Restoring my Pride and Joy, Advice appreciated
Discussion
HI guys , before i start i have been searching the forums but i keep coming up short to expired or deleted links or just recommended companies no longer existing . I should have done this when i first planned it in 2016 but the house took priority. i cant find half the information i could before.
I have owned my 96 Chim 500 since 2014 Cooper Green with biscuit interior only 48k miles, FSH prior to my ownership.
I took her off the road in 2017 due to some work needing to be done ( mounts, bushes Diff mounts, Immobiliser/alarm, speedo. Outriggers were solid but would need doing soon. The car was an investment to sell to buy the house but i decided pretty early on that i loved it and wanted to keep it forever. The deal with the mrs was that i took it off the road, stopped spending money on it until the house was sorted.
I had a 12k service done then she sat in the garage ever since. I used to have a dehumidifier running at the start but that stopped once i had to move it to a location away from home. She sat for 3 years without running but i got her home to the new house where i have an ok single garage. New battery , New Alternator, starting motor, By passed electrics hanging out of the dash and she started after a couple of seconds. :-D
The other bits still need doing but the chassis is looking allot worse. cracked wax oil showing rust underneath everywhere. ( shes a 96 so i hope the grey powder coat has at least kept my chassis reparable.)
Also the engine bay is not as shiny shiny as it once was, various nuts and bolts showing bits of rust along with oxidised aluminium
The body has developed Osmosis( I assume its this and not a solvent issue) has gotten into the paint mainly on the bonnet, right wing but there are signs of it starting in other places. There was always a coupe of spots but it is defiantly worse then when i first got it.
So Now i want to go ahead with the Body off job and quite frankly i am shocked by the prices these days. i had a cash quote in 2017 for 5k to do the body off ( not including new shocks) from a relatively new company but they seemed to know what they were talking about.
Remove body, completely strip
chassis of all components, fully
refurb, prep and paint (using
specialist chassis paint). Rebuild
using new fuel pipes, handbrake
cable, bushes, all new bolts and
fixings.
Then full respray in existing colour for 2.5k on top.
Now i am looking at more than double that price point. Not sure who the most reasonable places are in terms of value for money. i Would prefer a smaller company or one that would allow me access to scrub and polish my engine with a toothbrush ( i am that kind of ocd) whilst it is out and accessible and take other parts home to referb them prior to reassembly.
Also perfectly happy to sand parts of my body down that require the most work like the areas with the pin prick bubbles.
I could probably rent some space in a Wearhouse to dissemble the car myself for a few thousand, it all depends on costs but i defiantly want a job that will last another 30 years with a marine grade/epoxy painted chassis over a powder coat.
I am located in Dorset so ideally looking for somewhere within 100miles of me.
I have owned my 96 Chim 500 since 2014 Cooper Green with biscuit interior only 48k miles, FSH prior to my ownership.
I took her off the road in 2017 due to some work needing to be done ( mounts, bushes Diff mounts, Immobiliser/alarm, speedo. Outriggers were solid but would need doing soon. The car was an investment to sell to buy the house but i decided pretty early on that i loved it and wanted to keep it forever. The deal with the mrs was that i took it off the road, stopped spending money on it until the house was sorted.
I had a 12k service done then she sat in the garage ever since. I used to have a dehumidifier running at the start but that stopped once i had to move it to a location away from home. She sat for 3 years without running but i got her home to the new house where i have an ok single garage. New battery , New Alternator, starting motor, By passed electrics hanging out of the dash and she started after a couple of seconds. :-D
The other bits still need doing but the chassis is looking allot worse. cracked wax oil showing rust underneath everywhere. ( shes a 96 so i hope the grey powder coat has at least kept my chassis reparable.)
Also the engine bay is not as shiny shiny as it once was, various nuts and bolts showing bits of rust along with oxidised aluminium
The body has developed Osmosis( I assume its this and not a solvent issue) has gotten into the paint mainly on the bonnet, right wing but there are signs of it starting in other places. There was always a coupe of spots but it is defiantly worse then when i first got it.
So Now i want to go ahead with the Body off job and quite frankly i am shocked by the prices these days. i had a cash quote in 2017 for 5k to do the body off ( not including new shocks) from a relatively new company but they seemed to know what they were talking about.
