Reliant Rebel part 1

Anyone seen a Reliant Rebel lately? I bought this by accident one sunday afternoon whilst noodling through ebay... This Reliant Rebel Estate was built in 1972... Its wonderfully simple and incredibly british... THE BAD BITS - It has been stood for 8 years and I suspect the engine needs rebuilding, the radiator was in the back... there is no exhaust, just a piece of the manifold remains but other than that...
THE GOOD BITS - It looks like a relatively original car, lots of surface rust but no rot or holes... Most of the seals and rubbers are ok, the 66k on the clock doesnt seem unrealistic... The body has a few chips and strange spiders but nothing that cant be fixed...
After struggling to free the wheels when we collected the little Rebel, I decided, first job was make them spin freely as it is nothing more than a pushcar at the moment... Wheels off, axle stands on, wire brush out and hammerite on... and most important, something the car hasnt seen in a while... grease, copper grease to be precise.
I havent got a clue what I'm doing, never done anything like this before... I do have a few skilled friends who have offered to help but been too busy so far...
I feel lucky to be the keeper of this vehicle. It is a celebration of how British engineering used to be... it has already lasted longer than most cars ever could, with a little love and a few 50p's it will be on the road again, but maybe with disk brakes and a more suitable alternator for my stereo and of course a Waterboost Hydrogen System should keep the tiny engine from overheating ;)

Category:

Autos & Vehicles

Tags:

• reliant
• rebel
• estate
• restoration
• british
• engineering
• cherished
• hydrogen
• green
• car
• recycle

[benmccrea123]

at 8 seconds theres some dodgy yellowy car thats what im on about! oh and no i was on the snowy slopes of wigan :)

[waterboost]

That dodgy yellowy car is a reliant kitten. Designed and built in the uk... well before its time. We will all be wanting vehicles like that soon... lightweight, economical, easy and cheap to fix... designed to last more than 3 years, unlike a modern car ;)

Should I find one for you? Tinted windows, 19" wheels, leather seats, phat sub and a big mirror on the dashboard? oh yeh, and furry dice! (maybe even a potatoe gun?)

[benmccrea123]

shouldve got the yellow one too

[waterboost]

what yellow one? Have you been on the yellow brick road all weekend? ;)

[LeeMcLoughlin1975]

I had a Rebel estate, JAY 753L, very easy to work on!

[MrScothern1]

nice car when its done,

[saffronwales]

@mush1955 i don't think you'll find any one owning up to owning it lol :)

[DAREDEVILS32]

0:08 What was that rusty car?

[mush1955]

Learned how to drive, passed my driving test.......and lost my virginity in a Reliant Rebel ( Van " Trotter " yellow ) anyone seen it Reg MTX 44L ?

[willwallacetree]

Good work boys.......

[babyella07]

What's the name of the track on this vid? Sounds funky. Good luck with the project by the way.