Show us your Maestro/Montego... [Archive] - Maestro & Montego Owners Club

F690OTF(RIP)

20th May 2003, 20:08

F170GGT, yours is the only other Special I've seen on the 'net!

If I'd been a few years further down the line, i.e., with more money and potentially less expensive insurance, I wouldn't have let us scrap Michael, but would have taken the time and money to repair the sills, etc., and replace the wearing parts... sounds like something out of Thomas the Tank Engine! Although I'm clearly biased, I do feel that the Special era was possibly the Maestro's finest hour. It was around at the same time as the Turbo, after all! But as I've stated elsewhere, I prefer the instrument panels from that era to the later ones, and I found most of the other controls better laid out as well, although I must say that the heater controls are much more easily accessible on the Clubman. The most annoying thing is the positioning of the cigarette lighter socket; anything sizeable in it collides with my knee!

If some of the Specials I see around here are still around when I have a bit more money, I may see if someone wants to get rid of it for an over-the-odds sum to allow me to restore it. If I could get one the right colour, I've even thought about trying to re-register such an example as F690OTF, but I don't know whether it would be right. Do registrations become available once the car's been scrapped? We took the number plates off, and I don't think the windows were etched, so no-one knows what the registration was anyway, but I guess that could work against us because it couldn't be registered as no longer used.

Anyway, enough of my rambling. I hope your restoration project goes well and that you get many years of enjoyment from your Maestro. I certainly recommend them for learning to drive. I had a couple of lessons in Michael with a driving instructor, who was very impressed with the visibility. Having recently had to drive a Ford Focus in an emergency, I hope I will always be able to bask in the Maestro's luxurious visibility!

Peter

Maria

20th May 2003, 21:33

Some very nice looking cars in this thread! This is my bunch...

Hexie (not quite this shiny anymore, sadly. I'm hoping to get one of the 2 project cars on the road and take Hexie off for a full bare metal rebuild):

http://www.fullthrottle.co.uk/muddle/uploads/TATTON2.JPG

Maria

20th May 2003, 21:33

Muddle as he was when I got him:

http://www.fullthrottle.co.uk/muddle/uploads/agm6.jpg

Maria

20th May 2003, 21:34

Muddle as he is now:

http://www.fullthrottle.co.uk/muddle/uploads/MGM2001.jpg

Maria

20th May 2003, 21:37

Also now own the middle car of these (the green one)

http://www.maestroweb.co.uk/pages/3hexpark.jpg

and a project Turbo, and my other half Chris races WBM:

http://www.fullthrottle.co.uk/small-mg.jpg

Maria

20th May 2003, 21:38

I'm not doing badly for someone that once swore they would never have a Maestro :D

Austin-Rover

20th May 2003, 21:45

So only a few cars then Maria? :laugh:

Thats quite a transformation on your Maestro Camper!

Maria

20th May 2003, 22:29

Yeah, it was never meant to be this way! :D

The camper had really unpleasant grubby beige corduroy upholstery inside, so that was going to have to go. I wanted purple and/or blue inside, and realised the outside wouldn't match, and since it needed some bodywork anyway...

The rest is history!

MGTurbo

21st May 2003, 08:14

http://uk.geocities.com/mgturbo466/mgwheels3.jpg

Wonko_The_Sane

21st May 2003, 09:38

H870...side view

Wonko_The_Sane

21st May 2003, 09:39

H870's Front after the crash rebuild and Digi dash . The spots are long gone, and the bonnet has a crease..blame the fool who reversed into me.

e692wtt

21st May 2003, 12:59

Here's my Monty - definitely his good side. And they say the camera never lies...

The other other Rich.
:eek:

e692wtt

21st May 2003, 13:02

This should be better. I'm out of practise at posting like this (was never in practise...)

The other other Rich.

Austin-Rover

21st May 2003, 16:21

Does this pic show the damage caused by the local sc*mbag that hit your car, e629wtt?

D87 SMW

21st May 2003, 17:24

Wow, how many Maestros have you got, Maria?

John S

21st May 2003, 17:35

Your dash looks good. They are prone to warping in the middle you see, so you need to protect yours from direct sunlight e.g. when you park your car outside otherwise it may get damaged...I cover mine with newspaper when I leave my car outside in very hot weather(!)

John S

21st May 2003, 17:37

:laugh:

D87 SMW

21st May 2003, 17:37

I am aware of their warping capabilities.
I must say, thats very, er, nice, er, image work you've done there. :laugh:

Austin-Rover

21st May 2003, 17:49

My dashboard has a couple of cracks in it, is there a way to stop them growing in size, or does the same still apply - keep it out of sunlight?

Is it worth investing in one of those reflective blinds that cover the windscreen?

Maria

21st May 2003, 18:11

For those of you who haven't seen this before, this is the result of a misted up windscreen, and a deviation from the racetrack...

http://www.fullthrottle.co.uk/pics/oulton-180502/flying.jpg

Yes, the good old EdamSpeed Flying Babybel (as it's affectionately known) is indeed several feet off the ground :laugh:

e692wtt

21st May 2003, 21:06

Richard,

Re the damage caused by the 8 year old scumbag who cycled into my Monty, I can just make out the crease on the bonnet but no one else viewing the pic would spot it.

This is *definitely* the car's good side, I'll post a pic of the other side at work tomorrow (my [D:] is playing up at home). The lighting is wrong (pics taken at sunset, quite artistic I thought) but I'll show you all the horror of my Monty's offside!

Re the cracking dashboards, I think it's fair to say that "they all do that sir!". Some colours seem to survive better than others - the (blue) dash in my Monty is cracked worse than that (brown) in my VDP though the cars are more-or-less the same age. There are professional people who can attend to fix split dashboards and seats burnt by cigarettes, though, which is an option if you've got some spare cash. One can buy the raw materials they use (certain type of Plastic Filler, 'textured' paint to match the original finish, and special paint to cover the dash repair) at places like Frosts' of Rochdale (Classic Car Workshop and DIY Equipment specialists, they offer mail order too, if you are feeling brave and have the time and patience.

Try covering the dash with a dark beach towel when it is sunny to prevent further deterioration. A light towel will reflect in the windscreen if you drive with the towel covering the dash.

The other other Rich.
;)

Mat_C

22nd May 2003, 00:02

Here's my lot!

topgear

22nd May 2003, 07:45

Here are my two:

1.3 City X & 1.6 Vandenplas.

D87 SMW

22nd May 2003, 08:01

Very nice cars, all of them. The idea of having three+ Maestros has got me thinking...

Strandy

22nd May 2003, 19:43

The moment I'm sure you've all been waiting for... :laugh:

D87 SMW

22nd May 2003, 19:51

1.3 LX, I take it. Nice model the LX.

Austin-Rover

22nd May 2003, 19:55

Ahhh...

J373 ONC - Its spirit lives on...

D87 SMW

22nd May 2003, 20:02

...Yes, and the poster- sized photo of it dropped off the wall and nearly killed me! (and the guinea pig!) It used to be a big sheet of glass too!

MaestroMatt

22nd May 2003, 22:02

Just a cheeky post to see if my avatar is now active...

