My fairway taxi,Repairing and running a retired london black cab.

Taxi! Stop one and buy it.

I bought an old Carbodies London taxi to use as everyday transport and to restore.A LTI fairway driver with disk brakes.So far I've been introduced to Nissan 2.7 diesel engines,door locks that go on as you drive off,a body design thats nearly as old as I am and other eccentricities.This is the story of its restoration,what its like to drive one of these and links to spares suppliers clubs and other taxi pages etc etc.An old London taxi cab makes an efficient and economical people carrier ,estate car and van all rolled into one.Black cabs do close on 40mpg,clock up massive mileages and are great for town traffic with their legendary turning circle.They are incredibly strong,easy to repair and cheap to insure.They have good wheel chair access and seat five people in the back.

You could drive one of those plastic Euro box eco friendly box things that sound like a hairdrier and have all the character of an ice cube or you could drive what is probably the most recognised vehicle in the world and yet is fast becoming a rarity.The only vehicle designed from the word go to be in almost constant use in heavy traffic and with running gear that clocks up incredible mileages.A true British icon,the London black cab.

Repairing doors and sills...The windscreen...Driving a black cab....Repairs and servicing...Spares for Taxis

Rust in the doors and sills.

With a seperate chassis body rot on these old taxis isn't so critical as modern carsMaybe just as well as they do seem to corrode quite readily..

This Fairway taxi is blue not black.Colours,of these cabs which were made (and the newer versions still are) by Carbodies (now LTI), were limited and getting a colour match should have been easy enough.The makers reckoned the colour was BMC Midnight Blue,ARG 899 but that was too dark and green A Vauxhall (Kings blue) colour seemed a closer match and so the rebuild started.......

The doors had rust bubbles all along the bottoms.This seems to be a common problem,the sealing arrangement around the windows on what is a very old design is rather poor and lets water in to rust out the door bottoms. A bit of squeezing with the fingers and parts of the door bottoms started to crumble away to nothing. Force of habit and liberal doses of a horrible sticky mastic seemed to be have been keeping the bottom of the door skins in place for some time.
The doors are easy enough to take off,two bolts four nuts and a handfull of screws. Turning them upside down revealed more horrors.This was the drivers side,some sort of sealer had been plastered along the bottom over the rust sealing it in and making the situation worse.
The passengers side had fared (taxi -fared get it?) no better,both the bottom of the door .and skin had rotted through.The passenger windows on taxi front passenger doors are electric,the rest slide up and down on coiled springs inside the doors.
This is part of the way through repairing the drivers door with a piece of new steel tacked in position with the mig welder.. The steel had a flange on the outside edge about 3/4 inch deep.This was tucked under the outside skin which was carefully peeled back then folded back over the new steel.. When I'd finished welding the doors I made some new seals up with weatherstrip purchased from Woolies.(Section number 255 in their catalogue fitted if approx 1/8 inch taken off bottom).
Taking off the stainless steel covers revealed these horrors underneath.The sills which bolt on were as rotten as a pear throughout the whole length of the car.In the event of a side impact this must weaken the taxi considerably although with a seaperate chassis,body condition is not as important..Bolt on panels might ease repairs in some ways but when the captive nuts break lose of bolt heads twist off it's sometimes as easy to drill through or grind off welds.Quoted over £100 plus VAT per side for what is after all only a bit of bent tin I'm making my own.

The windscreen surround.

	A very common fault on these cabs is the bottom of the windscreen surround rusting and letting water in straight into the footwells.Even when new leaks round the windscreen would let water in and on to the fuse box on the drivers side.Water also gets in past the seals where the wiper shafts go through the body. This one wasnt too bad but water was still getting in,the windscreen rubber had perished and wasn't sealing well.Cleaning with a rotary wire brush revealed a few pin holes but the important section welded inside which holds the surround flat was pretty much intact.
	Some lengths of steel were shaped and welded in where the surround had rotted out.The surround is formed from the outer section which houses the air vent and a inner which gives rigidity and strength.This was rusted near one wiper drive box and a new piece was let in behind the dashboard and the two pieces plug welded along the top.
	I bought a new screen rubber and took the dash out to fit the screen back in.Despite that it cracked and I decided to call out a local company to fit a new one.Flat laminated glass cracks easily and this really is one job that should be left to professionals.It might have been easier to fit the older pattern rubber with its chrome plastic insert.
	The team from Windscreen Direct in Lowestoft who fitted the screen making my efforts look rather sad.I used them on the old motorhome and as before they did a super job,quickly and at a very good price. Thanks Lads! I found the rear screen let water in with the result that the boot filled with water.I tried a non setting black sealer pumped between the rubber and the body and this seems to have worked.It seems the rubbers when old can no longer make a waterproof seal with the vinyl roof.

