MarcN Posted April 18, 2017 Posted April 18, 2017 Hi All, New guy saying hello and straight in with my first question. Been offered a 1995 (as in year, not engine size) Crossflow engine factory built car. Not actually seen it yet, but it's been sat for several years outside under a cover. Apparently everything works, but it looks a bit sorry for itself, rusty suspension etc. If I buy it, Ideally I'd like to get it running more or less as is for the summer, then strip and make good anything that needs doing over winter. I'm not one for patching up, I'd like to do a proper job on it. What parts of the car do you think I should be looking at to check for issues, bearing in mind it's been sat for so long in not ideal conditions? Cheers Marc Quote
Thrustyjust Posted April 18, 2017 Posted April 18, 2017 Where in Berkshire are you ? Is the car local. If its near me in Newbury, I would be happy to take a look in and help . 1 Quote
Lawrie Posted April 18, 2017 Posted April 18, 2017 Corrosion has always worried me, as the steel on those tubes is thin. If factory built, then the chassis should be powder coated, but if its chipped, being outside the rust may have got to it. Needs a good inspection Quote
SootySport Posted April 19, 2017 Posted April 19, 2017 Apart from the corrosion problem, dormant cars suffer rotting rubber hoses & tyres, blocked carb jets, clutch and brakes sticking on, corroded wiring terminals, petrol gone off, dead battery. Before you consider buying it make sure engine turns manually at the cranknose.. Quote
Mighty Mart Posted April 19, 2017 Posted April 19, 2017 23 minutes ago, SootySport said: Apart from the corrosion problem, dormant cars suffer rotting rubber hoses & tyres, blocked carb jets, clutch and brakes sticking on, corroded wiring terminals, petrol gone off, dead battery. Before you consider buying it make sure engine turns manually at the cranknose.. Blimey mate. Apart from that, should be fine lol.... good advice though! Could be a gem or the biggest nightmare imaginable. Nice offer from Thrusty btw. Mart. Quote
SootySport Posted April 20, 2017 Posted April 20, 2017 11 hours ago, Mighty Mart said: Blimey mate. Apart from that, should be fine lol.... good advice though! Could be a gem or the biggest nightmare imaginable. Nice offer from Thrusty btw. Mart. Yes, it's the "several years under a cover that would worry me" 2 Quote
Thrustyjust Posted April 20, 2017 Posted April 20, 2017 It'll be fine. Crossflows always soak the underside of the car to prevent rust. Its a built in thing with those engines as we know Yes, it could be a basket case, but not all is lost. For me, I will use eyes and not heart , if thats what the OP wants to do. 1 Quote
MarcN Posted April 20, 2017 Author Posted April 20, 2017 Thanks for all the replies, much appreciated. Thirstyjust. Really appreciate your offer, that would be very much appreciated, the car is in Basingstoke so not far from Newbury. I can't PM you, but would you be able to send me your number via PM and I'll contact to discuss. Quote
Dave Eastwood (Gadgetman) - Club Chairman Posted April 20, 2017 Posted April 20, 2017 My old business partner came by a Westfield in very similar circumstances, years ago. A crossflow car, stored outside for years. Worse still, it had initially been stored without antifreeze and had a cracked head! Fortunately it came with a spare head, already to go on. The brakes were frozen solid at the front and rusted to the discs, but fortunately it had been left with the handbrake off. We had to unbolt the front calipers on site and knock them off the discs with a hammer, before we could even roll the car about. Apart from the head swap and normal service items on the engine, oil, filter, points, plugs, leads, rotor arm etc, a K&N service kit, it just needed the front brakes replacing (calipers, disc and hoses), plus new pads and shoes all round - when we changed the fluid the old stuff was pitch black! And if I recall, we put a Polo rad on rather than clean the goop out of the old radiator. Other than that it was mainly just cleaning it up and it ran fine. It did end up having fresh carpets made, and I got hold of some new seats via the Boardroom, but that was just cosmetic stuff. There was very little rust on the chassis etc, just the front brakes! It made a cracking little car, until he lost interest a few years later. And don't need much spending on it at all. 1 Quote
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