Big pics of A82 coming soon for your viewing pleasure...

lamonto

24th May 2003, 11:06

several snaps with new camera

Strandy

24th May 2003, 14:43

Originally posted by F170 GGT
1.3 LX, I take it. Nice model the LX.

H89 RUY is a 1.6 and I agree that the LX is quite a nice model, although mine isn't exactly the best example.

People are often suprised to find electric windows and central locking on a maestro! The seats are very comfy too! If it had only been fitted with power steering... If I intended keeping it longer than I do I'd consider retro fitting it but there's little point cos the body's nackered!

philippope

25th May 2003, 11:00

Here are my two Maestro Turbos. The black one is my most recent acquisition, but I can't put it on the road till I sell the red one. Offers, anyone...?

philippope

25th May 2003, 11:08

Here's the black one. Only 56000 miles.;)

MGTurbo

26th May 2003, 12:52

I think the picture of mine didn't work... So here goes again..

http://members.lycos.co.uk/mgmaestro/mgwheels3.jpg

John S

26th May 2003, 13:01

I see you have an extra black front skirt under your front bumper (or am I hallucinating?) Is that a Rover 800 skirt?

MGTurbo

26th May 2003, 13:03

Very well spotted. It is indeed a Mk2 Rover 800 splitter which was a pain in the butt to fit, makes a change to the usual Laguna splitter, and the 800 one is more in keeping with the shape of the car.

Gareth

Simon

27th May 2003, 21:59

Don't have many photo's of my car, but here goes...

jamescooper

28th May 2003, 01:42

The Beast

As seen in Monstro, and now with 172.000 miles on the clock....still driving like a dream...long live H344 EFJ!!!

matthewsemple

28th May 2003, 19:48

Here are my MG Maestros. This is the only picture I have of them both together. This is because I don't often have them both out at once.

The car on the left is a 1984 MG Maestro 1600 registered as A593XLG (originally A200VMB). I am the second owner and it has 62,000 miles on the clock.

The car on the right is a 1990 MG Maestro Turbo registered as MAT99V (originally G818REW) I have had it for four years and I am the fifth owner. It has 111,000 miles and it is Tickford no.500.

Check out my website to read more about them - http://www.angelfire.com/home/mat99v/

Cheers, Matthew

D87 SMW

28th May 2003, 19:54

Nice to see two Maestros together.

matthewsemple

28th May 2003, 20:31

Glad you liked the picture. I have owned at least two Maestros since 1998 - sometimes owning 3 at once! This is my MG Maestro 2.0i - a 1990 model in British Racing Green. It was an ex-Rover car and it had all the options including electric windows and PAS.

I'd love to get another one so I have all three MG Maestros but I'd want it to be something special like a very late K-reg car or an early EFi with the optional digital dash. Or maybe a 1986 car with optional dish alloys which would sit halfway between my other two cars in age.

http://www.angelfire.com/home/mat99v/H625mda.jpg

MaestroMatt

29th May 2003, 09:29

We always have three - and often four - Maestros in our driveway. Now the weather has perked up, I'll try and take a couple of pictures of the four of them together - it's a magnificent sight - almost brings a tear to the eye, it really does.

Maria

29th May 2003, 10:26

I remember when I first got mine, parking it in Mum and Dad's driveway behind their 2.

Eventually I'll get round to getting all 4 of mine roadworthy and decent looking for some photoshoots.

D87 SMW

30th May 2003, 10:37

Would you Adam and Eve it, a scalextric Maestro! :laugh: :laugh:

http://www.superjohn.f9.co.uk/maepics/scmaes.jpg

MaestroMatt

30th May 2003, 11:01

And while you are wondering how to get your hands on one, have a look at this stunt!

http://www.pacman32.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/rollover.html

D87 SMW

30th May 2003, 11:06

Now who in the right mind would want to do something like that?
Anyways, I have seen Corgi Maestros, and now Scalextric Maestros, so where are the 1:18 scale ones?... :laugh:

D813YBB

30th May 2003, 11:12

My Maestro

D813YBB

30th May 2003, 11:15

Apologies for the quality of the photo above, its a still from a DV camcorder

Martin

D87 SMW

30th May 2003, 11:20

Looks good to me, nice colour too!

D87 SMW

30th May 2003, 11:35

Aaaargh! Flaming joyriders! Look what they did to this poor Maestro... :(
Click Here (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/2298169.stm)

Maria

30th May 2003, 12:04

1) Scalextric Maestros crop up on Ebay very often. I think I have a set of about 7, but I've never seen an orange one like in that picture. A nice chrome one came up recently, but I missed out on it :( The Corgi Maestros with the flashing lights also crop up frequently.

2) You can get pewter scale model MG Maestros too from here http://www.mgcars.org.uk/carclub/fwdregister/regalia/regalia.htm

There's a bigger one and a really dinky one available.

3) Why would anyone want to roll a car on purpose??? Are these people mental?!

4) Nice looking Maestro, Martin :)

5) Oh well, another joyriding idiot out of the gene pool. That one lived too close for comfort to me, so hopefully it'll mean mine are a bit safer. I can't believe the lack of respect for other people's property that some people have. :banghead::censored::mad:

D87 SMW

30th May 2003, 12:12

Found this lovely Maestro on the web yesterday.

Austin-Rover

30th May 2003, 12:15

I think that car's numberplate speaks for itself: "Gawd, what have they done to that Maestro!!!"

:laugh:

D87 SMW

30th May 2003, 12:27

A few years after my dad sold his first Maestro, A151 NNB, we saw it again near home. After he kept it in such beautiful condition (Zircon blue) he nearly had a heart attack when he saw that someone had painted it in a very similar way to the one above, only matt green and black. Aaargh! :eek:
I won't repeat what he said. :laugh:

Beaker

30th May 2003, 16:55

Georgie porgy.

matthewsemple

30th May 2003, 17:40

Here's the Corgi MG Maestro 1600:

http://www.angelfire.com/home/mat99v/corgiside.jpg

As you can see it has working lights:

http://www.angelfire.com/home/mat99v/frontlights.jpg
http://www.angelfire.com/home/mat99v/backlights.jpg

Another angle:

http://www.angelfire.com/home/mat99v/Corgitop.jpg

For some strange reason, 95% of Corgi MG Maestro 1600s are yellow even though there were no yellow Maestros ever made to my knowledge.:)

Austin-Rover

30th May 2003, 17:54

I wonder if there is any chance Corgi would re-release it in the future? Has the club not looked into comissioning a limited run of Maestros & Montegos from a company to supply to club members as an addition to the Regalia currently on offer?

:p

Wonko_The_Sane

30th May 2003, 19:09

I've got a (very battered) red Corgi maestro..:) No bulb/batteries though..and no idea what they were! I got it a couple of years back at an MMM show..:)

The more I look at the pewter ones from MMM, the more I think "nice.."

John S

30th May 2003, 19:22

Didn't the report mention that the other passengers survived? I think this indicates something about the Maestro's safety - after a head on crash too!

Austin-Rover

30th May 2003, 19:46

The driver of that Maestro must have been doing some crasy speeds when he crashed, but sadly he wont be the last person to have problems separating reality from the racing games on his computer.

matthewsemple

30th May 2003, 20:10

Apparently Corgi were approached a few years ago about putting some more MG Maestros into production. They said it would cost £80,000!

