Discussion
Hi
I am interested in a G15 and have seen one that looks pretty decent. Having read up about them it seems I should be worried about chassis rust and that they rust from the inside which is hard to check.
The seller knows nothing specific about any prior chassis refurbishment.
This is a picture of the exposed chassis around the engine and it show some bubbling. It could just be surface stuff.
Any thoughts from those in the know? Is this a worrying indicator of bigger issues or what they all look like?
I am interested in a G15 and have seen one that looks pretty decent. Having read up about them it seems I should be worried about chassis rust and that they rust from the inside which is hard to check.
The seller knows nothing specific about any prior chassis refurbishment.
This is a picture of the exposed chassis around the engine and it show some bubbling. It could just be surface stuff.
Any thoughts from those in the know? Is this a worrying indicator of bigger issues or what they all look like?
That doesn't look too bad to me, but have a good look underneath and particularly at the front turrets and rear wheel well areas, if you can.
The 'hidden' rust usually occurs where the chassis cranks up over the rea wheels - around the area numbered '22' in this diagram:
Unfortunately, the bits that go are quite well hidden by the bodyshell.
The chassis is relatively simple, though, so isn't usually the biggest area of concern: it's financially viable to replace a chassis, whereas a really good job to refurbish and respray a tired bodyshell will cost more than a G15 is currenty worth.
Fixing the speedo (which is driven from an angle drive on the front hub which is now close to being unobtanium) can be quite a pain, which is probably why the one on that car not been fixed... but that's just a problem of obtaining the correct parts, and if push comes to shove you could fit a modern speedo with a magnetic pick-up driven from one of the transaxle output shafts at the back.
I'm not keen on the electric waterpump on that particular car (it suggests an attempt to cure the symptoms rather than the cause of a previous overheating problem... the real issue is frequently sludging within the water jacket in the engine block, which is an engine rebuild job).
Engine spec. is critical to the value of the car, too - Imp engines are getting expensive to tune, so if it's already got a high spec. engine (ideally 998cc or above, and Webers rather than the 875cc. and twin Strombergs of the baisc, standard car) it potentially adds quite a bit to the value. It's nice to see that it's still running the Imp engine, at least, though - many have been converted to BMW motorcyle engines, which I think will be something that people come to regret in years to come... the Imp engine, when maintained and running correctly is a superb unit.
The 'hidden' rust usually occurs where the chassis cranks up over the rea wheels - around the area numbered '22' in this diagram:
Unfortunately, the bits that go are quite well hidden by the bodyshell.
The chassis is relatively simple, though, so isn't usually the biggest area of concern: it's financially viable to replace a chassis, whereas a really good job to refurbish and respray a tired bodyshell will cost more than a G15 is currenty worth.
Fixing the speedo (which is driven from an angle drive on the front hub which is now close to being unobtanium) can be quite a pain, which is probably why the one on that car not been fixed... but that's just a problem of obtaining the correct parts, and if push comes to shove you could fit a modern speedo with a magnetic pick-up driven from one of the transaxle output shafts at the back.
I'm not keen on the electric waterpump on that particular car (it suggests an attempt to cure the symptoms rather than the cause of a previous overheating problem... the real issue is frequently sludging within the water jacket in the engine block, which is an engine rebuild job).
Engine spec. is critical to the value of the car, too - Imp engines are getting expensive to tune, so if it's already got a high spec. engine (ideally 998cc or above, and Webers rather than the 875cc. and twin Strombergs of the baisc, standard car) it potentially adds quite a bit to the value. It's nice to see that it's still running the Imp engine, at least, though - many have been converted to BMW motorcyle engines, which I think will be something that people come to regret in years to come... the Imp engine, when maintained and running correctly is a superb unit.
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