conundrum/opportunity/nightmare involving a DB7 V12 Vantage
Discussion
Everyone! Thank you so much for the encouraging messages!
Well - my video was hopeless, starts one way up then tips 90 degrees then back again - so to spare you the seasickness I shall attempt to upload the video Craig's 'assistant' made ...
She's looking beautiful (which she is) and it's a genuine delight to hear that fantastic engine with its subtle whine behind the deep growl of the 5.9l engine - very nice.
Well - my video was hopeless, starts one way up then tips 90 degrees then back again - so to spare you the seasickness I shall attempt to upload the video Craig's 'assistant' made ...
She's looking beautiful (which she is) and it's a genuine delight to hear that fantastic engine with its subtle whine behind the deep growl of the 5.9l engine - very nice.
Here's a link to the video of the car being driven for the first time in 6.25 years ... https://youtu.be/b_l2MB0z7vg
morgaana said:
Here's a link to the video of the car being driven for the first time in 6.25 years ... https://youtu.be/b_l2MB0z7vg
Nice - now just got the rest to finish.I don't know I'd rev a cold engine, but I'd certainly be cutting back the greenery along that drive
morgaana said:
Everyone! Thank you so much for the encouraging messages!
Well - my video was hopeless, starts one way up then tips 90 degrees then back again - so to spare you the seasickness I shall attempt to upload the video Craig's 'assistant' made ...
She's looking beautiful (which she is) and it's a genuine delight to hear that fantastic engine with its subtle whine behind the deep growl of the 5.9l engine - very nice.
Thanks for keeping the updates coming.Well - my video was hopeless, starts one way up then tips 90 degrees then back again - so to spare you the seasickness I shall attempt to upload the video Craig's 'assistant' made ...
She's looking beautiful (which she is) and it's a genuine delight to hear that fantastic engine with its subtle whine behind the deep growl of the 5.9l engine - very nice.
Such an elegant car.
LTP said:
Nice - now just got the rest to finish.
I don't know I'd rev a cold engine, but I'd certainly be cutting back the greenery along that drive
LTP yes I think he was just showing off ... and yes, the greenery around here has simply expanded by about 300% in the past week! Thank you for the gentle prompt! I don't know I'd rev a cold engine, but I'd certainly be cutting back the greenery along that drive
morgaana said:
LTP said:
Nice - now just got the rest to finish.
I don't know I'd rev a cold engine, but I'd certainly be cutting back the greenery along that drive
LTP yes I think he was just showing off ... and yes, the greenery around here has simply expanded by about 300% in the past week! Thank you for the gentle prompt! I don't know I'd rev a cold engine, but I'd certainly be cutting back the greenery along that drive
.ivanhoew said:
morgaana said:
LTP said:
Nice - now just got the rest to finish.
I don't know I'd rev a cold engine, but I'd certainly be cutting back the greenery along that drive
LTP yes I think he was just showing off ... and yes, the greenery around here has simply expanded by about 300% in the past week! Thank you for the gentle prompt! I don't know I'd rev a cold engine, but I'd certainly be cutting back the greenery along that drive
.Hello Everyone!
So ~ latest update ...
I'm now starting to come out of the initial shock of the car 'being alive'. I can't tell you what a relief this is! The sound of that throaty engine was a little piece of unalloyed bliss. There was chortling.
Next up ~ I sent this car off for sale six years ago now, and frankly my attachment to the beautiful thing has waned to a piffling little sentimental voice meeping 'but it's so lovely!' just within the edge of internal hearing.
SGF has had me create a spreadsheet of history for the car. The po-po miraculously found the paperwork at the bottom of the Perp's carboot under a pile of unmentionable detritus, but the original logbook is gone, although all the receipts are still present. SGF also helped me write a little 'narrative' piece. And I've got pics.
I'm going to put all this info on here now - and any and all comments, suggestions, advice, or kind words are deeply appreciated!!!
So ~ latest update ...
I'm now starting to come out of the initial shock of the car 'being alive'. I can't tell you what a relief this is! The sound of that throaty engine was a little piece of unalloyed bliss. There was chortling.
