family owned amazon estate

[pez]

hi im new on here,joined up because me and my old man are in a bit of a dilema.
my father owns a 1968 amazon estate,it belonged to his father and has been in the family for 35 years.
the thing is its failed its mot on rotten sills,chassis rails,inner wings and areas of the floor pan. from the outside of the car it looks in pretty decent nick for its age,and the engine bay is really tidy,clean and rot free,its just the underneath that doesnt look too clever.
weve had a quote from yorkshire restorations,they would only do a complete restoration on the car,paint,re chroming,the lot.
but thats going to cost 7 grand though.
anyone know of anywhere else in the west yorkshire area where they would take on all the work for underneath the car?
my father took it to a ordinary local garage,but they wernt intrested as they said it was too much work for them.
we would even re shell the car but its not easy trying to find a mint rot free shell!!
the car is mechanically sound and runs well,just a shame about the underneath of it,i'll get some pics up of it soon.
any ideas of what to do with the car?
thanks.pez

[capt jack]

Hi and welcome.

You've got a very familiar dilemma there - the rusty car with great mechanicals, and what the heck to do with it! A lot depends on whether you've the space to keep it, or you're under pressure to 'get summat done about that old heap!'

Options I guess include:

1. Try to sell as a project - you might realise a few hundred pounds, but you'll probably have to suffer a whole stream of dreamers and chancers before you find a buyer.

2. Break the car and sell off the bits - if you don't mind being an e-bay junkie for a month or two, you'd probably realise more cash than option 1, but be left with a rusty shell to dispose of, plus you'd need somewhere to store the diminishing hulk in the meantime. If the wings, bonnet, doors, interior, fuel tank, engine etc are good this could be quite a good option.

3. Get the all work done. £7000 sounds a lot, and the car would not be worth that when the work is done. From what you say, the major panels are good, and the repair work largely involves bits that aren't actually seen. It sounds like an excellent project for someone handy with a welder, and who can fabricate new metalwork that might not look totally original, but would get the car back on the road. A lot of the £7000 will cover the cost of work that in all probability you could do yourself, if you've the time, space and inclination. Stripping the mechanicals and interior down to a rolling shell is absolutely a DIY proposition - if you've the time and space, and from there you'd certainly be able to assess what metal work is needed. You could then decide to scrap the car and sell the good bits, or get the welding done and then re-build the mechanicals. Of course you'd need to have the metal-basher come to you at that point!

4. One possible option would be to offer the car to a local college as a restoration project. Their students learn on it, you get it back at the end. Don't know quite how practical this would be, but it's worth a thought.

If it were me, and I had the space, I'd start by stripping the car down and storing everything very carefully. Then I'd assess what was needed to put it all back together, and only at that point make a final decision. Not sure what SWMBO would say though.........

In the York area it might be worth having a natter with Dyrdals?

Cheers

Jack

[amazondean]

Get the car jacked up and take as many good pictures of the problem areas underneath as you can. Also take close ups of the car in general. Take pictures of the botom of all doors from inside when the doors are open, Pictures of the bottom of both tailgates, inner wings inside the engine bay,condition of chrome bumpers, and the interior, then try to post them on this sight. I will try from the photos to see if it is realy worth doing as often they look good from face value but as you start looking in the awkward places it may not be worth the hassle. You could end up with a hefty welding bill and still end up with a bad car!!

The first thing to do is get those pictures.

[pez]

thanks for the replies lads,much appreciated.
yeah im gunna get some pics posted up,as without them its impossible to see what im talking about!!
the car is stored im my grandmothers double garage and its not really a burden to anyone at the moment,just a shame its sat there doing nothing!
it failed its test in december.
the car also has a valuable registration as well,jak 61f,its been valued at £800 not sure if the reg can be sold though without an mot on the car? i'll have to look into it a bit more.
as ive already said,the car now belongs to my father since my grandfather passed away,just trying to get some positive ideas on what to do with it.
dont really want to sell it as it has a lot of family sentimentell value.
its just proving quite hard to find someone who is prepared to take on the welding and fabrication work.
we could do with finding a mint unwelded shell then swapping all the bits over,dont think thats gunna happen though!!
once again thanks for the replies.
pez.

