Undoing 50 turbulent years - restoration of a 1961 Rochdale Olympic

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Undoing 50 turbulent years - restoration of a 1961 Rochdale Olympic

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Created on April 13, 2012

Text:

Bruno von Rotz, translated by DeepL

Photos:

Markus Tanner

45

Bruno von Rotz

15

Balz Schreier

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Archiv

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Restoration of the Rochdale Olympic (1961) - before transportation to the paint shop

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Rochdale Olympic (1961) - turned out much more elegant than most other English kit cars

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Restoration of the Rochdale Olympic (1961) - the unrestored Rochdale at the British Car Meeting of 2009

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Restoration of the Rochdale Olympic (1961) - The door hinges were refurbished

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Restoration of the Rochdale Olympic (1961) - original instruments were found and mounted in an instrument carrier

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Restoration of the Rochdale Olympic (1961) - a new exhaust system was made to measure

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Restoration of the Rochdale Olympic (1961) - the front suspensions only needed minimal revision

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Restoration of the Rochdale Olympic (1961) - Installation of the steering column

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Restoration of the Rochdale Olympic (1961) - Fitting the hood

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Restoration of the Rochdale Olympic (1961) - everything in the engine compartment was prepared for the installation of the overhauled four-cylinder engine

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Restoration of the Rochdale Olympic (1961) - a model was first made for the new tanks

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Restoration of the Rochdale Olympic (1961) - new aluminum petrol tanks were constructed and installed in the recesses provided

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Restoration of the Rochdale Olympic (1961) - the completed fuel tanks with coupling before installation

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Restoration of the Rochdale Olympic (1961) - the fuel tank is installed, the spare wheel restored

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Restoration of the Rochdale Olympic (1961) - the doors were refurbished and completed

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Restoration of the Rochdale Olympic (1961) - old sins in the polyester bodywork were removed, holes plugged

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Restoration of the Rochdale Olympic (1961) - new suspension points for the radiator were fitted

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Restoration of the Rochdale Olympic (1961) - refurbishment of the interior

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Restoration of the Rochdale Olympic (1961) - newly created seat consoles

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Restoration of the Rochdale Olympic (1961) - the plastic bodywork had to be prepared before painting

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Restoration of the Rochdale Olympic (1961) - defects were corrected, missing details were restored

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Restoration of the Rochdale Olympic (1961) - a lot of sanding and preparation work was necessary before painting

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Restoration of the Rochdale Olympic (1961) - the center console was built on a wireframe model

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Restoration of the Rochdale Olympic (1961) - a new center console was to be formed

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Restoration of the Rochdale Olympic (1961) - Construction of the center console

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Restoration of the Rochdale Olympic (1961) - center console shortly before completion

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Restoration of the Rochdale Olympic (1961) - finally ready for painting

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Restoration of the Rochdale Olympic (1961) - revision of the original engine

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Restoration of the Rochdale Olympic (1961) - Revision of the original engine - Crankshaft

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Restoration of the Rochdale Olympic (1961) - revision of the original engine - new forged pistons and connecting rods

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Restoration of the Rochdale Olympic (1961) - Revision of the original engine - Cylinder head

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Restoration of the Rochdale Olympic (1961) - the overhauled original engine with Judson compressor fitted

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Restoration of the Rochdale Olympic (1961) - back from the paintwork

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Restoration of the Rochdale Olympic (1961) - perfectly painted

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Restoration of the Rochdale Olympic (1961) - Installation of the writing brakes

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Restoration of the Rochdale Olympic (1961) - completion of the rear axle

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Restoration of the Rochdale Olympic (1961) - Adaptation of the windshield wipers

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Restoration of the Rochdale Olympic (1961) - heater and mounting for the control knobs

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Restoration of the Rochdale Olympic (1961) - the frames of the rear side windows were redesigned to match the front ones

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Restoration of the Rochdale Olympic (1961) - the front subframe, ready for engine installation

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Restoration of the Rochdale Olympic (1961) - Installation of the engine

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Restoration of the Rochdale Olympic (1961) - built-in engine

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Restoration of the Rochdale Olympic (1961) - covered center console

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Restoration of the Rochdale Olympic (1961) - Interior door panels

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Restoration of the Rochdale Olympic (1961) - Instrument panel cladding

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Restoration of the Rochdale Olympic (1961) - newly installed headliner

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Restoration of the Rochdale Olympic (1961) - cover under the rear window in elegant step pattern

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Rochdale Olympic (1962) - cramped conditions inside

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Rochdale Olympic (1962) - the seats are period correct

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Rochdale Olympic (1961) - large steering wheel, gearshift within easy reach

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Rochdale Olympic (1962) - the instruments are by Riley

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Rochdale Olympic (1961) - contemporary switches

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Rochdale Olympic (1961) - the models for this interior were primarily manufactured in Italy

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Rochdale Olympic (1962) - View into the engine compartment

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Rochdale Olympic (1962) - The Judson compressor is driven by a belt

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Rochdale Olympic (1961) - Door handles from Rover

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Rochdale Olympic (1961) - beautifully shaped fuel filler cap

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Rochdale Olympic (1961) - no detail too much

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Rochdale Olympic (1961) - lamps from Hella, identical to those used by Porsche

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Rochdale Olympic (1961) - the reversing light is centrally positioned

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Rochdale Olympic (1961) - only after restoration does this car impress with its high-quality finish

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Rochdale Olympic (1961) - the rear window is said to be identical to that of Aston Martin

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Rochdale Olympic (1962) - Bumpers cost extra

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Rochdale Olympic Phase 2 - at the plastic car meeting Fantastic Plastic 2017

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Summary

The restoration of a 1961 Rochdale Olympic took around one and a half years. Although the base had looked quite presentable, it turned out that a full restoration was necessary, in which not only the technology was completely renovated, but also the outer skin and the interior were renewed. This report describes the restoration process and also shows some of the work steps in pictures.

This article contains the following chapters

Kit cars as an alternative to unaffordable supercars
Appearances can be deceptive
Dismantling
Rebuilding the original engine
Reconstruction of the technical basis
Reworking the outer skin
The interior in the style of Italian exotics
The final assembly
Around 1000 hours of work
The result is convincing

Estimated reading time: 6min

Preview (beginning of the article)

Anyone who read famous car magazines such as The Motor, Automobil Revue or Motor Revue in the early 1960s would often get stuck on the reports about the "supercars" of the time. Ferrari 250 GT, Aston Martin DB 4, Maserati 3500 GT or Bristol 406 Zagato were the sporty high-flyers of the time - desirable but unaffordable. For most people, there was just enough money for a second-hand Riley or a Mini in mint condition. Exotic super sports cars were out of the question. However, anyone with a talent for craftsmanship and willing to compromise on materials could opt for one of the numerous do-it-yourself sports cars on offer, mainly from English manufacturers such as Marcos, Lotus, Ginetta, TVR or Rochdale.

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