Remove body, completely strip
chassis of all components, fully
refurb, prep and paint (using
specialist chassis paint). Rebuild
using new fuel pipes, handbrake
cable, bushes, all new bolts and
fixings.
Then full respray in existing colour for 2.5k on top.
Now i am looking at more than double that price point. Not sure who the most reasonable places are in terms of value for money. i Would prefer a smaller company or one that would allow me access to scrub and polish my engine with a toothbrush ( i am that kind of ocd) whilst it is out and accessible and take other parts home to referb them prior to reassembly.
Also perfectly happy to sand parts of my body down that require the most work like the areas with the pin prick bubbles.
I could probably rent some space in a Wearhouse to dissemble the car myself for a few thousand, it all depends on costs but i defiantly want a job that will last another 30 years with a marine grade/epoxy painted chassis over a powder coat.
I am located in Dorset so ideally looking for somewhere within 100miles of me.
Hopefully not stating the obvious but, if not aware, these two are 'localish':
https://rpbmotors.co.uk/about-us/
https://www.tvrssw.com/
No idea whether or not they'd fit with your requirements though.
https://rpbmotors.co.uk/about-us/
https://www.tvrssw.com/
No idea whether or not they'd fit with your requirements though.
Restoration costs can soon add up sadly if you want perfection, I’m guessing chassis and paint alone will set you back £10k done properly.
One of our very helpful members here is a director of this company I believe, hope I’ve got this right!
Website currently down for maintenance but Facebook page still active.
http://www.southwaysautomotive.co.uk/
One of our very helpful members here is a director of this company I believe, hope I’ve got this right!
Website currently down for maintenance but Facebook page still active.
http://www.southwaysautomotive.co.uk/
Cheers i have reached out to Purbeck Sports Cars as it happens i took my car to TVRSSW for its last service it just is a little bit of a trek without a motorway link. https://rpbmotors.co.uk/about-us/ is a little too far in travel time for the same reason.
http://www.southwaysautomotive.co.uk/ Thanks, i will keep an eye on this one.
The 10k+ bill is why it may be more cost effective to rent some space for 6months which i could probably do for 3k then remove the body myself. ( found a guide for the body) then sending it off to have the strip finished or for blasting and wielding if i can find a guild for the running gear strip down.
http://www.southwaysautomotive.co.uk/ Thanks, i will keep an eye on this one.
The 10k+ bill is why it may be more cost effective to rent some space for 6months which i could probably do for 3k then remove the body myself. ( found a guide for the body) then sending it off to have the strip finished or for blasting and wielding if i can find a guild for the running gear strip down.
On second thoughts. If i can get the body off and it is just the outriggers that need to be cut off and new wielded . Could i removed any surface rust and paint from the chassis with the engine and majority of running gear in place if i was going to hand paint the chassis? I know it wont be as good as a full refurb but maybe it will last 10 years until i can afford my own double garage/workshop to do a full strip down OCD rebuild.
Cheers
Cheers
Edited by Mattiegk on Sunday 17th April 10:37
What you are suggesting isn't really restoration is it?
I've just had a full chassis restoration which required a full strip down, welding and powder coat etc. It came at a high price but gave me the chance to replace all those other bits underneath the car. My advice, whichever way you do it be prepared for the cost to escalate. The guy who did mine was not the cheapest by far but it was a set price, you never know until you know.
The positive, once it is done it shouldn't need doing again (for a good while)
I've just had a full chassis restoration which required a full strip down, welding and powder coat etc. It came at a high price but gave me the chance to replace all those other bits underneath the car. My advice, whichever way you do it be prepared for the cost to escalate. The guy who did mine was not the cheapest by far but it was a set price, you never know until you know.
The positive, once it is done it shouldn't need doing again (for a good while)
Mattiegk said:
On second thoughts. If i can get the body off and it is just the outriggers that need to be cut off and new wielded . Could i removed any surface rust and paint from the chassis with the engine and majority of running gear in place if i was going to hand paint the chassis? I know it wont be as good as a full refurb but maybe it will last 10 years until i can afford my own double garage/workshop to do a full strip down OCD rebuild.
