So you’ve bought a P6. It’s been garaged for a number of years, the tax disc is yellowing with age, it’s covered in years’ of dust and grime, the tyres are looking hard and flat. You can’t wait to get stuck in… but where do you start?
Many of us have met this scenario, someone knows someone who has a P6 that hasn’t moved in years. But recommissioning a car isn’t as straight forward as turning the key and seeing if it will turn a wheel. However good it might look when hosed down, all P6s are at least 38 years old and full of consumable parts – rubber perishes, petrol degrades, steel corrodes, and years of grime and congealed fluids can hide all sorts of dangers and damage.
There can be no comprehensive list of checkpoints for recommissioning a classic car – there are too many variables to consider. But at the very least you should thoroughly inspect, and ideally replace, all of the consumable parts listed in this article. We have split each section into two parts – general points that are common to most classic cars, and P6 specific points covering areas that are unique to the P6 and/or require thorough inspection.
There is a wealth of information on the internet, in magazine publications like Practical Classics, and through the Club’s technical experts listed in Driving Force magazine for recommissioning a general classic car, so we have deliberately focused attention on the P6 specific areas. With a little additional research to cover the more general points, you should have no issues getting that P6 ready for Summer!
Many of the areas of inspection have been covered in greater detail in a separate technical article. Where this is the case, we have included links to these articles for your reference. Note, if you do not have the members only password you will not be able to access all archived technical material.
| General points | P6 specific areas |
| Engines | |
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Whether four-cylinder or V8, the same basic rules apply to preparing a dormant engine for restarting. Does it turn over by hand? Check the engine turns over smoothly after sitting for so long. Give a blast of air around the spark plugs to prevent debris entering the combustion chamber and remove all spark plugs to help the engine turn over unimpeded. Using either the fan blades, or preferable a large socket on the crankshaft pulley, first rock it backwards and forwards and then turn the engine over clockwise for at least two full turns. Free movement here indicates that the pistons and valves are moving smoothly. Anything other than free smooth movement will mean a more in depth examination is required with the cylinder head off. It could be that the piston rings are sticking, valves are sticking open or corrosion on the cylinder wall is preventing the engine turning. Check the carburettors Remove the air filter cover and inspect the air filter. The condition will give some indication of how well looked after the car has been when it was last running. You should renew the filter, but leave it off the car for the first start. Remove the dashpot but be careful in case the piston and needle come away with the dome, this will be the case if any dirt/corrosion has made them stick together. Douse with carburettor cleaner until they come apart. Carburettors are designed to run dry (with the exception of the dashpot). After separation, polish away any marks rather than use abrasive paper wherever possible. The fit of the piston to the chamber is precise and changing the internal diameter of the chamber will affect the speed of lift and fall of the piston. Check for smooth operation of the choke cables and ensure the jet is lowered and returns smoothly (on HS and HD type carburettors only – HIFs as fitted to post-73 cars have a separate choke jet fed by a brass tap, provided it moves it should be okay, but the seals may need replacing if the engine runs permanently rich). Check the operation of the throttle and that butterfly opens and closes by looking through the carburettor throat. Change the Fuel, Oil and Water Modern unleaded fuel has a notoriously short shelf life, so drain the tank and carburettors by removing the fuel lines at each union. Draw the fresh fuel through by priming the fuel pump. Drain the engine oil and refill with fresh 20w50 and a new filter. Drain the coolant using the tap at the bottom of the radiator (4-cylinders also have a tap on the offside of the block). If the taps do not work, or the coolant is so full of detritus that nothing more than a dribble emerges, then disconnect the bottom hose. Refill the cooling system with water and repeat to dislodge as drain as much rubbish as possible before filling with blue ethyl glycol (IAT) based antifreeze at 50% concentration. First Start Fit a new or good battery and leaving the choke in, turn the key to operate the starter for 10 second bursts with a few seconds in between. The engine should turn over quite quickly with the spark plugs out. The purpose of this test is to ensure that you are getting sufficient operation at the starter to turn over the engine, and more importantly to push the oil all the way round the oil galleries prior to first start up. Refit new spark plugs, pull the choke, cross your fingers and turn the key. Expect some timing chain or valve chatter on initial start up. This should disappear after no more than 5 seconds as oil pressure is built. If this does not happen, the oil pressure light does not go out or the pressure gauge (series 2 V8s & TCs) does not begin to climb, shut off the engine immediately. Deeper investigation of the oil pump, seals, external hoses (4-cylinders) or crank bearings are required. |
Cylinder heads Four-cylinders Remove the cam cover and inspect the reservoirs around the cam buckets. These may be dry or contain debris. Thoroughly clean them and top up with some clean, fresh 20w50 oil to prevent wear on start-up. Also check the valve clearances as this give you an indication of the engine’s previous health and work that may be required in future. 2013 Issue 4 covered the cylinder head in detail.