Next up ~ I sent this car off for sale six years ago now, and frankly my attachment to the beautiful thing has waned to a piffling little sentimental voice meeping 'but it's so lovely!' just within the edge of internal hearing.
SGF has had me create a spreadsheet of history for the car. The po-po miraculously found the paperwork at the bottom of the Perp's carboot under a pile of unmentionable detritus, but the original logbook is gone, although all the receipts are still present. SGF also helped me write a little 'narrative' piece. And I've got pics.
I'm going to put all this info on here now - and any and all comments, suggestions, advice, or kind words are deeply appreciated!!!
Moderator edit: no advertising
Hello again! Unfortunately two of my posts were removed by the m*derat*r, and a chunk edited out of a third post 
... so it's all become a little bit disjointed. Sorry about that.
As a complete novice, embryo, amoeba, barely formed life-form in the context of my current situation ~ I am very much hoping the worthies on here are able to discern with their rapier like and astute faculties the nature of the advice and guidance I am seeking!
May the rain remain refrained for you whilst washing is on the line!
Salut and have a great day
... so it's all become a little bit disjointed. Sorry about that.
As a complete novice, embryo, amoeba, barely formed life-form in the context of my current situation ~ I am very much hoping the worthies on here are able to discern with their rapier like and astute faculties the nature of the advice and guidance I am seeking!
May the rain remain refrained for you whilst washing is on the line!
Salut and have a great day
N7GTX said:
Surely the car has been in a bump looking at the passenger airbag situation plus the damage to the front bumper?
Windscreen out, repair frame as required. New windscreen - £1,200+ - and the lower panel if it is damaged (very likely) as they are bonded in. If the wings are salvageable and look to be from the pics (but no guarantee) and the front bumper can be repaired then a front end respray anywhere from £2000 upwards. Plus any missing parts that hold the bumper, airbag and so on.
I'll take a wild guess that this would cost you a minimum of £5,000 to make just presentable using mates rates and second hand parts but budget up to £15,000 for a good job. The car would then be worth around £20,000 but they are slow sellers.
You could try selling it to Glen at - https://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/dealer/612... - who breaks and repairs Astons and TVRs.
or
Douglas Valley breakers where they sell many Aston parts under the name Steve Strange on eBay - https://www.douglasvalley.co.uk/prestige-parts/
I doubt either will give you a good price but it would remove the problem.
N7GTX are you still with us Sir? (apologies for appalling gender assumption there ... ) Do you have anything to add in light of recent developments? Windscreen out, repair frame as required. New windscreen - £1,200+ - and the lower panel if it is damaged (very likely) as they are bonded in. If the wings are salvageable and look to be from the pics (but no guarantee) and the front bumper can be repaired then a front end respray anywhere from £2000 upwards. Plus any missing parts that hold the bumper, airbag and so on.
I'll take a wild guess that this would cost you a minimum of £5,000 to make just presentable using mates rates and second hand parts but budget up to £15,000 for a good job. The car would then be worth around £20,000 but they are slow sellers.
You could try selling it to Glen at - https://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/dealer/612... - who breaks and repairs Astons and TVRs.
or
Douglas Valley breakers where they sell many Aston parts under the name Steve Strange on eBay - https://www.douglasvalley.co.uk/prestige-parts/
I doubt either will give you a good price but it would remove the problem.
A minor side-update ...
So, realising that having some amount of petrol in the tank might be sensible, so it can actually be started ... off I went to the petrol station with 2 cans, returned triumphant.
