Holy shit I found you in the comments of Aging Wheels and you weren't kidding! Props to you my guy, thank you for contributing to one of the greatest british mechanical icons in motoring history!
Adding a 4th wheel would’ve taken away the uniqueness plus I actually like the shape of the reliant robin. It’s like a rocket sort of shape. You don’t need 4 wheels if you drive it normally.
I once helped my dad prep a new master for a guy that made tvr kit car/ replica's, there were many parts of the original master that had sagged and distorted from repeated use storage and weathering mainly around the windscreen upper line and quarter panels We spent a couple of weeks prepping the body shell before the guy was happy with it, he used to produce porsche speedster bodies for a chap I worked with for a little while too.
If Reliant was so hung up on 3-wheelers one wonders why they didn't go for a tadpole design for greater stability. After all Morgan had been doing just that since the 30s and we're having a bit of a resurgence these days.
So that's why was the body on my pals mk3 was lop sided? the master was out in the weather for 10 years before being modified ;) tried fitting the same alloys I have on my 98 mk2 to his 99 mk3, one wheel just about cleared the other stuck out of the arch by about 1" The same wheels on my mk2 clear fine both sides. To be honest I think they would have had better results if they had spent the time fixing the under lying mechanics of the car rather than a new body, to many nagging issues that prevent these from being a truly reliable car, the engines to be fair are fairly good mine has 110k on it. mainly the gearbox is weak with no way to prevent the gear lever from over travelling causing the detent balls and plates to fall out demolishing the gearbox, if that doesn't get you all the drive torque was transferred through a single wood ruff key which when combined with enthusiastic driving or diff backlash is the cause of many failed gearboxes. The drum brakes are woefully outdated fast wearing and not self adjusting, axles wear quickly mainly because there is no drain hole for servicing, also the machining was rough in the diff carrier so that once the parts had bedded in they ideally should have been re shimmed instead they all now have excessive back lash on the planet gears.. When production restarted most of these parts and the equipment used to make them all needed overhauling and retooling for anyway so why not fix instead of investing money to remake the same faulty designs.
Holy shit I found you in the comments of Aging Wheels and you weren't kidding! Props to you my guy, thank you for contributing to one of the greatest british mechanical icons in motoring history!
I have a book published now on the subject. I recently won an award, and is called "Tipping Point-Designing a Great British Underdog"
Adding a 4th wheel would’ve taken away the uniqueness plus I actually like the shape of the reliant robin. It’s like a rocket sort of shape. You don’t need 4 wheels if you drive it normally.
Maybe now it could be viable with an EV.Would love to see Reliant return🤞
very interesting,ive always loved the car,somehow it gets in to your soul,i loved going to the factory seeing them being built.great times.
good job on the framing whoever handled the camera
Andy is a member on a Reliant forum now. He owned a mk3 robin. And still makes changes to it.
I have a book published now on the subject. I recently won an award, and is called "Tipping Point-Designing a Great British Underdog"
I own one of these mk3 can't be many left
There would be a great market now for the electronic market
I once helped my dad prep a new master for a guy that made tvr kit car/ replica's, there were many parts of the original master that had sagged and distorted from repeated use storage and weathering mainly around the windscreen upper line and quarter panels
We spent a couple of weeks prepping the body shell before the guy was happy with it, he used to produce porsche speedster bodies for a chap I worked with for a little while too.
If Reliant was so hung up on 3-wheelers one wonders why they didn't go for a tadpole design for greater stability. After all Morgan had been doing just that since the 30s and we're having a bit of a resurgence these days.
@gilburton If you are not cornering like you are in an auto test / time trial reliants are just like a normal car.
(just damper and noisier)
It was stable anyway! Just drive it normally and you’ll be fine.
You're comparing a 4 passenger hatchback to a bloody track car
@@prawny12009 I have a book published now on the subject. I recently won an award, and is called "Tipping Point-Designing a Great British Underdog"
@@prawny12009 Very well said.
Interesting who is watching @aging wheels
I am.
when can you buy these new robins?
They went on sale in 1999-2001. about 300 survive.
@@3wheeler1000 phew...thought I`d missed the boat then , I`ll be clling my local robin motors dealer tomorrow to secure one of these beauties :-)
@@marshalllucky I would. There are many Reliant dealers. And I'm sure they'll happily take your hard-earned :)
So that's why was the body on my pals mk3 was lop sided? the master was out in the weather for 10 years before being modified ;)
tried fitting the same alloys I have on my 98 mk2 to his 99 mk3, one wheel just about cleared the other stuck out of the arch by about 1" The same wheels on my mk2 clear fine both sides.
To be honest I think they would have had better results if they had spent the time fixing the under lying mechanics of the car rather than a new body, to many nagging issues that prevent these from being a truly reliable car, the engines to be fair are fairly good mine has 110k on it.
mainly the gearbox is weak with no way to prevent the gear lever from over travelling causing the detent balls and plates to fall out demolishing the gearbox, if that doesn't get you all the drive torque was transferred through a single wood ruff key which when combined with enthusiastic driving or diff backlash is the cause of many failed gearboxes.
The drum brakes are woefully outdated fast wearing and not self adjusting, axles wear quickly mainly because there is no drain hole for servicing, also the machining was rough in the diff carrier so that once the parts had bedded in they ideally should have been re shimmed instead they all now have excessive back lash on the planet gears..
When production restarted most of these parts and the equipment used to make them all needed overhauling and retooling for anyway so why not fix instead of investing money to remake the same faulty designs.