1989 1.6 cherry red refurbishment

[ian010778 21]

!!ROOKIE MISTAKE ALERT!!

 

So just having a look at the front end bits and bobs that I'll be stripping at the weekend and the rubbers around the wishbone ball joints are split. I reckon I probably damaged them when liberating them from the hubs.

 

The wishbones haven't done many miles and there was no play in them - they've just got a bit of flaking and surface rust on them where the car's been sat so I was going to wire wheel them, paint them up and put new ball joints and rubbers in.

 

And there is the mistake - I hadn't realised that we can't buy ball joints separately! To make things worse I put a big order in to MrAuto last week, without wishbones - I only wanted to order once to save on delivery

 

I've had a good look through the forums and can see posts about this from 2006 and 2013 with the only conclusion being to buy new wishbones :Facepalm:

 

Ian.

[jackherer 543]

You still can't replace the balljoints but universal rubbers are available on ebay these days.

[ian010778 21]

1 hour ago, jackherer said:

You still can't replace the balljoints but universal rubbers are available on ebay these days.

Sorted - one pair of boots now on the way :-)

[ian010778 21]

Hello everyone – hope all are safe and well. I’ve taken the opportunity to do some work on the 205 while stuck at home and I hit a major milestone this morning… the front end is finished and ready to go back on the shell

 

   
   

Here’s the story in (lower resolution) pictures.

 

Making sure the tracking isn't too far out for the drive to the MOT station once the new track rod ends are fitted.

 

The starting point - although I had pressure washed a lot of the crud off already.

 

Before and after testing the wire wheel on one of the lower arms.

 

The stripping station - and not the good kind.

 

 

One stripped subframe.

 

Plenty of Metal Prep on all the stripped surfaces.

 

First coats of paint going on.

 

 

The painted lower arms and subframe.

 

One of the new rubbers.

 

The steering rack components and ARB were next,

 

 

Then the hardware was cleaned - I don't fancy that latte!

 

 

All laid out ready for re-assembly - plenty of grease, threadlock and new washers!

 

[ian010778 21]

Quick update - having made all the recent progress I realised that I really need to get on with getting the shell sorted as my nicely refurbished front-end bits are now sitting undercover going nowhere in the garage and the rear beam is on the workbench ready for strip down; so it won't be long before that is refurbed and ready to go too.

The good news is, I received two independent recommendations for the same bodyshop and the chap came out yesterday to give me an estimate. It was around my expectations having seen how much others here have paid for similar work so once I receive the final quote, assuming it isn't too far over the upper end of the estimate it'll be all systems go in August!

I really liked the chap - he was really interested in the car and he does restoration work alongside his normal bread and butter stuff (he's about to finish an XR3i convertible). This does mean that he'll have the shell until spring next year but he very much gave me the impression he'll treat it like a hobby/project of his own and make sure he doesn't rush it by trying to get all the stages done in one go, which has given me a lot of confidence in him. He also seemed to 'get it' in that he was saying all the right things about quality, preservation of the history and how I plan to use the car once finished. So, the job list is:

• Strip all paint, stickers and sealant from the outside including engine bay and underneath.

• New metal on the driver’s side floor where the firewall meets the floor pan as there is a thin but long gap in the original join.

• Fix the rust on the rear wheel arches.

• New metal where the hole is in the boot floor.

• Fix the ding in the front left wing and the ripples in the doors.

• Re-hang/gap the doors with new hinge pins and check straps.

• Full exterior re-spray including engine bay, underneath and underseal.

I'm not having the inside painted to the exterior standard but he will finish the boot floor and the floor pan/firewall repairs to a standard similar to the original. Depending how I feel next year I might give the interior a whack over with some red Hammerite or maybe some clear Waxoyl just for a bit of extra protection, before I fit the soundproofing and carpet but I haven't decided just yet.