V8 cylinder head It is common for carbon deposits to become baked onto the valve gear in P6 V8 engines – narrow oil channels are the culprit. Do not scrape or remove any of this material. If dislodged it can easily work its way to bearing to cause terminal damage. It’s not causing any damage where it is so leave it alone and think about having the whole head chemically dipped in future. Inspect the rocker for wear – the shafts and rocker bushes can wear oval so look for excessive play that could could breakage on start-up. Lubricate the valve gear by pouring a small amount of oil onto it. Cooling systems Apart from a very limited run of early TC models, P6s were not fitted with radiator expansion tanks as standard. As such, it is common to lose around 4 inches of coolant from the radiator due to expansion. The only solution is to fit an expansion bottle. MGB, SD1 and Range Rover examples are readily available on eBay. V8 cooling systems can fur up internally, a contributor to vapour lock – an irritating phenomenon whereby the fuel evaporates in the fuel line before reaching the carburettor causing the engine to randomly cut out and refuse to start. When left for alf an hour (just long enough for the rescue recovery to arrive) it will start without issue! 2013 Issue 2 covered the V8 cooling system in detail. Engine Oil All P6 engines require a good quality 20w50 mineral oil. Both engines also have flat tappets which require a friction reduction additive called zddp. V8 engines are known to suffer from cam-rounding if unsuitable oils are used, or oil change intervals (3000 miles of 12 months) are poorly observed. Four-cylinders can withstand wear without high quantities of zddp, but added protection brings peace of mind. Valvoline VR1, Morris Golden Film or Millers Classic are recommended by the Club. See 2012 Issue 3. Fit a non-return oil filter to four-cylinder models – available from the club spares – to aid with quick pressure building. After start-up Allow the engine to become thoroughly warmed up before putting it under load. Feel the radiator top hose to see if hot coolant is running through it – this means your thermostat has opened and the engine is up to operating temperature. If the engine starts overheating or the top hose begins warming straight away, you should replace your thermostat as it is either stuck closed or open.
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| Transmission | |
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Manual Transmission Top up the gearbox with 20w50 engine oil. If there is a red EP oil in the gearbox drain it and replace it with engine oil – other oils can be damaging to the yellow metals in the gearbox. Check the clutch disengages properly by attempting to select reverse. Borg Warner automatic transmission should be topped up properly with a ATF-G or Ford spec M2C-33G fluid. NOT Dextron-based fluids as these destroy the integrity of the clutch bands. Wherever possible, you should avoid draining the gearbox unless you know its integrity. Just keep it topped up. See 2014 Issue 1.
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P6 4-speed manual gearboxes are splash lubricated, and have a channel to lubricate the primary shaft bearing and clutch release mechanism. As such it is normal to see a drip of oil underneath. The selector mechanism may also need attention as the spherical bush and ‘acorn’ on the gear lever can disintegrate. See 2014 Issue 1
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Brakes |
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As a minimum you should remove the brake pads and clean the calipers with Brake cleaner. Ideally replace the pads with fresh. Don’t worry about minor pitting on the discs – this will disappear with the first touch of the pedal.
