Advice please

[george]

hi, i got hold of a BRM about a month ago which i am not using untill my insurance runs out on my other car(6 months), it has done 50k and had the head gasket replaced under precaution so i was told 2 years ago+ cam belt done. The oil is clean and i took it for a little drive and it didn't lose any coolant. i was just wondering if there is anything i should be doing to it whilst its off the road to ensure it will be fine when the time comes to drive it. cheers

[garythesnail]

Welcome to the orange side, George.

If the car's basically sound, it'll be beneficial to start it up every couple of days, moving it a couple of yards forward and back letting the engine run for few minutes. This will keep the battery from going flat and stop the brakes from seizing. Other than that, I can't really think of anything out of the ordinary - keep an eye on fluid levels as you would normally do.

I look forward to seeing some pics of your pride and joy when it's up, running and road legal.

[BRMark]

Polishing it! :D

Keep an eye on the tyres, if it's got the standard alloys these are prone to bubbling on the rim and letting air slowly escape from the tyre.

As for stowing it for 6 months? idk disconnect the battery?

What about keeping the handbrake off and leaving it in gear if it's not going to be moved for a while?

Someone more knowledgable will be along shorty, in the meantime Hello! and welcome to the forum, there's plenty of people here with plenty of BRM know how! (and some like me who wing it! ;))

[george]

don't worry its been pollished :)! ye i have left it in gear with hand break off and the alloys have just been refurbished by the previous owner the week before i got it so i would imagine should be ok. i have also put some treatment on the leather inside. to be honest i was thinking of any modifications i need to be doing to ensure the gasket don't go again or anything like that? thanks for the help

[BRMark]

tbh if the recent manifold was the uprated landrover one, the only other things to consider would be the LR oil ladder and the remote thermostat kit - if youi want the best chance possible at avoiding hgf.

If you're looking at engine mods chaning the 48mm plastic for a 52mm alloy throttle body is popular.

[george]

ye it was the up-rated gasket, he said it had only been changed under precaution and didn't blow so what would you say the chances are of having trouble with it if i just leave it as it is? the car is totally standard. cheers

[BRMark]

Hard to say of course, all you can do is treat her with care and keep an eye on coolant and oil for early indicators - obv if it does go again, the earlier you catch it the less chance of it doing damage to the cylinder head.

[Adam]

Pretty much everything has been covered. I guess you could take out the battery and pop it onto a trickle charger so stop that going flat. But if you take it out, remember the radio and clock will need resetting, radio needs the 4 digit code to re-work.

[george]

Took the car out for a little drive today, came back and checked the coolant bottle and there was a small amount of white (gunk) round the seal, what should i do?

[brmatty]

Took the car out for a little drive today, came back and checked the coolant bottle and there was a small amount of white (gunk) round the seal, what should i do?

it could well be condensation if its been sat idle for a while , or even reminants from the prior headgasket change as it does take a while to remove all traces of contamination even after a few oil and coolant changes you may still have the odd trace.. i would monitor it and change the coolant just before shes goes on the road properly..

[The Mole]

All the foregoing is good, but I would put the car up on blocks, to help the tyres not getting flat spots. Also it is bad to start engines and run them for only a short time especially if the car is not being put under load, condensation will build up in the exhaust etc also it takes a few miles to get a K series oil system to the correct temperatures. I personally remove the spark plugs and dose the bores with oil to stop bore to piston ring corrosion and wouldnt run the engine until necessary. Leave it until next spring to start it again.

[george]

ok, ill have a think about that, its going for a few parts of the paint work touched up in january to make it absolutely mint so i wouldn't be able to do that untill the end of january, is it worth doing it for 4 and a bit months?? i was aware it doesn't do the engine any good to just start it for a short time hence why i normally take it for a longish drive on the tops about once a month and hope i don't get caught!! :)