When I first received this car . . . I assumed & expected the worst. Given what I paid for it, I expected everything that could go wrong to already be wrong. I E-Mailed a gentleman who was listed on the Rolls-Royce Owners' Club as a leader of the Texas Region and asked him where I could take this car, besides the dealership, to get service. Luckily, he pointed me in the right direction . . . Magrathea, Inc. here in Dallas. Phil Compton has been working on and restoring these cars for years, and he was a much more passionate and affordable solution than seeking the dealerships' help.
Picture of the Engine Bay
First, let's start with the good things that turned out to be wonderful surprises. Recently, someone had poured a bunch of money into the car making necessary repairs and updates. One of the previous owners changed the entire rack & pinion steering rack (roughly $3,000 to $4,000), in addition to completely updating the A/C & Heat System with all new components and a retrofit R134 Refrigerant System. Further, the car had a brand new starter in it when I received it, as well.
Then, as anyone familiar with these cars knows . . . there're a couple more big question marks to find out about, first . . . the brakes and the suspension. The first thing the mechanic did was start to push the back end of the car up and down, simply replying, "The nitrogen spheres are good, not locked up." He then did a more comprehensive checkup and said the brakes were all good, had plenty of pad material, etc. This was also great news.
Now for the bad news. Although I was told (and showed pictures) that the car had tires with ample tread . . . the car needed 5 new tires. In fact, on the way to Magrathea, Inc. for the first service since I owned it (less than 100 miles after receiving the car), tread separated on me on the original Dunlop tires, thus requiring a tow to the service center from the side of the highway.
Tread Separation Causing Blowout (Click
Here to See Another Picture)
The tires were either too old or too brittle, but they caused the ride in the car to be extremely bouncy (which worried me that there was a major suspension issue, lucky me that it was just the tires) before the blowout. Thus, I ended up changing all five tires. This fixed the "bounciness" problem.
New Tire on Vehicle
Tires seemed to be a minor problem since the car was leaking both oil and coolant pretty heavily from the moment I received it. Not to mention, there was very loud & heavy exhaust noise from blown gaskets on the motor.
During the first visit to Magrathea, Inc. . . . I was hoping that we could resolve all of the necessary mechanical issues with the car and lay out a gameplan for the entire restoration on the car. We ended up relatively close. We did the following things during the first visit:
| November 8, 2007 Service @ Magrathea, Inc. |
| Transmission Filter & Fluid Change (Dextron III) |
| Remove & Repair Radiator, Change Coolant |
| Oil & Oil Filter Change (Pennzoil 20W/50) |
| Change Alternator Belt |
| Replace All 5 Tires w/ New Whitewalls |
| Acquire & Replace Missing Hub Cap Trim Emblem |
| Replace Passenger Sideview Mirror Glass |
| State Inspection |
| Make Misc. Adjustments to Brakes, Trim, etc. |
| Examine & Diagnose Remainder of Car. |
| Shop Supplies & 14 Hours of Labor |
During this visit, we found a few things that needed attention, but parts needed to be ordered. The antenna was bad, and we would replace it with an aftermarket part later on (covered in the stereo restoration section). The center electrical display that showed the temperature, time, etc. was out and had to be repaired or replaced. One big issue was the exhaust noise, and that required new exhaust gaskets for the left hand cylinder head. These gaskets had to be ordered out of England, so this repair had to wait until my car had finished the paintwork.
In January of 2008, we took it in for another round of repairs, primarily finishing the work diagnosed in the previous visit. We did the following things during this second visit:
| January 10, 2008 Service @ Magrathea, Inc. |
| Add Treatment To Resolve Transmission Fluid Leak |
| Replace Stereo Antenna w/ Aftermarket Antenna |
| Replace EGR & Exhaust Gaskets (Left Bank Cylinder Head) |
| Reseal EGR Valve & Recondition Pipe |
| Replace One Taillight Bulb |
| Acquire & Install Wiper Stop Mount |
| Adjust Manual E-Brake (Not Sticking Before) |
| Misc. Cleaning & Gluing of Trim Parts |
| Properly Reinstall Intake Plenum Cover |
| Install Front License Plate & Polish Stainless Steel |
| Shop Supplies & 8 Hours of Labor |
Next, I wanted to address the center display being out. Through the RROC Discussion Forums, I found someone who knew Phil (Fadi Elias), had the part brand new (even still with the plastic film on the front), and made me a great deal on the center display I needed. I dropped by Phil's place on January 30, 2008 . . . and he dropped it in for me real quick, no charge (talk about supporting his customers!). :) I didn't realize how simple this was, as well. The wood panel on the dash came off with seven or so screws, then the unit was put in with four screws and an plug. Surprisingly simple!
Center Display Actually Working (See
Part Label)
Now that this center display is actually working, I think I like that portion of the dash actually being lit up and having a working part more than the actual clock & thermometer. :)
Per Phil's recommendation, I also then decided to use gas additives in the next couple of tanks of gas. For the fifth tank of gas I put through the car, I used Chevron's Techron Concentrate Plus Fuel System Cleaner. The additive for the seventh tank was be Slick50's version of the same thing, and I used STP's version in the 9th tank of gas I put through the vehicle.
Finally, I had one more thing to address . . . the oil drip that comes from the engine. During the first few tanks I put through this car, I had to add oil a couple times . . . fortunately, the car wasn't burning it, but just leaking it. Upon closer examination, Phil @ Magrathea noticed the oil was leaking from the back of the valve cover . . . only to find the bolts on the valve covers weren't tightened town sufficiently. After a few turns of those bolts, the leaks ceased. :) The conclusion we came to was that the car must have sat for a long time, causing those gaskets/seals to dry up & contract. After some driving attention and tightening down of those bolts, all was well again.
My next routine service was to address a couple of issues. The car would randomly think the doors were open sometimes when they were not, which resulted in a relatively annoying buzz when the car was driving along with a couple of full battery drains. This required a door latch switch assembly and an interior delay cube. Also, the signal switch had come apart, and I had to order that new assembly. I thought that while we were at it, we'd take care of a few knick knacks . . . reupholster the rear decklid, tighten up the rearview mirror, and replace the windshield wiper blades.
| October 7, 2008 Service @ Magrathea, Inc. |
| Remove & Replace Door Latch Switch Assembly |
| Replace Interior Delay Lighting Cube |
| Replace 10-Wire Turn Signal Switch |
| Replace Wiper Blades |
| Reupholster Rear Decklid |
| Tighten Up Rear View Mirror |
Now, I believe we have done all the legwork needed to make this a suitable daily driver, and I have been enjoying it as such. :) Make sure to come back by periodically to see the progress on this project, and thanks for stopping by!