Wonko - You're lucky to have a red Corgi Maestro - that's the only other colour I've seen and it looks good and actually quite similar to Monza Red - a genuine MG1600 colour.

It is good that there are three models available because they represent the 1600, EFi and Turbo. Corgi also did an MG Metro and I think they did a Maestro Van with AA livery. Anyone out there got pictures of these models?

The Scalextric MG Maestro are available in lots of colours as previously stated. I have a black one and it says 1990 MG Maestro on the box but it has cheesegraters! Nice that they took the trouble to make detailed wheels (unlike the Corgi model) but it is a shame they used the wrong wheels for the year.

Keep collecting!

D87 SMW

30th May 2003, 21:40

£80,000 to produce a Corgi Maestro. (what scale are they)
How much would it cost a company like Maisto to produce 1:18 scale ones? :confused:

www.maisto.com (http://www.maisto.com/default.asp)

matthewsemple

11th June 2003, 19:24

My picture from the above post has disappeared because I pinched it from ebay and now the auction has ended.

I'll attach another one. Incidentally there is another thread where someone mentions a Corgi Maesro with opening hatch and doors! Has anyone heard of this? I'd love to see a picture of one.:)

Rich

11th June 2003, 19:42

Seems i'm the only one not to show mine, here is a relativly recent pic of H902!

tony

11th June 2003, 19:47

that has a nice shine rich plenty of polishing there:p

Rich

11th June 2003, 19:53

And here is a picture of F48 (a 1.3 Mayfair) and H902, F48 is sorta H902's partner in crime, rescued from a bloke at work the day before he was due to go the scrap yard, I secured a deal on him, and gave him to one of my housemates, Jason, who used him for a while a did a fair bit of work on him. Unfortunatly his fate is undecided, it looks more and more like he will be stripped for parts and scrapped, despite the fact he starts first time, is mechanacally sound and is in not to bad condition inside, his bodywork is awful, this is one of the better pictures of him. He seems to spend almost every day now sat in the carpark opposite the house, which belongs to the local church, i think they are getting a bit annoyed with him being there too. Oh and some bugger broke the fuel filler door of recently!

Notice also, H902 has colour coded mirrors, chrome grille, and M&MOC branded plates in this pic!

Rich

P.S will keep you posted on F48's fate......:(

threelitre

13th June 2003, 00:13

this 1989 Austin Maestro LS imported from Luxemburg is my current every day car... Seen here after an extensive washing session.

threelitre

13th June 2003, 00:16

... of the bog standard interior... Ok, with rev-counter and CD-changer fitted as non standard.

Regards,
Alexander

D87 SMW

13th June 2003, 12:11

Wow, Maestros' in Germany, China, Bulgaria, Australia... they're world famous! Anyone in the US of A got one too? :laugh:

D87 SMW

13th June 2003, 19:51

Are the MG alloys standard too? :laugh:

threelitre

14th June 2003, 09:48

Originally posted by F170 GGT
Are the MG alloys standard too? :laugh:

Nope, I was just talking about standard interior. The exterior and machanics have received some mods from my own parts bin...

Alexander

matthewsemple

15th June 2003, 21:08

threelitre,

I have just spotted the MG1600 in the background of your picture. Can we have a few pictures of this posted up - including the dash and engine?

threelitre

15th June 2003, 22:21

Originally posted by matthewsemple
threelitre,

I have just spotted the MG1600 in the background of your picture. Can we have a few pictures of this posted up - including the dash and engine?

Dash and engine come later... They are not really looking good without a cleaning. Although the seats are pretty well preserved. Here two pictures how I got the car (for free :-) ).

threelitre

15th June 2003, 22:26

btw, it came loaded with spares...

threelitre

15th June 2003, 22:28

This time it is my LS, then my LE (got for free 4 years ago) and my parents EFi.

matthewsemple

15th June 2003, 22:37

Fantastic - a black MG1600 with left hand drive - must be almost unique. You alo have a Montego estate? or is that owned by the previous owner of the MG1600?

Do you use the MG1600?

threelitre

16th June 2003, 01:11

Originally posted by matthewsemple
Fantastic - a black MG1600 with left hand drive - must be almost unique. You alo have a Montego estate? or is that owned by the previous owner of the MG1600?

Do you use the MG1600?

Not yet... I still have not found the time to get the engine running. The owner before has fitted a s/h engine and put the distributor shaft wrong... So I'll try to get the engine running (the car has done 190,000kms by now, and seemingly quite troublefree) and when it does, I'll check if the body is really worth saving. It has rust, but it does not seem structural.
Oh: and all options: black, sliding roof, e-windows, tinted windows. All instruments work and I have a spare flow-meter to fit, since it was removed after failure. The car came with 2 sets of wheels, a set of rust-free (white) doors and a few more spares and has bumpers without cracks! Sadly the headlining started sagging one week after I got it :-(

The Montego is my parents car. It's official name is not Montego, but Rover GTD (Montego Countryman TD for you in the UK).

Regards,

Alexander

JollyMG(1)

16th June 2003, 11:09

And here's my Maesty :cool:

matthewsemple

16th June 2003, 18:37

Originally posted by threelitre
Not yet...

Oh, and all options

The Montego is my parents car. It's official name is not Montego, but Rover GTD (Montego Countryman TD for you in the UK).

Regards, Alexander

Great you are lucky to have an MG1600 with all the options. Mine only had metallic paint and the owner had put in one of those tilting glass sunroofs rather than having the factory fitted one. I have since fitted red rear seatbelts and the Stereo Cassette deck that was optional (unfortunately it doesn't work properly but I am working on it!)

The aim is to get as many "factory fitted" options to my car as possible whilst keeping it original. The advantage of not having the factory fitted sunroof is that the headlining is vinyl and much more hard wearing and they never sag!

Late Montegos all lost the Montego name on the continent. Alot were sold in France as Rover 2.0TD with Rover badges on the bonnet wheels and steering wheel. In fact the wheel trims and steering wheels come from teh Rover 200/400

Good luck getting the MG1600 up and running - it is well worth it as they are fantastic cars to drive!

threelitre

16th June 2003, 19:40

Originally posted by matthewsemple
I have since fitted red rear seatbelts and the Stereo Cassette deck that was optional.

Late Montegos all lost the Montego name on the continent. Alot were sold in France as Rover 2.0TD with Rover badges on the bonnet wheels and steering wheel. In fact the wheel trims and steering wheels come from teh Rover 200/400

Hi!

The rear belts have been std. on German cars. But not the radio - and that is missing. Anyhow I will put a more modern one in. And I know about the vinyl headlinings :-)

To the Monty: The only difference to UK Montegos are the badges and minor trim differeces. After 1992, when they all were called Rover (GTi and GTD available) they all had the trim from the UK countryman (including wood), many options as std (elec windows, most of them rear seat, self levelling, power steering, alloys on GTi). The wheeltrims used are the same as on the UK Montego TD. You may well fit Rover items, but they did not have them from the factory. On the bonnet there is a little Rover badge, the rear says Rover GTD/GTi. The steering wheel is the same as the UK Monty's had (with leather rim), just using a different centre cap. I used the wheels and trims for some time on my Maestro and reused a steering wheel from one of them, although I changed the boss cap to the Austin one.

