Aussie Oddballs: The Austin Kimberley X6! (1970-1972)
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 8 มี.ค. 2020
- This seems a good place to start the Australian road test series - the remarkable Austin Kimberley X6. This was the first car to use the E6 Transverse six-cylinder, overhead camshaft engine, and a thorough revamping of the famous BMC 1800, or Landcrab. It uses Hydrolastic suspension, just like the original, but has a very different bodystyle - more of a traditional saloon. It wasn't a huge success, but what is it like to drive?
I do still have some Kiwi road tests, so you'll now get a mix of Kiwi, Aussie and (most likely) British road tests. I hope you enjoy them all. There are plenty more Aussie oddities to come!
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"I hope you've enjoyed it as much as I have." Part of the joy, I think, of watching your videos is knowing that nobody else could possibly have enjoyed it as much as you clearly did.
My dad had the Kimberley's cheaper sister, the Tasman. It had a bench seat in the front and carried our family of 6 in silky smooth, roomy comfort. Dad owned it for about 20 years.
I plan to keep my car for 20 years as well.
My dad bought a Ariancia Tan with parchment trim Kimberley in Jan 1973. We owned it until mid 1982. Great handling comfortable car. Taught me how to maintain mid corner speed and about point to point time. Never a powerhouse but quite a few V8 ford and holden drivers got a shock when a Kimberley was all over them in the twisty stuff
In the 60's almost all Aussie cars came with vinyl seats! No need to dry yourself after a swim, just carefully place your towel down and try to avoid skin contact anywhere else. Fantastic review!!
Plenty of hot, sticky vinyl action to come on this tour!
@@HubNut You do spoil us!
@@HubNut 🙈🙉🙊
I can still remember the 3rd degree burns to the backs of my legs when I forgot the towel! :-)
@@chrisross2916 not to mention the steering wheel!
Very interesting. I worked in the Experimental Dept in the British Leyland plant in Sydney in the 1960's. Great engineering team, they designed, developed and eventually manufactured a Utility based on the 1800. Will look forward to your next review.
im an aussie who's never taken an interest in anything british-derived, but you're sure making me change my mind! love your enthusiasam
I was waiting for this. My uncle had a Kimberley of which he was roundly mocked. I'm waiting now for your p76 review.
Glad you have found something to float your boat out here. I did have a Morris Nomad (1500) for a while in the eighties. Much more alive than the Austin 1300 I had in the UK but that OHC was a bit noisy. The survival of these great cars is a demonstration of the harm caused by salt on British roads. You should see my 1977 Triumph 2500. All metal - never welded. Pantograph wiper too :)
That red ❤️ interior says “Look at me, look at me, look at moi, Kimberley!”
Hahahaha
No Pom's ever gunna Know what you meant by that.
@@billytoohey8887 Lol! I’m English! We got Kath and Kim here too! 😂
@@edgarbeat275 posh carpets!better than in your house!
My English dad had a Morris Tasman I remember when growing up in Auckland in the early 1970’s. One of the first cars I ever drove! Big fan of your videos!, you showed off New Zealand very well indeed!
He certainly did an excellent job of showing us around NZ . Wish I was there ! Cheers from Blighty 😉👍
@@shaunw9270 Were they nadged as Morris in NZ?
Morris or Austin in NZ as both dealer chains still existed.
@@ianmontgomery7213 I'm in Britain so no idea...ooh , answer below ! ☺️👍
The Morris version was, as I understand, a New Zealand only model. Austin's were also sold new in NZ.
As an ex owner, the main problem was reliability, they over heated due to the underspecification of the fan controller theromoswitch, the siamised engine design had insufficient cooling in the water jacket, they also had a ridiculous load on the water pump with if I remember 0.22 thou clearance and they had valve matching problems. The car also suffered from fuel vaporization problems when hot and was hard to start. The Kimberley also in mark 1 twin carb form was hard to keep in tune and had cam issues with lumpy idle. Mine was a mark 2 manual vehicle and I loved it when it was running well. If developed it could have done well and had plenty of buyers on release, the 1800 did well in Australia compared to the UK with the Australia operation rectifying many faults in the British model such as dipstick calibration. Unfortunately in this country reliability is paramount and even though the Kimberley / Tasman was in many respects mor advanced than the Holden, Ford, Valiant (better brakes, better torsional rigidity and superior handling) its rushed development and reliability issues frightened off buyers. I paid $450 for a good example in 1980 for a 1973 compliance model (built 1972) . After investing at least $2000 to try to get it reliable I sold it in 1984 for you guessed it $450. It was when running well extremely comfortable and relatively quick. It also suffered from cable problems in the gear change. I did love the brave attempt and design however and regret that it did not have sufficient development. If the cylinders were not siamised which I believe was only specified due to Issigonis specifying a side mounted radiator in the Maxi the engine would have been less build critical and possibly more reliable.
Yes, it annoys me that Britain really simply did not seem to understand that better cooling was required. British cars cooked in America too. Yet people kept buying them! For a time at least...
@@HubNut they actually diverted the passenger air vent ducting to cool the carb, so the passenger one is not connected in order to alleviate the vaporization issues.