I then immediately became completely distracted by the exciting activity at the top of the garden involving stripping all the greenery off the end section of an ancient stone wall, using a chain saw. "Wow I had no idea the wall was so short under all that!" I cried "look at all the light flooding through now!". O' course, as the green stuff was removed the wall began to crumble "yay!" we cried, and set to with brute force and a hammer, the crowbar and sledge-hammer being at my gardener/handyman/friend's (GHF) house, as we hadn't expected to need them. (The removal of the wall was the plan all long, in case anyone is getting concerned ... )
ANYWAY I soon realised I was AVOIDING going down to the barn and pouring petrol into the car - as I had never done this with a can before, and the can had no pipe thingy. OH DEAR ... after a moment of wondering why petrol was going all over the floor I realised I'd better find a funnel. Dashed back to the kitchen, (getting distracted by the actual beginning of wall demolishment proper) found an old funnel and dashed back "how clever i am!" I thought OH NO (God laughing by now, perhaps even rolling about a bit on the surface of a particularly sturdy cloud)
Ah! Suddenly remembered that you have to press down on the metal piece inside the aperture - so holding funnel in one hand, pressing down to keep the thing open - sloshing in from the can with the other - can a bit heavy for me - somehow I got the bulk of the remaining petrol into the vehicle. Exhausted and feeling a bit of a numpty by now (a familiar experience) and sporting essence of petroleum aroma - I found a handy cardboard box, and it was the work of a moment to flatten it and cover the pool of petrol on the barn floor. Handy paper left over from the packaging of the new battery soaked up the petrol in the well handily.
Meanwhile - the garden waste/incinerator fuel pile, which is now so large and mysterious beneath its tarpaulin that it's alchemising into a life form 'but not as we know it captain' - I swear it's making murmuring sounds and inching closer to the house - was inspected and deemed bonfire worthy. SO when I asked GHF what I should do with the petrol soaked cardboard he tossed out the following gay quip "Lay it on the pile and chuck a lit firefighter at it!!" So there's an unexpected benefit of my pig's ear fuel management!
It's by now 2:00pm, petrol is in the 'Ston, the wall is denuded and half down, and a plan is formulating for clearing the garden waste/kraken embryo/swamp thing at the bottom of the garden. GHF goes home and I do the honourable thing and lie down in a darkened room to get over all the excitement.
Ciao for now!
So, realising that having some amount of petrol in the tank might be sensible, so it can actually be started ... off I went to the petrol station with 2 cans, returned triumphant.
I then immediately became completely distracted by the exciting activity at the top of the garden involving stripping all the greenery off the end section of an ancient stone wall, using a chain saw. "Wow I had no idea the wall was so short under all that!" I cried "look at all the light flooding through now!". O' course, as the green stuff was removed the wall began to crumble "yay!" we cried, and set to with brute force and a hammer, the crowbar and sledge-hammer being at my gardener/handyman/friend's (GHF) house, as we hadn't expected to need them. (The removal of the wall was the plan all long, in case anyone is getting concerned ...
)ANYWAY I soon realised I was AVOIDING going down to the barn and pouring petrol into the car - as I had never done this with a can before, and the can had no pipe thingy. OH DEAR ... after a moment of wondering why petrol was going all over the floor I realised I'd better find a funnel. Dashed back to the kitchen, (getting distracted by the actual beginning of wall demolishment proper) found an old funnel and dashed back "how clever i am!" I thought OH NO (God laughing by now, perhaps even rolling about a bit on the surface of a particularly sturdy cloud)
Ah! Suddenly remembered that you have to press down on the metal piece inside the aperture - so holding funnel in one hand, pressing down to keep the thing open - sloshing in from the can with the other - can a bit heavy for me - somehow I got the bulk of the remaining petrol into the vehicle. Exhausted and feeling a bit of a numpty by now (a familiar experience) and sporting essence of petroleum aroma - I found a handy cardboard box, and it was the work of a moment to flatten it and cover the pool of petrol on the barn floor. Handy paper left over from the packaging of the new battery soaked up the petrol in the well handily.
Meanwhile - the garden waste/incinerator fuel pile, which is now so large and mysterious beneath its tarpaulin that it's alchemising into a life form 'but not as we know it captain' - I swear it's making murmuring sounds and inching closer to the house - was inspected and deemed bonfire worthy. SO when I asked GHF what I should do with the petrol soaked cardboard he tossed out the following gay quip "Lay it on the pile and chuck a lit firefighter at it!!" So there's an unexpected benefit of my pig's ear fuel management!
It's by now 2:00pm, petrol is in the 'Ston, the wall is denuded and half down, and a plan is formulating for clearing the garden waste/kraken embryo/swamp thing at the bottom of the garden. GHF goes home and I do the honourable thing and lie down in a darkened room to get over all the excitement.
