1600 Coupe Restoration.

[slowe]

Matt,

Looks pretty much like what my man with the torch found on my VX. There must be some sound metal somewhere.

Good luck.

Simon

[MattNoVAT]

The restoration of the near side of the S1 1600 is almost completed.  All that remains is the inner arch and the outer skin be welded back onto the car.  The rear turret had to be repaired by gaining access from the outside, meaning large sections were cut out to be able to remove all the rot and weld in new, thicker metal.  Then the sections that were cut out were welded back in again.  Near side should be completed by the end of this week, then the off side will be started after Christmas.  All being well, paint should go on at the end of January.  

I had the rear seat belt mounts rebuilt just in case there is a change to French "vintage car rules" and I have to retro fit rear belts.  (I've already done this to the S2/FL Coupe as its registered in 1981 despite being built in May 1978).



 

[MattNoVAT]

The near side is now pretty much finished the car will have its supension refitted and then it can be dropped onto the floor and two small welds finished.  Then the car can be spun round and then its the off side.

I'll say this - its much stronger now than it ever was ... probably stronger than when it came out the factory!

[gengis]

Geez...that's some amount of work you've done.  Well Done!  Keep up the enthusiasm for the other side.

[raz1966]

blimey, how much have you spent?

[MattNoVAT]

So far £4k just on the welding alone, but the prep and painting should start very soon, if not already.

[MattNoVAT]

Hmmm It's been a long, long time since I have posted anything about the S1 restoration.  Its been hard going seeing that I left the UK at the end of February and have been very, very busy getting the house, lake, grounds, hangers and barns sorted out. Leaving the 1600 behind was a massive disappointment for me, I was particularly annoyed with the body-shop as the car was supposed to be ready for the Beta 40th anniversary and the aim was to take it to the Classic Car Show at Birmingham NEC.  That was missed, and so was the other five (Yes FIVE) deadlines given to me by the body shop, who were made well aware that I was moving to France a full year before it actually happened.  It was supposed to be finished in December 2012 when I sold our house in the UK, then end of January 2013 when we purchased the farm here in France, then three more deadlines were missed that were given to me on my subsequent 48 hour visits back to the UK during March, April and May. 

Boxing up all the parts for the 1600 and shipping them to France was something I was loathed to do, but eventually I had to do it. Separating the car from all its components and potentially mixing them up with my other Beta spares is something that will complicate the restoration process, plus there is the added expense of having to trailer a car over to France for the rebuild.

Finally I got hacked off with RMG Coachworks (That is understatement of the decade), excuse after excuse just didn't wash anymore so the welding has been completed, however I fear they may have rushed the final rear quarter and I eventually told them that I was pulling the car out from them.  They didn't seem unduly surprised at this, as I'd explained to them in crystal clear terms, it had taken them 21 months to get this far and at this rate body prep, painting and finishing would take them another year at least!
All this has taken a bit of the shine off this project - but there you go "c'est la vie" and once the car is here with me I'm sure it wont take long for the passion to emerge again.

Now the car is with Auto-Integrale in Reading, who are assessing whats to be done and they will prep/paint it for me as AI has expanded to now include full restoration & bodyshop facilities.  I find out this week the full diagnosis on the car.

Here's hoping for some good news !   

[Hawk]

It amazes me that firms like that survive.

Fingers crossed AI do the job quickly, to a high standard and a low cost!

[HFStuart]

Sadly it's not uncommon in restoration a company gets a 'big' restoration and it's regarded as a job to fill in time between shorter easier jobs.

Not all of them thankfully, even if you do have to pay for the privilege (yes I'm thinking of Omicron!)

If there's one guy I'd trust though it'd be Keith - I didn't know he'd set up a body side to the business but I guess there are plenty of Integrales that need work and have owners that can afford to have it done properly.

[gengis]

You've hit the nail on the head HFStuart...My Coupe respray was treated the same way, "fill in job" in between high paying, high volume insurance jobs.  I can see their point in some respects, as they have high overheads, and a time hungry restoration may not pay the bills.

But as long as you are aware of this at the start, then you can make your choice.  I ended up flatening my coupe myself, and repairing an old Jaguar door for the paint shop, just to keep the focus on my job!

Perseverance is king...It will be worth it.

[Neil-yaj396]

At least they started! The guy who had my Coupe in 2011-2012 never even started on it. When I finally went to cart it off he had a Fiat X19 stripped down ready for paint as a final insult!

[Ammy]

Perserverence    or    do it yourself ! ! !

[MattNoVAT]

I won't paint it myself as it's too much of a skilled job!

I'm much happier doing the mechanics and the rebuilt afterwards.


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[peteracs]

Hi All

If anyone wants a recommendation for a guy a in the Midlands, near to Mansfield, I can recommend him for both welding and paint work and not silly pricing. As ever with these jobs, it will rarely be done on the first estimate time wise, but he has done a few jobs for my neighbour on older cars including my Spyder which needed a fair amount of work. Not plush workshops etc, but worth asking for a quote if you need it.

I am happy to give details if you pm me.

Peter

[MattNoVAT]

I looked back at the beginning of this thread - nearly 4 years ago !

So, the car is now painted and about to have the panels refitted and front and rear screens bonded back in. New Pilkington screen for the front, so I'll be able to comment on how good a fit it is.

Then I have to work out how to get it over to France.

When I get pictures of the complete car in good light conditions I will post them up.


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[smithymc]

Looking forward to it Matt.

Hope it goes well.

Mark