I threw my heater cable bolt in the bin yesterday before realising what it was for then had to go digging to find it 🤣 I've learned a few things there, good walk through 👍
On ebay there is a chap who sells Reliant Robin dash, console and door card "gloves" made out of quality leather that you glue onto the plastic and will make if fitted correctly, the whole thing look like brand new.
Seat is Triumph Herald, steering column and wheels also from a Herald and believe the older Robin's used the same rear drums as Triumph Dolomite cylinders fit perfectly. The mechanics were pure BMC parts bin specials. Reliant built for Leyland and Ford all their truck cabs, tractor cabs and other fibreglass things and in return got paid in parts for the cars including the 3.0 Essex engine. Engine and drivetrain is Austin 7, the pre-OHV Regal engines were pure Austin 7 sidevalves and the OHV engines Reliant looked at how Austin took the basis of the Austin 7 and turned it into the A series engine, Reliant did exactly the same turning the 7 engine into what became the OHV engines we all know. When Austin dropped the 7 Reliant simply bought the tooling, casting and machining jigs and made their own.
I had a 1981 van/estate and it was great fun but it leaked like a sieve! Also no access hatches on early Robins! Mine must have been in good condition because I found the steering too direct - very twitchy! What really let these cars down was appalling build quality! Despite all this I loved it!
Rear wiper, boot lock is Metro, I simply epoxied my key guard into the right place and its never moved since. You can find rear parcel shelves but finding a good 'un can be difficult without pull your pants down prices on 'em, Joe Mason is the chap for anything like body parts, engine parts and he has always been nice priced.
@@sharleysgarage does the heater now work admittedly not very well lol, I've been doing a TH-cam offering on my 1977 Kitten lol same as needing tons of work 👍👍
No way is that a factory paint job. It's been painted over and reacted... badly! But it runs well and all the interior can be cleaned up and fixed over time. There's nothing difficult there. A little runabout where you're not scared to get a car park ding or scratch.
To be fair somebody has clearly abused the front dash, Halfords double sided tape will hold down the rear guttering, With the condition of the paint, I have repainted a grp sidecar with just spray cans and it looked alright from memory, You could have a go with the roof, Plenty of videos on TH-cam on painting grp, If not I would imagine a professional job would be cheaper on that than most cars
Those cheap stereos benefit from opening up and using some decent thermal compound to stop them overheating and dying. I have a 140mph Speedo taken from a 1996 hatchback, date stamped 96 on the back too, I can only assume it was a factory fitted dial from a time when reliant was struggling to source parts. It does read correctly compared to my original dials so i will eventually get around to running a drill on it too match the mileage. The bumpers are basically just to take scuffs rather than stop damage, the bubbles are from moisture getting in the paint from the rear, wicking through the fibreglass and getting trapped. Your crankcase breather pipe from the oil filler cap is missing, it should go to a t piece then to the carb to burn any crankcase files and give the rocker cover a negative pressure. The fuel over flow from the carb should route to a small catch vent pot down on the lower right side of the car somewhere usually attached to the chassis, A second line from the crank case breather t piece also goes to that vent pot in order to recycle some of the evaporative emission from the carb and acts as a small continuous air bleed on the carb. The idle speed will usually change with the oil filler cap removed if the vent system is fitted.
thanks! this is really useful, do you know what the two white nylon pipes under the battery are for? Mine are disconnected. I did think one might be fuel over flow but im really not sure.
@@sharleysgarage possibly battery acid overflow/ vent? my mk2 doesn't have any nylon pipes under the battery tray. the fuel vent pipes are rubber with a braided sleeve around them to protect from chaffing.
@@mrjed6912 they are to a degree. Access is an issue and they do love to rust. Subject to the stereo type. They were not really built with maintenance in mind;.
Great thorough review! Good to see one get examined like this. You’re making me want one!
Go for it!
@@sharleysgarage hopefully once I’m settled in my new house!
I threw my heater cable bolt in the bin yesterday before realising what it was for then had to go digging to find it 🤣 I've learned a few things there, good walk through 👍
Glad you enjoyed if I've done alot of things similar. Bined a part only to need it later
even after watching this and other scathing reveiws I still want one
Do it!!! You have to do it at least once
On ebay there is a chap who sells Reliant Robin dash, console and door card "gloves" made out of quality leather that you glue onto the plastic and will make if fitted correctly, the whole thing look like brand new.
Seat is Triumph Herald, steering column and wheels also from a Herald and believe the older Robin's used the same rear drums as Triumph Dolomite cylinders fit perfectly. The mechanics were pure BMC parts bin specials. Reliant built for Leyland and Ford all their truck cabs, tractor cabs and other fibreglass things and in return got paid in parts for the cars including the 3.0 Essex engine. Engine and drivetrain is Austin 7, the pre-OHV Regal engines were pure Austin 7 sidevalves and the OHV engines Reliant looked at how Austin took the basis of the Austin 7 and turned it into the A series engine, Reliant did exactly the same turning the 7 engine into what became the OHV engines we all know. When Austin dropped the 7 Reliant simply bought the tooling, casting and machining jigs and made their own.