Regarding the overheating. It is interesting to note that on the British version of the E6, the thermostat housing is on the opposite end (driver side) of the engine so that it flows more coolant than the very restricted outlet next to the exhaust manifold on the Aust engine. Just a simple modification that could have made the world of difference to the Australian car but I suppose that's what happens when you are first off the mark with a new design. Lovely car. Cheers.
@@alanm2809 Silly heat exchanger between the inlet and outlet manifolds didn't help. My car was much happier with that removed.
@@alanm2809 "That's it chaps, to hell with occupant comfort, we'll divert the ventilation airflow to the carburetor !" Leyland design thinking working with its customary optimum approach!
A dream come true, well done and what a beautiful example. Now that's the car you should take back to the U.K..
Yes! Come on Ian, you know you want to! Of course the owner wouldn't allow it. No more in the shops, sadly.
Can you imagine trying to prize it away from the owner though? That would be a monumental task!
Yes agree should take back to Uk 👍
Seems I really really like the look of 70's Brittish cars. I think this car is supremely beautiful. I also like the Landcrab, Allegro, Princess, etc. I hope this kind of design gets a revival someday.
This sums up your channel suffix Hubnut. The enthusiasm in your voice and on your face is priceless. What a lovely iteration of the Land Crab, and that is a beautiful example of this very attractive barge. A proper nice family saloon. Thank you very much for sharing your great video Sir 👍 Tam.
I couldn't have put it better B.
Yeah, I’ll third that.
As a child, we crossed the Nullarbor in one of these in ~ 1973, from Adelaide to Perth return in the middle of summer, towing a heavy 6x4 steel trailer loaded with jerry cans of fuel and water. Large sections of the road were still dirt, completely unpaved. Absolutely mad my dad was, but as Duntroon graduate, dual Vietnam tour commander, and former instructor at Sandhurst he was a very capable man, afraid of no challenge whatsoever.
Love the empty space in the engine bay, even more space in your later video on the Marina. I can’t even fit my hand anywhere inside my engine bay of my Mitsubishi 2.2 tdi, it’s ridiculous.
I had a 6 cylinder marina and a 6 cylinder P76. And 2 V8 P76s. Loved all of them.
Those doors must have been the most versatile part ever produced by BMC/BL.
Or the Marina door handle.
Other than the Marina / XJS door latch handle.
Absolutely love that red interior which would even put a late 80's US-spec Camry to shame! And I love the gearbox noises. Such an appealing car! Great video Ian!
Gearbox components were out of mgb cleverly fitted into fwd case
a little gearbox whine is fine by me
lets you know you are in the right gear, along with engine sound w/0 even glancing at the tach
The X6 range was styled by Roy Haynes.. Think Mini Clubman, Marina, MK2 cortina etc. I think he did a really good job of tidying up the 1800. It's a shame Leyland lost him in the early 70's. Great video Ian. Thanks
As a holden and ford driving lad it had me stumped when a young lady asked me why her kimberley 4 speed manual wouldn't go into gear. A motor mechanic mate told me it was due to a failed O ring. I had to call in a favor for him to fix it, he really didn't want the job. The gearbox was in the engines sump and operated by cables to the gear stick. The failed O ring would allow engine oil to fill up the cable sheath and stop the cable operating. That was over 40 years ago and other than that a nice car to travel in!
That interior is surprisingly stunning.
Great description 👍
Just great. The Aussie motoring press were as excited as you were about this car but it did not translate to excitement from buyers. A great example of the marque. Those that owned them loved them. Great video Ian. I think I will have to watch it again........😊
(saw a DS 21 just a couple days ago, in Seattle)
@@markrossow6303 Rare beast anywhere but particularly in the U.S. 😍
Well done. We had teaching jobs in W Australia 1980-87. Owned a lovely 1800 mk2 and a mk 1 Kimberley. Sun visors and venetian blinds; no worries. "4/80" air con (4 windows fully wound down at 80kph)...Came to France on a year's contract. Been here ever since, rescuing/curating Citroëns, various.
We returned to WA for a year in '96. Still a few crabs in regular use back then. Thank-you so much for the memory, mon ami.
Before there was an open road speed limit, that was '"4 windows down & 80 MILES per hour!"
A lot of the old 1960s Oz sixes topped out at around 86mph, but would cruise all day at 70-80mph, as would VW Beetles.----Brit stuff, not so much!
My dad owned an Austin Tasman. He bought it new in 1971 from Seabrooks & Fowles in Hamilton, NZ. It was dark green in colour & had cream coloured bench seats. It actually had good acceleration from a stand-still. It was good car to travel in a long journeys & I have found memories of going on holiday with mum & dad around the North Island of New Zealand in it!
Certainly did enjoy this one Ian! One of my Uncles back in the day had a Kimberley and I remembering going for a ride in it on many occasions. Wonderful memories. Such a shame they didn't do as well as they could have.
Thankyou Ian these were released right at the start of my driving life. Have driven both and the family owned a land crab. I could never understand why they were not accepted. Given what I drove myself I feel I should have been born in Europe. Make sure you get some Valium and a parachute when you drive the Marina 6. 1948 suspension with a six cylinder ouch
Oh the Marina more than delivered! It had been mildly modified...
...and perfectly balanced too! Just like the 4.1L Cortina :)
Issigonis inspired spatial effort at its best. Off topic, looking forward to upcoming heavyweight motored Marina dynamic comparisons against this, hopefully beating the benchmark traumatic Triumph Mayflower . Reminiscences of an Australian ex Marina man I met however included the battery falling out at speed......
@@philhealey449 The Mayflower was very pretty but the most gutless car I have ever driven and that includes the sidevalve Morris 8's and Minor. The three speed Triumph required 1st gear for most hills, top was only just enough for level ground.
My Old Man had one of these. He was a mechanic of some skill. After he'd ironed out the kinks and bugs he had it as a daily driver for a very long time. As I recall it went rather well too. Thanks for the trip down memory lane mate.
My mum owned one of these in the early 70’s ,orange paint with all black interior,I loved it,had a soul.Gdsy from Melbourne,Australia.
Finally your first Australian road test made it to air and what a grand choice first review subject!
I was always intrigued by the styling of this enigmatic car. I never saw many in my 47 year life time.
I thought they were odd looking and I think the executives out BLMC probably thought that at the time as well.
As you touched on, Australia was treated as a guinea pig market by Leyland.
I would expect this car would be right up your alley and I was right!!
Now that's an interior 😎😄
I owned a MkII Kimberley in the 70's as a new purchase. The critics can go to the blazes. It was supremely comfortable front and back; quiet; smooth and reliable. A good engine it performed well but it was a trifle under geared. Handling was brilliant - peerless. The armrest didn't get in the way of the gear shift if you used it properly. Vinyl was normal for all Aussie cars of the time. I loved the car
Your joy of driving this one and conveying via video, shines through. Loved it.
It's a travesty that this car never became a mk3 Landcrab for the U.K. market!
Indeed. The awkward looking Landcrab got a very good makeover.
Yes, those BMC/BL missed opportunities... just painful to think of them. There did seem to be a kind of company-wide death wish - falling at the last hurdle all the time. Such effort put in, and then let themselves down. Great vid - great to see this motor. Thanks, man. ( Tasman )
My dad had a white one that he bought new. Great handling and ride. He had problems with the gearbox cables - I remember him taking them out and replacing them over summer holidays one year. I still have them hanging on the garage wall.
What a super car, no wonder you enjoyed that, great fun.
I feel that all my years of following you and you content on TH-cam, since the days when followers were measured in hundreds not tens of thousands, have all been building towards this video. I do not have the superlatives to share for this truly fascinating and wonderful car. My only concern is where we can possibly go from here. Thank you Ian.
Oh I reckon there's better to come from this trip yet...
Without doubt, the most handsome and well integrated derivative of the landcrab shell. Best video test of one I have ever seen, maybe the only test I have ever seen :-) Cheers
You would not think the doors were re-used. It was a gem. Then think of a wagon derivative! Third row seats even as no rear transmission.
@@timcarpenter2441 I agree. It should have been more successful. A concept ahead of it's time.
This is a much better looking car than the UK 1800 / 2200's and a very Australian car of the time. It's truly a shame that the problems with BL UK scuppered any chance of BL Australia from truly developing this and the P76. Awesome test drive.
I remember these in New Zealand soon after arriving from the UK in the early 70's. We all thought they were so lame and an embarrassment but looking at it now I think it looks really good all things considered. I remember the Reggi Perrin effect on those old Vinyl seats 😂. Enjoy Australia 👍
When an Austin Maxi and a Hillman Hunter have a baby...
Zephyr grills in rear door pillar
It would be an Ausman Munter.
That's a beauty, for sure. I'm trying to imagine an alternative universe where this car was sold in Britain and the 'Austin' marque is still used to this day, producing a competitive range of affordable, stylish and modern cars sold all over the world, not unlike, say, those of Skoda in this universe.
They weren’t competitive. They overheated and wouldn’t run properly on a hot day. Or a cold day. Or a rainy day.
My family had 1 when I was growing up. BEST car ever.
Passed my Driving test in 1988 in a Damask Red Austin 1800 landcrab fabulous times.
My first car was an Austin 1800, but I badly wanted a Kimberley, but couldn't afford it at the time. In the early 70's, Aussie's were scared by overhead cam engines, as it was commonly believed that to own a Jaguar you had to employ a full time mechanic as well. Mind you, the XJ6 Series 2 had just come out, so there may have been some truth in it!
Fun fact: The Kimberley/Tasman was also the first ever Australia assembled car with an electric cooling fan
But with a General Motors American engine....
@ Where did you get that idea? The video stated clearly that the Kimberley / Tasman cars used an Austin E series six cylinder engine, as used in the 'Landcrab' and Princess. It's a six directly related to the Maxi four cylinder engine.
FWIW the only GM overhead cam six cylinder engine was the '60s one used in the Pontiac Firebird. It was around 4 litres
Australian assembled Renault 12 and 16 would like to argue that point... The X6s would be the first true Australian built car with an electric fan though. Semantics, I know.
Max Tickner ??? General Motors American engine? No, I don’t think that’s correct. Can you explain what you mean?
Lindsay Ellis Max Tinkner is getting confused with the Leyland P76 V8 engine! Which as we all know was ex GM
Never pressed the like button so fast 😊 I think the one in UK that I saw was beige possabley a mk1
Red and grey looks fantastic colour combo.
I saw it at Thirlstain castle in the borders approx 20 miles where I live 😀
There were a few red interiors. Not sure if it was an exclusively Aussie thing. Ones I recall are my mother's 1965 HA Vauxhall Viva (assembled by Holden in Dandenong, I believe) which paired a red interior with beige paint and the early Holden Commodores (VB, VC from 1978) with red on red available in luxury SL/E specification.
It's been too long since a Victoria Wood reference Ian.
My Father In Law has just finished a Land Crab restoration so I think he will love this
Hmm I quite like it. Looks more sorted as a design than the land crab.
My No1 gripe about modern cars, is that the dash now extends down and between the front seats which forces you to sit with a straight left (RHD) leg. On long drives, you end up with a sore knee.👍
Especially unnecessary when most volume cars are FWD. Even as late as the mid ‘80s my Dad had a Rover 213 that had no centre console, which made the car feel very spacious. The dash was still equipped with a fair amount of equipment (and even a tea shelf - TM Furious Driving). There is no need to have the bulky centre consoles really, other than possibly to ape the dash layout of RWD “premium” brands, where the transmission tunnel brings the centre of the floor most of the way to the base of the dash anyway.
As with many things in cars, the modern way of doing things is not necessarily the best way.
@@BungleBare Totally agree. I have a 2008 Citroen C4 Grand Picasso. Which is auto/flappy paddles, which has enough space between the dash and seats for a large bag, if you so wishes. Left leg does nothing so not that unsafe unless you've already lost control. Even the manual has loads of soace.
@Eric Williams my seats aren't hard.
I think the Honda CRV is one of the only cars on the market that has a perfect driving position.
@@bentullett6068 Driving position is such a subjective subject. The best driving position that I have experienced was in an older Range Rover... King of the road feelinb, very comfortable, excellent high visibility. I've never owned a Range Rover.
Great seeing such a neat Kimberley getting around still! I remeber seeing many of these in the 80s, usually rather tatty and unloved, then they just seemed to all disappear. Probably only the 3rd one I've seen in the last 25 years! Good to see you enjoyed it!
Heard the name before but didn't know what they looked like, and assumed they had them everywhere else in the world. Its a lovely looking car. The front end is perfect. Thanks for sharing this car with us. Glad you enjoyed it.
So glad for you Ian, driving that dream Kimberley. I remember when these came out. You saw a few on the road at the time then a few years later they kind of became a memory, although I still remember the odd one into the 80's. I think the biggest problem with these was the competition from Escorts. Cortinas and Toranas which us Aussies seemed to gravitate towards due to them being a bit more simpler and more conventional. Plus, the Kimberley never had the appeal to the youth market of the aforementioned three. Also, by 1970 V8's were really becoming "the thing". If a Kimberley had won Bathurst I'm sure it would've been a different story but us Aussies are a weird lot. A lovely example though and a great road test to add to the collection.
What a lovely car, i love the vintage whine of the gearbox. It looks to me from the side profile as if the designers stuck the rear end of a Ford Zodiac IV on.
I thought that. Landcrab/Zodiac MK4 lovechild.
I was thinking that the rear vent on the pillar was a zodiac /zephyr thing too!
best thing about the Kimberley was the happy Hubut behind the wheel
I had a 1971 Kimberley. Twin carbs 115hp so it went pretty well. Very smooth and revvy engine
Dammit Ian, it's been published right at the start of my working day, now I have to find a quiet corner and a set of headphones or wait in anxiety till I get home. 😂
My first car, mk1 in mustard.
Overheating was a constant issue, but the rest of the car was okay, the seats were sought after by those modifying their Holdens or Fords, thanks for the stroll down memory lane, girlfriends, parking on quiet roadsides, humid nights, a little exertion and big slippery vinyl seats, the joys of youth.
Beats being in ketchup.
@@yixnorb5971 Well, it has more letters than beige, must have been sophisticated.
@@jeeves6490 I relish this video
@@yixnorb5971 good god man, we get it, it was a saloon car, in the condimental style.
@@jeeves6490 nice one
from memory these were first shown at Sydney Royal Easter show 1970. I worked at Leyland in the paint section, my job entailed putting colour coded tags onto the left headlight mounting to show what colour they needed to be with matching their interior later in assembly. Everyone got very confused when either the Kimberley or Tasman (cant remember which) rolled along the line with no ticker tape paperwork or anything identifying what it was or colour required. Management were embarrassed as it came earlier than it should have. First one I decided was to be painted blue....was supposed to be cream :)
My father used to sell these in outback Queensland BMC /Leyland when I was a kid.I used to repair these with my dad,I got familiar with all the faults usually from day one of the sale,hahaha.Door handles use to fall off regularly.This one looks like a showroom model.Surprising thing was that they used to drive quite well on corrugated dirt roads until the "fluid" leaked in suspension,then you had many many headaches fixing these.The interior was a very dark cherry red that would slit easily in the heat of the outback.We had a lot of fun racing these on dirt roads back in the day.
I was fearing you would get a copyright strike on the wobbly Status Quo!
What a car! BMC/BL could come up with great cars and designs but seemed really good at just messing it up in a very British way, they found a way to mismanage every opportunity.
Morning from uk-gonna be late getting son to school!
The one we've all being waiting for (or at least I have). As you say another missed opportunity for Austin/BL to join the many others.
