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

Taxi! Stop one and buy it.

From Ebay I bought an old Carbodies London taxi to restore and use as everyday transport .A blue LTI fairway driver with disk brakes and vinyl roof..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 the taxi restoration,what its like to drive one of these as a run around 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,with bolt on panels and seperate chassis,easy to repair and cheap to insure (see bottom of page).They have excellent wheel chair access and can seat five people in the back.

You could drive one of those plastic Eurobox eco green things that sound like a hairdrier and have all the character of an ice cube or you could drive what is probably the most recognisable vehicle in the world but is fast becoming a rarity.The only vehicle designed from the start 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,wings and sills.

With a seperate chassis body rot on these old taxis isn't as critical as modern cars.The outer and inner wings,the outer and inner sills etc all bolt on,little if any welding being required.The fixings are mainly coarse threaded screws with hexagonal heads like the screws used to hold most radiators in.

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 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 all that had 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 alternatives were,new door skins (possibly unobtainable),new doors (ditto),secondhand doors (would they be any better?) or repair. (The passenger windows on taxi front passenger doors are electric,the rest slide up and down on coiled springs inside the doors.
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). Taxi rear doors hinge at the rear,if they are opened with the vehicle travelling at any speed wind pressure makes them fly open.Hence the nick name 'suicide doors'.
The sills taking off the stainless steel sill 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 seperate chassis,body condition is not as important as a unit construction vehicle.Bolt on sills,inner and outer wings 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 taxi cabs is the bottom of the windscreen surround letting water in straight into the footwells.This causues the screen surround to rot,quickly making the problem worse.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 wheel boxes 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.Later.I had to weld small plates in the floor and repair the bulkhead under the washer bottle,all rotted out by water getting in via the windscreen.
	Some lengths of steel were shaped and welded in where the screen 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. Incidentally if you've ever thought about wether its worth buying one of those solar powered auto darkening helmets I can absolutely recommend them. They make welding so much easier,although its hard to get out of the head nodding habit!.
	I bought a new screen rubber to try and cure the windsreen leaks 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 windscreen rubber with its chrome plastic insert.
	The team from Windscreen Direct in Lowestoft who fitted the screen made my efforts look rather sad.I used them to replace the screen on my old mercedes 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.The vinyl roof was in poor condition and was later removed.Ordinary black boot polish helps keep the rubbers soft and water beads on them so is less likely to penetrate.
	I made the taxi some stainless steel eyebrows for the headlights.I think it makes it look friendly and a bit sleepy all at the same time.

Front suspension The front suspension on these is a conventional double wishbone arrangement.The front suspension was designed specifically for these taxis.This is a 1993 Carbodies taxi cab so it has front brakes with vented discs,earlier versions of the fairway and the FX4 taxis had drums on the front and most taxi drivers agree the disc set up is much better.. The top wishbone rubber 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
The vinyl roof is removed. The vinyl roof was a bit tatty and coming unglued near the gutters.The vinyl had gone hard and it had been repaired and restuck a time or two in the past.Peeling off the old covering was easy,it seemed the paint on the roof had hardly been rubbed down and there wasn't much glue holding it on.The vinyl was pulled out from under the window rubbers front and back.
		The glue left behind took a long while to shift using turps and a nylon scourer.Rubbing down compound and T cut eventually got a shine on the roof,some touching in was needed where the paint had lifted.
The rubber seal around the roof mounted illuminated "Taxi" sign was perished.When I put my hand up inside it I could feel great lumps of flaky rusted metal and at first thought the roof had rusted badly .Removing the sign revealed it had rusted but the roof was OK.I welded new metal to the underside of the sign and drilled out the broken off screws and retapped the holes.I made a new rubber seal and used mastic to guarantee a waterproof join to the roof.
The boot seals weren't actually sealing and had let water into the boot.Removing the rubber and a load of manky sealing compound revealed the channel was rotten and had been poorly welded.Two lengths of steel were bent into shape and welded in place.The rubber was refitted and the seal tested with buckets of water.The boot light switch is a poor design and tries to peel back the rubber seal every time the boot is opened,a metal shield was fitted over it to prevent the switch catching on it. .
		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 with outside temperatures below freezing,ten minutes or so plugged into the mains and the heater in the back is warm and the Nissan diesel starts first turn of the key.
		The engine in a fairway is a low revving 2.7 litre normally aspirated 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 with five speed gearboxes.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 was the rubber pipes connecting the steel pipes from the automatic gearbox to the cooler at the base of the radiator leaking fluid.They had gone hard,probably due to heat and started to crack. The unions in the bottom of the radiator proved impossible to remove and looked like they would tear out of the thin metal of the radiator. Removing the rubber pipes,using a pipe cutter in situ to cut the metal pipes and using compression fittings on the 6mm diameter stubs to replace the rubber sections with teflon lined braided hydraulic high pressure hose was a permanent cure.

