Rebuild Day 1
The time has come, no going back now! After five years planning, saving, grubbing around at Stoneleigh and Donnington it is time.
Took the car to The Man, by way of a blast up the motorway and back roads. Why am I doing this to a perfectly reliable, usable and fun car? Because she has a name. Someone told me that the road to financial ruin in anything to do with old cars was to form any sort of emotional attachment with a car?
Hold on to around 5,500rpm in top then foot off the gas, Sat Nav tells me that speed cameras are coming up coming up & best not to trash my licence!
I?ve owned the car for seven years or so and had some great times ? trips to France & Belgium with Sue; lads trips to Angouleme, Le Mans etc. Heroic on-the-road repairs ? including rustic French Chassis welding, 300 miles with mayonnaise in the sump (well it was Belgium), but only one ?trailered back home? in 50k miles. Snapped shock absorbers, leaky diffs, knackered UJs, more money than I care to admit ? but less than the depreciation on a new Mondeo bought at the same time.
Approaching the workshop now; doors are rattling a bit because I renewed the hinge pins yesterday and haven?t bothered to spend time lining them up perfectly. I did this to make the strip down easier and I know it is a crappy job to do ? my penance for not being able to do the full teardown myself (no space).
Is this wise? There have been some nice looking +2S on fleabay for a fraction of the anticipated total outlay?. But they wouldn?t be my car. They get under your skin. You know what is likely to go next, what needs some attention soon ? other things you never get to the bottom of, like that tap, tap tap noise.
Turning into the workshop now ? butterflies, excitement, regret (that I am not doing it all myself). Rational thought ? this is the only realistic way I will ever get the resto done. Plan, plan, save, plan, commit.
Hand over the car to The Man; chatter like a protective parent before he politely tells me to go home and let him get on with it!
Next stages are body off to The Body Man; chassis collected from The Chassis Man; then put it all back together. Simple.
I will report back from time to time.
Jeremy