Garth's restore (ish) thread.

[Garth84x]

Hi all, thought its about time that i shared some pics of my project car





These pics were taken just as i got it home, towed it from a guys house around the road from me. As you can see it needs a bit of work..engine and gearbox seem fine. Brakes are seized as its been sat around for around 6 years.

So far ive taken the wings off as they need replacing, the side skirts hid all kinds of nastys, and there is a ding in the N/S rear. Also there is quite a bit of grot above the windscreen.

Still give me somthing to do eh?

In all not a bad little car for £50.

Garry

[elbon50]

Seems like the basis for a nice little project Gary

Wheels look good

Peter

[pk_090]

£50?! bargain! even if it was just for the engine! Cracking little project! Whats the use going to be? Track rally race or show peice?
Alex

[SuperRedMR2]

That is a bargain for £50!

Those rear wheel arches look in good nick or are they bubbling closer up?

Red is a bu88er to keep red, but if kept on top of it you can bring that back to best!

[pk_090]

whats your secret Alex?
Alex.

[Garth84x]

Yeah quite a deal for £50, only snag was the guy wanted the wheels, so it's now sat on stands until some turn up.

By the looks of things it has had new arches, as i have a bodyshop receipt, thats as far as the guy got, Im a valeter by trade and i dont think the paint can be saved sadly, looks as though it has been buffed up many a time and theres not much paint left to buff, i had a quick go on the off side rear and its very thin.

Still, im not in any hurry...oh and if things go well it'll be back on the road.

Oh just a quickie.. the seats are two tone black/red, is this correct or did it originally have leather?

Garry

[LimeyMk1]

Looks like a billy bargain Garth.

The seats you've got are earlier spec seats and the car may well have come with leather ones. The best way to tell is to look at the door cards and see if they are leather trimmed. Otherwise it probably had black cloth seats to begin with.

[SuperRedMR2]

whats your secret Alex?
Alex.

I hated trying to keep my red and black mk1a clean so I bought a white one instead lol

Nah, just alot of t-cut and polish, like garth said if you buff it so many times you actually muller the paintwork so badly you can't save it.

It may have had leather seats originally, as didnt t-bars come with leather and not velour? Two tone red and black are seats from a mk1a as some people like to swap them around.

[Garth84x]

Thanks for the replys, you boys have given me some incentive to get it finished, although not the best time of year to start a new project. Once it's all done and back together ill give it a blowover with some paint, think its super red 2?

not really a lover of leather myself, and the interior is in quite good nick, all apart from some bizarre blue neons between the seats

Garry.

[CecilWard]

What a great prospect. Well done you!

[kaiowas]

It may have had leather seats originally, as didnt t-bars come with leather and not velour? Two tone red and black are seats from a mk1a as some people like to swap them around.

Leather was only an option and it was only on mk1b. Although a large proportion of t-bars had it specified it wasn't standard. As Chris said, the door cards should be a clue as to what was originally fitted (assuming they haven't been changed as well). Personally I prefer the mk1a seats and would leave them in.

[Garth84x]

Will post some more pics up tomorrow, if the weather s ok, i might make a start on the welding


is there a section this thread could be move to as a sort of work in progress thread?

Garry

[sideways247]

looks good thought mine was a bargain at £180

[Garth84x]

poor old thing



Enjoying the seats







um ............. little bit of surface rust?

[oukie]

Hi, Thats a common place for rot on these cars, you can get replacment panels for there at about £30 a side.

£50 is a bargain though its worth three times that in scpap value alone let alone the value of its parts,

My best buy was free and is the car that's in my avatar pic

Chris

[elbon50]

Will post some more pics up tomorrow, if the weather s ok, i might make a start on the welding


is there a section this thread could be move to as a sort of work in progress thread?

Garry

You could edit the thread title to read "Garths Restoration Project" or some such

Peter

[Garth84x]

While im doing the work, on the sills, is there anything else that is common to the dreaded rust?

[Steve Horrocks]

Looks a good buy does that!

While im doing the work, on the sills, is there anything else that is common to the dreaded rust?

I'm new to mk1's, but from what i've found, anything that's not rubber, plastic or glass seems to rust. LOL

Try front chassis legs, A-pillars (near hinges), accross top of screen, bottom of B-pillar (where bottom edge of door shuts) and top strip over rear lights, under rubber seal for the boot lid.

[Lauren]

While im doing the work, on the sills, is there anything else that is common to the dreaded rust?

They rust all over really.

Floor pan is a bit of an issue, check drivers footwell particularly. Floor pan is a PITA because it isn't flat, so difficult to repair.

Rear wheel arches, front boot, a pillars rot out too.

Rust buckets basically.

[Garth84x]

good good

heard alot about a subframe of sorts, whats this about please?