Regards,
Alexander

matthewsemple

19th June 2003, 22:34

I have seen a couple of French "Rover GTDs" with the wheel trims from Rover 200/400. Perhaps the dealers put these on.

matthewsemple

19th June 2003, 22:37

You are right about the steering wheel though - a normal Montego one with a different centre inset with tiny Rover badge. Quite tasteful and I think they should have done that on UK cars. It is like the 1990 Rover 100 as teh Rover Metro was never sold in France - we waited until 1995 for taht car to be badged Rover 100.

threelitre

20th June 2003, 19:12

Originally posted by matthewsemple
You are right about the steering wheel though - a normal Montego one with a different centre inset with tiny Rover badge. Quite tasteful and I think they should have done that on UK cars. It is like the 1990 Rover 100 as teh Rover Metro was never sold in France - we waited until 1995 for taht car to be badged Rover 100.

Yepp, my mother has a 1990 Rover 114 GT... The ones that where called Rover 100 in the UK never reached Germany though...

Regards,
Alexander

D87 SMW

20th June 2003, 19:19

The Metro was branded Rover 100, and the Montego was inspiration for the Rover 400, so why didn't they use the Maestro as inspiration for the Rover 200? Instead, both 200 and 400 series looked the same!

Austin-Rover

20th June 2003, 19:52

I always saw the Rover 400 as a development of the Mk 2 Rover 200 as it is the same car, but with a boot. In turn the Mk 2 replaced the Mk 1 which was sold at the same time as the Maestro & Montego so i cant really see how they inspired anything. In a way they (The Maestro & Montego) died and were never truly replaced.

Just my thoughts....

D87 SMW

20th June 2003, 19:55

Metro -> 100
Maestro -> 200
Montego -> 400

My idea of the Rover range update. ;)

Jonathan

20th June 2003, 20:31

Far easier and more cost effective to base both the 200 and 400 on the Honda Concerto than designing two separate cars from scratch if that's what you mean. I'd always seen the 600 series as being the closest replacement to the Montego.

Rovers in the 90s never did seem to be quite sure what maket they were aiming at and it's caused plenty of confusion. They all fell in between classes of cars offered by the other popular manufacturers. The Concerto-based 200 was near enough Maestro size and virtually competing with it for a number of years, then the Mk3 came along suddenly a much smaller car after the departure of the Metro/100. And the closest equivalent to the Maestro today is probably the 45.

tony

20th June 2003, 20:35

hows the car running d428cho got the problems with it sorted?

D87 SMW

20th June 2003, 20:37

Could also be the 25, but on saying that, it has decreased in size somewhat, making it between the Metro and Maestro. So, yes, I would say the 45 was the closest match now.

F690OTF(RIP)

20th June 2003, 21:08

The Rover 25 is, I thought, identical to the 200 which preceded it in every way except the headlight shape. It is almost exactly the same external dimensions as the Maestro, yet is considerably smaller inside (I can't fit in the driver's seat, I can't fit behind the driver's seat, and I don't have enough headroom in the back anyway. On top of all this, the Rover 25 is classed by many (including Parkers guide? I can't remember) as a supermini. The Metro (or 100) was the supermini until it was discontinued, so why have the criteria for a supermini changed so dramatically?
The original Rover 200 (which i can never distinguish from a Rover 400 of the same era without looking on the back) was, to my mind, a much more sensible shape. Unfortunately, it only lasted a few years before the newer one came in, which they presumably decided was more attractive.
The Rover 45 is also basically the same as the last Rover 400s. The 75 is the only totally new car, hence the new number (there was no 700... was there?). I think the 75 is a really nice car, at least looks-wise (not that I make a habit of judging cars by their looks). Apart from the shape of the headlights, it looks every bit as good as the Jaguar S-Type.
As has been said, the 45 is the modern equivalent to the Maestro, but only in terms of internal space.
I'd have said the 75 was a bit higher up than the Montego. The 75 is an executive car (although not as much as the 800, somehow), such as the Granada/Scorpio from Ford and the Senator/Omega from Vauxhall, whilst the Montego, I have always thought, is equivalent to the Sierra/Mondeo and the Cavalier/Vectra. The Maestro is then equivalent to the Escort/Focus (although the Focus is noticeably bigger outside) and the Astra. The Metro is then equivalent to the Fiesta (until it became the same size as the Maestro, of course) and the Nova/Corsa. The Mini, of course, will never have any equivalent from any other manufacturer.
Basically, Metro, Fiesta & Nova/Corsa are what I would term superminis (if we have to use such a term), Maestro, Escort/Focus & Astra are small family cars, Montego, Sierra/Mondeo & Cavalier/Vectra are large family cars and, as I've already said, the executive cars are the Granada/Scorpio & Senator/Omega with no obvious Austin-Rover equivalent until the 800 came in.
Does any of that make sense?!

D87 SMW

20th June 2003, 21:12

The 75 is a new version of the 800 I think. Why not call it the 85?

Jonathan

20th June 2003, 21:27

The car's not happy tony, I've got serious problems there.

75 replaced both the 600 and 800 at the same time but it's hard to tell which it's supposed to be - it's suitable as either I suppose.

D87 SMW

20th June 2003, 21:29

So that's why it's 75, the number between 600 and 800. Got it now. Thanks! :laugh:

Jonathan

20th June 2003, 21:43

Nope, 75 definately comes before both of those :laugh:

D87 SMW

20th June 2003, 21:51

Yeah, yeah... you know what I mean. :laugh:

matthewsemple

20th June 2003, 21:58

The Rover 75 may have replaced both the 600 and 800 but it is quite a different car and much more up-market than either. The 75 has no Honda components and is a completely new platform with a suspension system from B*W.

It is called 75 after an earlier Rover from the 1950s in the same way as the MGTF of 2002 was named after the 1950s TF. Presumably the change in naming reflects a break with Honda-based cars and the embracing of modern-retro designs.

Although I am a fan of the 800 it was a much-criticised car and the Rover 75 has been distanced from this by being a much better car which looks different and feels like a Rover should. The 800 always looked too much like a Nissan Bluebird.

D87 SMW

21st June 2003, 13:31

Just posting a new image of F170 GGT:

TurboMG

21st June 2003, 21:31

http://www.mgcars.org.uk/mgm/mgm02/IMAGES/mgm02050_H949EDX.JPG

This is my chariot.

John S

22nd June 2003, 11:38

Nice turbo although I'm not so sure about the car behind yours.

Simon

22nd June 2003, 23:00

The 306 certainly didn't 'bomb' why do you say that? It was a very successful car with both private and company car sectors, especially the diesel models. There is also a wealth of tuning/styling add ons available from many manufacturers for the 306. The 106D (N reg) that we had couldn't pull the skin off of a rice pudding, the 306 (S reg) we had was, on hindsight a nice car (although the interior wore badly for some reason) and the 206 we have now (51 reg) isn't much good really as it happens.

Not that I should fight from the Peugeot corner, the nearest I have got to replacing the Maestro was in 2000 when the engine blew and I nearly bought a Rover 25 when I learned how much a new engine was. Things changed though when I got a new lump for 10% of the price, same part!

e692wtt

23rd June 2003, 16:48

The 306 was slated by CAR Magazine on their first road test, in the days before that mag lost the plot, as being nowhere as near as good as the 205. They soon realised the error of their ways, hence the use of the word 'initially'. And the high performance models soon got a reputaion for REAL lift-off oversteer, worse then the 205 1.9 'Revs' mag trashed one, for example, but this was acceptable in a car that was so good to drive.