Front suspension.

The front suspension on these is a conventional double wishbone arrangement.The suspension was designed specifically for these taxis.This is a 1993 Carbodies taxi cab so it has disc front brakes,earlier versions had drums and most taxi drivers agree the disc set up is much better.. The top wishbone bushes were shot,these are the same as the bushes used on some early jaguars and replacements are easily sourced.The brake pads were worn almost down to the metal.The pads on the nearside have a wire for a low pad warning light.
Fairway front suspension showing wishbones

Another view of the off side front suspension showing the two flexible brake pipes and the power steering box.Just visible behind the pipes is the top wishbone pivot bolt partially drawn out during replacement of the top swivels.It can't be seen here but the steering incorporates a streering damper,basically a telescopic shock absorber mounted horizontally,one end attached to the steering arm and the other to the chassis. I was suprised that replacing badly worn joints and swivels seemed to make little difference to the ride or handling.I suspect the fairway is one of those vehicles that drives reasonably well even with worn out components,all the more reason to check carefully.
Top wishbone and ball joint.

I fitted a Webasto engine pre heater under the bonnet on the inner wing panel between the fuel filter and servo.The fairway has a seperate rear heater and I plumbed it into this.Even below freezing,ten minutes or so plugged into the mains and the heater in the back is warm and the diesel starts first turn of the key.

The engine in a fairway is a low revving 2.7 litre Nissan diesel.The engines are renowned for achieving high mileages 300,000 miles isn't regarded as excessive.The vast majority are automatic but there are some manual versions.The brake servo is driven by a pump on the rear of the alternator and on the opposite side of the engine is a pump for the power steering.

One problem I did have was the rubber pipes connecting the steel pipes from the automatic gearbox to the cooler splitting.The unions in the bottom of the radiator proved impossible to remove so I ended up cutting the metal pipes and fitting teflon lined braided hydraulic high pressure hose with compression fittings to the 6mm pipe stubs.

Driving a taxi
Driving one of these as private transport is fun.The design of the London black cab is donkeys years old,its a bit agricultural but once you're rolling its reasonably light to drive with the power steering.automatic box and servo brakes.The 'overdrive' drops the revs down and they are reasonably quiet The passengers have loads of room and are fascinated by the flashing lights and clicking of the door locks. The boot is small but I've carried wooden pallets in the back and it's said you can get an upright piano inside.The doors open wide and like most taxis this one arrived with ramps for loading a wheel chair.For someone who has a disabled passenger these taxis are ideal and they can carry a wheel chair and three other occupants in the back.

For Insurance I ended up with Tesco (well every little helps).Trying most companies and the 'compare a quote' type web sites is a waste of time as the computerised lists don't list carbodies,LTI or Austin taxi.One firm I rung after being told it was a London Taxi 100% the same as it was when it left the factory (essential for most vehicles) then said they might insure it if the roof light was removed along with the partition and a seat added to the front.Later I was also able to get a quote from the broker Adrian Flux who I can happily recommend.

People often smile at what must be one of the most recognised cars in the world and contrary to the warnings I was given,I've never had anyone try and climb aboard.After years of messing about with old cars I can normally source spares cheaply,and these are rather like a glorified kit car or meccano set,everything from the wings to sills are bolted on and they are suprisingly easy to work on for routne servicing.London taxis are full of odd design features like wooden floors in the rear that are removable to check the condition of the chassis.

The Cab
To the right of the steering wheel are three lights.Red is a warning light for the fuel filter water trap,if it glows water can be let out of the filter (it collects at the base) by unscrewing a drain plug.you use a higher range of gears,an advantage on motorways.An odd point is that the cabs should not be driven for any distance with the charging warning light on,this is because the fan belt drives a pump on the back of the alternator which operates various servos in the automatic gearbox.

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On top of the dash is an old taximeter I fitted,underneath are various light switches and the controls for a pretty dismal heater.Under that is a radio.The speedo binnacle is I believe the same as a Sherpa or Maestro and the mileometer itself keeps jamming (a common fault apparently) Everything is screwed together and absurdly easy to take apart.As with most small manufacturers Carbodies or LTI as they are now known,raid the parts bins of other makers for all sorts of stuff on their vehicles.The door catches are Ford for instance.

The interior consists of mainly plastic mouldings secured with self tapping screws.A few hours spent checking these are tight and placing stick on foam (draught excluder strip) behing loose or rattling panels makes the interior a quieter place to be.The wings are held in place with larger self tapping screws, and repairing loose or broken wing fixings stops the wings shuddering when going over potholes.

