Suggestions for Budget Project?

[RickApple]

If anyone has been mooching in the mini forum recently you may have seen that I've just finished my mini resto. Problem being of course that i'm now bored, and need something else to do up.

Prerequisites are :

1. Not an MG [at 18 I'm still far too young]
2. Must be cheapish to do
3. Good parts and spares network
4. Sporty!
5. Attractive!

Any ideas?

[Martin_S]

MG Midget or Frogeye Sprite shouldn't be too expensive to insure. A-series engine, too.

Failing that, how about a Hillman Imp?

[Pigeon]

Too young for an MG?? Even a Midget? Well, there's always the Sprite

Spitfire? Triumph Vitesse? GT6?

[Martin_S]

The Triumphs are easy to restore, but the handling is a bit dodgy for modern road use!

[RickApple]

I'm a big fan of both the spit and the gt6; is it possible to get cheap second hand panels, ie non official ones? I also like the idea of a seperate body and chassis so you can whack the thing on a rotisserie and just chop out all the crap metal. Are there plenty of GT6's about? I wouldnt be able to insure it, but it would be fun doing it....

[Alpineandy]

what about a scimitar. They appear to be very cheap at the moment.

or a lotus elan+2

or a europa

or a Renault 4 van.....

>> Edited by Alpineandy on Sunday 7th November 18:13

[Pigeon]

RickApple said:

I'm a big fan of both the spit and the gt6; is it possible to get cheap second hand panels, ie non official ones? I also like the idea of a seperate body and chassis so you can whack the thing on a rotisserie and just chop out all the crap metal. Are there plenty of GT6's about? I wouldnt be able to insure it, but it would be fun doing it....

AFAIK panels for pretty well all the "popular" classics come under the "non-official" heading as stocks of "original" panels made by the original manufacturer have long been used up. Check out Google and the ads in magazines such as "Practical Classics".

Note that although the Spit and GT6 do have a separate chassis, the body is still a structural part. You can't just "ignore" the sills as being non-structural like you can with most separate-chassis cars.

GT6es were only made for a few years at the end of the 60s, unfortunately, so they take rather more finding than Spitfires. I wouldn't call them massively rare though.

[clapham993]

Alpineandy said:

what about a scimitar. They appear to be very cheap at the moment. or a lotus elan+2 or a europa or a Renault 4 van..... >> Edited by Alpineandy on Sunday 7th November 18:13

A big hands-up for the Scimitar - cheap as chips, great parts availability, limited scope to rot, fast, practical, not of the crowd.......

[Martin_S]

Alpineandy said:

what about a scimitar. They appear to be very cheap at the moment. or a lotus elan+2 or a europa or a Renault 4 van..... >> Edited by Alpineandy on Sunday 7th November 18:13

I think we may be losing perspective here. The Scimitar or either of the Lotus' would be impossible to insure...Rick is 18 years old!

Also, an Elan +2 is a very expensive car to restore. Chassis need to be replaced - it is very bad practice to try and patch them by welding - the engine is very expensive to rebuild and is a whole different ballgame in terms of complexity to the A-series that Rick has experienced so far, and while all parts are available, none are cheap by the standards of an 18 year old.

[IOLAIRE]

Martin_S said:

MG Midget or Frogeye Sprite shouldn't be too expensive to insure. A-series engine, too. Failing that, how about a Hillman Imp?

Rick, this is seriously worth considering.
I did a bit of development work on the Imps in Linwood, they were really bloody rapid.
The engine was an all alloy unit developed from the 1.5 litre lightweight Coventry Climax racing engine.
With the right cam and a set of Webbers you can make them rev to 9000 rpm!! Awesome exhaust note!
They were light years ahead of the Mini in terms of the technology of the day and were just so nice to drive.
Worth thinking about.

[Alpineandy]

Martin_S said:

Alpineandy said: what about a scimitar. They appear to be very cheap at the moment. or a lotus elan+2 or a europa or a Renault 4 van..... >> Edited by Alpineandy on Sunday 7th November 18:13 I think we may be losing perspective here. The Scimitar or either of the Lotus' would be impossible to insure...Rick is 18 years old! Also, an Elan +2 is a very expensive car to restore. Chassis need to be replaced - it is very bad practice to try and patch them by welding - the engine is very expensive to rebuild and is a whole different ballgame in terms of complexity to the A-series that Rick has experienced so far, and while all parts are available, none are cheap by the standards of an 18 year old.

OK, So a Renault 4 van it is then.




I don't disagree with you about the cost per se, but the savings on fiberglass bodywork costs would reduce the overall costs.

As for insurance, I'm afraid thats true of almost anything interesting with any performance (at that age).

what about a characterful Austin 7..





ps how much do I wish I was 'that age' again......

[RickApple]

Thanks everyone! I like the hillman imp - they have the closed panel grille on the front dont they? I hear they rust a bit...this true?

I've also been looking at the ford anglia 105, they have something about them; has anyone here owned one?

>> Edited by RickApple on Monday 8th November 16:46

[yertis]

Get yourself a GT6. Resto-cases go for about £500 on ebay. Nearly got one myself a couple of weeks ago, then realised I had nowhere to put it. Great fun.

