Riley Pathfinder
Riley’s next steps stall as our resto show is postponed
Strange times that we live in – the strangest I can remember. But, as I write this workshop saga from my desk at home, I realise there’s never been a better excuse to be in the shed. Seriously, we are very lucky to have a hobby that allows us, or rather enforces us, to self-isolate from time to time. It was designed for this crisis, staying safe was never more enjoyable.
Saying that, when the pandemic caused the
Practical Classics Classic Car and Restoration Show with Discovery to be postponed, at very short notice, it threw a few spanners in the works. Alongside master engine builders, Formhalls, I was going to be working on the Riley Pathfinder all weekend with the aim of making serious progress, perhaps even finishing off the gearbox and inserting engine and box together. Unfortunately it was not to be.
Instead, I spent some time with Theo Gillam on the south coast (before restrictions were imposed) and helped him complete the chassis repairs – of which there have been many. Pathfinder ‘Katy’ lived an exposed life for many years and when I welcomed her to the PC workshop as a gift from Alec Gatherer she was full of water. All the panels needed replacing and the bottom six inches of the body superstructure was pretty much not there.
I found a full set of replacement panels at Classic Car Connection in Switzerland and couriered them back with my Rover P4. As for the body, six months welding sorted it. Now we come on to the chassis. It needed surgery. Plenty of it. As the major structural element of the car, and with thick gauge steel required, I handed the work to Theo Gillam, a master craftsman.
Heavy metal maestro
He has spent months, with the Pathfinder rolled onto its side, sorting the various issues including chopping out sections and welding in new metal. It’s at the point now where the only areas that need work are the front of the chassis centre