Kadett C Restoration (with possible modding)

[Knipex]

I had intended on waiting a while longer before starting this log but I noticed last night that I have already misplaced some pictures so need to get it documented. I am very busy with work, have a new baby and am slowing working on renovating the house so this is a long term project that I only get a chance to work on intermittently with weeks passing between stints on the car.
Some of you may remember that last year I bought a 1979 Kadett C (Sold in US as Buick Opel, in the UK as Chevette (with different engine and front end and in the rest of Europe as the Kadett) that was in excellent condition with the intention of driving it for a few years, doing some discreet upgrades (brakes, swap auto box for a manual etc) and then do a quick restoration and sell her on. The car was low mileage, in excellent condition inside and out with only signs of surface rust on the bottom of one door and on the fold of the rear wheel arches and I suspected some very light rust on the valance.

http://www.phyrric.com/kadett/front.JPG

http://www.phyrric.com/kadett/engine%20bay.JPG

http://www.phyrric.com/kadett/rear.JPG

http://www.phyrric.com/kadett/side%20profile.JPG

All in all a nice solid car.

However due to pregnant wife, extension to house and work pressures the car remained parked and I put it up for sale.

I had a guy very interested and he was coming to view the car so the day before viewing I took it for a spin to make sure everything was OK after it’s long layup. During this drive I noticed that the calliper was sticking on one of the front wheels so I pulled her in to do some work.

To make life easier I took off the wing to give me more access and got a bit of a surprise.

Rust, and lots of it. (in some of the pictures below I have stripped sections back to bare metal and then sprayed them with a commercial rust convertor. While these panels are way too far gone for this to be of any benefit it does highlight any areas that have any sign of rust even very light creep rust that you would normally miss. Rust is black, clean metal is brown.)

The front of the valance was pretty much gone and half the headlight surround is missing.

http://www.phyrric.com/kadett/resto/righthvalancefront.JPG


Bottom of A-pillar covered in rust and while still solid it was heavily pitted so beyond physically removing the rust and I suspect weakened. The two kidney support bowls are heavily rusted along the seams and the metal behind them needs replacing.


http://www.phyrric.com/kadett/resto/rightvalancerear.JPG


I could have just freed the calliper and put the wing back on, pretended nothing and sold the car but I like being able to sleep by night. The guy interested in the car was young and this would have been his first classic so I rang him and told him the story. Obviously he lost interest.


Time to do some work. First job is to strip the car back to a bare shell. All glass, trim and interior out. Take off doors, remove bonnet and boot door and start searching for rust..

Once stripped it wasn’t as bad as I had feared.


http://www.phyrric.com/kadett/resto/floor.JPG

http://www.phyrric.com/kadett/resto/roofstripped.JPG

http://www.phyrric.com/kadett/resto/window.JPG

http://www.phyrric.com/kadett/resto/rearstripped.JPG


The floor was sound with one small pinhole around the seat mounting point. (Picture missing)

The rear seatbelt mounting point (on the rear arch beneath eh rear seat on right hand side) had a significant rust.

http://www.phyrric.com/kadett/resto/reararchrust.JPG

The left hand valance was in worse condition than the right hand side.

http://www.phyrric.com/kadett/resto/lefthandvalanceall.JPG

http://www.phyrric.com/kadett/resto/leftvalance.JPG

http://www.phyrric.com/kadett/resto/leftvalancefront.JPG

The bottom of one door was basically paint with the metal behind it rotten away so it needed reskinning. (Picture missing)

Boot floor, bonnet, engine bay, the rest of the floor and the main shell were solid with no rust so the car was worth saving but needed allot of welding. I have done a little mig welding in the past but nothing to this level and I don’t own a mig.
I looked at getting someone to do the welding for me but after coming across a welding forum and a sourcing a decent DIY Mig welder at a good price I decided to take the opportunity to learn.
A couple of hours on the net got me a lower door skin, complete front valance sections, headlamp surrounds and kidney bowls. The rest I can make as needed.

LET THE WELDING BEGIN

[Knipex]

As I said in my last post I bought a Clark 130amp Mig welder. Sourced a bottle of Argoshield from BOC and had my repair panels from Dr Manta in Germany.

When the panels arrived they were much oversized and quality was at best varied.

