Hello Folks,
Well, I've finally got round to it. Lurking in my garage for the past 15 years,
almost to the day is my old R5GTT. It had served me well for several years
before I bought myself a brand new Megane Alizé in September 1998.
Of course, the intention of keeping it on the road was always there, but I got
overtaken by events, not least with my health, progress of my disability, etc.
Anyway, after a very long while of not even setting eyes on the car, simply
because the path was overgrown on the garden side and an old tree stump
blocking the outside garage entrance, I finally regained access.
What I found was relatively surprising! The car was in far better shape than I
had imagined it might be. The restoration will be done by the guy who looked
after this car for me when it was on the road. He came round to give the car
a quick survey today and he even got the engine turning over.
The oil was still remarkably clean and the coolant was still bright green! It
seems that I've been hugely lucky that the car hasn't just disintegrated. I
guess that was partly because it was well looked after when it was road
worthy. It looks like that's paid-off handsomely for me!
Now that the thread has grown to such a size, you might prefer to watch
these compilation videos of the restoration progress. They should look quite
good full-screen..
This is part #1. So pour yourself a suitable libation and enjoy...
This is part 2 which takes us up to 20 January 2014
R5GTT Restoration Part 2
...and this is part 3 which brings us to 24 April 2014
R5GTT Restoration Part 3
... Part 4 sees the engine started for the first time, the revamp of the car's home
and its triumphant return complete with brand new MOT
R5GTT Restoration Part 4
Part 5 sees the car get a basic detail, visit Snetterton Racecourse and get taken
back into the workshop to get its glass and body-trims removed...
R5GTT Restoration Part 5
Otherwise, I'll let the photos take up the story...
So, that's the body not looking in too bad shape. The main worry was the
scuttle below the windscreen, but that only seems to be showing light
surface rust. We'll be taking the screen out to have a better look in due
course, but there's no cause for concern :thumb:
The wheels will want a refurb...
The biggest surprise was under the bonnet! That completely belies 15years
of neglect. I suppose that betrays me as a long-term detailer
I could not believe how clean the battery terminals were! I was expecting
them to be furred-up completely...
Something decided to nest in the sound dampening pad below the bonnet,
though not much damage caused...
Here's the scuttle close-up! That's probably the most expensive bit to get
repaired if the tin-worm gets its way - phew!!
It looks like a cat has been after the nest-building mice...
So, now to the clean-up. The following photos are showing nothing more than
a very quick clean, using ONR from the QD bottle, some Serious Performance
cleaning QD and a half-bucket of water with 2 capfuls of CG Hose-Free Eco
in it. A noodle mitt and a small selection of MF cloths for wiping and drying.
The door window cleaned for a first glimpse of the interior in I don't know
how long...
Then 4 views of the interior. Not bad, bar the few cobwebs :thumb:
Now 3 views of the passenger side door-shut. Some minor tin-worm evidence!
The bit that I'm still very cross about. I parked the car in a council car park
and when I reversed out caught part of the footing of an ancient ice-cream
stall. WDC denied all knowledge!:wall:
So, I've got the door clean...
Now the front wing. Thats just an ONR / HFE combination clean - honest!
A cheeky 50/50 :lol:
...and now the bits I was really dreading. Of course, the exhaust system is
going to need replacing, but otherwise, things under there don't look too bad.
Nothing was falling off when the door got closed. The floorpan is remarkably
solid, so it's not going to be an horrendously expensive restoration.
I'll be updating this thread over the coming weeks. The next stage is to put
in a new battery, plugs, some new petrol etc., and get the engine started.
It'll then be moved to a new location for work to begin.
If anyone can help, I'm looking for a genuine front air-dam to replace the
broken one and a driver's side door...
Regards,
Steve