Father, son and a V8
Discussion
I've received a few quotes, one from a UK company of £2,878.00 which includes registration:
Inland Trucking to Port £550.00
Container Shipment to the UK £1,200.00
Marine Insurance .5% of the value to be confirmed. £0.00
UK Port Fees & Container Unloading £450.00
Collection from UK port to South end on Sea £240.00
DVLA first registration fee £55.00
Number plates £24.00
Import customs and registration fees £359.00
Total £2,878.00
Anyone done this before and can advise if thats competitive?
Inland Trucking to Port £550.00
Container Shipment to the UK £1,200.00
Marine Insurance .5% of the value to be confirmed. £0.00
UK Port Fees & Container Unloading £450.00
Collection from UK port to South end on Sea £240.00
DVLA first registration fee £55.00
Number plates £24.00
Import customs and registration fees £359.00
Total £2,878.00
Anyone done this before and can advise if thats competitive?
Thanks.
Update time: to be honest I’ve been looking at other, simpler projects cars to work on that do not have so much emotion, time and money invested in them. I’ve been thinking a lot about the Town Car and it’s history of failures, I can think of a single trip where it hasn’t broken down in some way.
We’re nearly eight years since the first post, I had really hoped that the car would be complete by now but life, as it always does, gets in the way.
As I was about to bid on a MG TF of somewhat dubious provenance I realised that another project car wasn’t going to fix things and it was time to get the town car over the line.
So, I’m all in - it’s booked in for its MOT on Thursday and so we’ll see how it does and what is required to pass. When that is sorted I have a basket full of items ready to purchase from rock auto including new carpets, bonnet lifts and boot rubbers. I’ve also booked it back in with Chris @ Back to Life Cars to get the rust sorted, I’ll get replacement seat belts fitted at the same time.
My plan as ever is to have it ready for car shows in the spring, let’s see if that happens.
Update time: to be honest I’ve been looking at other, simpler projects cars to work on that do not have so much emotion, time and money invested in them. I’ve been thinking a lot about the Town Car and it’s history of failures, I can think of a single trip where it hasn’t broken down in some way.
We’re nearly eight years since the first post, I had really hoped that the car would be complete by now but life, as it always does, gets in the way.
As I was about to bid on a MG TF of somewhat dubious provenance I realised that another project car wasn’t going to fix things and it was time to get the town car over the line.
So, I’m all in - it’s booked in for its MOT on Thursday and so we’ll see how it does and what is required to pass. When that is sorted I have a basket full of items ready to purchase from rock auto including new carpets, bonnet lifts and boot rubbers. I’ve also booked it back in with Chris @ Back to Life Cars to get the rust sorted, I’ll get replacement seat belts fitted at the same time.
My plan as ever is to have it ready for car shows in the spring, let’s see if that happens.
Me too!
Now, I still have a pile of parts to order but I have sorted the final (I hope) mechanical upgrade. Behold the 5.0 Explorer intake, better known as the GT40:
This has much improved flow, the above one has been cleaned and painted. They don't come up very often so I had to bite the bullet and pay the £300 inc shipping and import taxes
, I need to add an intake gasket set, an intake spacer to clear the fuel rail and a throttle body spacer to fit my existing one but it should net a small gain.
The rest of the parts will be ordered when the car passes it's MOT
Now, I still have a pile of parts to order but I have sorted the final (I hope) mechanical upgrade. Behold the 5.0 Explorer intake, better known as the GT40:
This has much improved flow, the above one has been cleaned and painted. They don't come up very often so I had to bite the bullet and pay the £300 inc shipping and import taxes
, I need to add an intake gasket set, an intake spacer to clear the fuel rail and a throttle body spacer to fit my existing one but it should net a small gain.
The rest of the parts will be ordered when the car passes it's MOT
I need to figure out how to improve the suspension, with the new parts it’s very wobbly. Which I guess is how it can from the factory but it’s not reassuring.
I managed to secure the hard to find final part for the intake modification: 65 my throttle body and egr spacer from a 90s F-150 Lightning.
So the next step is to get the intake spacer (very common) and e gasket set and a free weekend to install it.
I managed to secure the hard to find final part for the intake modification: 65 my throttle body and egr spacer from a 90s F-150 Lightning.
So the next step is to get the intake spacer (very common) and e gasket set and a free weekend to install it.
A plan has begun to form. My brother has also been working on restoring his first ever car, a 1.2 Corsa Trip that he had from new in 1996. With over 160k on the clock he took it off the road and decided to do a engine swap.
With both it and the Town Car almost ready to go, I think it’s time for a road trip.
With both it and the Town Car almost ready to go, I think it’s time for a road trip.
Exactly! You're missing the point TyreTread.
Anyhow, back to our scheduled programming.
The upgraded upper and lower intake manifold has arrived and they look great (pics to follow), it is going to allow a lot more air and thanks to the Mass Air conversion on the town car, fueling won't be an issue.
Sadly, I had a major set back with the EGR spacer and throttle body. I managed to find one via eBay in the USA, but it has been seized and disposed of by eBay's global shipping team. Apparently it had some fuel/chemical vapors that set off their scanners. Once this happens the item will be removed and both seller and buyer will be refunded.
How this is legal god only knows but there's no recourse sadly, this means that my plans are delayed until I can find an alternate source for the part.
Anyhow, back to our scheduled programming.
The upgraded upper and lower intake manifold has arrived and they look great (pics to follow), it is going to allow a lot more air and thanks to the Mass Air conversion on the town car, fueling won't be an issue.
Sadly, I had a major set back with the EGR spacer and throttle body. I managed to find one via eBay in the USA, but it has been seized and disposed of by eBay's global shipping team. Apparently it had some fuel/chemical vapors that set off their scanners. Once this happens the item will be removed and both seller and buyer will be refunded.
How this is legal god only knows but there's no recourse sadly, this means that my plans are delayed until I can find an alternate source for the part.
Edited by LincolnLovin on Wednesday 16th October 10:46
Update time!
I've managed to locate two new front fenders and they are on their way to me! Likely will cost £5-600 all in to get them here after tax, duty and shipping but still cheaper than trying to repair the old ones.
I also happened upon a set of 4 replacement wheels in the U.K, which is highly unusual they only cost £125 plus £35 shipping so a relative bargain considering the one I got shipped from the US cost far more, and it didn't have the studs for the center cap!
All I need to do is find a suitable refurbisher for them and then get the current tyres swapped over.
I've managed to locate two new front fenders and they are on their way to me! Likely will cost £5-600 all in to get them here after tax, duty and shipping but still cheaper than trying to repair the old ones.
I also happened upon a set of 4 replacement wheels in the U.K, which is highly unusual they only cost £125 plus £35 shipping so a relative bargain considering the one I got shipped from the US cost far more, and it didn't have the studs for the center cap!
All I need to do is find a suitable refurbisher for them and then get the current tyres swapped over.
Edited by LincolnLovin on Wednesday 19th February 12:55
Smitters said:
Looking superb. I do love the story and the commitment.
Thanks! Hopefully we are getting close to having it ‘finished’. I’m not sure if I’ll be able to afford the respray this year as I imagine it would be somewhere in the emerging of £8-10k?But the new front wings and other bodywork tidying should help make it a little more presentable at least.
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