Just a few comments from someone who is about to buy a Spirit, and has
done as much research as he can before taking the plunge. Some of these
comments should be relevant to Shadows too.
>> The RREC [of G.B. http://www.rrec.co.uk/] used to claim that it was not
>> an easy car for the owner to look after themselves; whilst this is true,
...they also have Shadow seminars, on a regular basis. These seminars
started out so that owners of the pre-war cars could share knowledge.
Now they even now have Spirit seminars, so the idea obviously has taken
off and is seen as applicable to the newer cars as well. I've not been
on one yet - I'm booked in for the November Spirit seminar, and would
welcome comments on how good or otherwise people consider them.
Of course this means a transatlantic trip for Carl (unless the RROC do
similar things). My limited experience of the RREC suggests that the
saving by attending such a seminar and thus gaining the knowledge to
avoid buying a dog exceeds the cost of an airfare - but that's only on
the basis of the knowledge I have gained by chatting to people at the
RREC Oxford (Founder's) Section. Carl needs the advice in the first
instance of someone who has attended a seminar to make his decision as
to whether it's worth the flight. Any volunteers? Or, why not talk to
Emma at RREC (via the website)? She should be able to point you in the
right direction.
>
> The ride-leveling system takes a bit of sorting out, ... One prospective
>seller I
>> talked to had the brakes re-done but, after buying the car on impulse and
>having
>> it for two years, didn't even know of the complex load-leveling system. "I
>> don't think my car has that option." was his reply (1980 Shadow II). I
>didn't
>> pursue the conversation any further as he obviously didn't know his own car.
Many owners I know are equally ignorant of their vehicles - and that's
the whole reason they bought a Rolls-Royce. They don't want to lift the
bonnet, they want to drive the car. (This is discussed in detail in
"Zen and the art of Motorcycle maintenance".) These same people have
almost certainly had their cars meticulously maintained by RR&BMC or
RRBSA garages. An ignorant owner does not necessarily mean a bad car.
Ignorant though I am, there's something I've learnt already: look at the
service history, and then ring the company which has serviced the car.
If *they* are vague about the attention the sus and brakes have
received, don't buy. Most good dealers have no axe to grind, and will
give you a detailed history of the car.
Speaking as a Spirit prospective purchaser - most pre 85 cars have some
negative history. If you are looking at an early Shadow, you can't
expect a perfectly clean history - the key thing is to find out how well
the car was repaired. Genuine parts? RRBSA approved? Remember that
while every minor parking ding should have been recorded, many have not
been. Use the same precautions around the corners as you would with any
other car - a magnet, or one of the fancy new jigs which detect
non-ferrous metals as well as non-metals.
>
> Always good to know. I wonder if those articles ever make it online ...?
>
Sorry, Practical Classics is not online.
>
>> As far as corrosion goes, the vehicle is not too bad (but remember the
>> bodies were made by Pressed Steel Fisher
Shadow and Spirit bodies were initially made at Pressed Steel Fisher in
Swindon, now at Rover Cowley - but always under strict RR supervision.
The fact of the matter is that no-one in the automotive industry paid
enough attention in those days to electrochemical ("battery effect")
corrosion. Once RR fully understood the problem, they fixed it. Later
Shadows and Spirits are galved where it counts, which with typical RR
caution means almost the whole body is galved.
This adversely affects the aesthetics, because galv is not as smooth as
treated plain steel. And that's why Shadow II's don't look quite as
refined as Shadow I's. You have to make a decision aesthetics vs. risk
of corrosion, and this will depend on where you live and therefore how
badly the climate attacks the body.
>>
>> Get yourself the factory manual if you intend to look after it yourself!
>
>Do you have a source for the factory manual? I'm surprised they make them
>available to the public.
RREC.
There is also a Haynes Manual available for the Shadow. While not as
comprehensive as the factory manual, it is very reasonable at around GBP
10.
Happy motoring,
richard@shears.org
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