Ownership

Despite these cars now being over forty years old, they still make practical and entertaining everyday classics, with light controls and a pokey engine they are able to keep up with modern traffic, resulting in an interesting change to the modern boxes. 
 

Buying:-

Buying a One-Point-Five is very much the same as buying any other 40-year-old classic, however there are one or two areas that may catch out the unwary.

• Corrosion – This is the key area when buying a Riley. Many of them suffer from major rust, which can be very expensive and difficult to repair. The key areas to watch out for are inner/outer sill, front cross members, inner front wings, bottoms of doors, front and rear wing bottoms and around the front panel. Always assume that the bits you can’t see are worse than those you can! Best to find one that has already been restored. 

• Mechanical – In general most of the oily bits are hard wearing and long lasting. Items to watch for are: - worn front suspension (some parts hard to get hold of), synchro gone on 2^nd and 3^rd gears along with whining form the ‘box, excessive noise and smoke form the engine and weak rear half-shafts. However most components are easy to get hold of and relatively inexpensive. 

• Interior – check for worn leather seats (drivers seat especially) and cracked/faded wood, both can be expensive to repair or replace. Some trim parts can be difficult to find yet others come straight out of the BMC parts bin.
• Exterior – Chrome work and trim fittings can be difficult to replace and expensive to buy. Check that grill and surround are in good condition.

• General – Check that chassis and engine numbers are correct (see under Specifications page) – many cars have had later MGA/MGB engines fitted. Assess how well the car is cared for and if it garaged or just abused – but the main thing is check the rust! 

Modifications:-

The Riley and Wolseley lend themselves quite well to many easy modifications that can make them more suitable for spirited driving: -

·        Engine. The easiest area in which to improve the performance of the car is to replace the engine with either an MGA or even MGB engine. These engines are then easy to tune and there are many specialists who cater for this market.

·        Drivetrain. Fitting an overdrive is possible and there are several companies who do a 5-speed conversion. Uprating the half-shafts is good idea as they are a weak component – we have toughened ones fitted – and have not broken one yet!

·        Suspension. At the front it is possible to fit a coil over shock set up, but for most people fitting an anti-roll bar will be adequate. On Mk Is and IIs it is also possible to lower the ride height to sharpen up the response. At the rear the fitting of uprated springs and dampers is feasible.

·        Brakes. Front disk conversions are available, but for most drivers the addition of a servo for the drums will be adequate.

Specialists/Spares:-

Below is a list of specialists/suppliers who (in my experience) have offered a good service.

• Wolseley 1500 Spares – Run by Andy Bradley. Very helpful and knowledgeable – can supply almost any parts you need - 0208 393 2194.
• Earlpart Ltd. – Catering for mainly BMC classics – good service – 01773 719504 -
• Riley Motor Club – available for members only (so join now!) The Riley Motor Club
• Moss Europe – large suppliers of MG parts (engine/gearbox) 0208 867 2020.