[Amazonites]

hi pez, any further developments? photo's etc, we had our work done near Leyburn, and can highly recommend his work not sure if it might be to far for you though, pm me for his details if interested.:thumbs_up:

[john h]

Hi,

I have sent you a private message.

John

[pez]

autodetailer... thanks for that,leyburn is not that far away,as we now live in teesside,the car is still in west yorkshire at my grandmothers.
my father is going there on thursday to get some pics,i,ll post them up as soon as i get them.


john.... thanks for the pm,ive sent you a reply but it says ur inbox is full.
i,ll let my father know what you said,much appreciated.

[pez]

a few pics finally!!
http://i259.photobucket.com/albums/hh306/benpez/SDC10151.jpghttp://i259.photobucket.com/albums/hh306/benpez/SDC10152.jpg

http://i259.photobucket.com/albums/hh306/benpez/SDC10153.jpghttp://i259.photobucket.com/albums/hh306/benpez/SDC10163.jpghttp://i259.photobucket.com/albums/hh306/benpez/SDC10169.jpghttp://i259.photobucket.com/albums/hh306/benpez/SDC10188.jpg



http://i259.photobucket.com/albums/hh306/benpez/SDC10176.jpghttp://i259.photobucket.com/albums/hh306/benpez/SDC10180.jpg

as you can see theres a few rotten areas,thing is the engine bay is solid and very clean! shame about the important parts of the car.

[pez]

sorry pics have uploaded quite big,if you scroll to the right theres a couple more of the rotten areas.

[Steve and his 244]

WOW! You really wouldnt expect that from looking at the first few photos of the car! Im not too up on amazons, but surely it isnt normal for them to rot like that?!

Looks like its worth saving from the first photos, but the following ones shout expensive welding work I would say.

[gillberry]

A lot of welding required but with the history of the car and how it looks from the outside it'll be worth it .

[pez]

yeah hoping we can find someone can take the work on without breaking the bank,i,ll keep you all posted.
as with the rot...dont forget,my grandad used this as an everyday car in all weathers since 1970 till 2007.

[222s]

If it's as bad as that in those areas, I strongly suspect that there are plenty of other horrors hiding elsewhere underneath....

What you've shown in the pictures is all repairable, but it depends on how much other work is required as to whether or not the cost is justified. There is of course also the issue of finding someone who will do the work properly, and actually cut out and reconstruct the rusted areas rather than just plating over them.

I would strongly recommend that you get someone who knows Amazons VERY well to thoroughly inspect the car, in order to gauge its true condition, and what other work is required.

[pez]

just a quick update,my father is going to see someone about taking on the work,a chap called dave wright,he used to work for tony barrett,so knows his stuff.
thanks to ian and caron for passing his number on,i,ll keep you all posted.

[john h]

I hope you get it sorted.

If there is rust in all the structural members (likely, given the photos), the car should be repaired on a jig.

With so much strength gone, the shell might be out of shape.

Best wishes

John

[davidw6092]

Hi there,yes it all looks quite possible.It would appear as though it has had some welding work done before,round the drivers feet area for instance.It is difficult to see from the photos if the sills are rotten,or just the closing panels on the end.Also it would be good to remove the large plastic bungs on the inner sills to be able to see if the inner sill membrane has gone.This has large circular holes in it and if that is seriously corroded it is a fair bit more work to replace it.Usually I find it is not necessary to put the car on a jig.support it well with stands,and extra jacks under weak sections and take measurements in various places.I am guessing the inner front wings have been repaired,judging by the photos.And yes,I am abig believer in removing rotten metal and letting in new where necessary.Dave

[pez]

think my old man spoke to you over the weekend dave,just noticed your from leyburn and thought it must be the same dave!!
apoligies if its not,hes now got some pics printed off and is going to ring you shortly about maybe showing you the detailed pics hes took of all the rot on the car.
cheers.pez.