Had a chance to have a better poke around this weekend to assess the condition.
Starting at the front, the suspension mounting re-inforcing plate (under the spare wheel) has simply dissolved, as have the headlight mounting brackets, bowls and reflectors. This seems to follow a theme throughout the car: it was stored outside, but on hardstanding, so anywhere water collected there's rot, but anywhere that water doesn't pool is pretty good.
Moving to the interior, most of the carpet etc. was rotten (and damp), and fell to bits as it came out. Some of the hardboard trims under the rear windscreen had gone as well. The sunroof's vinyl is intact, but the frame has rotted within it, so it's not repairable.
The passenger side seems to have borne the brunt of the water leaks - the seat runner has disintegrated. Had I tried I think the seat would have come off in my hand - the lower seatbelt mount did. :shock: The sill diaphragm next to the seat had the consistency of wet cardboard - I was able to drag a screwdriver through it sideways. The driver's side diaphragm is also rotten, but not as badly.
The horizontal bulkhead panel is also rotten along the rear edge where water from the rear screen (or maybe sunroof?) had collected. The vertical panel, the inter-footwell panel and the engine bay side panels are all solid and don't need replacing, so that's a bit of good news.
Underneath, the suspension arms and mounting plates are all solid - surface rust, yes, but not rotten by any means. I'll sandblast and paint them before fitting new polybushes, wheelbearings and kingpins (I have access to a 10-ton press for the latter, which should help.
). If funds permit (and they
should), I'll buy new ProTech shocks - having seen them, they are lovely bits of kit - but if not I'll see what condition the existing ones are in. I might end up having to run Imp shocks for a while, but will try not to.
All of the clutch and brake hydraulics need replacing - although that's entirely expected - the pedals are rock solid, and the pipes rusty. I've borrowed my dad's brake pipe flaring tool, so will use Kunifer to make up the pipes along with brass fittings. I won't be retaining the brake servo: I'd rather have a harder pedal, more feel, more reliability, and less cost.
The wiring looks quite good for the most part - a few scotchloks being the main exception - though I expect to have to clean up some of the contacts etc.
The engine appears to be seized solid, although the waterpump turns. :shock:
Overall I think it's a good project base: original enough to not have extensive alterations to undo, but not so good and original that it's a shame to alter things a little. I do wonder if the basket-weave vinyl headlining and door cards might be worth saving for someone restoring one to standard - IIRC is in good condition in this car (besides the sunroof hole...) and is presumably impossible to replace. Any thoughts?
Workplan:
-Replace plywood diaphragms
-Replace heater hoses
-Repair or replace door hinges, free off catches
-Fit new headlights, bowls, etc. Paint steel bits, and modify wing recesses with drain pipes...
-Refurb suspension (incorporating rear x-member strengthening)
-Make and fit brake pipes, replace fuel line, clutch pipe
-Repair Sport-ish L4 engine, fit, change g/box oil
-Test electrics, sort faults
-Sort out the 13" wheels I have with nuts, tyres, etc.
-Sort out seats, mounts, belts, etc.
Then, when everything above is sorted:
-Insure the Clan
-Swap battery, radiator, water pump, brakes (new wheel cylinders, recent linings, adjusters and master cyl anyway), steering rack and trackrods, and doughnuts (and maybe shocks) from Imp. This should only take ~a weekend
- MOT, tax, and drive
-Start work on fine-tuning, leak fixing, etc.
-Begin work on the Imp...
I've also been thinking about what I want the Clan to be. Obviously, for the next ~year, it's going to be my only working car but as I'm used to 'spartan' - my Imp has no carpets to try to stop the floors falling out - I'm not too concerned about carpets, stereos, etc. What I do want is reliability, economy, a decent driving position, and enjoyable handling. As such I will (initially at least) be concentrating on the basics. I do have a pair of period bucket seats to try out in it, and I'm fairly sure that with some attention to detail the bases won't sit higher than the originals. That will still require me to recline the seat a bit, so I might have to fit a deep-dish wheel and drop the column a bit. That would be a shame, as I do like the original wheel, but it's the most logical route, I think. On balance, I don't think I'll be replacing the carpet - it's just extra weight, cost and work: earplugs it is.
In the long run, it's going to be a second fun car, with the Imp as the 'main' transport. Much of my driving for fun happens on tiny country lanes, so I think the Clan is the ideal 'toy' for me. I'm planning to compete in a lot more 12-car nav rallies too, so decent handling on rough tarmac is going to be the goal. As such, I'm planning to keep the ride height and spring rate largely standard, though I might experiment with antiroll bars in time. Once the Imp is back, I think I'll look into building a suitably silly engine for this - after all, economy will no longer be an issue. My current thinking is 875cc (+0.020"), fully balanced, larger valves, R20 and about 11.5:1 CR (yes, it can be done - just
) with EFI and mapped ignition. Should be fun. :twisted: