At what point to do you give up on a D1? Can they be made reliable?

[Viggen]

HEY! As a 3 time rotary powered Mazda owner I can say they are quite fun!

Burning oil and blow apex seals. How much fun...

 

[badm0t0rfinger]

Burning oil and blow apex seals. How much fun...

Never had an apex seal go on me. Most of the guys who do this repeatedly are victims of a "more boost is better" mindset.

 

[bigreen505]

This is all solid advice, though on a D1 I would amend it to say stick with the 245 and keep your life simple until the truck won't get you where you want to go.

There are two other shops which are worth a phone call. The first is Rob at MIT Automotive in Evergreen, and the second is Brian at British 4X4 in Aurora. They are the two best Rover mechanics I know. I know that neither one is convenient for you. You might try talking to Ken Morrison at Old Town Import Repair and see if he would work on it. I don't think he has much Rover experience, but he has worked on just about everything. He used to work on my Saab when he was primarily a Porsche shop. There is stuff that he probably wouldn't touch, like rebuilding a LT230, but a D1 is a comparatively simple vehicle to work on. I'm curious about it being a Saab/Nissan shop now. I wonder if he took Mel from Tyanans who is also a decent wrench. Mel is the kind of mechanic who puts a little paint line on bolts so he will know if anyone else has touched your car.

Agreed, Northern Colorado doesn't have a Rover shop within 75/100 miles. JC's is probably the closest. Locals could be clueless. The good thing is that there are lots of D1's/RRC's as donors. There are 4 RRC's in Denver's U-Pull-&-Pay. Typically also several D1's. Good for general parts and finding stuff that can be rebuilt and stored for future use. ...... I might need to make a trip North.

Rover's are no different than any other used car. The previous owner is a huge factor in next owner reliability. I've seen way too many cars/trucks neglected for the first 50-100K, causing many headaches. Getting back up that "power curve" is no fun. I'd say pick one of the D1's and make it your focus. Move from reactive to proactive. Pull radiator and get it taken apart and rodded for $120. New belts and hoses. Take the driveline to a shop and get U-joints replaced for <$100 per shaft. Drain and replace all fluids. Don't forget to grease the swivels. Stay away from lifts over 2" unless you have the money to sink into driveline issues. Keep the tires at 265 or less, actually 245, for altitude. The 3.9 engine is small for 4500#'s+ and 6000ft+. If not you will find yourself in 3rd gear and 3000rpm way too many times.

My reference point? A 98 with 4.0, cammed, 265's and mostly stock. It is a daily driver and well taken care of.

Oh, and have fun!