Driving a taxi

Driving one of these as private transport is fun.The design of the traditional 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' (which actually locks the torque convertor) drops the revs down and they are then reasonably quiet The rear 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 and a tumble drier 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 fairway taxi insurance you might have to shop round.There are specialist taxi insurers,such as this one Online Taxi Insurance quotes from DNA Insurance. At least they will know what a fairway taxi is.most companies and the 'compare a quote' type web sites are a waste of time as the computerised lists don't list Carbodies,London Taxis International or Austin FX4 taxi.One firm I rung after being told it was a bog standard London Taxi then said they might insure it if the roof light was removed along with the partition and a seat added to the front.I was also able to get a quote from the broker Adrian Flux .

The body design and construction of the fairway is very similar to the old Austin FX4.Mechanially they are quiet different.

People often smile at what must be one of the most recognised vehicles in the world and contrary to the warnings I was given,I've never had a drunk try and climb aboard on a Saturday night.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 routine 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 chassis itself is strong,made of heavy gauge steel and contributes to the weight of these taxi cabs.

The Cab and driving controls,
To the right of the steering wheel are three lights.The red one is a warning light for the fuel filter water trap,if it glows water has built up in the filter.This has to be drained off as water can damage the engine,the injectors and pump.If you feel under the bottom of the fuel filter there is a plastic tap with a pipe coming out of it screwed into the base.Undoing this a couple of turns lets the water and some fuel flow out.Alternatively you can remove the two 13mm bolts hoding the filter unit to the inner wing,disconnect the fuel lines and electric plug and holding the unit upright drain it into a jar on the bench.When refitting connect the inlet pipe (the one furthest from you) and using the primer on top of the filter pump untill diesel comes out of the outlet.Reconnect that and the electrical connection and off you go.

The green light is the high/low gear light.Pressing a switch by the gear selector turns the green light off and engages a sort of overdrive,an advantage on motorways.The light should be on (lower gearing) for town use.

The orange light goes out when the glow plugs have heated enough to start the engine from cold.

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.

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) I suppose the Sherpa and Maestro never get to the dizzy realms of all those zeros.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,and the exterior handles from the older transit range.

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) behind loose or rattling panels makes the interior a quieter place to be.The front 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 drivers cabin of a london taxi

Taxi tantrums.

Cold starting. When cold weather sets in starting any older 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 on the passengers side of the heater .The injection timing point is also advanced whilst the engine is cold..

Heater plugs. These are wired so that the failure of one means the others carry on working, 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.

Valve clearances. These valve gaps (tappets) 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.

Headlamps. The 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.As far as I'm aware the dim dip system is no longer a legal requirement in the UK.

The rear heater. .The rear passengers have their own seperate heater fed by hot water from the engine cooling system and with a couple of switches set into the partition,another switch on the dash overides these..

The front heater The front interior heater in a fairway is the same as fitted to an MGB (and they weren't a lot of good in them either). A cable operated tap is fitted in the water pipe just above the exhaust manifold to vary the volume of hot water going to the heater.. The heater motor is a generic Lucas one In theory you can unclip the front of the heater to get at the heater rad,in practice you have to remove the whole unit.There are two bolts either side of the heater,one at the top and four inside holding the flap housing.Foam type gaskets are used,these dry out and crumble letting air leak in and out.