Cheers
Would be difficult to do a proper paint of the chassis with everything in place.Cheers
Edited by Mattiegk on Sunday 17th April 10:37
I’d get it inspected first, you may be lucky and it just needs the riggers doing which will see you ok until you decide on a full resto.
Belle427 said:
Would be difficult to do a proper paint of the chassis with everything in place.
I’d get it inspected first, you may be lucky and it just needs the riggers doing which will see you ok until you decide on a full resto.
from what i remember from having the rear main seal replaced and gearbox out, the powder coat is chipped on the main chassis so i think all of it will need touching up. If i am lucky it wont need a full shot blast but i will not get my hopes up. I will have it inspected along with the diff bushes changed next month so i can at least enjoy a couple of drives over the summer. Save up a little more and book the main work for the coming winter.I’d get it inspected first, you may be lucky and it just needs the riggers doing which will see you ok until you decide on a full resto.
Mattiegk said:
from what i remember from having the rear main seal replaced and gearbox out, the powder coat is chipped on the main chassis so i think all of it will need touching up. If i am lucky it wont need a full shot blast but i will not get my hopes up. I will have it inspected along with the diff bushes changed next month so i can at least enjoy a couple of drives over the summer. Save up a little more and book the main work for the coming winter.
Don’t forget to get an MOT,this should tell you a bit more that might need doing, best of luck with the refurbishment Mattiegk said:
On second thoughts. If i can get the body off and it is just the outriggers that need to be cut off and new wielded . Could i removed any surface rust and paint from the chassis with the engine and majority of running gear in place if i was going to hand paint the chassis? I know it wont be as good as a full refurb but maybe it will last 10 years until i can afford my own double garage/workshop to do a full strip down OCD rebuild.
Cheers
You could do a job of sorts but it would not add value or much longevity as you would be mostly painting over rust! Cheers
Edited by Mattiegk on Sunday 17th April 10:37
At the stage and time it takes to disconnect and lift the body off and now you have a rolling chassis It’s a matter of hours with an engine hoist to remove engine and box in one and another hour at most to remove Dif and brackets.
A few hours on each corner of the car will remove brakes and wishbones, steering rack etc. If you only worked evenings assuming you have good tools etc 4 big axle stands you could strip a chassis from point of body off in a week pretty easily assuming everything comes apart ok.
Don’t split engine and box if clutch etc are ok, it’s adding risk that’s not needed.
I actually stripped my 4 corners off the chassis before removing engine/ box/ Dif so my point is once the body is off it makes good sense to spend a few days or say 20 hours work time stripping the chassis and having it repaired/ coated and then you have a nice almost new chassis on your hands, it might even add value
Great thread keep us informed.
If you are mechanically savvi and do it youreslf 5k will build you a car that’s worth painting that’s assuming engine brakes etc are in good health.
Goodluck.
A dealer might charge 10k for something you could do for half that if you are prepared to offer your Labour for free
It’s not cheap as you will need various bits that need to be done with body off, a basic one is heat matting in engine bay and transmission tunnel etc
If you concentrate on what you can only do with body off then that saves you money.
You can replace shocks at anytime in the future, same with brakes etc.
Bits and bobs and oils can cost £400 Everything from exhaust manifold gaskets to new steering gators etc, cheap but add up.
It’s the best fun you can have with your pants on so those guides for body off are excellent and very helpfull.
Edited to add
I think you need anything from 2 weeks to 3- 6 months as things do take time to put back together. And rushing is not fun, taking your time is great fun and seeing it come back to life a lot newer is a once in a life time thing for many. Great memories.
Edited by Classic Chim on Monday 18th April 22:26
Edited by Classic Chim on Monday 18th April 22:37
Classic Chim said:
You could do a job of sorts but it would not add value or much longevity as you would be mostly painting over rust!
At the stage and time it takes to disconnect and lift the body off and now you have a rolling chassis It’s a matter of hours with an engine hoist to remove engine and box in one and another hour at most to remove Dif and brackets.
A few hours on each corner of the car will remove brakes and wishbones, steering rack etc. If you only worked evenings assuming you have good tools etc 4 big axle stands you could strip a chassis from point of body off in a week pretty easily assuming everything comes apart ok.
