A TCL First? '67 Rolls Royce project thread...

[ValveCoverGasket]

dont recall seeing one of these on here before... a rolls royce project thread!

a buddy and i picked this up locally from a fellow who saved it from the original owner's cousin's barn. car is from england, moved over to chicago sometime in the 70s from what we can tell (bumpers and mirrors were updated to then-current model parts). lived in portland for a majority of its life until it sat in a garage/storage for 15 years or so. then was moved over to idaho to the cousin's barn after the original owner passed away... has just 66k kms on it, and it shows

anyway, runs fine but doesnt move. so the trans is coming out for a rebuild. since its a RHD 67 its one of the last years they used the rolls royce 4spd auto (LHD 67s already had the GM turbo 400 trans)... so were dealing with a pretty rare tranny (~3000-4000 built from what i can tell)... still working on tracking down a local shop to go through it. luckily it shares lots of parts with late 40s and 50s GM hydramatics (the jetaway i beleive...) so were on the hunt for an antique GM trans guy.


anyhow, onto the pictures!























ill come back with some more pictures in a while once weve got the trans back in and all that... could be a bit as were balancing this with a few other projects, but everyone is excited to see it on the road. its amazing how many non-car people get excited about cars when you mention a rolls royce

plan is to get the trans back in, refinish the wood (lacquer is peeling in a few of the top bits from the sun, otherwise its all solid), clean up the engine bay a little bit and redo some of the black paint under the hood, then see where were at money/frustration wise and whether or not we want to sell it or store it somewhere.






10-07-12 updated photos, finally spending some time out of the shop!














black/white and color version of all the shots from our day out are in the album here...


some more pics from my roommates film pics that he scanned in
















really dug the depth of field and colors in his shots

[JMillerUA6]

Car looks good, I especially like the Grey Poupon in the center console.

[tngdesi]

subscribed for the end result

[konkomania]

Beautiful. I cannot wait to see the final product.

[NightTrain EX]

Why not just replace it with a GM400?

[ValveCoverGasket]

Why not just replace it with a GM400?

we had considered doing that... and i think the possibility still exists if we run into too much trouble with the 4spd, but the issue would be all of the linkage parts, shift column, gear indicator, etc as we have a RHD car, we'd need all of the later RHD GM400 linkage parts, as well as the column, gear indicator, etc

so it would be a matter of tracking down those parts from the UK... doable certainly, but if we have what we need to make a runner out of the trans its got, i think that would be easier and more original.
if we had a LHD car with the 4spd it would be much easier to get our hands on the appropriate swap parts, but still some leg work tracking down all the little bits and pieces.

[Air and water do mix]

I think it's the second Rolls build. Sorry.

This car looks fantastic, though. Other than fixing the transmission, what are the real plans? Autocross? Car shows? Rental for prom/weddings/etc (with driver, of course). The possibilities are endless.

[muffintop]

LSx swap.

[valfaw]

Drove one from LA to Carmel one day for a friend... what a fun day that was. It had sheepskin floormats, kicked the tevas off and drove barefoot.

You seem to have found a very nice example to enjoy while you have it.

[ValveCoverGasket]

I think it's the second Rolls build. Sorry.

damn! haha

any link/description of the other one?

curious which model it was and what kind of condition it was in when they started

like i said, im not really sure what the plan is after its back together and driving.
it looks like the wood refinishing should be straight forward, and that just about completes the interior. then we have some odds and ends to track down for under the hood, and some general cleanup and repainting.
after that... who knows...

if the market for early silver shadows explodes after its back on the road i think it may be for sale at this point though... who knows!

[PoorHouse]

Cool find, looks like it was stored well.

[ValveCoverGasket]

sort of...
its tough to the tell from the pictures here, but theres some paint wear on the high edges near the roof and tops of the doors, and it also looks like at some point someone tried to do some light sanding on those high edges...

but its definitely a good ten footer

[winstonsmith84]

Suddenly I want one of these....very badly.

[Chris Stack]

I've got a semi. Proceed.

[Col. Sandurz]

I've always wanted an old rolls like this for some reason.

Imagine its a mechanical/electrical nightmare to fix these back up though..

[ValveCoverGasket]

I've always wanted an old rolls like this for some reason.

