Thread: Barn Find

Originally Posted by Grimace

this thread makes me want to burn all my range rovers!

Seriously I am black with envy! (greens just not dark enough)

Deep bronze green might work, in fact yesterday I would have given it to you, what with the struggles fitting the rear shocks, which are still not on. Will update thread after tomorrows efforts to install them

Originally Posted by superquag

I feel your pain.... The PO of Lady Sarah only had one (stuffed) and a length of ally pipe to hold it up. - Join the dots!

Still only got one..... Bought it from Martins Trailer parts, up off Guildford Road. Nice range of various sizes and pressures, and from memory wasn't too pricey

Thanks for the recommendation. I had already bought 2 from Supercheap auto, & although the correct length were way too high pressure. I could hang off the tailgate & it would still not close. So back today & exchanged for lower pressure VW struts which work a treat. Also discovered that there is a wire clip on the old struts that once removed makes removing the struts a lot easier- shame the manual does not mention that!

Also thought I would fix the wife's little Citroen tailgate, but Supercheap did not have any this small, so off to Martins Trailer parts per your recommendation & for $10 he re-gassed it & it works a treat, so many thanks for that.

A couple of photo's attached, first of the clip, second the broom handle that had served as a strut for a long time, & finally the tailgate staying up on its own

Wire clip... er, um, Yes -I'd forgotten about that.... sorry!

Just a thought... you might want to check the top-hinges, where they go into the roof-line. Seems to be a nut on a bolt-ended hinge bit (inside hood lining) that holds it in place. One of mine is loose, no doubt from the asymmetric forces in closing it.

Will get a Tuit one day, and fix it. (Of the 'round' variety...)

By the way, when/if you take off the quarter panels, don't be worried if you drop the little nuts inside the works... when the panel comes off, they're inot going anywhere and are in full view.

Along with any/some/lots of rust...

How much do you want for her?????
I can settle ASAP

Avion, now that you have good pressure in your struts you may discover an interesting RRC "feature". When the body flexes a bit the tailgate may open automatically as a result if the latch jiggling loose. I've seen quite a few with a bit of rope attached between the towbar and the tailgate handle to hold it when it opens.


The (or perhaps 'a') cure was a little kit that some clever chap was selling for about $8. It consisted of a couple of bits of 1"x1/8" mild steel bent into a right angle, a few 1/4" gutter bolts and nuts, and an instruction sheet.


The idea was to relocate the strut mounting points so that when the window was closed the strut was over-centre and tending to hold the window closed, rather than tending to push it open from the closed position, as it did originally.


This was achieved by removing the acorn nut and drilling out the pop rivet holding the mounting bracket on the tailgate. This bracket was then refixed 245mm up the frame using two of the 1/4"x3/4" gutter bolts, with the nuts toward the centre of the car.


The old top mount ball became the lower ball. The mild steel angle (25x45mm) was mounted with the 45mm side on the inside of the flange that carries the sealing rubber (i.e. not the side with the rubber, but the other side), using two gutter bolts, and with the 25mm side facing the back of the car. The former top ball was screwed into a hole (tapped for the thread on the stud attached to the ball) on the 25mm side of the bracket, and was 385mm below its former position.


The result of all this was that the tailgate no longer popped open, and also was a pleasure to shut. No more slamming - all that was required was to gently push it down with the palm of the hand, and when it was nearly closed it would pull itself shut. It reminded me of my brother-in-law's Rover 2000, which had doors that would pull themselves quietly shut. I was most impressed with them.


I fitted one of these kits to my '81 RRC about 30 years ago, and I've never regretted it. All the measurements here were taken by me ducking outside with a wooden ruler while I typed this post (snowing a bit here, now).
I used one of the vacant upper ball-mount brackets to mount a manual interior light switch. It's invaluable when you're getting something out of the back.


I hope that this account is of some use to someone, as I'd like to put something back into the site that has already helped me in other ways.




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Wow what a beauty!

"...The (or perhaps 'a') cure was a little kit that some clever chap was selling for about $8. It consisted of a couple of bits of 1"x1/8" mild steel bent into a right angle, a few 1/4" gutter bolts and nuts, and an instruction sheet.


The idea was to relocate the strut mounting points so that when the window was closed the strut was over-centre and tending to hold the window closed, rather than tending to push it open from the closed position, as it did originally...."

Got a photo Phil ???

Yes, I know of a very nice LSE that does this... (not mine, sadly) got me twice in one day.

Tailgate strut mod .....
(Photos as requested).
Circular object on left in inside shot is a ceramic speaker magnet. A magnet can come in very handy (especially one on a string).