Same with the 206, that also got poor initial press (especially in Diesel Car mag).

The other other Rich.:eek:

D87 SMW

24th June 2003, 09:22

Sorry, posted this image in the wrong place first time... :rolleyes:

F690OTF(RIP)

24th June 2003, 10:04

So you did. I've gone and posted a reply in the wrong place now. D'oh!

D87 SMW

24th June 2003, 18:06

I just did the same thing again! So here's the image in it's rightful place! :laugh:

D87 SMW

24th June 2003, 20:01

Can anyone spot Austin and Rover, my two noddy dogs in the back? :laugh:

Wonko_The_Sane

25th June 2003, 08:36

F170 GGT-I had a lovely pic of my diamond white maestro next to a diamond white R200. To my eyes, they do look rather similar...and in my mind the 200 is pretty much "Maestro Generation 2".

I have to be honest and say that if I ever need another car, the 200 series will be on the top of my list. :D Still not 110% confident in the long term longetivity of the CVT Autobox, but the car itself is none too bad!

I was left mildly surprised by my mother the other day..driving down the motorway, we were paralelled by a BRG 600 series. Mum looked at me and said "you should get one of those.."..when I asked why, she said "Because they're NICE!"..:laugh:

The missus and I (and mother, yes) are quite taken with the MGZR though...in my case it's the deep metallic blue, and in the missus' case, she drools over the "Custard Yellow"..:laugh:

matthewsemple

25th June 2003, 17:42

Originally posted by Wonko_The_Sane
The missus and I (and mother, yes) are quite taken with the MGZR though...in my case it's the deep metallic blue, and in the missus' case, she drools over the "Custard Yellow"..:laugh:

For some reason they are called Trophy Yellow and Trophy Blue - not that I have ever seen any trophies in those colours! :( ;)

matthewsemple

25th June 2003, 17:45

Get two cars if you can't choose the colour - a sort of his and hers MGs
http://www.angelfire.com/home/mat99v/TwoMGs.JPG

CyrixDes

14th July 2003, 14:48

Finally borrowed my mates digital camera so here goes:

CyrixDes

14th July 2003, 14:53

And again

E_T_V

14th July 2003, 15:20

*Drool*

tony

14th July 2003, 15:39

nice maestro,what is the other car tr7?

D87 SMW

14th July 2003, 15:44

Wait, very very very very very nice Maestro!

matthewsemple

14th July 2003, 19:58

Originally posted by tony
nice maestro,what is the other car tr7?

It's a Triumph TR7 which has the same stud pattern as the Maestro/Montego which means you can fit lattice alloys to it. I saw a Triumph TR7 at Powderham yesterday which had Montego 6 inch lattice wheels fitted and it looked good.

Here's a question - is the 2.0 litre engine fitted to the TR7 an O-Series?

And another - Can I post a picture of your Maestro on my EFi Gallery on my webpage.

MGTurbo

14th July 2003, 20:17

Here's a question - is the 2.0 litre engine fitted to the TR7 an O-Series

No it's not. It's the famous slant-4 Triumph engine which was later used in Saab's albeit redesigned.

Gareth

e692wtt

14th July 2003, 22:26

And the Saab engine was much better for it, sadly. Can't fault the Triumph engineers getting 130-ish bhp from a 16 valve engine driven by just one overhead cam, using the same Triumph slant-4 block, in 1972 though... you can make a silk purse from a sow's ear!

The other other Rich.:cool:

CyrixDes

15th July 2003, 15:35

Thankyou very much for your comments. Its amazing what a touch of fibreglass here and a pinch of filler there can do. Luckily I know someone who sprays cars hence I got a decent deal on a respray. Didn't set out for that in depth a restoration but it just progressed that way. After all a body in various shades of black and a Zircon blue bonnet doesn't really create the desired effect!!:laugh:

"Here's a question - is the 2.0 litre engine fitted to the TR7 an O-Series?"

As stated before I had chance to reply, Gareths correct that its a version of the slant 4 used in the Dolomite but stretched to 2 Litres. This has twin SU carbs, not sure whether the Dolly did or not? They were planning on using the O Series the year that it got axed which is a shame because that extra power in that light body would have made the already spritely performance into a real mover.

"And another - Can I post a picture of your Maestro on my EFi Gallery on my webpage"

Feel free Matt no probs at all.

Cheers
Dale

malcsmaesty

15th July 2003, 21:01

finally, here's mollie.........

D87 SMW

15th July 2003, 21:07

Very nice!

malcsmaesty

15th July 2003, 21:12

Originally posted by F170 GGT
Very nice!
cheers steve,not bad considering i had it from a salvage yard :)

D87 SMW

15th July 2003, 21:13

oops...

D87 SMW

15th July 2003, 21:14

How much work have you done on it then. £50 for mine and I've not needed to do any bodywork repairs. (I have waxed it about 10 times though!)

malcsmaesty

15th July 2003, 21:16

bits and bobs,it was just in a really minging state,no body damage,interior in a bad way,looks ok now:D

Beaker

15th July 2003, 21:17

Dont wax it too much, you'll have no paint left :D

John S

15th July 2003, 21:19

Cool spotlamps:cool: and the alloys look mint! I never found any lamps that would fit in the lower grille area. What model are those?

PS:I may just have a shiny chrome grille tucked away somewhere that you can have at a small cost (of course)if you're interested.

topgear

15th July 2003, 21:20

Blimey, i can see my face in that!!! :)

D87 SMW

15th July 2003, 21:22

What colour is it exactly?

tony

15th July 2003, 21:24

nice fish

malcsmaesty

15th July 2003, 21:28

Originally posted by M170 RFA
Cool spotlamps:cool: and the alloys look mint! I never found any lamps that would fit in the lower grille area. What model are those?

PS:I may just have a shiny chrome grille tucked away somewhere that you can have at a small cost (of course)if you're interested.
Picked the spots from a local sunday market for a tenner! no wiring kit though,can't remember what model they are,will try to find out this coming sunday re; the chrome grille: v. interested!!!!
p.s i put the mountings just behind the bumper just drilled 2 holes 4 each one.
cheers
Malc.

malcsmaesty

15th July 2003, 21:29

Originally posted by topgear
Blimey, i can see my face in that!!! :)
needs a damn good clean!!!!!:cool:

malcsmaesty

15th July 2003, 21:30

Originally posted by F170 GGT
What colour is it exactly?
Midnight blue,simon put me straight on the exact shade

D87 SMW

15th July 2003, 21:33

Well it's a very nice colour. I thought it was black at first!

malcsmaesty

15th July 2003, 21:35

Originally posted by F170 GGT
Well it's a very nice colour. I thought it was black at first!
It was in the salvage yard!!!!!!!!:rolleyes:

topgear

15th July 2003, 21:36

needs a damn good clean!!!!!

What my face, or your car? ;) lol...

Doesnt look unshiny to me mate, looks great! Well done.

malcsmaesty

15th July 2003, 21:40

Originally posted by topgear
What my face, or your car? ;) lol...

