Richard (OldStager) Posted May 16 Share Posted May 16 Hi all, I am wondering what the consensus might be as to what I do with this engine bay. I have always wanted my cars to look as good as the day they may have left their factories ( and in most cases better than ) . However with this particular car things are a bit different, its a 2 owner ( I am the 3rd) 15k example of a 1970 13/60 Herald. And with the 55 photos I have of the car it's a true un-restored or molested with car. Do I do what I would usually do and rip all this to bits and refurb to "as new" or leave as is?, I am not sure if I do all my work the originality would be lost. The interior is mint, basically brand new, which backs up the 15K mileage , it just flew through recent MOT with just one check that mentions to keep an eye on a rear brake pipe, which I think is standard when the pipes are covered in underseal. Would like your views should this be your car. Thank you Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Eastwood (Gadgetman) - Club Chairman Posted May 16 Share Posted May 16 Restore to show room and a good chunk of it's appeal and possibly value will be gone for ever! Anything else, I'd try and keep as sympathetic and light a touch as possible. 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LoneWolf Posted May 16 Share Posted May 16 My OCD would kick in forcing me to do a complete restoration (especially if keeping it long term). I know many would leave it as is, but rust will continue to do its job and it'll be in worse conditions in 10 years time. But I'm not the one who cares about originality or value, I just want to enjoy my stuff 😄 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Eastwood (Gadgetman) - Club Chairman Posted May 16 Share Posted May 16 That said, I'm not a fan particularly of the "clear coat over the rust" approach, unless it's on an out and out rat rod. (Even then though, what looks cool in the California sunshine, just looks a bit of a shed in the overcast UK!) So I'd probably sort out things like the valve cover in the engine bay. Plus the rust, (if that's what it is) starting to peep out from under the battery. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Eastwood (Gadgetman) - Club Chairman Posted May 16 Share Posted May 16 2 minutes ago, LoneWolf said: My OCD would kick in forcing me to do a complete restoration (especially if keeping it long term). I know many would leave it as is, but rust will continue to do its job and it'll be in worse conditions in 10 years time. But I'm not the one who cares about originality or value, I just want to enjoy my stuff 😄 That's great if you pick the right car to begin with. Equally I love restomods, but to do it to such highly original good condition cars verges on vandalism! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LoneWolf Posted May 16 Share Posted May 16 3 minutes ago, Dave Eastwood (Gadgetman) - Club Chairman said: That's great if you pick the right car to begin with. Equally I love restomods, but to do it to such highly original good condition cars verges on vandalism! I've (actually it's my father's) got an fully original unmolested 1966 Fiat 850 which I sometimes drive to historic car meetings. It's even got the original keychain (albeit a bit worn out). I was considering a nice restomod of it after I finish the Westie, but my father doesn't want for me to touch it, for him it must remain completely original! 😄 So I can see the other side of the medal, I just don't share it 😄 2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard (OldStager) Posted May 16 Author Share Posted May 16 I'm with you both on this, which is why I posted in the first place. Yes the inner perfectionist in me say refurb it all, but then as Dave states the patina is lost forever, I will see what else gets posted and go from there, but at the moment leaving as is is winning... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MR.C Posted May 16 Share Posted May 16 If you've a passion for the old girl, you restore her to former glory. If your after a profit, keep original. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard (OldStager) Posted May 16 Author Share Posted May 16 I'm after neither, money when it comes to the value of a car is of no interest to me, I dread to think what I have spent on the Westy in 16 or whatever years it has been, knowing full well when sold ( not that it will be) I would never get that cash back. Yes I respect the passion, but where I was completely rebuilding a Mk3 Spitfire as that was rotten, this one isn't , it's a true survivor as they say and I would like to maintain that where possible I think. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MR.C Posted May 16 Share Posted May 16 If it were mine, i have to sort rocker cover, air filter case and dynamo. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard (OldStager) Posted May 16 Author Share Posted May 16 21 minutes ago, MR.C said: If it were mine, i have to sort rocker cover, air filter case and dynamo. What I may do there is the oily rag approach, take a rag moistened with clean engine oil and wipe over said rust, not soaking wet so it glistens or anything just to try protect as much as I can, should I not like that then yes perhaps repaint as per standard . 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blatman Posted May 16 Share Posted May 16 6 hours ago, Richard (OldStager) said: it just flew through recent MOT Was that precautionary, 'cos anything over 40 years old is exempt... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard (OldStager) Posted May 16 Author Share Posted May 16 @Blatman I assume so, I haven't actually got the car yet, due in about 10 days. It's common (or should be) for the owner of a new to them classic car to simply put it through a test. To be honest even though the car is now exempt (which I think is a dumb idea personally) I would still get one done. As keen as I am to make sure my cars are safe at all times, there has been the odd occasion where I have missed something, so an annual test for me is a no brainer - £50 a year for a qualified person to check it over, good value to me. There are numerous Youtube channels that dig a car out of a field or hedge, get the engine going, pump the tyres up and drive it around without any testing at all. Wonder what would happen if one of those cars killed someone because the brakes failed due to worn out discs ?. ETA Interestingly, the DVLA's website has just two entries for this car - a week apart , the first where it failed on lots on things, then the second where those parts were repaired and just one advisory about a pipe. The car is 54 years old, yet only two entries, the last MOT certs I have photos of are from the early 90's, so the car had been off the road until recently. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Man On The Clapham Omnibus Posted May 17 Share Posted May 17 My Dad bought his only brand new car in 1962 and by chance it came with an interesting registration mark. He kept this car until he died in 1987 and it passed to me. Having had two disastrous Heralds in my car-owning life to that point and the fact that its MoT had expired, I made the unwise decision to sell it since I had nowhere to store it and cherished numbers cannot be transferred from an untested car. One makes odd choices in these sorts of circumstances and I regret not storing and getting it through the MoT even though I may still have sold it because that registration was probably worth twice the value of the car. Ho hum... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joolz Posted May 17 Share Posted May 17 I think if it were me I'd be leaving it as it is and trying to keep this condition as long as possible, so no wet drives out if it can be avoided. If you want to restore a car, sell this one and buy a different car ? Though the more owners it has the less attractive it is to someone else .. its value is in its low owner / originality status as it stands. On the MOT note, if any car is unroadworthy that's an offence, whether it's had / needs an MOT or not. MOT exempt cars should not be run on the road if they are unroadworthy .. it's not a get out of jail free card though I admit some owners of 40 plus year old cars won't be maintaining them as they should. My other half has an MOT exempt Midget but still chooses to put it through its annual test, and the test centre enjoys seeing it. Makes a change from the characterless repmobiles and SUVs... 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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