I'm now a Rolls mechanic!

[speeder]

Tackled my first Rolls repair job today, and it was a 1974 carbureted Silver Spirit with smog equipment galore. It had failed to start and then ran rough and would not idle, symptoms came on suddenly. I've done some minor maintenance on a modern Bentley Arnage for another friend but that was the extent of my experience with these cars.

Car belongs to a lady friend and she asked if I would take a look before towing it in to the indy shop in town. I went through the basics, cleaned and set points and replaced some vacuum lines that were as old as the car and hard as a rock. I mostly stared at it for a long time, trying to decipher what those crazy Brits had done back in the bad old days of 1974 wrt smog equipment and vacuum solenoids, etc. A lot of looking up specs on the internet as well.

Not sure which thing I did helped but by the time I left, it was purring like a kitten. I did not drive it but she texted me that it's running smoother than ever! I think that it's just really sensitive to vacuum leaks and I tightened it up. My dad had Jags when I was a kid and they were "finicky," great cars but really needed to be right.

Wish I knew how to post a video but here are a couple of stills:

[island911]

Nicely done!

I expect you are right - vacuum leaks.

[Racerbvd]

Congratulations, definitely a over complicated car, and definitely not a easy fix or to diagnose. The double brakes and over complicated suspension is generally enough to scare most seasoned techs, not familiar with them away.
I would love a replica of the one from Canon Ball run.

[speeder]

Thanks! Crazy as it sounds, bringing that 1975 MGB back to life gave me a lot of confidence to work on this. Don't get me wrong...the Rolls is 3-4 times more complicated under the hood but I learned about SU carbs and a few other weird British things on that little car. I think that if you have aptitude, you can work on almost anything if you take it really slow and learn the machine plus do some reading.

[RNajarian]

Hang on. . . I’ve got a 1982 Silver Spirit that needs some lovin’

[speeder]

Originally Posted by RNajarian

Hang on. . . I’ve got a 1982 Silver Spirit that needs some lovin’

I'd be happy to take a look at it! I'm very realistic about the limits of what I can do out of the back of my station wagon but I have some awesome tools!

That would be a late Spirit II with fuel injection, right?

[island911]

Originally Posted by speeder

... I think that if you have aptitude, you can work on almost anything if you take it really slow and learn the machine plus do some reading.

Yep, machines of that era tell you stories of how they work, just by looking. Cool stuff.

[LWJ]

She’s a beaut!

[rusnak]

Wow, fantastic car. Nice job!

[slow&rusty]

Cool car for sure.

American SMOG was hell for American Auto manufacturers let alone the boutique manufacturers across the pond.

[Chocaholic]

Wow...love that dash. The least she owes you is an opportunity to drive it around a bit!

[speeder]

Originally Posted by Chocaholic

Wow...love that dash. The least she owes you is an opportunity to drive it around a bit!

She texted me and asked whether I had driven it yesterday, (she wanted me to), but I needed to get somewhere after I finished it. I’ll test drive it soon but I know how they drive…like a magic carpet.

[Nickshu]

Gorgeous car. That dash!!

Speed control...Engage. Love it.

[serene911]

Nice job Denis, Beautiful car !

[jamesnmlaw]

LS swap. Tremec. Flowmaster. A sleeper. Oh, yeah, Euro-bumpers.

BTW - she has an absolutely beautiful ride, even in ca-ca brown.

[speeder]

Originally Posted by jamesnmlaw

LS swap. Tremec. Flowmaster. A sleeper. Oh, yeah, Euro-bumpers.

BTW - she has an absolutely beautiful ride, even in ca-ca brown.

It would still be slow, do you have a handle on what these weigh?

As for the color, it's the entire reason that she bought it and paid quite a bit. It's the quintessential '70s *hottest color* and an absolutely stunning car. Her house is also a mid-century modern beauty that gets rented out for photo shoots and films, paying for the house. I'd say there is no issue with her taste.

[speeder]

My dad had a 1976 450SL in Milan Brown metallic, (similar color), I remember the dealer trying to talk him into any other color because it was so hard to get one of those at the time. Brown was the height of fashion at the time. It also sort of came back around in some Porsche colors in recent years.

[jamesnmlaw]

Originally Posted by speeder

It would still be slow, do you have a handle on what these weigh?

As for the color, it's the entire reason that she bought it and paid quite a bit. It's the quintessential '70s *hottest color* and an absolutely stunning car. Her house is also a mid-century modern beauty that gets rented out for photo shoots and films, paying for the house. I'd say there is no issue with her taste.

Sorry, no offense meant. Just joking. My parents had refrigerator in that color back in the early 70s.

Yep, a very heavy car. Thinking about low end torque and hwy cruising, maybe a little chirp at the stoplight. But, sounds like your friend has a survivor!

Your friend's car is beautiful. She's fortunate to have you fix it for her, as the repair costs at a local shop would have been a booger price-wise.

[speeder]

Thanks, man. She bought it recently and definitely stepped into a relationship with the auto repair industry.

She is a millennial but it’s her money and she can do what she wants with it, even if it goes against this old guy’s advice.

[Jeff Higgins]

Speaking of that MGB - what did you ever find out about that voltage question on the coil? Had us both confused...

I love that era of Rolls. I keep thinking someday... The cool thing up here in Washington is that, at its age, it no longer has to pass smog, either visually or mechanically. Actually, nothing does anymore. Makes them much less daunting.