wound in.  Use a pair of pliers to wind it in like a screw - try forcing it home will cause damage to the mecahnism within the calliper.

After fitting new rear pads the handbrake usually doesn't work properly ... Disconnect the handbrake cable at the rear linkage, push the linkage arms in the opposite direction to which the handbrake cable pulls them and get somebody to press the brake pedal.  You'll hear a series of clicks ...  that's the ratchet and pawl mechanism inside the calipers adjusting the handbrake ... and it's this ratchet and pawl mechanism that you'll irreparably damage if you try and force home the brake piston. Wind it in with a pair of pliers.  Get the car lifted at the back and the whole job is easy.

Engine Life
It's horses for courses - a well serviced car goes on longer of course.  No P6 engine has a life comparable to that of a modern car.  In the most general of terms, a P6 with 100,000 on the clock is heading for major overhaul time within the not too distant future.  The V8 engine can go on longer, but much depends on its servicing.

The V8 has hydraulic tappets (valve clearances are done automatically with the engine oil pressure).  On a poorly serviced V8 the top end of the engine sludges up and the valve clearances are lost and the engine suffers ... big style.  If you're buying or have a V8 with a decent engine, use a thicker engine oil - a quality oil, not the cheap supermarket brands.  Use an oil that is 'pumpable' and change it every 3000 miles and avoid that unneccessary engine wear.  The same applies to the 4 cylinder models.  Regular oil changes with a quality oil negates a lot of problems.

Modifications and Interchangeability of Parts
P4
On the P4 Range you can swop engines and gearboxes to your heart's content. The gearboxes can be removed -easily -from within the car after removing the gearbox tunnel cover.  Fit a gearbox with overdrive to a model that has no overdive fitted?  Easy.  Just get the propshaft from the donor car as well.  You can if you wish, fit a later V8 engine to the P4, though admittedly this isn't a Sunday job as you need to get an adapter plate to fit between gearbox and engine, not to mention re-jigging the radiator, hoses, engine mountings and exhaust.  And you'll need a V8 manual geabox and propshaft to boot.  Best left alone unless you're into that sort of thing..

P6
Swop engines and gearboxes to your heart's content.  If you're converting from a 2000 single carb to a twin carb it's just as easy to change the entire engine/exhaust as it is to swop cylinder heads. If swopping heads you'll need the carbs (obviously) plus the choke cable and the exhaust downpipe from the donor car.

Converting a 2000 automatic to manual isn't difficult, though you do need the gearbox cross members and propshaft from the donor car.  But it's a pointless task ..  The auto has a wider gearbox tunnel which looks out of place on a manual conversion and it won't add any value to the car whatsoever.

The cylinder heads from any 4 cylinder P6 can be fitted to any other 4 cylinder P6 - though do remember the twin carb version needs the carb and cable to go with the head.  And if you ever do change a head gasket/head  on these engines - the head needs skiming first and it takes  a long time to get the valve clearances right.  Valve clearances are set by shim and bucket configurations.  It takes time and patience and involves a micrometer and lots of shims... Once done, that's it.  No future adjustment is needed (or possible).

You can replace a duff V8 engine with a 4 cylinder engine. I can't say that I've heard of anybody replacing a 4 cylinder with a V8 engine, though it can probably be done with blood sweat and tears.

Changing a V8 engine isn't a Sunday afternoon job either.  There's not much room to work inside the V8 engine bay because it's such a big lump.  The 4 cylinder engines - plenty of room.

Auto Gearboxes
There was a P4 Rover called the 105R. 105 mph was its top speed and 'R' meant 'Rovermatic' - it had an automatic gearbox that used engine oil.  They're quite rare nowadays.

On the entire P6 range - 4 cylinder and V8 there are 2 automatic geaboxes; the (earlier) Borg- Warner 35 and  later 65.  One has a rod linkage and the other a cable linkage.  Either will fit your auto P6 - just remember to take the rods/cable with you from the donor car.  If you're going to swop auto boxes unbolt them with the engine bellhousing -  don't just try and remove the transmission part alone.  It's real hassle  ..  The P5B uses the same auto gearbox.

The V8 Engine
Early V8 Rovers  (including some 4 cylinder models.)had high compression engines fitted (10.5:1) ten point five to one.  That was way back when there was 2, 3,4 a and 5 star fuel available (5 star was higher octane). The term 'unleaded' didn't exist, as did unleaded fuel ...

Those early V8 engines were designed to run on high octane leaded fuel. Those early engines have a high tolerance to unleaded fuel but they're not  suited for sustained use on unleaded.  You need to use a lead substitute additive and an octane booster - or have the valves/ valve seats converted for use with unleaded fuel.

There's a varietyof different V8 engines  with different compression ratios: the compression ratios are stamped on a 'tag' on the engine block.  British Leyland Sherpas - the 'people carrier' variety of the late eighties and early nineties had low compresiion V8 engines fitted (7.5:1)  which are more suited to the low octane fuels of today.  All V8 engines will fit.

These later engines fit straight into a P5B or P6B.  Original engines they are not, obviously, but an engine is an engine and keeps the car on the road.  Emission controls for the mot go on the year of the car,not the engine.