I loved the colour combo on this car. Sounds great too
What a handsome vehicle and exquisite video Ian, pure indulgence.
Love it ...😉 the back end is very morris marina dont you think ?
Fascinating video, as a Brit it's so cool to see this stuff we never got that was actually more desirable than what we did get. You're right about BL though, the decision making processes must have happened mostly in pubs and bars.
Dude you forgot we sure did have that in UK. Slightly different styling and name of course. Slightly different trunk lid.
We didn't get the 1800 in this form. We did get the engine.
HubNut Look up Austin 3.0 liter- not the 1800
@@johnknott6539 The 3litre was RWD so a different beast
g simpson I guess it was mix n match body and mechanicals! Thanks for explaining- we all learn all the time.
When I was at high school my metalwork teacher bought one. I went for a ride in it one day, very comfortable car. I always loved the exhaust note. He got rid of it fairly quickly, it had major reliability and build quality issues. Didn't stop me from liking it. Hoping you got to drive a Nomad and P76! Subscribed...
Hi, years ago I put a twin carb Maxi 1750 5 speed into a Nomad. I had to rearrange the suspension because of the weight but boy it flew, heavy steering. I chased a friend flooring my 3.4 Jag Mk2 and it kept up easily.
If thats the original vinyl interior its aged very well. The rear seats look so good they almost look re-trimmed. Stunning! :)
Love how it looks so conservative and grey outside and then an absolute riot inside, like a bank manager in stockings and suspenders...
What a lovely old motor such a shame we never had them in the UK.
Love it! As a person who is keen on a landcrab ive got to say I may prefer these, if we had got one with a wolseley badge that would have been mega. Shame they didn't make it to the uk.
Top work mr hubnut!
This might be my favorite of all your videos. Love the car and your enthusiasm is delightful.
Not only should this have come to Great Britain, but there should have been a proper estate car version (Austin Kimberley Countryman) to replace the A60 Countryman and to compete with the Volvo 145. As you say, so many missed opportunities.
Mummy, where did Kimberley come from?
Well, a LandCrab and a Viva HC loved each other very much...
HistoryNeedsYou ... More FD VIctor/VX4/90 rather than Viva ?? !
Skodaman2 😆 nahhh - Humber Sceptre !!!
I have been watching this video now several times . This car is absolutely fascinating me. From outside it looks very nice and you can't believe, that it was based on the landcrab. Those double frontlights in combination with that big chrome grill looks amazing. A transverse inline sixcylinder engine I knew only from those few Austin Princesses sold here less succesfull here in Germany. One greece family in our neighbourhood had one. The red interior looks lovely. My fathers VW K70 had also red vinyl interior. In the section of the video where the car drives away, the sound of the exhaust reminds me a bit my friends Nissan (Datsun ) Laurel. I can really understand that you enjoy this car so much. Dear Ian, I must really say thank you for introducing us in those exotic vehicles, which are absolutely unknown here in Europe.
Great car reviews you definitely deserve a TV show 👍
When the only genuine leather is the key fob.
Chortle
Sheepskins would necessary especially in Australia, wearing shorts getting into a car with vinyl seats on a HOT day, not good, burn your legs.
It was bad in summer in Scotland jumping into m6 dad's mini van as a kid wearing shorts hahaha still own the van today.
@hobo john yes my father had a Holden ute with tan vinyl bench seat he had a sheepskin to sit on.
@@barryphillips7327 Oh hell yes, I still have scars from the 3rd degree burns I acquired in my Dad's Torana. Lol. Ye gods it was insanity, but we didn't know any better back then. It took the hospital casualty Doctors to teach us those lessons
Back in your element I see! Loved your enthusiasm on this one. Did that vinyl interior smell like every 70s car you've ever been in? That smell coupled with the transmission whine would've taken me right back.
What a car! Great video as well. But the title should have read 'Red Seat Belt Alert'. I also thought Status Quo came out great on that lovely ICE system. That sound quality is so of-its-time! I could listen to it all day. Remarkable car. I love it.
Happy Mr HubNut! Oh what a lovely car. Those seatbelts! Seriously lovely Landcrabby type thing!
For the horn, you press the padded section either side of the "L" badge on the steering wheel.
A lot of cars from the early 1960s onwards have the horn sounded by pressing a semi-circular bar on the steering wheel(Holden FE to EH models have such a feature) or buttons on the radial spokes either side of the steering wheel axle, or, like this car, those pads either side of the "L" trademark disc. Some cars even have the horn on the indicator stem.
Was the horn on the end of the indicator stalk as per Minis and 1500s ?
@@geoffeastwood5352 I don't think this model had it, but no harm in trying!
The beautiful Southern Highlands of NSW. There are plenty of bends nearby. The vacuum gauge was a fuel economy measure. The aim was to keep the vacuum as low as possible when accelerating. Cars in Australia did not come with cloth seats until the 1980s. We fitted seat covers for comfort. Head restraints became mandatory under Australian Design Rules in 1972.
1970s for cloth seats' first appearance in Oz-built cars. Optional at first, then standard on cars like Cortina XLE and Ghia, Commodore SL/SLE, etc.
My mate had one of these very comfy & yes the back set got sticky & hot every Friday night !!!!!!
Marvellous. I always liked the Kimberley and the Tasman so well done. Lovely review.
