I've been meaning to post this for ages but never got a chance, so here it is!
This is VIN 5436, October 81, manual transmission, grey interior.
I don't know much about it's history, save that it was originally in the US, went to Scotland at some point, then to the guy in County Meath that had it before me, and now it's in County Donegal, Ireland.
I found a UK style "83 DMC" plate stuck on the back, hidden under sticky black plastic, in the space where the US plate bezel should go. (Possibly a clue to who had it in Scotland?)
I got it at the end of October for a bit under €19k. It was posted on a classified ads site and I jumped at the chance; not very many come up for sale in this country!
Overall it's in great shape, the interior is immaculate, (only the steering wheel is worn), there are no dents or scratches in the stainless, and there is almost no rust on the chassis - just a little bit on some edges, etc, but nothing that can't be tidied up. I've ordered some POR15 paint to take care of that.
When we got the car back home and gave it a thorough look over, we noticed a few more things that needed fixing. One of the things that immediately jumped out was the single grey alloy on the back; all the rest are silver! Not sure how that got there.
Here's a rundown of everything that needs attention:
Electric windows - neither side worked properly; we've just fitted new regulators on both doors, the old ones were past it.
Electric mirrors - didn't work, the glass seemed to be shoved in at one side, popped them back out and now they work perfectly.
Speedometer - didn't budge at all, tracked it down to the angle drive; it seized up at some stage and wore the end of the cable round. Fitted a new cable and drive and all works a charm.
Fuel gauge - had some fun with this; we first thought the sender was broken as the needle was as low as it could go, turned out there was only about 10mm of petrol in the tank, below the level of the float! We initially didn't dip the tank as the fuel warning light wasn't on.
Anyway after pouring in more petrol the needle started to move, but the light is still not coming on, even at below the 1/4 full mark. The bulb and wiring is fine, not sure why it's not lighting.
Handbrake - not working, the cable at the lever seems to be disconnected. Still need to sort this out.
AC - was working initially, then there was a funny CLUNK or POP sound and it stopped. Tracked the fault to the fan speed switch, replaced it and it works again. Still have the hiss from the other switch, I have a seal repair kit here to fix it.
Back brakes - not working; the pads were jammed, couldn't move, and as a result the disc was rusted badly as nothing was in contact with it. Cleaned up the discs on a lathe, freed the pads, and everything works now.
Wiper arm - was somehow bent inwards and scratched an arc into the windscreen. Replaced both arms, unblocked the washer nozzle. A windscreen repair man says the scratch will polish out, still to get that done.
Glove box - found a melted pack of toffees in there, needless to say the flocking was ruined! Got a new one from DMCH, have to butcher it a bit to fit, it's a little tight.
Door/trunk/engine lights - replaced those with LEDs. The originals drained the battery the first night we were working on the car, we had the doors open for about 4 hours!! Whoops...
Engine cover latch - missing; fitted a new one, rivet nut and all.
Door struts - replaced the old ones. Still have to adjust the torsion bars, the doors droop a bit.
Outer door seals - old ones were worn and hanging off, I have new ones but want to do the torsion bars and reattach the T panel first. The seal strips at the top edge of the doors were a bit twisted, we got those straightened out again.
Engine - runs perfectly, not really my department though (my dad and brother are mechanics, but I wouldn't be very knowledgeable about that end of things!) They did service it, put in new spark plugs, new oil and filter, new air filter, and replacement oil switch. Would like to replace things like old fuel lines at some stage. It came with a metal coolant tank, which was a nice surprise.
Relays - I think these are upgraded ones, so should be ok there.
Radio - would like to upgrade to a modern one. The Craig isn't great to be honest, and the LCD display isn't working. The automatic antenna jams a bit, so I might replace it.
Rear US-style number plate bezel - wasn't on the car as it had been in the UK. Bought one from DMCH and put the OUTATIME plate in. Just HAD to do that!!
Alloy wheels - as I said I have one grey and three silver, so I have to do something about that. Just recently noticed the two back wheels are not just different colours but different styles as well! Argh!
Black bits - (louvres/ vents/ wing mirrors/ bumpers - a bit faded, would like to get them repainted. The louvre looks really terrible, lots of water marks etc.
Fascias - again, might get them repainted, after I fix the "eyebrow" on the headlights.
Front springs - the standard "high" ones were on the car, so we fitted the DMC EU lowering springs. Looks a lot better.
Lower ball joints - just read about these failing a lot, might replace them for peace of mind.
Pin stripes - The car originally had the narrow ones applied, but they were below the level of the door handle. The passenger side stripe was torn off at the front so I decided to remove them instead of try to replace them. They didn't look right where they were anyway. I did leave the DMC bit on, I thought it looked quite good where it was.
It also needs a good cleaning! I'd like to get the carpets done professionally, and maybe go over the panels with a scotch pad.
So there's still a lot to do before I get it insured and on the road.
On to the photos!
This is it being taken off the lorry the day it arrived:
And the rest of the photos - sorry for the crap quality!