[IOLAIRE]

RickApple said:

Thanks everyone! I like the hillman imp - they have the closed panel grille on the front dont they? I hear they rust a bit...this true? I've also been looking at the ford anglia 105, they have something about them; has anyone here owned one? >> Edited by RickApple on Monday 8th November 16:46

Hi Rick,
there are quite a few variants on the theme, so you get different grills but they're all false anyway coz the radiator is in the back beside the engine!.
It's a very fine core and tends to choke up with leaves, insects, etc. so it's important that it's cleaned out frequently to keep the engine cool.
ALL British cars rusted in those days, but I found the Imp to be much better than the Mini in this regard, and very much easier to repair.
If you're going to get a 105 go for the 1200 Super DeLuxe! The only problem is that it had a three bearing crank which did not take any abuse.
The good news however is that you can slot in the 1500 or 1600 crossflow unit from the Cortina and you've got yourself a little flying machine, and they look so cute as well.

[Andrew Noakes]

RickApple said:

I've also been looking at the ford anglia 105

Drive a 105E Anglia and it'll make you realise why so many people raved about Minis!

[Alpineandy]

RickApple said:

Thanks everyone! I like the hillman imp - they have the closed panel grille on the front dont they? I hear they rust a bit...this true? I've also been looking at the ford anglia 105, they have something about them; has anyone here owned one? >> Edited by RickApple on Monday 8th November 16:46

I'd vote for the imp, but you'd be wise to do some research on the cost of parts/replacement panels.
I'm not a fan of Anglias but the parts situation/cost may make it a more sensible option.

Also if you have to do a major body re-build (where you have to make up panels yourself), you may be better looking for a van or estate. These can sometimes have a better re-sale (whilst being bloody useful for you). BUT this is only the case sometimes, so research.
Have you bought practicle classics mag yet. The article does refer to the insurance costs as well. Definitely worthwhile buying a copy.

Good luck.

[docevi1]

Alpineandy said:

Martin_S said: I think we may be losing perspective here. The Scimitar or either of the Lotus' would be impossible to insure...Rick is 18 years old! As for insurance, I'm afraid thats true of almost anything interesting with any performance (at that age).

I got quoted £26k for a 3.0GTE Schimatar last year so I bought my Marlin Roadster 1800TC.

~100bhp in a chassis weighing not much more than 700kgs And the best part, insurance for my first year at 20 with no NCB and it been my first and only car - £600, dropping to £420 this year with 3 pts and 1years NCB

Oh, and it cost £2k to buy www.stefancarlton.net

[Martin_S]

IOLAIRE said:

there are quite a few variants on the theme, so you get different grills but they're all false anyway coz the radiator is in the back beside the engine!.

Unless, of course, a front radiator has been installed! No being facetious here - it is quite a popular modification on tuned Imps and since quite a few of the Imps still in existence have been tuned, there's a fair chance you will come across a front radiator.

Otherwise, good advice: if the car still uses a rear radiator, remove it to back flush the rad and spray through the gills to clean out leaves and crap at every 6,000 mile service. Also use decent antifreeze at the correct concentration. Radiators, and even cylinder heads, silt up with deposits of oxidised aluminium if you don't. The wate pump is remotely mounted and can easily be wrecked by over-tightening the fan-belt. The cooling system is the Achille's Heel of the Imp and was marginal even when new. You can resolve the shortcomings by fitting a double-cored rear, or decent front, radiator, but you will still need to keep the system well maintained or you will suffer from blown head gaskets and warped heads.

As Iolaire says, corrosion is no worse than most Brit classics and a lot better than some, but the earlier cars (pre-Chrysler takeover) allegedly used thicker and better quality steel, so are preferable (and you get free road tax, of course!)

I'm a big Imp fan myself - I've owned several - so I know that parts supply of mechanical items is generally very good. Body panel availabilty is not bad. Interior trim is very hard to get hold of, but people don't worry too much about originality with Imps, yet, so you cam make your own door cards and fit seats from an XR2 or similar if all else fails.

If you haven't come across it already, check out the Imp Club website (www.theimpclub.co.uk/) : loads of cars for sale (and occasionally given away free, via the 'paper scrapyard' in the ads) and the club is an excellent source of parts and advice.

[Martin_S]

docevi1 said:

Alpineandy said: Martin_S said: I think we may be losing perspective here. The Scimitar or either of the Lotus' would be impossible to insure...Rick is 18 years old! As for insurance, I'm afraid thats true of almost anything interesting with any performance (at that age). I got quoted £26k for a 3.0GTE Scimitar last year so I bought my Marlin Roadster 1800TC. ~100bhp in a chassis weighing not much more than 700kgs And the best part, insurance for my first year at 20 with no NCB and it been my first and only car - £600, dropping to £420 this year with 3 pts and 1years NCB Oh, and it cost £2k to buy www.stefancarlton.net

You were quoted twenty six thousand pounds to insure a Scimitar? Shouldn't there be a decimal point in there somewhere? Even so, pretty scary...

You're right about kit cars, though - I bought a Westfield when I was about your age, with similar experience, and it was similarly reasonable to insure.

The Marlin is a lovely little car, too - I've always fancied one myself (preferably with an Alfa Twin Cam in it), but so far ownership has eluded me.

Still, some consolation in being an old bugger of 36 - it costs me less to insure my 5 litre Griffith than it costs you on the Marlin, and I think the insurance companies would probably pay me to drive round in a Scimitar, these days!

[Pigeon]

docevi1 said:

Oh, and it cost £2k to buy www.stefancarlton.net

That's a kinpricey domain name...