Don’t split engine and box if clutch etc are ok, it’s adding risk that’s not needed.
I actually stripped my 4 corners off the chassis before removing engine/ box/ Dif so my point is once the body is off it makes good sense to spend a few days or say 20 hours work time stripping the chassis and having it repaired/ coated and then you have a nice almost new chassis on your hands, it might even add value
Great thread keep us informed.
If you are mechanically savvi and do it youreslf 5k will build you a car that’s worth painting that’s assuming engine brakes etc are in good health.
Goodluck.
A dealer might charge 10k for something you could do for half that if you are prepared to offer your Labour for free
It’s not cheap as you will need various bits that need to be done with body off, a basic one is heat matting in engine bay and transmission tunnel etc
If you concentrate on what you can only do with body off then that saves you money.
You can replace shocks at anytime in the future, same with brakes etc.
Bits and bobs and oils can cost £400 Everything from exhaust manifold gaskets to new steering gators etc, cheap but add up.
It’s the best fun you can have with your pants on so those guides for body off are excellent and very helpfull.
Edited to add
I think you need anything from 2 weeks to 3- 6 months as things do take time to put back together. And rushing is not fun, taking your time is great fun and seeing it come back to life a lot newer is a once in a life time thing for many. Great memories.
Totally agree with all of the above.At the stage and time it takes to disconnect and lift the body off and now you have a rolling chassis It’s a matter of hours with an engine hoist to remove engine and box in one and another hour at most to remove Dif and brackets.
A few hours on each corner of the car will remove brakes and wishbones, steering rack etc. If you only worked evenings assuming you have good tools etc 4 big axle stands you could strip a chassis from point of body off in a week pretty easily assuming everything comes apart ok.
Don’t split engine and box if clutch etc are ok, it’s adding risk that’s not needed.
I actually stripped my 4 corners off the chassis before removing engine/ box/ Dif so my point is once the body is off it makes good sense to spend a few days or say 20 hours work time stripping the chassis and having it repaired/ coated and then you have a nice almost new chassis on your hands, it might even add value
Great thread keep us informed.
If you are mechanically savvi and do it youreslf 5k will build you a car that’s worth painting that’s assuming engine brakes etc are in good health.
Goodluck.
A dealer might charge 10k for something you could do for half that if you are prepared to offer your Labour for free
It’s not cheap as you will need various bits that need to be done with body off, a basic one is heat matting in engine bay and transmission tunnel etc
If you concentrate on what you can only do with body off then that saves you money.
You can replace shocks at anytime in the future, same with brakes etc.
Bits and bobs and oils can cost £400 Everything from exhaust manifold gaskets to new steering gators etc, cheap but add up.
It’s the best fun you can have with your pants on so those guides for body off are excellent and very helpfull.
Edited to add
I think you need anything from 2 weeks to 3- 6 months as things do take time to put back together. And rushing is not fun, taking your time is great fun and seeing it come back to life a lot newer is a once in a life time thing for many. Great memories.
Edited by Classic Chim on Monday 18th April 22:26
Edited by Classic Chim on Monday 18th April 22:37
I did it 12 years ago with limited mechanical knowledge. I messed about with minis in the early 1980's but that was about it for me mechanically.
It really is so self rewarding if you can mange to complete it yourself. Dont be in a rush, 12 months minimum is a good starting point. Personally do not
powder coat , 2 pack epoxy paint is the way to go. There is so much help and advice on here we can all help you achieve this.
TJC46 said:
Totally agree with all of the above.
I did it 12 years ago with limited mechanical knowledge. I messed about with minis in the early 1980's but that was about it for me mechanically.
It really is so self rewarding if you can mange to complete it yourself. Dont be in a rush, 12 months minimum is a good starting point. Personally do not
powder coat , 2 pack epoxy paint is the way to go. There is so much help and advice on here we can all help you achieve this.
I did it 12 years ago with limited mechanical knowledge. I messed about with minis in the early 1980's but that was about it for me mechanically.
