Wednesday, 10 April 2024 / Published in Classic Cars, Restoration

Classic Car Inspection Service

IF YOU ARE THINKING OF BUYING A CLASSIC CAR AND ARE BASED IN WEST SUSSEX OR SURREY PLEASE HIRE US TO INSPECT THE CAR BEFORE YOU BUY. WE COULD SAVE YOU A SMALL FORTUNE!

We’ve decided to offer this service, thanks to the recent experience we had with this seemingly cute Fiat X1/9. The owner of the car had bought it approximately 10 months ago, and had been busy collecting various spare parts to get it roadworthy for an Italian Car show. When he bought the car he was only able to inspect by looking at what he could see, as most private sellers don’t have two post lifts!

He was told it had been standing for some time (judging by DVSA MOT history – at least 20 years as no MOTs since 2005) so he didn’t get to drive it. As we shall see that might have been the last time it got driven.

We’d being commissioned to conduct mechanical works, including new brakes, cambelt, new carburettor and a thorough service. The paint job wasn’t great, it looked like direct loss and didn’t have a particularly good finish, but there were no obvious signs of rust on the other body, and at first glance the sills looked okay to. So we put the car onto the lift, and that was when we discovered the horrors that lay underneath.

Starting with arguably the most dangeous repair we've seen - front lower control arm attached to a bit of metal that is attached via pop rivets.. — *Starting with arguably the most dangeous repair we’ve seen – front lower control arm attached to a bit of metal that is attached via pop rivets..*

If you've gone for a pop rivet fixing on the left side, why not do the same on the right side, at least this way both wheels will fall off together in an emergency stop — *If you’ve gone for a pop rivet fixing on the left side, why not do the same on the right side, at least this way both wheels will fall off together in an emergency stop*

These two “repairs” would never pass an MOT but being over 40 years old the car was exempt from MOT. Had the owner have carried out the works himself he could have been driving the car like this..

Here we are looking at the main structure on the front end where the anti-roll bar mounts - completely rotten — *Here we are looking at the main structure on the front end where the anti-roll bar mounts – completely rotten*

*Here we identified a repair using fibreglass*

Just look at the corrosion buy this suspension control arm - there is so little metal here this could easily rip out under load — *Just look at the corrosion by this suspension control arm – there is so little metal here this could easily rip out under load*

Here's another structural part of the car, chock full of body filler — *Here’s another structural part of the car, chock full of body filler*

more signs of Fibreglass and filler on the inner sill, however if you're lying on the floor inspecting this you could think it was solid given the age of the car. — *more signs of Fibreglass and filler on the inner sill, however if you’re lying on the floor inspecting this you could think it was solid given the age of the car.*

Just when you thought it couldn’t get worse…. take a look at this…

two bits of metal that fell out with very little effort — *Two bits of metal that fell out with very little effort which were there to disguise the state of the car, you’re wondering what they were held in by?*

Yep held in by that well know structural adhesive "No more nails" or something similar — *Well what did you expect, not welded, not even fibreglass, held in by that well known structural adhesive “No more nails” or something similar*

I think you can agree this is a horror show. In order to make this car safe it would need complete restoration. It’s impossible to gauge how much good metal is left, but as a rough guide £20k to make it safe and that’s before the upper body and the paintwork are done properly.