The lower skin for the door was junk. It was the size was off slightly see needed work and much stronger than the original metal making it very hard to weld old to new and also very hard to shape.
The repair sections for the front valance were of good quality but were designed to fit over the existing valance not to replace a section. It took allot of trimming and shaping to make them do what I wanted them to do but were better than I expected.
The repair sections for rear wheel arches were excellent quality.
Headlamp surrounds were excellent.The kidney bowels I sourced on e-bay. One was new and fitted perfectly but the other was taken from a car and had some minor rust and the shape had been distorted. I blasted it clean to remove all rust and paint, soaked it in phosphoric acid overnight to get the last of the rust and to Passivate the surface to prevent rusting. Then it took some reshaping to make it fit.


All the pictures of shaping and trimming are missing (memory card died) so all I have is finished pictures.

The first job was the valance or inner wing on both sides. I cut out the rusted sections at the bottom of the A pillars and made up and welded in new sections. Then the kidney bowels were removed and all rust behind and around them cut out and new sections made and welded in. New Kidney bowel’s were then welded into place.

Once that was completed the rusted out section at the front were cut out and paint and seam sealer removed to make sure there was no creep rust. The repair sections were trimmed and shaped to fit.
The headlight surrounds were split at the rusted sections cut out (after I had taken measurements to ensure I know there position and new sections welded in place. The repair sections for the valance were then welded in.
All in all this took me about 4 days to complete with the biggest delay being in shaping the repair sections.
Here are the results.




Left hand front weld still needs to be ground back but its been sprayed with an etch primer.
http://www.phyrric.com/kadett/resto/leftvalancerepair1.JPG (http://www.phyrric.com/kadett/resto/leftvalanacerepair1.JPG[/img)

Here you can see the new kidney bowl seamwelded in place for extra strength and if you look closely you can see where the new sectiosn were welded in behind it. Still needs the weld cleaning.

http://www.phyrric.com/kadett/resto/leftvalancerepair2.JPG

New headlamp surround section. Again weld still needs cleaning.

http://www.phyrric.com/kadett/resto/leftvalanacerepair3.JPG

Right hand side front

http://www.phyrric.com/kadett/resto/rightvalancerepair1.JPG


Kidney bowl
http://www.phyrric.com/kadett/resto/rightvalancerepair2.JPG

Close up of repair sections on A pillar. I could spend another half day tidying it up more but as you accnot do a full seam weld in case you distort the panel its all stop start welding. This leads to pinholes which let in water. The plan is to give it a light skim of fibreglass to make it watertight, paint it and then plenty of seam sealer so ti will all be overed anyway.)

http://www.phyrric.com/kadett/resto/rightvalancerepair3.JPG

This pictue shown the new headlamp surround section but you can also see the reverse side of the panel repair showing the penetration. This will get alot more cleaning and again a light skim of fibreglass paste before painting. Again this is to ensure all the welds are 100% watertight.


http://www.phyrric.com/kadett/resto/rightvalancerepair4.JPG (http://www.phyrric.com/kadett/resto/rightvalancerepair4.JPG)


All welding in the front of the car is now finished.

Next jobs are.

Repair the small section on the floor.

Repair rear seatbelt mount.

[Knipex]

Where the passenger seat is mounted to the floor there is a reinforcement place mounted under the floor to spread the load. At some stage water seeped in between the floor and the reinforcement place and started to rust through. Once I removed the reinforcement plate I discovered that the rust was relatively minor and confined to one small spot. The reinforcement plate had had been well painted before being put in place and was free of rust.

It was a small job and I did more damage removing the reinforcement plate than the rust had done. I cut out a small section about 3” long by ½” wide and welded in a new section. Replaced the reinforcement plate (after liberal use of a zinc rich weld through primer and plug welded it in place. I then seam welded it underneath for extra strength.

Most of these pictures were on the corrupt memory card so all I have is a finished picture.

http://www.phyrric.com/kadett/resto/floorrepaired.JPG
Next job was to fix the rust around the rear seatbelt mounting point.
http://www.phyrric.com/kadett/resto/reararchrust.JPG
The damage here is actually much worse than it looks. I removed the rear wheel to allow me access to the area from both sides. Once I started to remove the seam sealer the reinforcement plate with the anchor for the seatbelt literally disappeared in a cloud of dust and creep rust had spread around a largish area.
This is also very near an area where two panels join, are overlapped and spot-welded. Rust has also started here, very minor only creep rust so far but worth treating now.
Simple solution.
Cut it out.
http://www.phyrric.com/kadett/resto/cutout.JPG

Make a section and weld it in.

http://www.phyrric.com/kadett/resto/weldedin.JPG


There are no seatbelts fitted and I don’t plan on fitting a set so I am not going to make and fit an anchor point. If at some point I change my mind it’s a relatively easy job but for the moment this is good enough.

