Hello there!
Well, I have recently 'adopted' my Dad's Phaeton S2 that he bought in 1981 - I still have the original receipts, letters of correspondence between my father and Tim Dutton-Woolley, order forms and owners booklet that came with the car! My dad built the car back in 1981/82 and just about finished it - but it wasnt running - when I decided to be born!
Due to this he never continued anymore with the car and since 1982 it has sat on my driveway covered by a tarpaulin untill I 'unearthed' it about a month ago. I have started to get into cars a little more since I have been driving, and thought restoring it would be a good way to learn more about how cars and engines work, and give me a car I could use in the summer for general enjoyment, and maybe the odd track day (I am getting either an Astra VXR or an Integra type R DC5 soon as well as my daily driver, so I could use either of those as well).
It is in reasonable condition - obviously the engine etc is rusty and it needs a fair bit of work, but the bodywork is all intact, and it seems everything is there including both the hard and soft tops....
So here is my dilemma....
Where do I start!?? Whats the best way to tackle this?? What engine shall I put in it?? Whats relatively easy to do considering Im a bit of a novice?? How much money should I look to put into this??
My questions are endless, and any help advice etc etc would be hugely appreciated!!
Thanks in advance!!
Mark
Where to start? Well it depends on how much you trust the previous builder's expertise. We bought an almost complete S4 but found that it had been sat around outside for so long that pretty much everything needed going over. And a lot of things had been done "on the cheap". Obviously (hopefully!) this is different given your dad was the previous builder, and not some wannabe mechanic who doesn't know what a left hand thread is! Also, being sat outside for some years could mean there is a fairly serious rust problem on the chassis that may need touching up.
Also I notice it's not registered (or at least the plates have been removed). That means it'll have to do a SVA (Single Vehicle Assessment/Approval) test. Get ahold of a copy of the SVA manual, it may be on the DVLA website - a google search should work. Another reason it's worth basically going over the entire thing is because acceptable standards in 1982 aren't acceptable nowadays - basically the SVA requires kit cars to be built to the standard of brand new cars.
Is it Escort running gear? It's worth getting hold of a Haynes' Manual as I've found this inevitable. I got one off ebay for £1 from the same seller as I bought a K&N air fiter from.
Anyway, good luck!
Did you get far with any work on it - unfinished after 25 years - so I guess there is no real rush ;)
SVA will be difficult and probably better to use the car as a spare parts source to rebuild and old rusty or damaged Phaeton.
Cheers
Andrew
