Of all the vehicles I've experienced, these little rust nuggets are the ones I always go back to. So this time, I hope to stay around a little longer!
This little gem was found on facebook about a week ago. Story goes that the owner had this car for 7 years, 3 of those years it sat under a tree, letting nature do what it does best - weight reduction.
After posting a photo of AW11 #5 to my very neglected Instagram, a guy called Joel (from Hive Posters) got in touch and told me that he used to own the car years prior! He was a little disappointed in the state the car was now in, as apparently when he had it, there was no rust in sight. I guess that's what 7+ years can do!
At the current stage all I've done is strip most of the exterior down, in the search for all rust spots, along with a brief interior teardown, and a few panel-beater visitors to offer various quotes - The overall consensus seems to be around the 2-3k mark.
I stupidly snapped the C pillar plastics before consulting the forums on proper removal, so a few parts are needed.
First job will be to get the worst of the rot cut out and patched
replace rubber seals (leaking on both drivers targa, and boot)
Take it in for a WoF
Fix whatever it fails on
Replace belts/fluids/ other consumables in motor/box
look at updating brakes/suspension etc
fix whatever rust is leftover
Respray
Maybe manual conversion? still unsure
Photos of the car back in its glory days, and of how it currently sits. Registration is currently on hold and all mechanical components appear to be working correctly. Due to the seller living only 10 minutes from my home, i may have just opted for a 10 min road test rather than towing it
Past photos (forgive size and quality, i just took screenshots as idk how to save instagram photos)
Current photos (courtesy of previous owner)
Rust
A happy rusthunter
In all honesty, this project is a while from completion. The negatives of owning a small fleet of 2 stroke motorcycles and an E46 M3 is they have tendencies to hemorrhage cash without notice.