When they first came out in NZ,I was working after school in a panel beaters (Te Kuiti) and I was given the task of riding in the boots of new tasmans and Kimberleys to see where dust was getting in as the boss drove along dirt roads😂 . Around 1980 my Dad found a one owner Kimberley in near new conditon for $300. He used it for quite a while as a work hack but the only thing that ever went wrong was when the local dealers stuffed up the cables for the gear shift and it got really hard to change gear. he traded it for a new Talbot alpine. 😎I dont think it was a matter of Customers being scared of the kimberley but the concerted campaign by GM and Ford spreading unfounded rumors about parts not being available etc because of the strikes in the UK. Ironic considering that GM is having a really crap time of it now with new vehicle sales collapsing and no one even buying used Commodores.
Must be an apprentice initiation task, I had to do that in a Ford Orion to "apparently" tell where a knock was coming from.....looking back I was such an idiot 🤣
@Lassi Kinnunen 😂 I hadn't thought of it like that, I did get paid for it as an apprentice so in that way I've nothing to grumble about, definitely easier than planting trees too.
I put a fully grown adult in the boot of my Opel Kadette (Vauxhall Belmont) many years ago to test out the capacity. Drove to a gig a couple of miles away. He didn't get paid but could confirm there was plenty of room.
@Paolo G The same guys sent me to the motor factors for glass rivets for a 2CV.....didn't catch me that time though cos I buggered off into town for an hour, came back to "where have you been?" and got a round of applause when I told them they hadn't got and where I'd been 🤣
@@bletheringfool I remember the Belmont, that thing had passport contol halfway into the boot 🤣
Hope you get to see the V8 Leyland P76,if you think the Kimberley was fascinating.
I did. ;-)
chris day was gonna ask the same Question!...The P76 is a must see for me!
@@owenjwilson5202
Or P38 as they were known by in Oz....only half a car.
That tape player running not quite at right speed brought back some memories
I’m so happy to see you review this. I’ve been waiting a long time. I hope you feel it did the Land Crab proud.
Having owned a '71 Morris 1800 landcrab in the early 80's I never understood why there was a negative impact to all these vehicle dervitives.
Leyland at the time seems to have been so blinkered as to innovations in its product across the globe....no strangers to badge engineering they criminally ignored some great adaptations of their product - as you showed with Innocenti
Liked the Kimberley. Loved the old land crabs you can see the connection also the maxi. Had one 40 years ago. Really loved the Austin 3 litre
That's so beautiful, in a 70's sort of way! I've never even heard of it. I thought it was going to be a variant of the Austin 3 litre from the UK - but it's quite different! The back reminds me of the old Ford Zodiac, quite a bit. I take the point about the vinyl seats, they were uncomfortable even on hot days in the UK, let alone Oz.
Nice but I am one of those odd people who like the styling of the Landcrab !
Good motors should have sorted the few problems out never did
The front / transverse drivetrain is now standard on modern cars.
I used to have one of those. Unfortunately it was in far too bad condition to save.
However it was a huge amount of fun. There is no other vehicle that can travel across farm tracks as well as a kimberley. On general rutted diirt roads it was as smooth as a Range Rover however it could be pushed way harder.
My one was automatic, unfortunately the gear box was producing swarf. However it could be made to go for a while by cleaning out the filter and valve block.
The suspension was incredibly strong and the body was very ridgid.
Handling on sealed roads was very good even by the standards of the days 20 years later. It had a bit of understeer but still far better than a 90s Camry.
My Kimberly had a severe lack of low end torque that was perhaps due to a lack of compression. However once up speed the performance was very good.
I think the Kimberly was unfairly underrated. For Australian conditions of the 70s with their very poor and sometimes non existant roads the Kimberly would have been excellent.
After the Kimberly I tried an HQ Holden. The Holden just did not come anywhere near the Kimberly for handling and performance. However it had lots of torque and was easier to repair when it broke.
Ah - the HQ. Didn't come anywhere near a supertanker for handling and performance I'm sure you would agree. But they would not break down and thus never give us an excuse to get rid of the sodding things.
@@niceviewoverthere4463 very true, I was hoping that Hubnut would get to test one. Maybe there are none (basic Belmont or Kingwoods) left. The HQ was a way of life for many in the 70s for both New Zealanders and Australians. I couldn't make up my mind if I loved or hated it. At least petrol was cheap when I had my HQ as it never bettered 20 mpg. I will never forget the 3 on the tree that would jam if you missed a gear change followed by the steering that was so heavy that parking was a nightmare.
with the automatic Slushbox, this could have sold in the U.S.
But (2) radiator fans please -- suprised to see (1) when hood popped
@@markrossow6303 overheating was not an issue with those fans. I think Americans would not have liked the lack of low down torque. I looked at the video again and I think the automatic was far more refined than the manual.
I.LOVED.THIS.CAR! I had the Mk I T-Bar automatic and it was one of the nicest cars I ever owned. The cross 6 went like a scalded cat once you got the twin SU carbs sorted out. The only issue I ever had was on very hots days (40+ degrees C), the carbs would start to vapour lock and if you went even up a slight incline the engine started coughing from fuel starvation. I had a white version and it looked sort of aggressive with a wider profile tyre. Nice to see the old girl again. Very sorry I sold it.
