Some of you may remember I was rebuilding a suspension damaged/written off Topaz Blue 2.2.
https://zroadster.org/threads/assessing-steering-suspension-damage.15264/
I'd already replaced with new/decent-secondhand - subframe, steering rack, tie rods, struts, hubs, wishbones, lollipops, wheel sensors. And it was about to take to the road.
The last thing I had to do was put the chassis brace back. Easy right? Well it wouldn't line up with the holes in the chassis. After a lot of head-scratching I realised there must have been a deformation in the chassis rail somewhere. Sure enough I realised something had been staring me in the face all along but because it was so neat, rounded and no scuff marks/paint loss I must have thought it was the natural line of the car.
This is the area, looking upwards on the offside, at the point where the floor pan turns up into the lower rear of the wheel arch.
This is what it should look like (nearside).
In case you can't quite picture where this is it's under the area pointed to by the arrow. The hole is the reference point in the images.
I have to say I've learnt an enormous amount and fortunately I'm only out of pocket for time as the £350 I spent on parts can all be recovered. I bought it to break originally, mainly for the engine for my other project car. But I got quite attached to it (it's a nice car) and when my terminally ill friend said he wanted one I decided that would be quicker to put back on the road than the other project car. He as you may know died before I could get the car finished.
I've made enquiries with a couple of body shops in case it can be pulled out for a couple of hundred quid. But that's all I can throw at it. As I was already going to do no better than break even when I sold it (it also needs the bonnet and front bumper respraying amongst some other odds and ends) I can't spend anymore. Even then I'll be loosing money when I sell it but at least I'll have saved a nice car.
So it's with some sadness I'm therefore (probably) announcing my next breaking project...
https://zroadster.org/threads/assessing-steering-suspension-damage.15264/
I'd already replaced with new/decent-secondhand - subframe, steering rack, tie rods, struts, hubs, wishbones, lollipops, wheel sensors. And it was about to take to the road.
The last thing I had to do was put the chassis brace back. Easy right? Well it wouldn't line up with the holes in the chassis. After a lot of head-scratching I realised there must have been a deformation in the chassis rail somewhere. Sure enough I realised something had been staring me in the face all along but because it was so neat, rounded and no scuff marks/paint loss I must have thought it was the natural line of the car.
This is the area, looking upwards on the offside, at the point where the floor pan turns up into the lower rear of the wheel arch.
This is what it should look like (nearside).
In case you can't quite picture where this is it's under the area pointed to by the arrow. The hole is the reference point in the images.
I have to say I've learnt an enormous amount and fortunately I'm only out of pocket for time as the £350 I spent on parts can all be recovered. I bought it to break originally, mainly for the engine for my other project car. But I got quite attached to it (it's a nice car) and when my terminally ill friend said he wanted one I decided that would be quicker to put back on the road than the other project car. He as you may know died before I could get the car finished.
I've made enquiries with a couple of body shops in case it can be pulled out for a couple of hundred quid. But that's all I can throw at it. As I was already going to do no better than break even when I sold it (it also needs the bonnet and front bumper respraying amongst some other odds and ends) I can't spend anymore. Even then I'll be loosing money when I sell it but at least I'll have saved a nice car.
So it's with some sadness I'm therefore (probably) announcing my next breaking project...
would of been lovely to see the end project all finished 
