1971 Reliant Scimitar GTE 3.0L Petrol · VBH 5J

Although the Scimitar GTE features a rustproof glassfibre bodyshell, its steel perimeter ladder chassis is prone to severe rot. Moisture and road dirt collect along the upper surfaces of the chassis rails where steel meets the fibreglass body. Vulnerable zones include the front and rear outriggers, tubular crossmember beneath the radiator, and trailing arm mounting brackets. Repairing rotten outriggers requires raising or removing the body.

The 3.0-litre Ford Essex V6 engine fitted to SE5 and SE6 models uses a camshaft timing gear constructed with a pressed phenolic resin/fibre outer tooth ring to reduce valvetrain noise. With age, heat cycles, and high mileage, the fibre teeth fatigue and strip completely. This causes instant loss of valve timing, stalling the engine immediately. While the non-interference Essex valvetrain usually escapes valve-piston collision, tooth debris drops into the sump and can starve the oil pump.

The Scimitar GTE's sleek low-profile bonnet forced Reliant to position the radiator header tank lower relative to the engine block than in Ford saloons. This makes the Essex V6 prone to persistent airlocks in the cylinder heads during coolant flushes. Combined with silt accumulation in the wide crossflow radiator and aging mechanical water pumps, overheating in urban stop-start traffic is a common complaint that risks blown head gaskets.

The Scimitar uses a Triumph TR6-derived Alford & Alder double-wishbone front suspension setup featuring brass steering trunnions threaded onto vertical uprights. These trunnions must be lubricated with heavy gear oil (EP90), but garages frequently pump them with grease, which solidifies and blocks oil passages. Starved of lubrication, the brass threads corrode and strip, causing the upright to detach from the lower wishbone and collapsing the front corner.