The P6B - the V8 - finished production in 1976.  The engine lived on.  In 1976 ish BL introduced the Rover SD1.  Amongst the choice of engines was the V8 (avoid the 2300 and 2600 like the plague .. with apologies to that respective car club .. but owning an SD1 at the time meant that you got plenty of exercise walking to the nearest phonebox to call the breakdown services ..  the 2300 and 2600 'blew' had gaskets/seized camshafts with monotonous regularity ..). The V8 variant was the one to go for.

From 1976 when the P6B finished production ('last of the real Rovers') the only real significant engine V8 engine change was to increase the diameter of the valves.  Therefore you can put the heads from  a later V8 engine onto an earlier one without any troubles,  Change the engine - it's just the valve diameter that's different.  The lower ratio compression is due to the pistons.  The Rover V8 engine is legendary in motoring history

What to Pay?
Actually, prices have remained pretty stable for years. In 1990 a superb P6B cost about 1500 pounds.  They cost the same in 2008.  That's real value for money.  The manual version of the P6 V8 is the benchmark  -automatics cost less.  They're all superb cars. 4 cylinder P6s cost less than V8s.  Buy the condition of the car -whatever version you go for.  Concours - top condition, low mileage and faultless cars go for more... naturally.  In relative terms,4 cylinder models aren't worth a lot in contrast with modern second-hand car prices.  Nobody admires a 1 year old car .. it's different when you drive  a 'classic' whatever the engine size.

P5s and P5Bs are more expensive than P6s for the simple reason that fewer were manufactured and there's less of them on the market.  Like all classic Rovers, condition and location dictates the price, though the averge price for a good P4 is around 2000 pounds. Top flight models in concours condition ... a lot more.  Just like any car.

Spares
All these cars have long since disappeared from the scrap yards.  A long time ago ..  Yet a lot of spares are still widely available at clasic car autojumbles and through the respective car clubs.  Look on the internet for the P6 Rover owners club, the P4 Drivers Guild and the Rover Sports Register (the monthly mag is called. 'Freewheel')  Or go to your local newsagent and ask them to order you the monthly magazine  'Practical Classics'.

Insurance
 You won't get a quote from the AA or Direct Line etc .. as these cars are from the dinosaur age.  Look at classic car insurance adverts within the pages of 'Practical Classics.' (Footman James etc ..)

Which Rover?
 It's horses for courses again. If you like running boards, no heater and dim lights, wooden floors, 60 mph top speed and rod brakes, go for a P2/3 Rover.  Circa 1947 onwards...   They're noisy, inefficient an draughty -not to mention superb summer weekend fun.

The P4 has acres of leather seats.  Enjoy a high driving position with the peasants on the other side of the winsdcreen. Admire their admiring glances as you waft by  The same is true of the P5/P5B.

The P6 is a hardy car - that much is obvious to the uninitiated as you drive by.  The legendary V8 has an exhaust 'burble' that sends shivers down the spines of souped-up Astra drivers.  The loud farting noise produced by wide-bore exhausts on anonymous1300 cc pieces of tin just can't hold a candle to that growling rumble of an 8 cylinder engine.

A Sense of Perspective
The first P6 2000 appeared in 1963.  Along with their predecessors the P4s, these were quality cars.  They were transport for the well-heeled and professional classes.  At a time when small family cars like the Ford Anglia were wheezing and struggling along, the Rover wasn't.  It was a quality car back then and still is.

The Rover SD1 (1976 onwards)

Well, they say  it   wasn't  really a Rover. At the time there was no real successor to the ageing Triumph 2000 which was then part of British Leyland.  The Rover SD1 had nothing to do with the ex-Rover engineers (God bless their souls..).  It was designed as the Triumph Puma and re-badged as  the Rover SD1.

It came with a 2000 O series engine (old design - strong but under powered for the SD1) and the 2300  and 2600 variants.  At the time the 2.3 and 2.6 versions were plagued with head and camshaft problems and were unwanted as second-hand cars. The scrapyards were full of them.  The saving grace was the V8 version, which also came in a fuel injected form.  The SD1 has larger inlet valves.  Other than that, engines/cylinder heads are completely interchangeable between V8 P6s and SD1 V8s.

A diesel-powered SD1 with the 'Iceberg' Italian 2.4 engine fitted was produced in low numbers.  Shortly after production ceased the cost of spares for these diesel engines was off the map due to their rarity.  What the situation is now I don't honestly know.

Build quality on earlier SD1s was atrocious.  Plus they also suffered from computer and electronic faults. Surviving examples are now mainly in the hands of SD1 club members.  The SD1 is actually a pleasure to drive. Unlike its P6 brethren whose doors are bolted on, door removal on the SD1 is described as a 'dockyard' job (not so easy ..).  The V8 SD1 gearbox has an oil pump too.

Aftermarket and Choice
The respective Rover clubs are a good source of spares - and a good place to pick up your first Rover.  Members are usually hands-on mechanics to varying degrees and are more than willing to help.  Spares are manufactured for many of these clubs.  Keeping and running an old Rover isn't  a problem.

Which Rover is the best?  Well, it's your choice: it's the car that you like the look of and enjoy owning.  It's as simple as that.

Happy Rovering.

    Glenn 3303.