This is about as far as I have gotten to date and it will be at least 2 weeks before I can get at the car again. Work on the car is confined to an hour or two in an evening if I can get free and perhaps one Saturday a month so don’t expect fast progress or multiple updates.
Next jobs
Rear arches.
(And while repairing the seatbelt mount I noticed a possible problem in the sill.)

[Crunch]

Cant beat a classic can ya?

Nice work, so far. Looking promising.

[mnpctech]

I've always been fond of them as a kid. Extremely rare to find today.

13x6 BBS baby turbos would look hot..

[Da_Rude_Baboon]

Thats some really impressive work Kev. I have to ask what the attraction is to the Opel Kadett though? :confused: I appreciate its in good condition for an old car but tis not a car that jumps out at me as being a classic.


13x6 BBS baby turbos would look hot..

My friend was showing me videos of a Mark 2 escort with a Hayabusa turbo bike engine at the weekend... :h34r:

[Knipex]

The Mark II Escort is a very popular care round here and making crazy money. A couple of mates in a car scene are ford fanatics and one of them recently paid a small fortune for a RS 2000 and is about to spend another fortune restoring it.

I always argued that the Mark II is one of the most overrated cars of its time and during one such debate I was asked to nominate a mainstream alternative of the time that was a better car.
The Kadett C was of the same period, had better brakes, better suspension, better interior, was a better drive (pretty much the same suspension set up as the Manta) and IMHO better looking (especially in coupe form). Even today they are a better car and much much rarer but for some reason virtually ignored and cheap. The big problem is that the majority were cold as a 1.2ltr which was slightly underpowered but the 1.9 was no slouch (same engine as the manta). You could buy a Kadett, fully restore it, do an engine and suspension upgrade and still have the car cheaper than a standard reasonable condition 2 door escort.

Once this car came up it was an opportunity to put my money where my mouth was. I always liked the Series A Manta, and the rear wheel drive ascona's, they have a huge following in Germany so parts are reasonably easy to get hold of and they are ripe for upgrades.

At one stage I was contemplating a small block V8 with a 3" roof chop but financial reality took hold. To replace all the glass after the roof chop would cost me over 5K and small clocks are not exactly a dime a dozen over here. I am currently looking at fitting a red-top. 180bhp standard, 200bhp with minimal work and reasonably cheap.

[Da_Rude_Baboon]

Thanks for the very informative reply. :-) These cars are a bit before my time so i know very little about them, but the mark2 escort does seem to have a cult following so i see some of them going about. Infact Sineads brother has had a mk2 shell on blocks as long as i have known her.

[Pug]

Nice job so far, mate. Looks like that'll be solid when you're done. :thumb:

Those Rostyles* that're on it now look sweet if you keep it standard, mind.

*Last set of Rostyles I had, I needed to strip eight consecutive layers of paint off 'em! (Took me a weekend per wheel, two cans of nitromors and a wire-brush attachment on my drill).
I ended up repainting the rims and flat-blacking the centres completely, which made them look nice and deep afterwards though, so the hard work paid off. B)


I used to have a shove-it for a while. :lol:
Mine was the 3-door hatch with the wannabe droop snoot front on it though.

That's an Isle of Man plate, isn't it. I thought it looked like an '85, until I spotted the last three letters. :duh:

[Da_Rude_Baboon]

*Last set of Rostyles I had, I needed to strip eight consecutive layers of paint off 'em! (Took me a weekend per wheel, two cans of nitromors and a wire-brush attachment on my drill).


I know somebody who used a bath full of nitromors to strip paint off a motorbike. Unfortunately it was a plastic bath. :lol::duh:

[fivecheebs]

^^ WHoops! :lol:

[Knipex]

Sorry for the delay in posting but as explained things are pretty hectic so getting time to actually work on the car is hard and time to spend on the work-log even harder.

Ok where to start.

As I said in my last post I found a problem with the sill. I was cleaning back paint on the rear arch to get a look at the metal underneath (surprisingly good actually (but when I approached the sill I noticed some rust. Much exploring later I found the sill was rusting from the inside out and was holed. After cutting the rust out the inner sill was gone. Literally just dust left in one section.