I had a 1981 van/estate and it was great fun but it leaked like a sieve! Also no access hatches on early Robins! Mine must have been in good condition because I found the steering too direct - very twitchy! What really let these cars down was appalling build quality! Despite all this I loved it!
Yea we had a non hatch rialto and the boot space was rubbish
Rear wiper, boot lock is Metro, I simply epoxied my key guard into the right place and its never moved since. You can find rear parcel shelves but finding a good 'un can be difficult without pull your pants down prices on 'em, Joe Mason is the chap for anything like body parts, engine parts and he has always been nice priced.
The seat back angle does change slightly when you move the seat because of the way the front pivots.
My dad bought a brand new 1 in 89 he raced a capri on the m25 and got it to 100 . He had to px it soon after he did some damage to the engine
as you said it's an old girl, that's been parked under a tree that's why the roofs kippered, heater it's probably got no thermostat lol
Definitely an old girl! It did have a unknown thermostat. Was replaced with an 82C one.
@@sharleysgarage does the heater now work admittedly not very well lol, I've been doing a TH-cam offering on my 1977 Kitten lol same as needing tons of work 👍👍
I'm not sure we never got either to work before selling them!
There are actually supposed to be rubber pedal covers on them, yours are missing.
That's groovy!
Cheap the interior may be, but the seats are trimmed in Fiesta XR2i fabric :)
Is that true?
@@sharleysgarage It is. The same fabric was used on a few other early 1990s Fords, too :)
Thought I recognised it weve had a few 80s fords
@@sharleysgarage According to Google, the fabric is called 'Zolda' and is still obtainable, no doubt due to the OLDSKOOLFORD scene.
not seen one of them for a long time 😎👍
I see one far too frequently lol! Glad you enjoyed
Not many around now. Allot of them went to banger racing and allot are probably SORN too.
No way is that a factory paint job. It's been painted over and reacted... badly! But it runs well and all the interior can be cleaned up and fixed over time. There's nothing difficult there. A little runabout where you're not scared to get a car park ding or scratch.
you certainly wouldn't notice if anyone did scratch it.
Tall drivers will invariably hit the horn with their knees leading to many strange looks.
my legs are so long ill be indicating in error!
@@sharleysgarage when you hit as bump and the car rocks it just gives a little toot off your knee
Watch Aging Wheels video on his Reliant, he can use the horn with his knee
@@danielletheprotogen i think even dwarfs will be able to do that.
To be fair somebody has clearly abused the front dash, Halfords double sided tape will hold down the rear guttering, With the condition of the paint, I have repainted a grp sidecar with just spray cans and it looked alright from memory, You could have a go with the roof, Plenty of videos on TH-cam on painting grp, If not I would imagine a professional job would be cheaper on that than most cars
Those cheap stereos benefit from opening up and using some decent thermal compound to stop them overheating and dying.
I have a 140mph Speedo taken from a 1996 hatchback, date stamped 96 on the back too, I can only assume it was a factory fitted dial from a time when reliant was struggling to source parts.
It does read correctly compared to my original dials so i will eventually get around to running a drill on it too match the mileage.
The bumpers are basically just to take scuffs rather than stop damage,
the bubbles are from moisture getting in the paint from the rear, wicking through the fibreglass and getting trapped.
Your crankcase breather pipe from the oil filler cap is missing, it should go to a t piece then to the carb to burn any crankcase files and give the rocker cover a negative pressure.
The fuel over flow from the carb should route to a small catch vent pot down on the lower right side of the car somewhere usually attached to the chassis,
A second line from the crank case breather t piece also goes to that vent pot in order to recycle some of the evaporative emission from the carb and acts as a small continuous air bleed on the carb.
The idle speed will usually change with the oil filler cap removed if the vent system is fitted.
thanks! this is really useful, do you know what the two white nylon pipes under the battery are for? Mine are disconnected. I did think one might be fuel over flow but im really not sure.
@@sharleysgarage possibly battery acid overflow/ vent?
my mk2 doesn't have any nylon pipes under the battery tray.
the fuel vent pipes are rubber with a braided sleeve around them to protect from chaffing.
I love the car but now I have to go to the hospital to get my ears mended.
Glad we could please. I assume the music choice wasn't to your taste?
@@sharleysgarage It was the wind noise.
Ahhhhh thanks for the feedback, will bare it in mind in future
Why do people call them pigs when they look like mice?
not sure mice fits? Pigs and they are just pigs to work on.
@@sharleysgarage their very basic to fix though
@@mrjed6912 they are to a degree. Access is an issue and they do love to rust. Subject to the stereo type. They were not really built with maintenance in mind;.
They look like a pigs head
@@mrjed6912 A pigs head tapers to a point a little just like a pigs head.
Omg just use some plastic padding, it's nothing mate.
Lol! Glad you enjoyed it