Drain the brake lines and replace with a DOT-4 fluid before bleeding.
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Rear brake pads removal and replacement procedure was covered in 2014 Issue 1.
There are only 3 bleed nipples – one of each of the front calipers, and one of the nearside rear caliper.
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Suspension |
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Inspect all of the ball joints and the integrity of the bushes and dampers. Bounce the car at each corner. It should settle after one bounce – if it keeps bouncing, your damper is no longer effective and needs replacing
Hubs – Remove the road wheels and inspect the hubs for play. Roller bearings can wear or partially collapse after prolonged periods sat in the same position with the weight of the car on them. Replace as necessary. Tyres – They may be expensive but old tyres should not be overlooked. Whilst not an MOT fail, it is extremely dangerous to drive on rubber that is more than 7 or 8 years old, especially if it has been sat in the same position for years. |
Front – There are 12 ball joints in the P6 front suspension. You should lever at them with a suitable pry bar to check for wear and rattling. Refurbished complete legs are available from suppliers. See 2013 Issue 6 for a full description.
Rear – Check the integrity of the rear hub carriers and DeDion ‘elbows’. These can rot out from the inside and can fail catastrophically. Inspect the clevises holding the trailing arm and top links. Top up the DeDion tube with 20w50 engine oil if there is a filler plug. Other types are grease-filled.
Tyres – Four-cylinders have 14” 5J wheels which originally took 165/80/14 radial ply tyres. These are still available, but 185/70/14 tyres are easier to find and offer a broader tread area. V8 models have 14” 5.5J wheels designed to take 185/80/14 tyres, which are now available from classic specialists. 185/70/14 are a suitable alternative. For both models ensure you do not buy van tyres, which are unsuitable for high speed use and drastically affect grip and handling. 2013 Issue 6 briefly covered tyre advice. |
Electrics
A fresh battery is a minimum, but you should also test your alternator with a multimeter. Remove and clean the earth straps from the battery to body, and body to engine – poor earthing is the root of many electric problems. Check and tighten all of the electrical connections you can find, particularly in the ignition and charging circuits. New points, condenser and low tension block should be fitted to the distributor, ideally with new HT leads, which can break down with age. Electronic ignition is now readily and cheaply available, and is a sensible upgrade for most cars. You should always fit a battery isolator switch to a classic car for both safety and security.
Body
We will soon be running a full technical article on thoroughly inspecting a P6 base unit for rust and structural damage. Due to the bolt-on panels, a significant – even terminal – amount of rot can lurk inside a P6 and remain almost entirely undetected.
As a minimum you should remove the sill covers and wings and inspect the length of the sills for rot. Poke at the sills with a large screwdriver, and pay particular attention to the areas around the jacking posts, the lip where the floor meets the sill on the under side, and the rear D-post. Pin-holing or small rust can be repaired, but beware that these holes could have let in water that may have caused rot further in. The sills should be solid if the car is to pass MOT. Lift the rear seat squabs to inspect the inner sills and rear of the floorpan – rot here will soon spread into the sills. It is caused either by holes at the leading edge of the rear wheel arch causing spray from the wheels to enter the body, or the bottom of the D-pillar having rotted through allowing water to enter from the breached rain channel. Also check the inner flitches and leading edges of the wheel arches. Rust in any other location (boot floor, headlamp surrounds, floor pans, etc) is either superficial or easily rectified, and in most instances does not compromise the integrity of the structure unless allowed to spread. Nonetheless, you should make arrangements to repair it to restore strength and prevent it spreading.
Scrape and reapply undershield for protection.
Renew the wiper blades to prevent screen damage.
Words: Michael Allen & Brian Humphreys
Originally published in Driving Force magazine
April 2014