I’m not sure anyone need one. I’m sure a lot of us would want one. I can’t armors it, but the want is there! BBC would not be my first choice, but a doable project.
I love the color, and the grill is still there, which is never the case with Craigslist Rolls Royces.
I also love the big fender gap in front and the wrinkled sidewall of the rear tire. Looks like it's leaving the line.
Not really, but tempting.
My late father owned two immaculate Rolls Royce Phantom V limousines. It's amazing how bad the build and design quality was on these cars, the flagships of the marque. I know, I did all the service and repair work to keep them on the road. The electrical system reminded me of our 1931 Model A, but 100x harder to work on.
In reply to 128racecar :
The hard part with Rolls Royce is the Hydraulic system. Talk about complex!!!! Everything seems to operate or affect the hydraulic system.
If you are clever there are ways around the expensive parts that wear out but not that hydraulic system.
I was offered a mid-1960s RR that had sat for years because the brakes were bad ,
along with it not starting for years , the parts to do the brakes were $2500.....
Yes I know I could do it much cheaper but that was enough to scare me away ,
I know bigger is better :) but why put a big block in it , a small block Chevy would probably be easier......
and then there is the early 1950s RR sitting.......
In reply to californiamilleghia :
My buddy owns a shop that only does European & British, he says some of those parts cross over to Ford LTD & Crown Vic parts.
Frenchyd:
Same issue when I tried putting a 350 Chevy in a Mercedes, HUGE steering box.
In reply to californiamilleghia :
I was actually looking around a few years ago to see if there was a small block Chevy swap kit available for these but was surprised that I couldn't find one.
I was part of a team attempting to restore an early 50s Bentley back in the 80s. What a fiasco! The Brakes1 ISTR 2 wheel cylinders for each front wheel & power mechanical rear brakes with the booster driven off the driveshaft.
Everything was like that, a bad design, poorly executed. I probably know where it is if someone is in need of a moneypit.
In reply to purplepeopleeater :
frenchyd said:In reply to 128racecar :
The hard part with Rolls Royce is the Hydraulic system. Talk about complex!!!! Everything seems to operate or affect the hydraulic system.
If you are clever there are ways around the expensive parts that wear out but not that hydraulic system.
I've done this conversion and Frenchy is right. They hydraulic system runs everything, is ridiculously complex and it's tightly integrated with the whole car. The factory pump is run off the camshaft. We used an electric pump and it works OK but it makes very un-Rolls like noises when it cycles. If I were to do it again I'd try and something with a gilmer belt run off the front of the crank.
In reply to purplepeopleeater :
is there a way to just run a normal brake set-up ?
figure out what bolt pattern the rims are and use that as a base , change backing plates etc
Regular power brake master cylinder , run new brake lines thru the car .
is the suspension also a hydraulic system like Citreon DS ?
Please come over and slap me........twice.......for thinking about it......
In reply to californiamilleghia :
Suspension is hydraulic ride height controlled. Brakes are hydraulic system controlled. The Silver Shadow does have a brake MC - but it cannot produce the pressure needed to run the system. The system has three hydraulic circuits, two high pressure (2500psi) and one low preesure (~1000psi) routed throughout the car.
Take a look at the diagram here and you'll probably dissaude yourself quickly: https://www.rrsilvershadow.com/ETechn/Hydr/Menucomp.htm
If ever a car was begging for a tube frame or a chassis swap, this would be it.
There is nothing under the body of that car that a rational god fearing man would want to tangle with, There be Monsters. And very weird and expensive hydraulic fluid; I think it is made from distilled money.
NOHOME said:If ever a car was begging for a tube frame or a chassis swap, this would be it.
There is nothing under the body of that car that a rational god fearing man would want to tangle with, There be Monsters. And very weird and expensive hydraulic fluid; I think it is made from distilled money.
That's what they did in Finland - And it's all kinds of awesome. Plus the Finnish are wonderfully insane, so it all makes sense.
I always come across old RR's for $5k. Glad I read this thread, I'll stay away.
Are Bentleys Turbo R's just as stupidly complex.
In reply to RevolverRob :
That is exactly where my mind went for this car. .
Need is such a strong word.
RevolverRob said:NOHOME said:If ever a car was begging for a tube frame or a chassis swap, this would be it.
There is nothing under the body of that car that a rational god fearing man would want to tangle with, There be Monsters. And very weird and expensive hydraulic fluid; I think it is made from distilled money.
That's what they did in Finland - And it's all kinds of awesome. Plus the Finnish are wonderfully insane, so it all makes sense.
So who's going to be the first GRMer to chop an indeterminate length out of the Rolls passenger compartment & drop it onto a Miata chassis?
In reply to Pete Gossett (Forum Supporter) :
Not me. But if someone has a Corniche coupe and a C5 kart laying around...
For real though, I feel like these old Rolls are begging to be put on a Panther chassis and then powered by some...Voodoo?
Not saying I was sitting around this morning drinking coffee and thinking about the Gambler 500...but...
Rolls Royce Silver Shadow wheelbase = 119.5", width is 71"
1973-1996 Twin I-Beam Standard Cab Short Bed F150 = 117", width is 79"
You're going to lift it up and fit big wheels and tires anyways...
I mean, I'm not sayin'...but I'm just sayin'...Who wants to build a Gambler 500 Rolls? I bet we could buy this, part out the chassis and the bulk of the interior and then get an F150 chassis and 460 cubic inches of motivation with a C6 behind...
BMW 7 series chassis will plug right into that thing wheelbase-wise. God knows what the electrical consequences would be.
Wow, did not realize they are that narrow. That would be such a fun project removing all the British weirdness, but keeping the body.
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