Time for more cutting to get rid of the rot. Liberal use of a rust treater to get anything I missed (creep rust can surprise you) and a couple of coats of zinc primer later.

http://www.phyrric.com/kadett/resto/sill1.JPG



Simple plate, some welding and more zinc primer later. (Not going to waste time tidying up this weld)


http://www.phyrric.com/kadett/resto/sill2.JPG

The repair section I got for the rear arch provided a nice piece to start the repair.


http://www.phyrric.com/kadett/resto/sill4.JPG

http://www.phyrric.com/kadett/resto/sill3.JPG


All that’s left is to make up a small piece to fill the rest, weld it in, clean it up and more zinc etch primer.

(sorry no pic at the moment but I think you can fill in the blanks yourself.)

Next job is the rear arches.

The arches themselves are almost perfect. The only rust is where they fold in to form the lip and even this is not bad.

http://www.phyrric.com/kadett/resto/arch.JPG


I have seen guys sand and paint worse but any rust will just spread again.
Best option is to cut it out a bit at a time.

http://www.phyrric.com/kadett/resto/arch1.JPG


Now the hard part (and next to impossible to photograph)

The inner and outer are joined by this fold so when you cut it out you lose strength. To get it back you need to run a weld all around the edge of your cut to ensure you join both panels again. This really really to be a seam weld so you are in effect welding 2 plates along the edge so there is no place for the heat to go. Also the inner arch is painted, rust treated and seam sealed. All stuff that smokes when heated and likes to go on fire. Not pleasant when you are working with you head inside the arch. So you need to spend the time to grind away all remaining rust (its hard enough to weld without having to weld rust) and try to remove as much of the crap (seam sealer as possible)

I told you it was hard to photograph so forgive the quality.

http://www.phyrric.com/kadett/resto/arch3.JPG


The next job is to get the repair panels and just cut out the section you want. Ideally I would have just cut out the fold but in some areas I had to cut back a little higher to remove all the rust so I cut them from where the flat part of the arch meets the curve of the rear quarter panel. It would have been much easier if I took a picture but once in flight I just plain forgot.

Once its cut tacked and welded in looks like this (I had it half cleaned before I remembered to take the picture. I sprayed it with zinc primer to highlight the weld line so it should explain what I did)

http://www.phyrric.com/kadett/resto/arch5.JPG

After some final tidying up it looks like

http://www.phyrric.com/kadett/resto/arch4.JPG

http://www.phyrric.com/kadett/resto/arch6.JPG


Then its just a matter of more zinc etch primer and repeat on the other side.
Well that’s it for this stage.

All the rot has been cut out and replaced. Now comes the really boring part. Removing the old paint, sanding, and priming.

It could be some time before the next update but the project won’t be abandoned the time line may slip a bit but the car will be finished for next summer.

[fivecheebs]

Nice Job Kev. I cant imagine trying to tackle a task like this. Kudos to you.

[Knipex]

Its not as hard as it looks.

I spent a few summers as a young fellow working in a a garage so picked up a few tricks. Its amazing how much you can learn watching some of the TV shows (in particular American Hotrod) and the rest you can pretty much figure out as you go along.

I have the added bonus of a friend who owns a bodyshop and lets me use his workshop when I am working on something like this. It allows me to tap him on the shoulder when I am unsure about something.

The Mig welding was surprisingly easy. I bought a cheap wing from a motor factors and just started practicing laying down welds. After 20 minutes or so I started cutting pieces out and welding them together. After about an hour I was welding panels.

All you need is patience, a basic understanding of body work (Haynes do a nice manual) and just take the chance. I got the car cheap so worst case scenario I got half way through and couldn't do the rest. Ok I lost a few quid but had fun in the process.

Plus it is amazing how therapeutic it can be cutting out a piece of metal, beating the crap out a new piece with a hammer and then welding it in. Beats the hell out of a budget review meeting any day.

[jaguarking11]

im literaly drooling over this thing.

Awesome machine, is that a double wishbone front? If so nice.

If it were me id put in a 3.5L rover v8 in it though. Cant beat the burble of a v8. Also the rover v8 would right at home as it originally was a gm engine. :thumb:

The redtop im assuming is a vauxhaul sp? 4cyl 2L?

[Pug]

im literaly drooling over this thing.

