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Refurbished Princess
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11-08-2011 1:30pm#1Lsst February, I took my 1978 Leyland Princess Special Six off the road in order to attend to some bodywork.
The door bottoms were showing signs of paint bubbling while the sills and wheels arches also needed attention-the usual rot spots on such cars.
All the door bottoms were rotten so the rot was cut out and new metal grafted in.
Similarily, the sills were corroded through so they too had the rot removed and new metal grafted in as well as new outer sill sections fitted.
All of the wheel arches and front wing bottoms were as bad so they too were treated similarily to the doors and sills.
There was also a few small dents on the body so they were removed.
The entire bottom of the car from the silver stripe down was repainted.
Some photos of the car before the work was done:
Last weekend, I took the car across to the UK to attend the 17th Annual BMC/BL Day in Ferry Meadows, Peterborough.
This was the cars third time at the event.
It received a lot of attention this year and I did an interview and photoshoot with Classic Car Weekly and Practical Classic mag with a feature due in the October issue of the mag.
Some photos of the car after the work was done in the next post......0
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Yes, Princess calipers are 4 pots and are very good at the job.
They are much sought after for upgrading other motors.
The Princess model was one of the better rust proofed BL cars of the time.
Why so many haven't survived is more to do with poor resale value as a result of initial reliability issues.
During the first twelve months, there were frequent reports about the new cars which at best were unreliable, and at worst - dangerous.
Poor build quality was not a good start for such an advanced motor car.
However, the Princess cars were well received when they were new. Despite problems which were experienced with the cars, they gained a good following and in the initial few years 186,000 were sold with a total 264,000+ being sold in total.
The Mark 2 versions were introduced in 1979 and many of the issues were rectified at that stage.
However, it was probably too late as many traditional Princess buyers had defected to other marques (generally Japanese) by then.
Once looked after, a Princess is a very worthy car. It is more than capable of keeping up with modern traffic, is extremely comfortable & roomy inside and very easy to work on (check out the room in the engine bay of the 6 cylinder engine-everything is accessible)
There are only a few hundred Princesses left in the UK now, with only half a dozen or so in Ireland (I have 3!!)
Many are still roadworthy while others have been saved for future restoration or for parts donation to keep cars on the road.
Tony0 -
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Fair play to ya Tony!
I'm very impressed with the interior. Is it original?
Cheers Unkel,
Apart from the drivers seat, which I replaced, the interior is completely original
@johnos1984 - in actual fact, my Special Six is currently the only known roadworthy example left. I also have another one which I am cannibalising for parts as it was completely knackered.
Tony0 -
Princess HLS wrote: »@johnos1984 - in actual fact, my Special Six is currently the only known roadworthy example left. I also have another one which I am cannibalising for parts as it was completely knackered.
I'd believe it to be honest. the lst few I'd heard of were in terrible shape but I'm certain I saw a good one at a show about 12 months ago.
I'll try go back through my snaps and see if it's there 0 -
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Were you aware of the rust when you bought it, I thought from the photos you posted back then that it was mint !
I'd a fair idea that there was rust lurking about all right. The bottoms of the rear doors had fillers in them and I was aware that the bottoms of the rear arches were rotten too.
You know yourself, once you start digging there's always more hiding away underneath!
I'm not aiming to have a concourse motor but one that is in good enough condition to drive about and take to shows
Tony0 -
Well you crafty olde beggar Princess HLS:D, you have got your motor onto page 50 of "Practical Classics" magazine.Any excuse to show her off..............................................................................................................................................and why not, fair play to you.
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There are about 400 listed on the DVLA register but not that many are active/roadworthy.
I have 3 (2 roadworthy and 1 for spares) and I'm aware of another 4 roadworthy ones in Ireland plus at least 1 that's languishing in a barn.
Here is my manual 2200 HLS which was in a cow shed for 15 years with a seized clutch before it was dragged out and restored:
Before Restoration:
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