On the negative side, a mate bought the Tasman really cheap because it had blown a rear gearbox seal. He was a bit of a home mechanic so he figured "how hard can it be to change?". Once he realised he needed pull out the engine and gearbox, strip down the gear box, replace seal and rebuild, he sold it for parts.
I had a MkII Kimberley automatic in what looked like British Racing Green. The interior was all white with the exception of that black dash and steering wheel. Mine liked to overheat but was otherwise one of the most comfortable cars I've ever owned. I'd rate it right up there with the ZF Fairlane I had later. I'm also sorry I sold my Kimberley. I had a chance to buy a 1980 Valiant GLX and as a Valiant man I went with that and sold the Kimberley to neighbours who took the thermostat out of it and drove it until they cooked it. In the finish you could hear it pinging its head off coming up the street.
Love your work. My Grandad had this and a wolesley. Brilliant memories. Thanks.
What a great video of this very special car (does anyone know why the switched to a single carb); what were British Leyland thinking of with so many could-have-been’s?
I suspect to make servicing easier. No carb balancing to do.
It was all about emmisions , adr 27a came in at around this time .
@@randomoldbloke Hi Peter. It was all about cost. ADR27a came into effect in mid 1974. Hp went down from 115 to 102 but torque stayed the same. We bought our Kimberley in Jan 1973 and had it untill 1982
I’ve owned a number of landcrabs, a couple of Tasmans and a Kimberley.
I still own a manual ’69 crab, off the road ATM. I’ve vague plans to convert it to electric - one day.
Yes, I’ve a screw or two, loose.
OK, let’s separate the issues with the ‘X6 into performance and durability, for clarity.
First, performance.
GEARING
The manual X6 (and landcrab for that matter) literally screams for a 5th gear. It is possible to fit a taller final drive using gears from a mark III landcrab, I understand, but that would dull acceleration. Unfortunately, the taller geared diff from the automatic doesn’t fit - the crown is larger.
REAR SUSPENSION
The rear suspension really isn’t up to the job, especially with the larger boot on the ‘X6. With a fully laden car, it tends to bottom and become floaty, not to mention headlights pointed skyward.
Apparently, the X6 rear hydrolastic carriers were designed to take a larger unit, but the displacers fitted were the same type as the landcrab - the front ones fitted to ‘1100s. As a kludge, Leyland fitted triangular rubber ‘helpers’, but they don’t work that well and tend to disintegrate. It is possible to shoehorn an ’1800 front displacer; they did this for the London-Sydney rally. Perhaps the rear torsion-bar helpers fitted to the ‘1800 ute would have been a better bet.
OVERHEATING/VAPOUR LOCK
As per @alan m's post, the combination of Siamesed cylinders and inadequate cooling contributed to overheating. OMG, vapour lock. Some Leyland nong decided a heat exchanger between the inlet and exhaust manifolds would be a great idea to help improve cold weather starting. Yeah, good on ya.
From experience, quality of life is much improved, esp on 40oC days, with this nonsense removed. Simply weld a plate in the aperture in the exhaust manifold where the heat exchanger sits. It also solves the stupid heat exchanger sealing problem.
Secondly, durability issues.
ENGINE MOUNTS
If the ‘1800 wasn’t bad enough, the 'X6 loves to tear these out, especially the rears. Apart from the extra weight of the engine, the main issue is torque. Under acceleration, especially in first, the rear of the engine wants to dive into the ground. The two rear, totally inadequate, mounts have to cope with this torque in addition to engine weight. There’s absolutely no mechanical limiting mechanism whatsoever in the engine mounts, so it’s not surprising they only enjoy a short life.
A work-around is to modify (cut/weld) and shoehorn in the larger mounts available for the landcrab. From experience, if ignored too long, the underside of the carby will gnaw on the displacer pipe routed under it and you’ll eventually lose fluid… This thoughtful design feature lets you know a rear mount has failed.
ENGINE STEADY
The engine steady arm is rubbish. There’s a large rubber bushy thing on engine end of the engine steady arm to isolate vibration, but with a relatively small bolt/sleeve thru the middle to secure it to the engine via a bracket. You guessed it, the highly concentrated stress on the rubber, as a result of small diameter sleeve rips, it to bits. The resultant thrashing about then takes out the small bush on the opposite end of the arm that anchors it to the firewall. If you don’t get onto it right away it’ll rip the bracket off the firewall! As a bonus it’ll help speed destruction of all engine mounts!
A cheap and effective fix is to modify the arm to take the urethane part of a skate board wheel from your brother’s box of busted skateboard bits. The ratio of the inner to outer diameters means it is not trashed so readily and there’s no vibration transmitted.
GEARSHIFT CABLE HYDRAULIC LOCK
The gearshift comes with a special patented lock-out feature to stop you inadvertently engaging first or third gears after starting the engine, especially on a cold winter’s morning. To override the lock-out simply apply a huge force to the lever, cursing under your breath, whilst waiting for the gear to slowly engage and hoping that new gearshift cable you’ve recently fitted doesn’t bust. It is even more effective when combined with that extra thick oil grade for the worn engine. One trick is to chose which gear you’d like to not have the lock-out feature apply - simply leave the car in that gear when you park it!
