full resto

[yev]

so i just purchased S1 2+2 , original RHD but converted to LHD around 35 years ago.

really want to do it up and keep it, but my mechanics advise is : sell it as it is too much work. he recon i can get done up one cheaper then doing this one.
all the metal work been done to the car, most if not all the floors been replaced with new ones from MR.
no visible sign of any rust anymore whatsoever.
engine (according to the seller) been rebuild.
any one knows decent restorer who will not charge me arm an a leg? not bothered about timescales whatsoever.
really want to keep it as matching number 66 S1 2+2 are not too many off about in RHD i would imagine?

any ideas on what it will cost me to restore?

[christopher storey]

This car is a very strange specification. First, no 1966 car ever had Strombergs ( and as far as I know, nor did any right hand drive car ). Therefore, it sounds as though it is from, at the earliest, very late 1967, and was originally a US specification car and S1.5 . I'm afraid that think you need to look more closely into the car's history before you spend any significant money on it

[yev]

This car is a very strange specification. First, no 1966 car ever had Strombergs ( and as far as I know, nor did any right hand drive car ). Therefore, it sounds as though it is from, at the earliest, very late 1967, and was originally a US specification car and S1.5 . I'm afraid that think you need to look more closely into the car's history before you spend any significant money on it

i assume at some point in her life carbs were changed from triple SU's to strombergs ( no idea why), maybe because car was exported to Americas ? i have some history with the car and thats indeed whats happened before she found her way back to europe some years later.
car is deffo 66, confirmed by JHC and all numbers match, inspected them myself.

[mgcjag]

You need to put up lots of photos, numbers etc to get the best advice....you have been on the forum quite a while now and know that everyone is here to help as much as possible....

[cactusman]

Very hard to know without seeing the car but assuming it is in bits, needs at least some metal repair and welding, painting, engine and transmission refurbished, and assembled and trimmed then reckon on at least 1000 hours labour. So at £50 per hour the labour cost would be £50k. On top of that you have the parts bill. Think most would agree that a ground up restoration will be at least £70k and there are plenty that have paid well above that figure. Of course doing work yourself will save significant cost in terms of labour. So the question to ask is "can I buy a fully restored 2+2 for less than the cost of restoring what I have?" . For a 2+2 the answer may be yes as they still appear for sensible money...whether a series 2 2+2 of a series 1 FHC the restoration cost is more or less the same....but early Series one cars now attract a premium.

[yev]

You need to put up lots of photos, numbers etc to get the best advice....you have been on the forum quite a while now and know that everyone is here to help as much as possible....

yes, will do.

[yev]

Very hard to know without seeing the car but assuming it is in bits, needs at least some metal repair and welding, painting, engine and transmission refurbished, and assembled and trimmed then reckon on at least 1000 hours labour. So at £50 per hour the labour cost would be £50k. On top of that you have the parts bill. Think most would agree that a ground up restoration will be at least £70k and there are plenty that have paid well above that figure. Of course doing work yourself will save significant cost in terms of labour. So the question to ask is "can I buy a fully restored 2+2 for less than the cost of restoring what I have?" . For a 2+2 the answer may be yes as they still appear for sensible money...whether a series 2 2+2 of a series 1 FHC the restoration cost is more or less the same....but early Series one cars now attract a premium.

hence my post here. i would like to avoid paying 50£ per hour. i am hoping to find someone who can help me do it up at some sort of semi-fixed cost within reason.

[cactusman]

I meant series 1 2+2 just as an example...and I don't know why it is very rare..

.http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/A-very-rare-S ... Swa~BYRtp9

£145k....and no....they won't get that...at least I doubt they will.

But it is a series 1 that needs a lot of tlc...

[cactusman]

Just seen your post.....you will be hard pressed to find a (knowledgeable) e type restoration specialist who charges less than £50 per hour I am afraid.

The General rule with any classic is that buying a basket case and paying for the restoration is always more costly that buying a well restored running example...although there are, I am sure, exceptions to the rule...classic cars always cost more to fix that you initially think...i know from experience:bigrin:
That £145k 2+2....the Hagerty valuation tool...just a guide I know..reckons a concourse 1966 series 1 2+2 is worth £60900. Concourse means essentially perfect....you might just sell it for £75k but not £145k I am afraid.... hard to say from your pictures but if you pay for the work you will be looking at £50k++ for a full restoration and probably more like £75k....and the car will be worth around £60..£70k in today's mad market....maybe.