It really is so self rewarding if you can mange to complete it yourself. Dont be in a rush, 12 months minimum is a good starting point. Personally do not
powder coat , 2 pack epoxy paint is the way to go. There is so much help and advice on here we can all help you achieve this.
well thank you very much kind sir Best bit of advice is probably a marker pen, tags, bags or better still Tupperware containers of various sizes to put all bolts and fixings in and clearly marked as to what they are.
I sort of made a pile of bits that came off various areas of the car and ordered them ie rear corner / fronts etc or engine bay so a filing system of sorts. Keep it simple and concentrate on why you are doing it, the chassis condition- riggers and re coating as the main cost, bushes brake lines etc and service items add up but nothing like many thousands.
You will probably go for a new bolt kit on wishbones and the like but it’s a very good idea to put all your old wishbone bolts in separate marked bags because they are very valuable. My older bolts are in better condition than the new ones I bought a few years ago before stripping my chassis so they had had a few years use, seemed slightly corroded so buy well when it comes to those essentials.
I tend to feel on important parts it’s a good idea to use Tvr dealers of good repute.
A big part of the job is ordering the right parts so use the better tvr dealers if in doubt. It will add to cost slightly but normally you at least get the right parts first time!
Someone will come along and complain about that in a minute
I had a thread once which actually became a lot of waffle as you might expect
But over the course of that thread I did take pictures of the detail areas you have to dis assemble etc. Take many pictures, ignore that last comment at your peril, what might look obvious when taking apart might baffle you when re assembling, well it did me lol so pictures are essential to remember how things should be and in my anal case exactly as it was before I took it apart, sort of respecting the men who built it in the first place.
A good tip
Remove your metal brake lines very carefully trying to keep the bends exactly as they are on the car and take pictures of there orientation tied to chassis, they do bend and twist around the chassis. Remove them off the car last as once all the other bits are out the way it’s easier to get them out without distorting those all important bends.
Tie then up out the way so when you get new ones it’s fairly easy to bend them into the correct basic shape before feeding them through and onto chassis. Saves a lot of time.
Dif bracket and gearbox bracket and spacer orientation, take pictures of everything before you remove it and it will trigger your brain months later when your assembling it.
Enjoy is all I can say
I sort of made a pile of bits that came off various areas of the car and ordered them ie rear corner / fronts etc or engine bay so a filing system of sorts. Keep it simple and concentrate on why you are doing it, the chassis condition- riggers and re coating as the main cost, bushes brake lines etc and service items add up but nothing like many thousands.
You will probably go for a new bolt kit on wishbones and the like but it’s a very good idea to put all your old wishbone bolts in separate marked bags because they are very valuable. My older bolts are in better condition than the new ones I bought a few years ago before stripping my chassis so they had had a few years use, seemed slightly corroded so buy well when it comes to those essentials.
I tend to feel on important parts it’s a good idea to use Tvr dealers of good repute.
A big part of the job is ordering the right parts so use the better tvr dealers if in doubt. It will add to cost slightly but normally you at least get the right parts first time!
Someone will come along and complain about that in a minute
I had a thread once which actually became a lot of waffle as you might expect
But over the course of that thread I did take pictures of the detail areas you have to dis assemble etc. Take many pictures, ignore that last comment at your peril, what might look obvious when taking apart might baffle you when re assembling, well it did me lol so pictures are essential to remember how things should be and in my anal case exactly as it was before I took it apart, sort of respecting the men who built it in the first place.
A good tip
Remove your metal brake lines very carefully trying to keep the bends exactly as they are on the car and take pictures of there orientation tied to chassis, they do bend and twist around the chassis. Remove them off the car last as once all the other bits are out the way it’s easier to get them out without distorting those all important bends.
Tie then up out the way so when you get new ones it’s fairly easy to bend them into the correct basic shape before feeding them through and onto chassis. Saves a lot of time.
Dif bracket and gearbox bracket and spacer orientation, take pictures of everything before you remove it and it will trigger your brain months later when your assembling it.
Enjoy is all I can say
Edited by Classic Chim on Tuesday 19th April 11:46
Classic Chims thread was my benchmark when trying to work out if I would tackle the job myself or farm it out. I'd say my spanner skills are under developed and so I had a dealer do the work.
Happy to share rough costs in a PM if it helps.
If you are good with the tools I'm sure it is very satisfying.
Happy to share rough costs in a PM if it helps.
If you are good with the tools I'm sure it is very satisfying.
Interesting thread. I think a lot of this is down to what financial resources you have and what your expectations of the car are. I personally don't have anything like that kind of budget to spend on what is a toy that I do about 400 miles a year in. I only paid £7K for my Chimaera so paying someone £10K for a complete chassis resto isn't cost effective unless it will make my car worth £20K which is highly doubtful..
My chassis is structurally OK, but it's not pretty. My car will never be mint or 'fully restored' but I've managed to make significant improvements to it on virtually no budget, just a lot of time and moderate spanner skills. It's proved to be far cheaper to own and more fun to work on the Porsche 996 I had years before, when I had a lot more expendable cash. I plan to keep it for the long term, so if I do end up having to tackle the chassis properly, it will be DIY including the respray work. In any venture like this time is your friend, and the luxury that a commercial enterprise can't afford.
My chassis is structurally OK, but it's not pretty. My car will never be mint or 'fully restored' but I've managed to make significant improvements to it on virtually no budget, just a lot of time and moderate spanner skills. It's proved to be far cheaper to own and more fun to work on the Porsche 996 I had years before, when I had a lot more expendable cash. I plan to keep it for the long term, so if I do end up having to tackle the chassis properly, it will be DIY including the respray work. In any venture like this time is your friend, and the luxury that a commercial enterprise can't afford.
Belle427 said:
For those that have restored how precious are you about it ie are you always worrying about stone chips and chassis rust?
I think thats why one should avoid powder coats and go with an epoxy based or the continental stuff they use on boats That is my plan and i will use the entire 5ltr tin it comes in
. then what ever else i can find to make sure those pesky stones do not breach the paint work. You could do a job of sorts but it would not add value or much longevity as you would be mostly painting over rust!
At the stage and time it takes to disconnect and lift the body off and now you have a rolling chassis It’s a matter of hours with an engine hoist to remove engine and box in one and another hour at most to remove Dif and brackets.
A few hours on each corner of the car will remove brakes and wishbones, steering rack etc. If you only worked evenings assuming you have good tools etc 4 big axle stands you could strip a chassis from point of body off in a week pretty easily assuming everything comes apart ok.
Don’t split engine and box if clutch etc are ok, it’s adding risk that’s not needed.
I actually stripped my 4 corners off the chassis before removing engine/ box/ Dif so my point is once the body is off it makes good sense to spend a few days or say 20 hours work time stripping the chassis and having it repaired/ coated and then you have a nice almost new chassis on your hands, it might even add value
Great thread keep us informed.
If you are mechanically savvi and do it youreslf 5k will build you a car that’s worth painting that’s assuming engine brakes etc are in good health.
Goodluck.
A dealer might charge 10k for something you could do for half that if you are prepared to offer your Labour for free
It’s not cheap as you will need various bits that need to be done with body off, a basic one is heat matting in engine bay and transmission tunnel etc
If you concentrate on what you can only do with body off then that saves you money.
You can replace shocks at anytime in the future, same with brakes etc.
Bits and bobs and oils can cost £400 Everything from exhaust manifold gaskets to new steering gators etc, cheap but add up.
It’s the best fun you can have with your pants on so those guides for body off are excellent and very helpfull.
Edited to add
I think you need anything from 2 weeks to 3- 6 months as things do take time to put back together. And rushing is not fun, taking your time is great fun and seeing it come back to life a lot newer is a once in a life time thing for many. Great memories.
[/quote]
Thanks for the Advice , I have just watched a shed load of videos on doing a full retso. Shout out to ToolsnTrack YT ( great fun to watch aswel )
The more i read and watch the more i think i could do it. I would love every bit of it too. I love to clean metal work I am a Sparky by trade to i know my way around screwdrivers and power tools ( i am surgeon with an SDS drill and a grinder) so i think i could switch to spanners and sockets.
The only hold back is Space. If i cannot rent a workshop/work area cheap enough privately or from a friend then Maybe i can do it in my garage. I would have to store my body in front of my garage on my driveway under a cover. My driveway is long and opens up wide to a wedge before it reaches my garage but it is sloped .