In an attempt to remedy engine-oil-leaking out of ends of gearshift cable issue, Leyland geniuses attempted to stop oil entering the cables in the first place. This is all very well and good until oil seeps past their additional seal and floods the cable. You then get a hydraulic lock until the trapped oil is purged. Simply grind longitudinal slots along the plungers at the engine end of the gearshift contraption to allow the trapped oil a path to escape. To stop any leaks from the cables add industrial grade heat-shrink tubing, the stuff with the adhesive glue, to the cables. Cable ties on the outer of the tubing on the engine end of cable termination mitigate any leaks past quite effectively.
SLIPPING CLUTCH
This special learner driver assist feature stops them from stalling the engine. Due to the inherent design of the end-on, up itself, clutch, oil has a propensity to find its way between the crankshaft and concentric clutch output shaft and into the clutch, causing it to slip. If left long enough it’ll slip under the most gentle acceleration. It is possible to temporarily burn off the oil in desperation, by flooring it, but it’ll return quickly enough. It’s great the clutch can be changed in 1/2 hour, but it’s really a necessity!
Leyland’s kludgy fix for the MKII was to drill three radial holes in the flywheel in the clutch centre cavity to let excessive oil escape. So effective - NOT. A worn engine makes matters worse; blow-by tends to help force oil into the clutch.
A fix is to fix the seal between the crank and the clutch output shaft by actually adding one! There appears to be provision for a seal on the inner side of the output shaft but one never seems to have been fitted - perhaps it caused grief when engaging gears due to friction? A seal that works remarkably well is a length of appropriate diameter (100 thou from memory) red nylon line trimmer cord! It must be red, or was it yellow? A number turns is carefully wound inside the clutch output shaft, with the winding direction so as to encourage oil back into the engine when the clutch is free wheeling. The shaft is pressed onto the crank with a suitable car-jack placed between the mud-guard and the output shaft. The affair is initially a tight fit, so getting the flywheel back on can be “interesting”, but once bedded in, it is a low friction seal that is quite durable and very effective.
IDLER GEAR
The manual ‘1800 has an idler between the clutch output and the gearbox. it is placed on the conventional side of the clutch and rides on two very large needle roller bearings on either side of the gear. It never goes wrong.
The equivalent idler on the X6 rides on a single shaft with a single roller-bearing adjacent the gear and a sleeve bearing on the end. Guess what happens!? At any sign of idler bearing unhappiness is time to change the bearing. If left too long the bearing will spit its rollers, the shaft will go wobbly and break the gearbox casting at the sleeve end!
It is possible to replace the bearing in situ! It is pressed in and secured with two cir-clips. The outer one is easy. The one inside the ‘box - that’s a little more tricky! Simply make up a special remote control cir-clip expanding tool. Pokes it in thru the bearing and expand the inner cir-clip and remove it. It is important it doesn’t go free range inside the gearbox…
To extract the bearing make up a bearing puller using a large bolt, and a couple of washers, one with slot cut in it with some fencing wire welded on to it. Guide it in thru the special slot, above the bearing, Leyland have thoughtfully provided for this purpose and slot it into the bolt. Tighten bolt and pull out bearing. Press in new bearing using spacer and car-jack. Easy peasy. No engine out. No gearbox disassembly. No fuss. Beer.
SILENT-BLOC” BUSHINGS
I understand some of the early MKIs (or was is all MK I’s) use the “silent-bloc” nylon bushings as per MKII landcrabs, rather than proper ball-bearing races used in MKI landcrabs and the later MKII X6s.
Silent-blocs are rubbish. Replace withe ball-bearing races.
David
Melbourne, Australia
Excellent info! The car is all a bit too mechanically fussy for reliable Aus long distance highway cruising
As a kid reading reviews and specs when they came out they seemed very exotic and desirable. Thanks for the realities of ownership of a Kimberley or Tasman. Can see why they failed in sales and close to none are left. Reading this even feels like going through numerous frustrating sessions of dirty work trying to keep one going.
Sounds like you persevered when I gave up. Great information!
David, I wish I had your knowledge when I owned it, it would have resolved the things I couldn't solve at the time, Leyland left the engineering fixes I guess to their buyers, I still loved that car though......I sold the vehicle when the gear stick broke at the base on a hill start in peak hour traffic, due to probably the force to clear the cable lock over time. Even though it s a cheap fix (7 dollars for a new gear lever) I decided I didn't need the hassle anymore.
David, I always felt the engine is the wrong way round, with the exhaust close up to the firewall, unlike modern East-West engines.
That's why mine caught fire----I was running too rich a mixture to keep the thing running, so the manifold got very hot, plus being a Leyland, it leaked oil prodigiously, saturating
the noise deadening stuff on the firewall--so "whoomp!" up she went.
I should have been kinder to the poor old thing, but I was trying to do up a V8 P76 at the time, so was "Leylanded out to the max!"
Always love your vids... never even heard of this Austin, how completely lovely. Father had a 1800S, then a Princess 2200 HL (highly luxurious) according to my mother (Plastic seats, no wheel trims, 1 door mirror etc) as my uncle had a Granada 3.0 GXL in Brown (on the M) My brother and I much preferred our uncle to our parents tbh. Harsh I realise now - but it was an Estate
Love the flush door handles! Imagine if they had these and other styling cues from this car on the Maxi.