Wipers.The wiper motors are often worn out because of the high mileages these things clock up but the wiper motor is a standard three brush Lucas.The brushes can be bought cheaply and changing them doesn't require any soldering.

Windows. The fairways have one electric window on the passengers side front,the others slide up and down with a spring inside the door holding them in their opened position.Internal window catches stop the windows being operated by light fingered gentlemen from outside.These catches often break and most used fairways have a collection of the broken ends of the catches rattling away in the bottom of the doors.

The Engine. The low revving Nissan 2.7 diesel 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 doesn't usually get as helpfull response as asking for Terranno parts.The engine holds just over a gallon of 30 SAE oil,the sump plug is 22mm and sits in the middle of the sump.

Bodywork. The wings and sills all bolt on with hex headed coarse threaded screws and a few ordinary bolts.The front outer wings bolt to a bar running across the front on which the bumper is also hung,if its loose or the brackets are rusty the wings can bounce up and down alarmingly when you hit a bump in the road and at night the beams can be seen dancing about on the road surface.

Behind the shield under the front wing is a drain tube,if this is blocked or broken water will collect in the sills and the base of the wings rotting them out rapidly from the inside.The top of the tubes are visible at the rear of the wing channels where they meet the bulkhead.

Tyres. London taxi tyres are 175 R 16,an odd size but easily obtainable.They are not horredously expensive as remoulds.The tyres are marked 'taxi' to show they are made to cope with the weight etc of a black cab.To change the rear wheels you can't simply jack under the axle,to let the rear wings clear the tyres the springs have to drop a bit,so you also need to raise the body.The later LT series cabs use the same size tyres so supplies should be OK for a good few years.

Brakes.The front are conventional disc (drum on early models) .Anyone used to older transit rear brakes with trailing and leading shoes of different thicknesses will feel at home when working on the fairways rear drum brakes.The brakes are servo assisted,the servo vacuum being provided by a belt driven pump.

MOT test.If the taxi is being used as a private vehicle the MOT test is as for a normal car.The garage might have problems finding 'Fairway Taxi' on the DVLA computerised system,if so advise then to try FX4 instead.The MOT for a commercial taxi is very strict,so one that has just been taken out of service as a taxi should go through a conventional MOT with no problems.

The electrics. Relays all over the place,and plenty of wires to fiddle with.Always disconnect the battery and alternator when arc or mig welding.Most electrical problems are caused by dirty or insecure connections.

As a work horse these old taxis come in handy for all sorts of jobs.I managed to get a divan bed in for its last journey to the recycling centre.Imagine trying to do that with a modern saloon car.

Diesel additives. An experiment.I read on various forums reports from owners who had tried adding two stroke oil to diesel fuel for older engines on the grounds that it made up for the reduced sulphur levels in newer fuels.This was said to provide an increased level of lubrication that the older engines needed.I tried Redex 0-60 cetane booster and thought the engine ran quieter but the gains were slight enough not to warrant the extra price.I then tried a low ash two stroke oil in the ratio 50 to 1.There was a definite reduction in diesel knock,most noticeable with a cold engine.The engine didn't seem to develp any more power but was quiet enough that lower speed changes into 'overdrive' low were very difficult to hear,so much so that I at one time thought the auto box had failed..

Spare parts,forums and blog pages etc all connected with London type taxis.

After a lifetime of messing about with old cars and trucks I've made 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.

Taxi drivers online is a mine of information from taxi drivers and owners.

The taxi drivers forum features chat,advice and lots of stuff from taxi drivers.

There are companies who specialise in taxi insurance for example,Online Taxi Insurance quotes from DNA Insurance.

London taxi classics.A site based in Holland but loads of usefull links and downloads for Fairway and FX4 drivers handbooks.

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

Yeah pimp my ride baby!.I added a set of chrome effect hub caps,you can't beat a bit of bling.

Homebuilt mercedes motorhome

Restoring a MK1 transit camper

Baconsdozen tools, homePage

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