RA23 Resurrection 2014

[mrccurrie]

Hi,
I've been teased for years by my first car sitting in the garage needing some work. Because it's been so long, I'm sure there are a thousand things that need attention. I'd love any advice about things that I need to keep in mind while I learn how to bring the old girl back to life.
Thanks heaps!!

[CheeseBiscuits]

Depends on what you want to do with the car... Original Factory restoration? Resto Mod? Track car?

Also, depends on what condition the car is in currently... Rust, paint, mechanical?

[masterofsinanju]

Then needs pics?

As CheesBiscuits says, first thing is decide how you want the car to end up. If restoring it to glorious factory spec, start collecting your shiny new parts. If you are planning an engine swap, start measuring.

I would suggest check/change oil/water before trying to start it. Maybe jack it up and move the rear wheels by hand to get some oil circulating in the diff if it has sat untouched for years.

[mrccurrie]

Thanks! I'm just hoping to restore it as it was from the factory or as close as possible. Everything is standard at the moment, only a couple of rust holes in one door.

Just before she stopped running, I remember being told that there was some oil getting onto the spark plugs and that the carby will need a rebuild. It was running very stop/start and eventually stopped. I'm not in need of performance or extreme work, it's just a shame that it's just been sitting there.

[ddeane]

HI

This might sound a bit like kill joy, but you should have a think about what you wish to get out of a restored car. I don't think that anyone that has gone through the process would disagree but the most expensive way to get a restored RA23 is to start from scratch and do it yourself, the absolute costs can vary as to how much you replace, quality of the work, how much you have to outsource, divorce, time spent in jail for attacks of members of all those automotive trades out there that stuff up the jobs and let you down, etc.. The cheapest way is to buy one with all the work done, as the expensive restored RA23 you see advertise will normally have cost 2 or 3 times the advertised price.

But as I said you should look to your motivations. While this may sound stupid I do it myself because its my hobby I can afford to. If I was to go back over all the costs of my TA23 I think that I may be on the wrong side of $50k and thousands of hours of work as I don't pay for much to be done. Remember this expenditure is spread over 15 years and it is a hobby and I have had a ball, and while the old car is still on the road the new car is a non rolling shell in the garage, taking up space where my wife reckons her Mercedes (a $100k car) should be in. There is always something to be finished.

So if you have heaps of money, want a whole-of-life commitment and the never ending experience of renovating your own car go to it. If you want the experience of tooling around in a smick ra23 save the $ and wait around until something turns up. Or you could just get the old girl that you have got going and drive it as it is, that is also a great experience.

Good luck Craig

[mrccurrie]

Thanks Craig, I appreciate the heads up. I can't part with the car and I hate to see it doing nothing so I guess that's the motivation. I don't want to do a dodgy job but I don't want to sink $50,000 into the job either. I've had it out of action for years so I'm not in a rush either, I just want some progress to begin.

[maj]

Start with the basics for roadworthyness: Anything that is a "consumable" part will need to be replaced. This starts from basic fluids, plugs and probably leads, and extends to essentially anything that has a gasket/sealing surface, as well as bushings and rubber boots, and the usual like brakes and tyres.

Remember performing your own labour will often save you money, but it's often the case if you know the right person for certain specialised skills, they can do a better job and for cheaper in the long run, it's just a case of building that kind of relationship to ensure the work is done to a standard and at a price both you and they are happy with. Everything else learn as you go.

With this in mind, it's likely it will need an engine and gearbox drop, which will probably make it easier to perform a whole drivetrain drop while you're at it. Sounds like you are probably best sending the engine to a mechanic who knows what they are doing to perform a major service, whilst taking the gearbox and diff to a transmission specialist for the same treatment.

Brakes you can easily change some parts yourself, but it's likely you need to think about rebuilding some other brake parts, so start researching what you are comfortable with buying and fitting yourself to save a few dollars, and give the rest to the brake shop for rebuild. You'll have piece of mind knowing the car will stop perfectly. Steering often falls into the same shop for work needing done, especially when high pressure hydraulics are involved, as these parts can perish easily.

Suspension you may be able to assess and upgrade slowly, depending how long it's been off the road, but anything closer to 10 years you should replace all bushings and check if the shocks are leaky or need rebuild, or possibly just replace as it's occasionally simpler and cheaper to do.

Bodywork is something that is easier to get out of the way with the rest of the car in pieces, but will definitely escalate price dramatically up front and make it harder to see the project to completion. Often just doing the bare minimum to fix rust and get the car running is a reward that allows you to justify a proper body job and respray that will keep the body maintenance free for close to 20 years.

With all these in mind, as long as the car isn't missing anything and doesn't need anything absolutely major (i.e. complete engine/gearbox rebuild or conversion), you could see yourself walking away with change from $10,000 and a fully running, registered car.
add another $5,000 and you should see most of your bodywork/paint issues gone, and a few extra grand for some fancy wheels and tyres.

It won't be a factory showroom quality build, but at this point you'll have spent money and time doing the simple, required jobs. From that point on anything else will get a lot more expensive, so best crossing that road when you get to it.