Awesome machine, is that a double wishbone front? If so nice.

If it were me id put in a 3.5L rover v8 in it though. Cant beat the burble of a v8. Also the rover v8 would right at home as it originally was a gm engine. :thumb:

The redtop im assuming is a vauxhaul sp? 4cyl 2L?
Heh, you'd have loved my bro's Viva GT with a 3.0L V6 conversion (forget now if it had the supercharger fitted that he was toying with the idea of...).

Nice progress as usual Kev. B)
Glad you're having fun and responding well to the therapy of it. :wiz:

[Knipex]

I'm literally drooling over this thing.

Awesome machine, is that a double wishbone front? If so nice.

Yup they were ahead of their time and a seriously under rated car.


If it were me id put in a 3.5L rover v8 in it though. Cant beat the burble of a v8. Also the rover v8 would right at home as it originally was a gm engine. :thumb:

The redtop I'm assuming is a vauxhall sp? 4cyl 2L?



I did look at the rover V8 and even a small block but looking at examples that already have been done the car would require some serious mods to take the extra weight and torque if it was to remain drive-able.

The firewall would require some serious mods, front cross member would need to be rebuilt and the entire car stiffened either with a welded in roll bar (which would be a step too far as maintaining the usability of the car) or I would need to seam weld every join in the car (which would result in cracking at the "weak points" in the frame.

The extra weight would mean totally redoing the front suspension (and probably the rear) so as not the compromise handling

The redtop (you are correct its the 4 cyl 2L) is the best compromise of weight, performance and originality. The weight is not that much more that the original engine so the cross-member would only need minimal bracing to handle the extra torque. I hope to fit a new 5 speed box in the original tunnel so that means keeping the interior layout. The rear axle will require changing as will breaks, springs and shocks but outside of that I can keep her original spec.

I have no doubt that I could fit the V8 and fit the roll bar and hide it, rebuild the front and rear suspension, with the firewall and cross member mods but the budget wont stretch and with the time I have availabel it would take years with the strong possibility I would loose interest half way through.

My origonal plan was to chop the roof but getting all that curved glass custom made was going to cost me a fortune, litterally thousands so compromises had to be made.

You may be able to help me though. I know this car was sold in the US so there must be some upgrade packages available. I am findings the pickings slim over here so have a look and see what they have available for rear axle, brakes and suspension.

[jaguarking11]

Yup they were ahead of their time and a seriously under rated car.





I did look at the rover V8 and even a small block but looking at examples that already have been done the car would require some serious mods to take the extra weight and torque if it was to remain drive-able.

The firewall would require some serious mods, front cross member would need to be rebuilt and the entire car stiffened either with a welded in roll bar (which would be a step too far as maintaining the usability of the car) or I would need to seam weld every join in the car (which would result in cracking at the "weak points" in the frame.

The extra weight would mean totally redoing the front suspension (and probably the rear) so as not the compromise handling

The redtop (you are correct its the 4 cyl 2L) is the best compromise of weight, performance and originality. The weight is not that much more that the original engine so the cross-member would only need minimal bracing to handle the extra torque. I hope to fit a new 5 speed box in the original tunnel so that means keeping the interior layout. The rear axle will require changing as will breaks, springs and shocks but outside of that I can keep her original spec.

I have no doubt that I could fit the V8 and fit the roll bar and hide it, rebuild the front and rear suspension, with the firewall and cross member mods but the budget wont stretch and with the time I have availabel it would take years with the strong possibility I would loose interest half way through.

My origonal plan was to chop the roof but getting all that curved glass custom made was going to cost me a fortune, litterally thousands so compromises had to be made.

You may be able to help me though. I know this car was sold in the US so there must be some upgrade packages available. I am findings the pickings slim over here so have a look and see what they have available for rear axle, brakes and suspension.

hmmm im sure someone turned one of these into a dragster. I am unfamiliar with the rear of this car though. Is it a solid rear with 3 or 4 points or is it independent? If it is a solid rear then im sure I could find you a nice lsd pumkin you can swap in with posible 30spline axles to go along with it.

Let me do some diging. Although, If I were you... I would swap a full jaguar rear in there. Something out of an xj6 would do you well provided it has 3.33+ gearing to go along with that high reving lump. I have also read that you can carb those redtops....Is that the route your going or a full ecu with the swap?