Doesnt look unshiny to me mate, looks great! Well done.
Cheers tg hard going keeping it clean wih 3 young lads:banghead:
dunno about your face but the tash could do with a slight trim;)just like my hair!
great avatar!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

John S

15th July 2003, 21:43

Originally posted by malcsmaesty
Picked the spots from a local sunday market for a tenner! no wiring kit though,can't remember what model they are,will try to find out this coming sunday re; the chrome grille: v. interested!!!!
p.s i put the mountings just behind the bumper just drilled 2 holes 4 each one.
cheers
Malc.

Send me an e-mail if you want the grille:)

malcsmaesty

15th July 2003, 22:54

Heres another.........

malcsmaesty

15th July 2003, 22:56

And a bit of the interior.........

D87 SMW

23rd October 2003, 15:30

Nice one, Malc. Very much like RDGelders Ledbury! :D

Just took GGT's best ever photo. (me thinks...)

D87 SMW

12th February 2004, 13:46

My new car......

;) :cool: :D

D87 SMW

12th February 2004, 13:47

;)

SubCat001

13th February 2004, 17:11

A bit late in the day but here my Monty.
http://members.lycos.co.uk/subcat001/hpbimg/Mony001.jpg
Still needs a lot of work.

D87 SMW

13th February 2004, 17:15

Looks good - can't spot any rust on it... :cool:

Here's my shed again.

D87 SMW

13th February 2004, 17:17

...and again. :p

MGTurbo

13th February 2004, 17:21

Ok Steve we get the idea ;)

Austin-Rover

13th February 2004, 18:29

Well, we dont ever want to forget what Steve's cars look like do we? I'm sure we can expect another twenty pictures in the 'Subtle Mods' thread when the exhaust trim goes on, or another brand of wax is used...

:)

E_T_V

13th February 2004, 21:04

Meeeeeeeow..

Saucer of milk anyone? :D

G51 NAV

13th February 2004, 22:42

Here's a pic of G51 heading the line of cars for one of the Gran Turismo 4 photoshoots last April (this was the second day of the Historic Cars shoots where nearly all the cars were 15 years old and over):

E_T_V

13th February 2004, 22:49

She does look rather fine. Can't wait to see if she made the final cut and got into the game

D87 SMW

13th February 2004, 22:55

I hope it gets through too.....

A= I would love to have a Maestro on GT4
B= If that shed behind it get's through and the Maestro doesn't... :rage: :mad:

:laugh:

:cool:

Good luck.

G51 NAV

13th February 2004, 22:58

Originally posted by E_T_V
Can't wait to see if she made the final cut and got into the game
Should do...the car is now appearing on a number of GT4 "rumoured" lists on the 'net, and as the old saying goes "there's no smoke without fire"

G51 NAV

13th February 2004, 23:13

Originally posted by F170 GGT
B= If that shed behind it get's through and the Maestro doesn't... :rage: :mad:
Interesting story behind that car: it's a French-registered imported LHD Citroen GS. The guy who brought it is a GS enthusiast and has a whole fleet of them, but all the rest are British right-hookers. He'd bought it only a week earlier off ebay.

Austin-Rover

13th February 2004, 23:30

Citroen GS...Arent those the ones with the rather odd looking dashboads, or am i thinking of a later model, or am i talking crap? I'm sure it was a GS that has a bit of an odd/futuristic interior...

SubCat001

14th February 2004, 00:18

Citroen GS's have got a more convential Dash(except for the handbrake being were the radio should be and the radio being were the handbrake should be) The late GSA(facelifted GS) was one of the ones with the crazy dash(inspired by the CX) GS's are suprisingly good cars Flat 4 & aircooled and amazing ride quality.

Actually F170 it has got Rust(dont they all) it confined to the sill and one wheel arch. No major problem as they'll be cut out and replaced and then seem welded.

steve smith

14th February 2004, 19:22

here is my MG monty the day i picked her up from Ashford in kent...

onza100

14th February 2004, 20:01

Mine geting its alloys tried on for size. Work very much in progress!
Sorry the image is so bad, took it on my phone and it was getting dark!

D87 SMW

14th February 2004, 20:05

Originally posted by onza100
Mine geting its alloys tried on for size. Work very much in progress!
Sorry the image is so bad, took it on my phone and it was getting dark!

Alloys look nice - but you've forgot to put the tyres on. :eek: ;)

:laugh: :cool: :D

steve smith

14th February 2004, 20:14

yeah those alloys do look nice where u get them from ????

onza100

14th February 2004, 20:57

Bought them off a mate for 175 quid. They are 17" x 7" designed to fit some toyotas and honda civics. Put them on with hub adaptors making them the right offset and pcd.

TurboMG

15th February 2004, 09:04

Heres mine.

TurboMG

15th February 2004, 09:06

Snug fit.

SubCat001

15th February 2004, 16:29

Is that a Vitesse engine per chance???

TurboMG

15th February 2004, 17:54

The block and internals are from an M series turbo, the head is from a vitesse. Its not the best way to do it but it gets rid of the weaker T series bits.
All T series engines are the same.

onza100

15th February 2004, 18:04

did you fit it yourself? I'm on the look out for an engine for mine at the moment.

TurboMG

15th February 2004, 18:06

Yes I did, its easy, but you must ask your self if its worth the effort, If I knew then what I knew now I wouldnt of done it.

SubCat001

16th February 2004, 14:38

Thought it was from the IC. Yup all T-Series are the same more or less.

talkingcars

16th February 2004, 18:19

If you have an O series turbo I doubt it is worth the effort but any less powerfully engined car will get an instant near 100% power increase.

Telemedic

17th March 2004, 00:26

It appears to me that members like to have more that one maestro... take a look at my lot!

Telemedic

17th March 2004, 00:43

from left to right, LRW, a 2.0 EFI E reg, bought for £35 ran for a year and sold for £50 to a turbo collector for spares(after removal of all mg externals!), JJW a 1300 on a C plate,bought for £35, ran for a year, engine failed and generally fell to pieces taken from me by the local council was a HLE, VTY, a D reg 1300 beleaved to be an SL was given to me by someone who had ran out of fuel, is still living and loved by my Mrs as her first car after a year and being stolen. still loved. and last but not least, BNX, a 1600 Mayfair bought for £50 and owned for atlest 5 years, and much loved. now has LRW's MG grille, a digital dash, alloy wheels and soon to have turbo bumpers! (My car) not show, but on the far left was my B reg montego Auto (£50) that i donated to a friend. also was the maestro van not photographed. although, some have now gone, i have replaced them with a montego dieselcounrtyman estate, and a clubman turbo diesel maestro! the only other car i own, is the only ford i love, my '57 Popular.

am i obsessive?

Telemedic

17th March 2004, 00:48

F26 BNX is my baby ,here she is close up

Maria

17th March 2004, 10:23

You are obsessive, but you're in good company :D

Beaker

17th March 2004, 11:08

NIce to see all the pics, your Missus's car is a nice colour.