The cab of a london taxi

Taxi tantrums.

As cold weather sets in starting any old diesel gets harder.The fairways have an odd glow plug system.When the ignition is first turned on the orange light glows and full power is supplied to the glow plugs.After a few seconds the light goes out and after a few more seconds reduced current is supplied to them via a resistor and a second relay.The relays for this are under the bonnet on the bulkhead,to the passengers side of the heater unit.The injection timing point is also advanced whilst cold..

The heater plugs are wired so that the failure of one means the others carry on working,so each is fed by 12 volts.Taking them out (12mm deep socket) and using jump leads to put 12 volts through them they should glow white hot after just a couple of seconds,if they don't they need replacing.The injectors need a 22mm deep socket,attached to each is a metal spill pipe to return excess fuel,this can crack if the injectors start to turn when undoing the pipes fixing nuts (19mm) leaving a diesel leak.

The valve clearances are 14 thou hot.Inlet and exhaust are the same.Get the engine hot and take out the heater plugs,turn the engine with a 19mm spanner on the power steering pulley.With Number one at TDC on firing stroke set valves 1,2,3 and 6.With number 4 at TDC on the firing stroke.set valves number 4,5,7 and 8.Turning the engine till the inlet has opened will determine the firing stroke,placing a finger over the heater plug hole will confirm the piston rising on compression.

The headlamp dim dip system stopped working,which meant the dipped beam was very dim with the ignition on.Behind the glove box are two relays,one blue for the heated rear window delay and a pink one for the dim dip lights.By taking the relay apart and holding the contacts open the lights worked (by passing the dim dip) so I fixed the contacts open temporarily,which probably means it will stay like that.

The heater on a faiway is the same as fitted to an MGB (and they weren't a lot of good in them either). The heater motor is a generic Lucas one.The wiper motors aare often worn out because of the high mileages these things clock up but the motor is a standard three brush Lucas.The brushes can be bought cheaply and changing them doesn't require any soldering.

The Nissan 2.7 engine was fitted to other vehicles in the Nissan range (the Terranno for example) and the newer TX1 taxis.Asking for engine parts for a fairway at a motor factors doen't usually get as helpfull response as asking for Terranno parts.

Spare parts,forums and blog pages etc all connected with taxis.
After a lifetime of messing about with old cars and trucks I've many contacts in the spare parts and remanufacture trade.I can supply some spares for the older fairway taxis (2.7 D).
Please click here For ball joints,swivels,track rod ends etc.

The taxi drivers forum is a mine of information from taxi drivers and owners.

A London taxi as a daily driver blog,another taxi having a second lease of life as a run around.

Click on the computers to e-mail me.

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The front suspension on these is a conventional double wishbone arrangement.The suspension was designed specifically for these taxis.This is a 1993 Carbodies taxi cab so it has disc front brakes,earlier versions had drums and most taxi drivers agree the disc set up is much better.. The top wishbone bushes were shot,these are the same as the bushes used on some early jaguars and replacements are easily sourced.The brake pads were worn almost down to the metal.The pads on the nearside have a wire for a low pad warning light.
Another view of the off side front suspension showing the two flexible brake pipes and the power steering box.Just visible behind the pipes is the top wishbone pivot bolt partially drawn out during replacement of the top swivels.It can't be seen here but the steering incorporates a streering damper,basically a telescopic shock absorber mounted horizontally,one end attached to the steering arm and the other to the chassis. I was suprised that replacing badly worn joints and swivels seemed to make little difference to the ride or handling.I suspect the fairway is one of those vehicles that drives reasonably well even with worn out components,all the more reason to check carefully.
	I fitted a Webasto engine pre heater under the bonnet on the inner wing panel between the fuel filter and servo.The fairway has a seperate rear heater and I plumbed it into this.Even below freezing,ten minutes or so plugged into the mains and the heater in the back is warm and the diesel starts first turn of the key.
	The engine in a fairway is a low revving 2.7 litre Nissan diesel.The engines are renowned for achieving high mileages 300,000 miles isn't regarded as excessive.The vast majority are automatic but there are some manual versions.The brake servo is driven by a pump on the rear of the alternator and on the opposite side of the engine is a pump for the power steering. One problem I did have was the rubber pipes connecting the steel pipes from the automatic gearbox to the cooler splitting.The unions in the bottom of the radiator proved impossible to remove so I ended up cutting the metal pipes and fitting teflon lined braided hydraulic high pressure hose with compression fittings to the 6mm pipe stubs.