Restoration opinions..!!

[C5 OEM 0]

Ok so took the front end off the car to paint the bumper and other bits.Started to clean down the engine but now wondering how far i go...?

 

Options;

 

1. clean up best i can and put it all back together

 

2. take the engine out detail and put back together

 

3. take the engine out and detail plus do chains /rebuild ect..?

 

As it stands..

[OllieVR6 0]

Personally, I would go for 1 or 3. Depending on mileage, when the chains were done, and so on. If the engine is sweet, just do option 1.

[Guest]

its a slippery slope once the engine comes out mines been of the road for 8 months because of a little tidy up :lol:

[james28 0]

if money time and transport is no option obviously give it the full treatment

[Abdul 0]

if money time and transport is no option obviously give it the full treatment

 

Pretty much this, depends on your needs mate.

[C5 OEM 0]

its a slippery slope once the engine comes out mines been of the road for 8 months because of a little tidy up :lol:

 

 

This is what i`m trying to avoid, i know these jobs can drag on and dont want it off the road for ever..

[Chris Langdon 0]

goes back to the old sayin if it aint broke......... dont fix it, also depends on money, etc if its a daily etc engine bay looks good from the piccy

[james28 0]

this car will become an ornament if you clean it anymore and you wont drive it

If you have money to burn though why not

[OSV 0]

goes back to the old sayin if it aint broke......... dont fix it, also depends on money, etc if its a daily etc engine bay looks good from the piccy

 

Told him pretty much the same earlier :lol:

[C5 OEM 0]

Haven`t got bottom less pit of money and time is limited but just want to make the best of the car i can..

engine wise its just the block that has the usual 170k of use and grime/rust; suppose i can just clean/restore where possible and as time goes on maybe engine out as/when it needs a rebuild..?

[james28 0]

170k wow its wearing very very well :) :clap:

[James. 7]

I have the same predicament Andy. Car goes off the road tomorrow, then in the coming weeks I'll be stripping the car down. But where do I stop ?

 

The car runs well. Very well in fact. Just had a great run today to/from Southport with the family and she performed beautifully and purred like a kitten.

 

I'm going to have a look at the internals once the ongine is eased out. If I'm happy with what i see then I intend to clean it all, bolt it all back up and drive it again next year. If I've any spare time before the re-tax date (April 2011) then I'll have a go at the suspension and brakes.

 

The subframes/wishbones/under carriage will have to wait till when she's off the road next year.

 

But that's my project.

 

Restoration projects are circumstantial (unless you've bottom-less pockets) I guess it all depends on your budget and time plan.

 

Best of luck with what you decide and don't forget to keep all those pictures flowing. :D

[Danny B 0]

I get the feeling that once you start you cant stop ........ which is why I keep telling myself not to start - It might also be something to do with the minus temps outside :lol:

[Portent 0]

If the mileage was a bit lower then I'd probably say not to bother, but at 170k it will need them doing at some point. There's no point in having a beautiful car like that if you can't enjoy it and if you get them done then you have peace of mind for the lifetime of your ownership. Just my opinion of course. That's assuming you have the funds too.

[fla 9]

chains are not too difficult tbh, just a bit involved, but the process has been extremely well documented in a thread by 2cc in the Wiki. I would check the block first to see whether its worth doing the chains and clutch, as you never know whether a previous owner ran it as carefully as you do now - there may be future problems of wear in the bores or the head (stem seals etc, machining) that may need doing too. Might be simpler and cheaper to throw in a 24v of some flavour (2.8 or 3.2). Just a thought.

 

Personally i love the sound of a VR over a 2.8, even though the latter is a better engine, more modern, more efficient, but when mine fails, i'll probably just swop them over rather than rebuild mine. Having said that, i do keep thinking of doing a swop and mine has only done 70k...

[big ben 10]

do the lot i say... detail and paint the lot, get the chains done and all put back together, job done... you wont need to have all the front off again for a while and you can concentrate else where knowing the engine bay is good for a long time hopefully

[Portent 0]

chains are not too difficult tbh, just a bit involved, but the process has been extremely well documented in a thread by 2cc in the Wiki. I would check the block first to see whether its worth doing the chains and clutch, as you never know whether a previous owner ran it as carefully as you do now - there may be future problems of wear in the bores or the head (stem seals etc, machining) that may need doing too. Might be simpler and cheaper to throw in a 24v of some flavour (2.8 or 3.2). Just a thought.

 

Personally i love the sound of a VR over a 2.8, even though the latter is a better engine, more modern, more efficient, but when mine fails, i'll probably just swop them over rather than rebuild mine. Having said that, i do keep thinking of doing a swop and mine has only done 70k...

 

I think he's going for the completely OEM look so I'm guessing he'd prefer to keep the original engine.

[bruny 0]

Yep, do it once, properly, while the car is off the road for winter!

Powder coat the crossmember and subframe and rear axle etc. while youre at it.

It is a lovely looking motor that you shouldnt part with so you may as well do it sooner rather than later.