The beauty of doing it myself means i can take extra care to get the best coatings on my chassis, Clean and polish my Engine and spend the savings on other jobs.
I would like to add a better ECU and Traction control which needs a little more research . Not because i cant control my right foot but more because it can help improve my skills with a bit more of a buffer between the road and the hedge. I have had this car since was 24 and even doing what 24 yr olds do i only had one brown trouser moment.
If i do go for it myself i will document all of it with a Gopro and write ups.
Thanks for all the comments by the way.
At the stage and time it takes to disconnect and lift the body off and now you have a rolling chassis It’s a matter of hours with an engine hoist to remove engine and box in one and another hour at most to remove Dif and brackets.
A few hours on each corner of the car will remove brakes and wishbones, steering rack etc. If you only worked evenings assuming you have good tools etc 4 big axle stands you could strip a chassis from point of body off in a week pretty easily assuming everything comes apart ok.
Don’t split engine and box if clutch etc are ok, it’s adding risk that’s not needed.
I actually stripped my 4 corners off the chassis before removing engine/ box/ Dif so my point is once the body is off it makes good sense to spend a few days or say 20 hours work time stripping the chassis and having it repaired/ coated and then you have a nice almost new chassis on your hands, it might even add value
Great thread keep us informed.
If you are mechanically savvi and do it youreslf 5k will build you a car that’s worth painting that’s assuming engine brakes etc are in good health.
Goodluck.
A dealer might charge 10k for something you could do for half that if you are prepared to offer your Labour for free
It’s not cheap as you will need various bits that need to be done with body off, a basic one is heat matting in engine bay and transmission tunnel etc
If you concentrate on what you can only do with body off then that saves you money.
You can replace shocks at anytime in the future, same with brakes etc.
Bits and bobs and oils can cost £400 Everything from exhaust manifold gaskets to new steering gators etc, cheap but add up.
It’s the best fun you can have with your pants on so those guides for body off are excellent and very helpfull.
Edited to add
I think you need anything from 2 weeks to 3- 6 months as things do take time to put back together. And rushing is not fun, taking your time is great fun and seeing it come back to life a lot newer is a once in a life time thing for many. Great memories.
Edited by Classic Chim on Monday 18th April 22:26
Edited by Classic Chim on Monday 18th April 22:37
[/quote]
Thanks for the Advice , I have just watched a shed load of videos on doing a full retso. Shout out to ToolsnTrack YT ( great fun to watch aswel )
The more i read and watch the more i think i could do it. I would love every bit of it too. I love to clean metal work
I am a Sparky by trade to i know my way around screwdrivers and power tools ( i am surgeon with an SDS drill and a grinder) so i think i could switch to spanners and sockets.The only hold back is Space. If i cannot rent a workshop/work area cheap enough privately or from a friend then Maybe i can do it in my garage. I would have to store my body in front of my garage on my driveway under a cover. My driveway is long and opens up wide to a wedge before it reaches my garage but it is sloped .
The beauty of doing it myself means i can take extra care to get the best coatings on my chassis, Clean and polish my Engine and spend the savings on other jobs.
I would like to add a better ECU and Traction control which needs a little more research . Not because i cant control my right foot but more because it can help improve my skills with a bit more of a buffer between the road and the hedge. I have had this car since was 24 and even doing what 24 yr olds do i only had one brown trouser moment.
If i do go for it myself i will document all of it with a Gopro and write ups.
Thanks for all the comments by the way.
Belle427 said:
For those that have restored how precious are you about it ie are you always worrying about stone chips and chassis rust?
I have more than pushed my opinion on 2 pack epoxy.....................................................oh, go on then........................ i'll add a bit more As for stone chips and rust, an added benefit of 2 pack epoxy, is if you put enough coats of paint on, all you are touching up is the top gloss coat finish.
There is 6 coats of paint on my chassis so no amount of stone chips will result in rust. Do it once and that's it.
I don't get precious about it, I just inspect the chassis over the winter, like i do in general with all the car, and touch up as required.
This stuff is quality, and over a longer period of time it cures seriously hard. It takes a lot more punishment than powder coating can take.
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