So I will have a 205 shaped hole on the drive over winter but I'm quite happy about this as keeping it dry has been a mare (especially with the storms in Feb’ and then again this week). And I’m happy knowing it’ll be tucked away in his bodyshop over the winter rather than on my drive (which is going to get a massive clean once the shell has been picked up).

I have a few ‘little’ bits to do before August – mainly removing the sunroof, drilling out a few snapped studs, removing the front and rear glass and removing what's left of the front bumper mounts. I’ll then turn my attention to the rear beam and that’ll probably be it for this year – depending on what happens with lockdown. I’ll be testing and cleaning up stuff like the fuel pump, wiring loom, relays etc. as they are taken out of the garage loft for re-fitting next spring so still plenty to do but lots of progress being made despite the low frequency of updates here. I didn’t think anyone needed to see yet another blow by blow account of a bloke cleaning every single little bit of a standard 205 so I'll be updating here as and when the larger chunks of work are completed.

 

Ian.

[ian010778 21]

Hello all - long time no update, chiefly because of life, the 206cc and lots of other stuff!

 

Although I haven't made much progress my end, I've had some pictures from the bodyshop recently and they are certainly cracking on

 

A few more holes and a bit more work than first anticipated but I was warned and I'm just glad they're being thorough rather than rushing it - here's a few of the 21 pic's I received last week - enjoy!

 

Ian.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Telf 224 2 Cars]

not too bad really Ian!

[ian010778 21]

Hi all,

 

Time for another bodywork update - also, those who have been following it will know I've been cracking on with the rear beam recently – see thread here.

 

Progress has been made at the bodyshop – mainly the identification of a rotten driver’s side sill and all the work to source a replacement and get it in place. I ended up sourcing the sill myself (about 60 quid) and having it shipped direct to the bodyshop but it was not an easy task finding one.

 

Not sure if this will play but here’s a video of the crispy old sill and some pictures of the mess it was hiding!

 

 

 

 

 

Anyway – the new sill arrived and the last picture I have from the bodyshop is with it ready to be welded in. I believe that will be the last bit of cutting and welding before they move on to flatting and straightening everything out.

 

 

@Telf before you ask, they are keeping me updated with costs and we're making sure the extra work is affordable

 

Ian.

[Telf 224 2 Cars]

Ha ! Looks like a thorough job mate

[ian010778 21]

Seeing as my bodyshop has posted about it now - this is my car

 

Well on the way to being completed - I've visited and received loads of photo updates and I'm very happy with the work!

 

Ian.

 

 

 

[Gohn 68]

I'd just about keel over if I saw a sill like that

good on ya

dont do instagram, put the pics up here instead  ?

[ian010778 21]

1 hour ago, Gohn said:

I'd just about keel over if I saw a sill like that

good on ya

dont do instagram, put the pics up here instead  ?

I only follow them on Insta' - it's the only reason I've got an account!

 

Here's a few as she stands now.

 

[Gohn 68]

good pics, that red is super bright !

smooth quarter panels, and nice in undercoat

[ian010778 21]

9 minutes ago, Gohn said:

good pics, that red is super bright !

smooth quarter panels, and nice in undercoat

Yeah - I'm gonna see how the red pans out as clearly the panels will be original P3KB (off the top of my head?) so I'll see how the Raptor red looks in the wheel arches against the finish when it's all done. I'm happy with the Raptor as it's textured, like the factory stonechip

 

I've just looked my first post in this thread and it says "I'm not going for a full restoration or respray as the car is basically sound..."

[Telf 224 2 Cars]

Very nice

[Leslie green 110]

Shell has turned out very nice well done 

[series111 21]

Looking good it's nice to get a bit colour on it makes all your hard work worth it

[ian010778 21]

The shell came home Friday - was quickly wrapped up nicely and a gazebo will be going over it this week too - guess I'd better do something with the rest of it now

 

 

 

[pugfrank 14 1 Cars]

Fantastic work, good luck on the rebuild.