Ciao for now!
Edited by morgaana on Friday 24th May 18:57
trevalvole said:
I think you'll probably get a better response if you post the specific questions that you'd like answers to, as what remains of your post above isn't very clear.
Thank you trevalvole you make a solid and worthy point! I am on it ... 
Hope to have more clarity represented here shortly! Re forgetting about the no return flap inside the fuel filler neck it is often the simplest things that trip up an easy task even for supposed engineering experts. Over 20 years ago a satellite launch I was involved in was postponed because when all was ready and serious people were doing their serious launch sequence some one remembered that the first phase detonation circuit hadn't been plugged back in after testing the connections. Put simply some buffoon hadn't plugged the rocket in.
I like to remember that and it always lightens the mood whenever I'm tinkering with cars nowadays and make a schoolboy error.
Any true mechanic regularly gets his boots wet, fuel, oil, coolant they all count.
I like to remember that and it always lightens the mood whenever I'm tinkering with cars nowadays and make a schoolboy error.
Any true mechanic regularly gets his boots wet, fuel, oil, coolant they all count.
1690cc said:
Re forgetting about the no return flap inside the fuel filler neck it is often the simplest things that trip up an easy task even for supposed engineering experts. Over 20 years ago a satellite launch I was involved in was postponed because when all was ready and serious people were doing their serious launch sequence some one remembered that the first phase detonation circuit hadn't been plugged back in after testing the connections. Put simply some buffoon hadn't plugged the rocket in.
I like to remember that and it always lightens the mood whenever I'm tinkering with cars nowadays and make a schoolboy error.
Any true mechanic regularly gets his boots wet, fuel, oil, coolant they all count.
1690 you are now my very favourite person! Thank you I needed that I like to remember that and it always lightens the mood whenever I'm tinkering with cars nowadays and make a schoolboy error.
Any true mechanic regularly gets his boots wet, fuel, oil, coolant they all count.
..... Good morning all!
Interestingly, I had a chat with a friend yesterday who had an equivalent situation with a Maserati. No police involved, however there was a drive to the South of France and a rear bumper ripped off the towing car by the attached trailer - in the middle of rural France! So I'd say he has suffered as well! My friend found a small restorer in the UK who was able to take the Maser, finish it off and move it on. They made an arrangement that worked out well for both of them.
I am now thinking this might be an option worth exploring for me. N7GTX introduced Glen at North East Sports Salvage a while back. I can pursue a chat with him. I wonder - does anyone know of any other similar people that you would say are decent to deal with? Basically, salvage people who restore these sorts of vehicle and then move them on? Of course I can google this, but it feels like a bit of a minefield out there, and knowing me I'll end up repeating the drama of 2018! (shudder)
Any suggestions born of experience would be enormously helpful!
Basically - if you inherited something like this and didn't want to/weren't able to finish it off, what would you do? and how would you do that?
Thanks everyone for all of the support and encouragement and input over the past 30 months. It makes all the difference!
Have a good Sunday!
Interestingly, I had a chat with a friend yesterday who had an equivalent situation with a Maserati. No police involved, however there was a drive to the South of France and a rear bumper ripped off the towing car by the attached trailer - in the middle of rural France! So I'd say he has suffered as well! My friend found a small restorer in the UK who was able to take the Maser, finish it off and move it on. They made an arrangement that worked out well for both of them.
I am now thinking this might be an option worth exploring for me. N7GTX introduced Glen at North East Sports Salvage a while back. I can pursue a chat with him. I wonder - does anyone know of any other similar people that you would say are decent to deal with? Basically, salvage people who restore these sorts of vehicle and then move them on? Of course I can google this, but it feels like a bit of a minefield out there, and knowing me I'll end up repeating the drama of 2018! (shudder)
Any suggestions born of experience would be enormously helpful!
Basically - if you inherited something like this and didn't want to/weren't able to finish it off, what would you do? and how would you do that?
Thanks everyone for all of the support and encouragement and input over the past 30 months. It makes all the difference!
Have a good Sunday!
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