Imagine its a mechanical/electrical nightmare to fix these back up though..

aside from the rediculous brake/suspension hydro system (maybe ill post a screen shot of the pressure line routing later tonight ) everything seems pretty straight forward. lots of large bolts, surdy aluminum components, etc
electrically the harnesses (on these early cars anyway) are sort of a joke, its like cloth wrapped copper with real **** connectors. ours has been partially redone though and so far everything appears to work.

were pretty handy with wiring though so repairs shouldnt be a problem, and electrically theyre really no more complicated than your average 90s car with power accessories (has power mirrors, and power front seats, electronic shifter, etc). seems its more a battle against ****ty british wiring/connectors than it being complex

[the brit]

we had considered doing that... and i think the possibility still exists if we run into too much trouble with the 4spd, but the issue would be all of the linkage parts, shift column, gear indicator, etc as we have a RHD car, we'd need all of the later RHD GM400 linkage parts, as well as the column, gear indicator, etc

so it would be a matter of tracking down those parts from the UK... doable certainly, but if we have what we need to make a runner out of the trans its got, i think that would be easier and more original.

If you get stuck and do want to bring a trans from the UK, I have a container loading late next month and can easily put another trans in it. I've already got a standing order for a low height P1 steering column for a Rolls here on the East Coast

[ValveCoverGasket]

If you get stuck and do want to bring a trans from the UK, I have a container loading late next month and can easily put another trans in it. I've already got a standing order for a low height P1 steering column for a Rolls here on the East Coast

it might be interesting to see what kind of prices you can get on the early shadow bumpers and mirrors... imagine theyre cheaper over there than here.

thanks for the heads up

[Chris_V]

Such a cool project! I've wanted to do one of these for a long time, since prices were depressed on them forever.

Good luck, and I can't wait to see the progress!

[Chris16vRocco]

Looks like a nice project. VadGTI's gonna be pissed that you stole his ideas.

[ValveCoverGasket]

weve owned this since before Vad posted about a rolls

[VadGTI]

Looks like a nice project. VadGTI's gonna be pissed that you stole his ideas.

I'm still working on my idea but am having second thoughts... Scared .

[ValveCoverGasket]

Vad we'll sell you this one after we've gone over it
shipping wont be much since we're both on the west coast haha

[SVTDanny]

This needs an LS7/4L80 swap, pronto.

[ValveCoverGasket]

This needs an LS7/4L80 swap, pronto.

engine swap would also mean redoing the brake system... which... well... would be crazy

[benjaminobscene]

Brilliant! /uk

[Merc-MarkO]

It would be a hoot to daily this.

[Air and water do mix]

damn! haha

any link/description of the other one?

It took me a minute and the search wouldn't let you know, but here 'tis...

RR Thread

Ah, hell. I just looked. That thread was from you!

Too funny, you get a six pack!

[ATL_Av8r]

Cool project! Watching

[ValveCoverGasket]

It would be a hoot to daily this.

30 gal tank + horrible fuel economy... i guess itd be like drivin a suburban


and yes... that was me looking for shop manuals. and if anyone is looking for manuals ive found the source for the factory stuff, and a great book on DIY silver shadow projects as well

[mujjuman]

Wow that's awesome. Do want!

[GTI 20v]

So what's the car like? Build quality, door thunk, seat comfort, etc.? I've never been close up to a Rolls of this vintage.

[Spinnaker]

Nice, this will be a cool build

[tgodbout]

There is probably a reason why you don't see project Rolls Royce cars anywhere, much less in TCL. By the time most are finished, their owners would be lucky to be able to stock the center console with a French's mustard packet.

I applaud your bravery and wish you good luck financially. Parts coming out of the UK will be expensive to buy and ship. I just had to replace two small rubber 5" heater hoses on my Caterham and they were $38 each without the shipping.

[geofftii2002]

That car has those awful big bumpers on it while a proper 1967 should have the much more attractive chrome bumpers. They should look for the proper chrome ones - so much better! Call Tony Handler or Oregon Crewe Cutters, or perhaps www.britishpartsco.com for a set. Also keep in mind that this being a RHD, it's ultimately worth about 20% less than a comparable LHD model in the 'States. One should never, EVER treat a Shadow or T-Type as an investment. They're virtually worthless.


With that outta the way, while the trans is out, call Alber's Bentley Zionsville in Zionsville, IN with the following list of parts:

Trans overhaul kit (billed out piece by piece, welcome to Rolls ownership!)

Rebuilt Accumulators

Accumulator check valve kits

Caliper seals

High pressure brake hoses, all around.

That's a good start.

They're going to sell you lots of little washers and seals that go with each of those jobs - don't skimp out and get everything they tell you you need. This is not an easy car to recommission, the braking and suspension systems are complex and expensive to rebuild. A car that sits is a car that dies. So good luck.

And do us all a favor, when you get her up and running (worth it if you are going to keep the car) don't put the F@cking Grey Poupon in the console. Or the stupid Chauffeur's cap. That's just seriously un-clever. And don't rent it out for weddings, that's trite. Just drive it, it's an experience like no other car in the world.