[mgcjag]

Hi Yev....i think Jullian is about right....the cheapest way is to restore yourself, basically project manage the job, and organising the bodywork, painters, trimmers, etc to do the major jobs and do some yourself.....but you have to do the chaseing and get quotes......what was you expecting when you purchased it..........if you give it to one restorer to do everything you will end up with a car that cost more to do than you could resell it for...thats ok if you want a great car.....and not intending to sell

[timhum]

Also don't forget to include vat on these prices. Most restorers seem to quote labour ex-vat so another £10-15k to add to the bill.
Tim

[cactusman]

Yes....forgot the vat....really unless it is a Ferrari 250GT you are fixing up then do it up for love with little or no expectation of recouping your costs when you sell as, most times it will cost more to fix than you will see back....

[yev]

hmm...
thanks all.
well, not thinking of doing it up to sell and make dollar. want to keep it.
pay so much tax in my daily life - so paying VAT is out of the question, need to find someone who doesn't charge VAT.
managing project myself- thats what i want to do. take care of all the parts purchases, moving car from one specialist to another and so on...
sort of done it before, but on the smaller scale. own many classic cars (including S2 etype)
this is a major resto, and want to give it a go!

[mgcjag]

Good luck finding someone cheap that dosent charge VAT

[yev]

Good luck finding someone cheap that dosent charge VAT

thanks! but there is always someone to find if you look hard enough

[christopher storey]

Pay peanuts - get monkeys

[yev]

Pay peanuts - get monkeys

hahaha. i would not call what i am prepared to pay - peanuts...

[cactusman]

Maybe strip to a bare shell yourself. Get the shell prepped and painted professionally. Send the engine off for a rebuild and probably gear box and diff. All the prepped bits come back. You restore or replace everything else and reassemble. Takes a long time but saves in labour and you wind up knowing exactly how the car is put together again. That's how I did my mgb decades ago.

[Jeremy]

That's what I'm doing. Get trusted experts to do the big items I can't do. Still leaves months/years of stripping/restoring/reassembly for me to do. But Yev, beware cheap "experts"! Rob Beere's shop is half full of recently " restored" engines that he's been asked to sort out properly...

[chrisfell]

so i just purchased S1 2+2 , original RHD but converted to LHD around 35 years ago.

really want to do it up and keep it, but my mechanics advise is : sell it as it is too much work. he recon i can get done up one cheaper then doing this one.
all the metal work been done to the car, most if not all the floors been replaced with new ones from MR.
no visible sign of any rust anymore whatsoever.
engine (according to the seller) been rebuild.
any one knows decent restorer who will not charge me arm an a leg? not bothered about timescales whatsoever.
really want to keep it as matching number 66 S1 2+2 are not too many off about in RHD i would imagine?

any ideas on what it will cost me to restore?

The simplest answer to this question, and I'm not trying to put you off, is "it will be much more than the car will ever be worth"

A 2+2 is the ugly duckling of the E-Type family. Values are always a long way below the headline grabbing 6 or 7 figure sums of a few very early cars or those with a specific provenance. Unless a PO lends something to the valuation there is little to commend a full nut and bolt restoration of this car, particularly as it has been given two downgrades already (LHD and Stranglebergs). The photos indicate that there is not a lot to start with, you can't drive the car as it is.

In order to rescue such a situation one might need to determine what is missing that will take this car to a daily driver. Clearly glass and rubbers, all the interior, brightwork and a coat of paint need to be found/applied. If the bits missing in the photos are available, then it may be possible, with a lot of effort, to create a presentable driver for very modest outlay.

However, I wouldn't have started my E-Type journey from here. In fact I didn't. I bought a 2+2 after someone else had tarted it up. (It was categorically NOT restored properly.) I think I got more car than I paid for and certainly much more than I could have created if I'd inherited something that required as much work as this car does.

I recall a story of one plucky new E-Type owner who bought a box of bits and a rusty shell. Night school provided him with the skills to weld and with an investment in hobby equipment he created a very tidy daily driver.

Just keep in mind that someone else has already started on this journey with this car and given up.