Dedicated to the preservation, restoration, and enjoyment of all Rootes Group Vehicles
by Jim Morrison The black plastic pieces making up the steering column cowling, the steering wheel hub and the telescoping adjustment section are usually quite faded and discolored on a car that has spent its life with the top down (especially in the southern sun). These were brought back to a jet black, glossy finish (more…)
By John Logan First published in Rootes Review, 2007 Use a distributor with both vacuum and centrifugal advance, and replace the mechanical points with an electronic ignition. Electronic systems increase dwell time, the time available to charge the coil between firings, far beyond the old single or dual mechanical points. The “Hall” effect pickups used (more…)
by Peter Long I have the engine, the seats. trim, dashboard and wiring harness out and have scraped off the bituminous impregnated paper from the floor. I am removing the clutch and brake hydraulics and it looks as if I shall have to take out at least part of the steering linkage to be able (more…)
The process of preparing a new garage for working in the winter. Click the title to read more.
Voltage = Resistance x Amperage
Bad wires, bad connections or corrosion = more resistance.
More resistance = less amperage, less voltage or both = less performance
compiled by Wally Swift and Tom Ehrhart (as relayed thru Bobbl Woerth) in the April 1989 RootesReview Going on a car trip. Those words have made many an adult cringe in stark terror and turned strong hearted souls into sniveling wimps. We might analyze the causes for negative reactions to motoring vacations. Being an adult (more…)
by Larry Paulick in the RootesReview, Vol 28 No. 5, May 2003 My MKI speedometer was jumping at speed so I decided to clean and lubricate it. The following is what I learned from first disassembling and cleaning an Alpine speedo and then the Tiger unit. They are essentially the same, and the procedures are (more…)
By Carl R. Christiansen in the May 1998 RootesReview A tip for storing any car: Before winter storage, especially, place a sheet of plastic completely under the car as a moisture barrier: Try it and see how much moisture accumulated under the plastic. To really keep the car dry, place a low wattage light bulb (more…)
by Ed Esslinger in the February 1997 Rootes Review That’s the statement that caught my eye as I was looking through my latest Hemmings Motor News. Among the claims were fast starts every time, unaffected by dirt, oil, or moisture, improved fuel mileage, elimination of minor tune- ups, higher voltage from your existing coil, improved (more…)
by Ed Esslinger, in the May 1997 RootesReview If you are changing your Series IV Alpine to negative ground to use an alternator, ignitor, radio or other polarity sensitive device…Remove your tach first. While it’s well known how to change to negative ground, it’s easy to overlook polarity sensitive devices. Before re-installing the tach, the (more…)