EDIT: nevermind, I see the kadett shares a rear axle with the opel GT and surprisingly I was researching the car a while back as I was considering buying an opel gt. Well I posted a thread in the opel gt forums. http://www.opelgt.com/forums/kadett-b/18775-kadett-rear-axle.html#post174009 hopefully they will get to back to me quick. Fortunetly all is not lost with a solid rear, as im sure you are aware my mustang has a solid rear. I will be adding a watts link to it to make it handle way better. I would sugest that whatever axle you are going to end up puting in the thing that you do at least a 4link conversion. Scrap the idea of a xj6 rear grafted on as its going to get very tricky to setup in such a small car. I will further reaserch the axle options, however the ford rear from a ranger/mazda b2000/2200/2300 might be a good candidate if you can get someone to shorten the sides and respline and shorten the axles. Or even put some huge fender flares and keep the wide axle, however I somehow doubt you want to alter the cars looks. Another option is a drag racing rear end, but that is very heavy as its designed to take allot of abuse at the track. I know one thing though...the opel gt rear is made of butter and anything over 120lb of torque will kill it.

[jaguarking11]

http://www.opelgt.com/forums/engine-swap-forum/1133-what-rear-end-do-you-use-v6-swaps.html

that thread has some good info. Interesting thing is that it seems you might be able to use the mustang unit. That means a nearly bullet proof unit with a very wide selection of gears and options. Imagine running 4:10 gears and a 6speed with double overdrive. Fuel economy and lots of bite.

Sounds like fun. Although after further research, some owners say the stock axle is good for 200hp in normal driving conditions and others say it will turn to jello....

[jaguarking11]

Bumperoo.

Kev, we must have an update. I demand it.....:lol:

[fillip]

Bumperoo.

Kev, we must have an update. I demand it.....:lol:

Think he's been a touch busy with work of late, since he's essentially running his own office now from what I gather.

Doubt that between his missus, child and job that anything will have been done since his last update.

[jaguarking11]

Think he's been a touch busy with work of late, since he's essentially running his own office now from what I gather.

Doubt that between his missus, child and job that anything will have been done since his last update.

Ah well. I was looking forward to seeing progress. Some day I hope.

Ive been slacking on installing some performance parts on my car as well, they have been collecting dust for months. So I can understand life gets in the way sometimes. :toast:

[Knipex]

Hey guys

Long time no post.

Well in short fillip is correct and I have very little time left for the car (in fact I have let it be known I am open to the idea of selling it).

Since the last update I found one more section of rust and replaced it but 90% of my time has been spent in the engine bay and boot (trunk)

The entire engine bay was coated with a rust preventative. its like an oily tar that was used in the 70's, you spray it on and it dries to form a rubbery protection, something like wax oil.

You cannot sand it off as it just clogs the paper (like sanding tar) and its really resistant to chemicals. Paint stripper barely touches it, it actually makes it softer and harder to remove. it destroys wire brushes and is a nightmare to remove.

I ended up using two rounds of paint stripper (apply, lave for 10 minutes and power wash off), followed by a caustic degreaser (again apply with a brush and power wash off) then a clan rag and thinners to get the last of it.

After that it was remove the seam sealer (scrape off) sandpaper (by hand the shape makes a sander useless) tidy up the welds (used a little filler as necessary) and prime. I have most of the engine bay done and am starting in the boot (trunk).

In total I would say I have put about 20 hours into the car since the last update.

I work some weekends, am in the middle of rebuilding the en-suite (Its been stripped for over a year now, all fixtures, dry lining all stud work and even the concrete floor have been ripped out, there isn't even a window in it any more and Monica bless her has not complained yet.

Monica got all the hedges cut out at the start of the winter. i was advised to leave the stumps until may, Once growth starts spray them with a brushwood killer, give it a month and then dig out the roots. I did spray them and its almost time to dig them up. There was miles of hedging and its all 25 years old so serious roots. Plus the outside of the house needs paining, Monica wants the back yard resurfaced (it got damaged during the extension build).

Plus I replaced the hot water cylinder a few months back (leak) the new one is much bigger so the door of the hot press will no longer close so that's another job needs doing.

So I think the car will be put on hold until the winter while I try to clear the rest of the work that needs doing.

[jaguarking11]

WOW, looks like you have your hands completely full. While I don't like the idea of selling it, do what you think is best. I would love to see that thing running around with a red top in the engine bay.

[jedihobbit]

Almost 3 years later.........what happened to it??