After installing the patched gas tank up into the Rover’s frame, and giving the truck a much needed bath of 1/2 water & 1/2 degreaser, I took The Rover out for it’s initial test drive. First off, I noticed I didn’t have a working speedometer, but the truck was running extremely well, and I headed for a frontage road where I could test the adjusted and thoroughly cleaned Fairey Overdrive. All worked well, and I returned to the shop to check out the speedo cable.

Mac arrived to see the hood open, and said, “I don’t like the look of that.” We quickly found that the cable had been pulled out of the speedo’s socket, so that repair went just fine, although those tiny little screws holding the cable to the transfer case were a bit of a challenge to work with, especially behind the emergency brake housing.

Of course, pulling the cable from the dash caused further issues. The definition of Pandora’s Box can be found behind my dash plate. One lead had been disconnected, that was followed by a faulty connection and a blown fuse, but eventually the wiring issues were solved and the Rover made the trip north from the shop for the night.

I didn’t push the motor in the 88 degree Texas heat, but she purred along at 55 mph just fine.

All in all, another very successful day of Rover repair.