This one's for J4CKO
 

This is my sister-in-law's car. Had it a few years now. Allegedly lightly tuned, but really mega slow!

http://i178.photobucket.com/albums/w...iat500DTop.jpg

Fuel gauges are for puffs!

Oooo, thats nice, Suicide door model as well, wife is suitably impressed, love those alloys !

Ours is now MOTd, working and usable, took two months of my spare time and £800, never buy a car from an elderley enthusiast with a tame MOT man, next year its bodywork, over the winter its a retrim, my wife sews for a living, a departure from curtains and stuff but should be near enough.

Is the in the 500 club ?

Cheers for posting, and if there are any more photos, bung them on.

You got off lightly there, didnt you?

What with the £800, if thats what you mean then yes but then I did all the work, if we were paying for someone else to do it then you could more than double that, its difficult to tell if there is any rust lurking without bashing away with a screwdriver and to be honest some of it was an over zealous MOT inspector but its done now,

Brake light pressure switch - didnt come on properly

Driveshafts - worn - advise but did them anyway ( engine out, gearbox off and apart)

New sill and loads of plating to replace bodged repairs

New rear lenses - not enough light

New Battery

New Earth Strap

All brakes replaced, bled

New brake line brackets

New wheel bolts - 41 years old, knackered

Replaced fuel pipes

New bulbs

Replaced loads of wiring as was crusty.

Painted engine bay and underside

Painted wheels

2 New tyres

Temporary paint job on sill

New plug leads and rotor arm

Next year,

New bonnet

New rear arches

Lots of fasteners replaces as the previous owner did things like reusing 40 year old split pins.

Replaced drivers door - dropped, a bit rippled, already have new one, being done off the car

Wife retrimming interior over winter

She wants a new carpet for Christmas

Paint it next summer, colour scheme suggestions welcome.



So, we paid £2200, it stands us at three-ish, I think now we would get our money back as solid, roadworthy MOT'd 500s go for three upwards, really nice ones up to six, this was looking pretty dire when the garage had a look at it and the quote kept escalating, you start messing with old cars its not usually financially a good move but I dont think this one has money pit all over it just yet, just a time pit if there is such a thing, have spent ages on it.

Might get something else when its done as I dotn need a modern car for myself, would have to be old but with modern performance, brakes and handling, or at least not slow or terrifying, quite like seventies Jap stuff like Celica's.

They arent slow, its just the rest of the world is too fast !

Have to say, fifty in it feels terrifying, the noise, the way it skips across the road, the will it wont it stop debate, it does stop but not always where you want it too, you have to drive it accordingly but drivers of modern stuff dont give you any leeway for an old car and pull out anyway, I dont think people understand, they see one of those cute old cars and think that it would be fun, it is but I suspect most people driving a modern one wouldnt last two minutes in the original, everyone is used to disk brakes as big as the wheels on the 1967 version, ABS etc, they are used to being able to stop in a straight line, without locking in a few feet, I suspect that back then people were aware of stopping distances as everyones brakes were dire.

Have to say, in town it isnt that bad, in fact its low geared and small, it can go where the current leviathons cant, get out of town though and its scary how big and predatory a Hyundai i30 looks when in your mirror, never mind and RR Sport or Cayenne, you worry they wont see you or the intakes will suck you in.