Hi from the uk

[Tabarker]

Hi this is my avenger I live in Cornwall which is bad cuz of the sea air but nice beaches he is a 1971 1500 GL auto 100% original well except for the alloys

[kierbear]

very cool. have always liked the avenger badge on the front guard. Auto, cool!

[Paddy75]

Very Good! How did the paint last so long on that GL?! I see has the pinstripe on the wing top and with the side badge (I think) means its a 1970 build. Metal fan blades and the dog-tag will show '(pentastar) Rootes' BTW whats the interior like?
If your CDS carbie is worn I have one.

[Tabarker]

I think he's been garaged for most of its life  does need stripping down and respraying in a couple of years iv picked up a set of twin stromeys of eBay will need help setting them up

[Paddy75]

Well sure as I heard a man say recently about the Avenger engine, ''..all you had to do was put a camshaft and a set of TC's on them and they went like a hammer..''

Far as I know the 1500 had a pretty mild camshaft but yours being the first out of the factory it may have a wilder cam. If your oil pressure looks good, say about 70-80psi at 3000rpm+ (you have an oil clock on the GL) and the compression checks out then the good old near indestructible bottom end is okay.
Apart from a few bucks spent on a camshaft & TC's if you come across a big valve head that about makes a screamer. Want to go on the motorways a lot? Find an axle out of a MK2 1600 will chop the revs and with a 4-speed BW45 auto you'd still have the flexibility, there are loads of the later 4 speed boxes about. If you are on the back roads more so then 3 speed with the 3.9 diff is fine.

As for setting up the strombergs its easy enough my problem was a mismatched needle and jet on an odd-ball SU setup.

At the end of a few dry days this summer, you know, hunt the rust and waxoil a-plenty.

[Tabarker]

To be honest most of that went over my head still learning I'm 35 but this is my first classic did the usual stuff on my normal cars so I'm a bit clue less I just strap my surf boards to the roof ( when I get a classic roof rack) and drive 3 miles to the beach and back so not a lot of miles just want it to sound good and go well of the mark normal would not have been able to afford to buy this car but my farther in law gave it to me so I'm willing to spend some money on it but still limited. One of the problems I think I will have with fitting the tc's is that it's an auto and has a drop down cable attached to the carb until I get the tc's I won't know if it's possible also it's controlled by an arm coming out of the bay next to the carb will have think out of the box to get it working  

[Paddy75]

The single carb MK1 has a rod-linked throttle which will need to be replaced with a cable mechanism, there are guys on this site have done this before, as for the auto kick-down cable there should be some sort of bracket that holds the cable in place alongside the spool thing that takes the throttle cable on the twin carburettor setup.

Another possibility is a single large carburettor in place of TC's. Later on the MK1 TC's were replaced with a large single (Series 6) which works pretty well due to the good breathing characteristics of the 09/'73 on 1300/1600 Avenger. In this case you'd need a later twin downpipe set of manifolds and exhaust front and middle section. The 1500 GT or GLS has the twin downpipe exhaust, whether its the same manifold as the 1300/1600 I don't know.

Just depends on what you can find or whatever Speedy Spares or SOPS have within reason.

If your Avenger has been in storage a long time then changing the diff and gearbox oil would be a very wise precaution. As would taking the door cards off and oiling the lock and latch mechanisms and the hinges, and the steering UJ, probably the prop-shaft UJ's are going to wear rapidly from going dry.
Then there are the front wheel bearings to consider, will need re-greasing probably.

Old cars, whats that noise! On the bright side though if an Avenger is new to you a long honeymoon is in front of you as you start to really notice how well the Avenger handles. As for salt air, WAXOIL PLENTY EVERYWHERE. Where you see rust sandpaper it off then paint with red oxide or even better, (if you can find it) the old red lead paint which is a nasty poison but works really well. Wait for a good hot dry week this summer and after steam cleaning the underside, in fact pull the radiator out and blast as best you can around the inkwell, after steam cleaned give the body a couple of hot days and scrape and sand all rust you see, paint and waxoil.
If you have a heat gun use it liberally to rid every bit of moisture as you spray the oil. Heat the sills and rear arches so you don't trap moisture.

Take the wings off and heat out all the seams around the inner guards, watch that crappy blue foam spongy stuff they used to seal the seams with as it only traps moisture and was the likely reason why Avengers got a rusty rep'.

The seams around the floor pan are notorious esp. around the jack boxes, lift the carpet and remove all loose sealing rubber, clean, heat, scrape any rot out and after painting seal with caulk or sick-a-flex so damp just can't get back in.

Do the lot of the body during a hot week, pull the fuel tank out, the whole lot, and just because you see no rot does not mean just spray waxoil, heat the panel or join first.
Rust generally eats from outside to the inside but there is no harm in spraying waxoil up the inside of the legs and door pillars, around the inside of the rear arches and so-on. Keep the metal warm as you do it and if your sprayer has a good metal chamber/tank/bulb what-ya-callit then heat this also.
Oh and if the car was waxoiled 30 years ago this does not mean all is fine and well. Needs to be re-oiled every few years.
Sometimes people talk about waste oil to rustproof but that's really only for sheds and some say its counter-productive on cars as the waste oil soaks into the paint and eventually strips the paint leading to rapid rust.

However its likely your Avenger has no serious rot issues, some say the quality of steel was better in the early 1970's than later on but salt and mud will wreck the best steel eventually. Waxoil the body this summer and in five years you'll be glad you did.

Get an Autobooks OWM, ?2-3 on Ebay, the one with the picture of a MK1 GL:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Autobooks-Avenger-Manual-/321397920318?pt=UK_CarParts_Vehicles_Manuals_Litterature_ET&hash=item4ad4cf123e

These are a lot better than the Haynes and if you go for a Haynes also then get the really thick one that is 'HILLMAN/chrysler' Avenger:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Hillman-Avenger-Workshop-Manual-Haynes-/121334555533?pt=UK_CarParts_Vehicles_Manuals_Litterature_ET&hash=item1c401a638d

I have been given more Avenger manuals and handbooks to the point where I could open a library and if you buy just one go for the Autobooks OWM 820.

Anyhow, happy motoring the Avenger was truly the best of the lot of the cheaper made in England cars of the time, looks nice too.

[streetracer75]

Hi Mate. Very nice looking car you have there. I am looking for one to buy myself but its not proving easy finding one. Good luck with it.

[oldschool]

As the numbers of road worthy UK Avengers continues to decline, we'll probably see good NZ Avengers (like mine) shipped to the UK to sell as can get double the price of here and it only costs 1300 pounds to Southamptom. Have already seen classic NZ Fiat 500's on eBay so it must be worthwhile!

[Tabarker]

Hi if I here of one going I will let you know there was a nice estate on eBay in the same colour as mine was tempted to get it and have a fleet lol!
I like how you guys in nz love avengers you have the best of both British classics and American the avenger is the British charger that we can drive down to the shops without costing more Than the shop in Fule