Glad to see we aren't the only ones who let Maestros breed :)

D87 SMW

17th March 2004, 14:16

I'm down to just the two now. :( Will just have to keep looking for another. ;)

That's a nice collection of cars in that pic! :)

Telemedic

17th March 2004, 15:17

Thank you for your complements! I was beginning to doubt my sanity, but there you go. I do love the maestro, they have given me fun reliablity and very cheap motoring!

while i am here, does anyone know how to tell if turbo bumpers are guenuine?

E_T_V

17th March 2004, 15:29

I seem to remember somewhere in the distant past hearing that the original ones had a recess to insert a bumper stripe where as the replicas do not have this recess. I could well be talking rubbish though.

matthewsemple

17th March 2004, 16:47

Originally posted by Telemedic
while i am here, does anyone know how to tell if turbo bumpers are guenuine?

Some replica bumpers do have the gap for the insert. The replica ones tend to be thinner and they need lots of preparation before they ae ready to be sprayed.

Quite difficult to tell them apart once they are on the car and colour coded.

talkingcars

18th March 2004, 17:21

I have a pair of turbo bumbers which have been part repaired, I was going to fill the trim recess, if anyone wants to swap for non recess bumpers let me know.

I think mine are genuine, they are a good fit, nice and thick and were marked "maestro turbo #474".

I should add that the rear has been cut to fit mesh.

James

Cojones

19th March 2004, 23:49

I don't have a Montego or Maestro and, quite frankly, I think I'll never do.Sorry to disappoint you, lads.

MGTurbo

20th March 2004, 05:29

Originally posted by Cojones
I don't have a Montego or Maestro and, quite frankly, I think I'll never do.Sorry to disappoint you, lads.

Why are you here then? (Don't answer that one)

beetroot

24th March 2004, 16:49

im tryin to get mine on....

D87 SMW

24th March 2004, 17:10

Originally posted by beetroot
im tryin to get mine on....

PM me, I will help you "get it on" if you like...
...the image, that is.

;) :D

beetroot

24th March 2004, 17:14

ici! thank you for the offer of getting it on :laugh:. think ive got it

D87 SMW

24th March 2004, 17:20

See, the offer is all it takes..... ;) :laugh:

Car's looking good, btw. :cool: :D

Austin-Rover

24th March 2004, 17:23

Will we be seeing it at shows this year? You haven't far to come for this year's Northern Road Run.

:)

beetroot

24th March 2004, 17:43

northern run? i'd like to get out to some meets this year. when and where is it? the photo isnt too recent, but since it was taken the only difference is a bit more rust and a more tired engine.

D87 SMW

24th March 2004, 17:50

Originally posted by beetroot
northern run? i'd like to get out to some meets this year. when and where is it? the photo isnt too recent, but since it was taken the only difference is a bit more rust and a more tired engine.

See the Events/Meetings forum for threads on the Manchester Rally. I founded it, but will not be attending/planning it for this year I'm afraid.

;)

Austin-Rover

24th March 2004, 18:05

It was the bank holiday in August last year. A few of us northerners had a nice day out in Derbyshire. I presume it will be on the same day again this year, but its bit early to be planning at the moment! (As said, there are a good set of pictures in the 'Events' forum.)

There was some talk about a meet up at Southport Beach by one or two...but im not sure if anything is happening there...

All in all...no excuses for not getting involved in the fun/madness.

:laugh:

D87 SMW

24th March 2004, 18:15

Originally posted by RDGelder
All in all...no excuses for not getting involved in the fun/madness.

How does not being arsed sound?

tony

24th March 2004, 18:27

you got to come steve ,in the 75 ,leadbury or the famous F170GGT

tony

25th March 2004, 20:05

the new member to the fleet

steve smith

25th March 2004, 20:33

this is my new member of my mini fleet the 2.0i monty mayfair

BIGLAD

25th March 2004, 22:18

Originally posted by tony
the new member to the fleet

Petrol or Diesel?
Whats with the colour scheme, was it a waterboard van etc?
;)

tony

25th March 2004, 22:33

diesel ,it was a blue van ,had new white wings on,not sure abouts its history ,yet a garage had it and was shutting down ,only 3 owners and the speedo says 66,000 miles he dont know if thats correct as he cannot prove it ,but belives it to be correct
:) dan will look and tell me

BIGLAD

25th March 2004, 22:47

What year/reg. is it? (the Pic has missed it off)

talkingcars

27th March 2004, 04:17

Tony - looks like it has a white roof as well in which case I guess it must be ment to have white wings.

SubCat001

2nd April 2004, 13:19

Here is a picture of MG monty when it was on the road a few years back.
http://gallery.mg-rover.org/data/505/4493mg2.jpg

And here is My old 1.6L Monty that made an appearence on Tele in the background of a news report.
http://gallery.mg-rover.org/data/505/4493m1.jpg

tony

2nd April 2004, 19:41

Originally posted by BIGLAD
What year/reg. is it? (the Pic has missed it off)
hi its a f reg 89:)
needs some new rear bumpers:)

tony

2nd April 2004, 19:43

Originally posted by talkingcars
Tony - looks like it has a white roof as well in which case I guess it must be ment to have white wings.
i wonder if its a old gas van ?

Beaker

5th May 2004, 19:02

I have been asked by one of our new members to post their van up on the internet for them. I must say it is rather a nice van, and I wish ours looked as nice.

Lindsey

Ovalracer

6th May 2004, 21:51

And here's a pic of my latest Meastro. It's a H reg 1.6 Auto. Almost ready for its first track appearance on Saturday. Just a few jobs left to do, and it will get sprayed up for its next outing.

Ovalracer

6th May 2004, 21:54

And this is my previous car. It's a MG 2.0 running on an SU carb (to meet build regs).

e692wtt

6th May 2004, 22:25

Seeing as there's been a bit of discussion about it, let us know how the Auto manages in its Competition career. I'm sure this will be of interest to quite a few of us!

Good luck :) .

G51 NAV

6th May 2004, 23:01

Shame that such a tidy low-mileage example is destined to get battered and bashed about, even if driven with all the care in the world. Many hard-to-obtain parts are destined to get smashed and damaged. For example it won't be long now before even such things as uncracked plastic bumpers are unobtainable from even scrapyards, and this car seems to have been someone's pride & joy.

Seeing that these cars are now starting to enjoy classic status, perhaps it would have been better to try to find one which was a bit scabby but mechanically-sound rather than butcher a 'minter'?

Or am I being a bit shortsighted and unfair? :confused:

Ovalracer

6th May 2004, 23:33

I bought this car from a breakers yard (where most of my cars come from), and it had already been declared as scrap :( . It had been in an accident on the passenger side and I've had to replace both doors. There's another couple there too. And if they stay there for too long they only get crushed anyway :nonono:
My previous one (MG 2.0) had been dumped in a carpark, then had all its windows smashed and then rolled into the barrier.

I've got a shed full of bits that nobody seems to want, including all the door glass, complete heater unit, and a set of 4 15" cross spoke alloys going cheap to clear some space ;)

But look at it this way --- I'm making all the better ones even rarer :laugh:

G51 NAV

7th May 2004, 11:26

Fair enough. No offence intended :)

Ovalracer

7th May 2004, 23:30

No Problem. Non taken :toothy: :thumbup:

G51 NAV

13th May 2004, 20:51

Latest photos of G51, now out of Winter storage and ready to be taxed (at the end of the month - ain't loosing two weeks!)

tony

13th May 2004, 20:59

hows your metro comming on john ? any pics there yet?

