So I finally found me a (not totally rusted out) SD1:



Sorry 'bout the crap pic.. but I was chuffed to bits to finally find one and wanted to wash all the mould off it as soon as possible. Apparently it had (LHD European) lights fitted pretty much as soon as it left the dealer in 1981.. no nasty round lights for me.

It's a 1980 NADA 3500, which had been sitting in a garden in Portland, OR since 1995. It's had the same owner since 1983, and has a (supposedly genuine) 80k on it.

Despite the ravages of the sun etc, the interior is pure 1970s genius:



After trailering it home (seized clutch, seized handbrake, flat battery, etc etc).. I was absolutely gobsmacked to find that it started just fine once I'd given it some fresh fuel and oil. OK, so it ran like crap for a couple of minutes.. but it settled down nicely. I've only ever had a 2600 SD1 before, so I'm not entirely sure what it's supposed to sound like..

I might actually take it out on the road if I can figure out why the clutch bites right *at* the floor level.

nice

Superb

I've seen a few NAS SD1s with 'euro' headlights recently, a couple were richelieu red like yours - one was in Ohio I think, can't remember where the other was.

NAS SD1s keep popping up (I'm over for a trip in a fortnight and expect to see into double figures!) - for only 800-1200 (depending on the story), plenty have survived, most are pretty bad though! The interior of yours looks pretty decent condition (a major plus).

Here is one 'euro' headlight NAS SD1 in Canada. Colour is probably a respray, that colour was not available on NAS SD1s - though it does resemble a later SD1 colour called pharaoh gold.

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And here is one of the best NAS SD1s I've seen, complete with interesting history:

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The colour sticker on mine says the paint is 'Brasilia'.. I thought it was Richelieu at first, but it's so faded it's hard to tell. The code is CAA. I plan on respraying it "proper red"... once I've fixed everything else.

So far, I've got:
-Dodgy clutch (leaking master)
-A/C only works if you jump the compressor (failed ranco switch?)
-Temp + oil gauge register zero
-Speedo.. doesn't
-Tacho only works about 2500rpm
-Fan speed control only works if you push it REALLY HARD to the left (presumably filthy contacts)
-Tailgate struts long since deceased (although bonnet struts are fine). Tailgate struts are amazingly easy to obtain ($6 each new if you look hard enough) once you realise how many appalling 1980's American-built cars use the same struts!
-Bizarre white powdercoat to the original alloys
-Incredibly stiff gearchange - even for an SD1
-and this is the biggie.. cracked windscreen. Chances of finding a decent windscreen in the US.. zero.

Given that it sat for twelve years, I don't think that's too bad a list!

The thing is.. the car actually does look close to carmine red to me now. I had a carmine red Stag many years ago.. and it looks close enough.

The VIN plate says 'CAA' as the colour code.. and the mention of 'brasilia' is on a label on the inside of the bonnet.. I s'pose it could've had a new bonnet at some point, but if it did they did an excellent job of removing all trace of the brown

As for the A/C.. well.. the old refrigerant (R12) is actually still available if a) you know where to look, and b) in the US at least, if you have an EPA auto A/C certification. I was just surprised that the compressor worked at all, having sat idle all that time.

From the pictures, I would guess it is sun-bleached richlieu red - but the some colours are very difficult to tell apart (monza red and targa red are very close to each other when pictured, but more obvious in real life). Carmine was not a NAS colour, at least publicised. However, there is some mention that a very small number of 1981 model year NAS cars were made and imported to north America - these could well have had later colours used in series 1.5 cars in the UK. The picture of the Canadian car in one of the earlier links appears that the colour is pharaoh gold, another non-NAS colour - this car also has a series 1.5 (1981) button-top automatic gearstick and stainless steel fronted door mirrors.

There is a listing of VIN and build dates on the web. Or p/m the VIN of the car and I'll let you know the month it was built (if it was later in 1980, then it could well be a 1981 MY NAS car). I can also have a look on the SD1 Club database to see if it is a known car - unlikely, there are no red cars in the database and only 18 NAS SD1s, built between October 1979 and August 1980.

The VIN plate in mine has a build date of August 1980. Are there actually any differences between the 80MY and 81MY cars besides the gearstick (mine's a 5-speed)? The NAS colour sheet for 1980 shows Richelieu Red, but that's it for reds. The 1981 sheet shows Bordeaux Red.. and again that's it (I was surprised there was a 1981 NAS sheet at all!)

I'm pretty sure my car's never been in any of the databases.. the previous owner had never been in any of the owner's clubs.. or on the Internet in general! I know it was bought in New York in late 1980, but aside from that I don't know much of its history pre 1983.

(side note - the 1980 sheet *does* list Midas Gold though!)

I know this is kind of dragging up an old thread.. but at least it's my thread.

I finally got around to replacing the gearbox remote housing bushings today.. and boy, what a difference. You can actually change gear without having to move the gearstick all the way into the passenger seat.

I've decided I'm going to keep this one.. I'm going to paint it properly over the winter - keeping it the original red. The only rust I've found on the car is the bottom of one door.. and it looks pretty superficial to my untrained eye.

I'm also contemplating changing the injection gear for that off a mid-80s Range Rover - they're amazingly easy to find, and I'm pretty sure the NADA-spec injection kit strangles the engine somewhat. I'm fortunate to live far enough out of "the city" that I don't have to pass a yearly emissions test too!

Any chance you can scan the 1981 NAS spec sheet?

Not sure what the Range Rover injection system would gain - the main improvements the Vitesse engine featured was higher compression and improved heads. Stripping the emission control gear off and using a UK ECU would gain a bit.

Hello:
We fellow SD1 owners are trying to get an SD1 regional meeting going for later this year. Could you send me your contact information?

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John Spaulding
Seattle

Are you the guy selling an SD1 on ebay in OR? I've been seeing it on there for awhile. I can't afford to take on a project right now but your car looks like a good one. Plus im all the way on the east coast.