We'll See...

[Funky Diver]

So we made it home just fine... from Bangor. Yep, it's Mr Mender's ex-car (from a while back)

120k odd on the clock.

Gonna zap it through a test next week to see how viable it's going to be to keep on the road. I'm not going to be doing anything special with it AT ALL, except service / running items.

Plus points

The engine is sweet as. The recent exhaust made for a nice quiet run back.
Generally it's a bit beat up... yes there ARE indeed dents on virtually every panel. So no point in even contemplating it being anything other than it is. A shed on wheels.
Roof lining just needs a good clean.
Glass is in good condition.
P Slots - I love 'em...

Minus Points

Basically none of the advisories from the last MOT seem to have been addressed, that I can tell at least.
Rear bearings are shot.
Wandering freely all the way home. There's either something seriously wrong with the tracking, or the front bearings are on their way out too... having said that though, there's no horrible noises.
Suspension is knackered all round.
Tickover at idle is set far too low, hoping it'll just be adjustment rather than terminal.
Lights... half of the front ones are flopping around / cracked. So that's 3 out of the 6.
Interior - bolsters are buggered, dash is cracked.
Front and rear wipers need changing - drivers side jets need sorting.
No centre caps for the P Slots, plus they need a going over...
Rear brakes are binding, one of the fronts is squealing.
Drivers door dropped.
Radio only tunes to gash stations. It was Warrington before we got anything sensible out of it... which promptly disappeared by the time we hit Manchester.

So all in all, it does need a lOttle TLC.

So, in the interests of science, I'm gonna do the MOT and see where we head from there. In fairness, I have all the parts needed to repair everything on the minus points list. One of the advisories from the last MOT that IS concerning me is the noted bodywork Rust. If it's terminal, then it'll be getting stripped and scrapped. If not, it's a runner... Yes, the body work is generally in crap condition... but for what I want the car for, I'm not bothered. Let's call it a rat look for the sake of trying to make it seem "scene".

[Funky Diver]

So... knackered lights have been removed and replaced with some rather better ones (ie ones that work and don't flop about)



It's had a quick wash too... really to get the muck off for a better look at the condition of the body work, which in fairness is not THAT bad. There are still a lot of dents, but I'm not bothered about those.
Swapped the interior out for my black leather set and pleased the wife a smidge, seeing as it was taking up the spare room.

Still need to do the door cards, but that will also involve the insertion of 'leccy windows... but I'll see how the MOT goes first.

[Cpt Custom]

Mmmmm ... nice lights. Wanna sell them?

[Funky Diver]

Well jigger me backwards.

My mate who owns my local MOT testing station has given me the verdict. We had it over the pit earlier today and it's basically terminal. Outwardly, the car looks sound, however, there is a couple of areas that are basically going to be completely non-cost effective to repair.... namely rust on the rear beam mounts... and by "on" I mean the mount on the drivers side is being held together by rust. It looked OK, with the exception of a flake of rust. So, in the interests of personal safety, I had a prod and one side of hte mount is basically fubar. So we jacked the car on the rear beam, and it's deciding that the rear beam wants to be inside the car given half a chance. Passenger side is fine though.

There were loads of odds n sods that would have mounted up into the pot on a fail. Drivers front bearing being one of them... the rest was easy to do stuff.

So a not so great tale of woe, and frankly means I'm now going to be scrapping it.

Will collect my thoughts, and generally see what's available, one the plus side though, the engine is VERY good. I may well be selling the lights after all Paul :)

[Risocco]

Not having a go or anything but seems a shame to scrap it for the sake of a touch of welding, esp if the engine is sweet and as you say yourself the body ain't too bad.

Your car at the end of the day, just offering a different point of view

Alex

[Cpt Custom]

Will collect my thoughts, and generally see what's available, one the plus side though, the engine is VERY good. I may well be selling the lights after all Paul :)

Seriously gutted at hearing that Rich. Guess that throws the planned trip to the National Meet up in the air too?

I have to agree with Risocco though, nothing is beyond reclaiming. I mean look at Poppy!

However, assuming you don't have a change of heart about breaking it or a win on the lottery and the lights do come up for grabs I'm definitely interested. In fact, there could be other bits too I'd be interested in. So, if you do go ahead with breaking her I'd like to come across and have a nosey at what you don't want to keep if that's okay? Not often there's a car being broken within easy travelling distance.

Again, gutted for you - seriously!

[Funky Diver]

seems a shame to scrap it for the sake of a touch of welding, esp if the engine is sweet and as you say yourself the body ain't too bad.

Fair does Alex... my intention was to run it as a kinda daily (else I wouldn't have forked out nearly £400 getting it back here last Thursday factoring in petrol, train tickets to Bangor, cost of car etc)

Unfortunately it's not just a "bit of welding". It's the sum of the whole that I need to consider. Fair enough, I have most of the parts in my lock up to make a semi-reasonable car out of it. But then those parts would need replacing for me to then continue with the rebuild on my original rocco. So the cost is still there.

And the body is in crap condition. There's dents on every panel... I'm just not bothered about them from a cosmetic point of view. The reality is... I am not going to get back what I've paid for it, so have to either cut my losses and at least recoup some of it or stick it in a barn for 50 years and hope to make a mint (which won't happen!).

[Funky Diver]

Fair does on poppy mate, but seriously I already have one stripped project on the go and really don't need another one.

Guess that throws the planned trip to the National Meet up in the air too?

Nah, just means I might not be in a Rocco ;)