John S

13th May 2004, 21:06

Like the pics. G460 is definitely going to stay standard.

MGTurbo

13th May 2004, 21:10

You lot wait till you see pics of mine.... Kinda in bits right now but give me a couple of weeks and it will all be back together with just a few finishing touches read for MGM :)

G51 NAV

13th May 2004, 21:17

How's the Metro! Don't go there...tailgate's now primered and ready for topcoat, the rest of the body is still to do, but the biggest job is putting the engine back together. I've decided I'm doing no more bodywork until the engine starts: that's what will decide whether the thing stays or goes. But I know for a fact I'm missing bits of cooling system for a start, and God knows what else :rolleyes:

If that engine starts first time when it's all back together then I'll streak through Blackpool town centre whistling Dixie.

E_T_V

13th May 2004, 21:33

If that engine starts first time when it's all back together then I'll streak through Blackpool town centre whistling Dixie.

You may regret ever saying that as we'll hold you to it :D

It is an A series after all so virtually indestructable

G51 NAV

13th May 2004, 22:02

You lot wait till you see pics of mine.... Kinda in bits right now but give me a couple of weeks and it will all be back together with just a few finishing touches read for MGM :)
Your car was always a credit to you Gareth, ever since you restored it. It will be good to see it again.

BTW, what's the general consensus on my MG badge on the tailgate? See the attached pic for a closer look

EDIT: And yes, I know the registration-plate is not centralised. I stupidly assumed the gap in the lettering was in the centre of the plate, whth the result that plate is about half an inch too far to the right :giveup:

steve smith

13th May 2004, 22:05

yeah the badge looks real nice where u get it from i would like one for my monty

Austin-Rover

13th May 2004, 22:07

G51 NAV

13th May 2004, 22:07

Not recognise it? It's the badge from an MG Maestro front grill :laugh:

G51 NAV

13th May 2004, 22:11

I have always concidered the plain black sticker-type to be in keeping with the style of the car, with the turbo graphics etc, but that looks quite good, and if its removable too - even better for the sake of originality.

:)

Each to his/her own...I always thought the stickers on MG Maestros' tailgates cheapened the appearence of so-called top-of-the-range cars. Hyuundis and Protons have stickers: MGs should not. Even the bottom-of-the-range Austin versions at least got half-decent badging: how come MGs had lousy vinyl stickers :confused:

Yes, the badge can be removed, revealing the original sticker: its held on only by magnetic strips

Austin-Rover

13th May 2004, 22:17

Well, full marks for the use of an old badge and magnets!

There no way of making a 'proper' badge for the Turbo sticker on the boot?

D87 SMW

13th May 2004, 22:23

That's a great effect, John. I saw it before, and thought there was something different, I just didn't know what! Well done! :cool:

Don't worry about the plate, my "Fancyplate" on the back is tilting slightly, as the tailgate isn't **perfectly** straight after the accident. :banghead:

G51 NAV

13th May 2004, 22:54

Well, full marks for the use of an old badge and magnets!

There no way of making a 'proper' badge for the Turbo sticker on the boot?
I'd love to find a way to replicate one, using the same script, just the same size to cover original sticker with no outline or overlap. It would have to be three badges: "tu", "rb" and "o" because on the original badge the "u" and "r" and "b" and "o" aren't joined. I'd also like it to be backless, like the chrome badges on modern cars (which in effect have gone back to the badges fitted to the likes of Minors and Beetles in the 1960s).

e692wtt

14th May 2004, 01:20

If that engine starts first time when it's all back together then I'll streak through Blackpool town centre whistling Dixie.

Hmm, can we make it part of the 'Meet On The Beach' later in the year? I'm sure there's about 6 miles of Illuminations you can, ahem, exercise your prerogative on :laugh: - and we can pick you up firstly at home and from the Police Station afterwards if you need a lift... :laugh: And you'll get from one end of the Illuminations faster, running naked, than the rest of us ever could in a convoy! :laugh:

I'm sure you'll have no trouble with the engine (the A-series is a definite survivor!), or indeed the rest of the car. Please keep us informed?

F690OTF(RIP)

14th May 2004, 10:17

Does anyone else find it strangely apt that, as the most recently contributed-to thread on the 'Off Topic' forum, his thread appears on the forum index as "Show us your..."! :laugh:

http://www.soton.ac.uk/~pmh101/off-topic.jpg

e692wtt

14th May 2004, 10:28

Purely unintentional, I can assure you... :laugh:

Now get this back on topic, please? :confused:

:)

MGTurbo

14th May 2004, 11:02

http://www.paintwizards.com/front1.jpg

MGTurbo

14th May 2004, 11:04

http://www.paintwizards.com/turbochrome1.jpg

MGTurbo

14th May 2004, 11:06

http://www.paintwizards.com/pside1.jpg

MGTurbo

14th May 2004, 11:09

Got some recent pics sorted, recent, as in 15 mins ago..

Engine has been rebuilt with ported/polished head, some other special mods that are internal but i cannot say :p

Bonnet is being replaced with a better one (the old one had ripples) and this also has something else on it... Front bumper being sprayed because it was chipped, and a few seams are being treated where there was a little bit of bleed but nothing major. Sideskirts are off because one is chipped, and i wanted to coat the exterior of them with waxoyl. So i'm pretty busy at the mo, painting the bonnet this weekend and it looks like the weather will be nice :) The Turbo badge is a little variation on the original theme. I cant say where its from though ;)

Gareth

G51 NAV

14th May 2004, 18:47

Very good progress Gareth, but if you'll permit a little constructive critisism from a humble observer...

With the rubbing-strips off the car, I think the Turbo graphics on the doors would look better if they were positioned a little further up so that they're in the middle of the bottom section of the door. You seem to have positioned them more-or-less where Austin Rover did, but AR put them in that position because of the rubbing-strips, so that they were positioned in the middle of the space between the bottom of the rubbing-strips and the bottom of the doors. You doors still look like there should be something above the top of the decals (such as rubbing-strips) to balance-out the space.

Just my opinion, offered with with the best intentions :)

MGTurbo

14th May 2004, 20:23

G51 NAV

14th May 2004, 21:09

MGTurbo

14th May 2004, 22:11

I still think you need to raise them or put the rubbing-strips back to restore visual balance, but hey each to his own and it's your car after all :)

Excellent work btw: looking forward to seeing it in the flesh

Did you have a spot of A-pillar/scuttle corrosion on the offside, or is that masking tape:

Yes i had a little bit of seam bleed which has now been treated and should be long lasting, i was very through with it, the seam was cleaned, sand blasted, rust treated with Jenolite 5 times over a period of 3 days until any patches of rust (which was surface only) would turn black, any further rubbing with a stiff brush will see this metal turn back to bare metal. It was then treated with two coats of Finnigans No.1 Rust primer (good stuff and it does work) then, a smear of seam sealer, followed by yet another coat of anti-rust zinc, and its now on its 2nd stage and final stage of priming ready to be painted tommorow :)

The bonnet has now been sprayed on the inside and will be primed and top coated over the weekend, as will the slam panel and headlight panel, then i have the bumper to do after that, should keep me going for a while :D