Popular Post Stanky Posted December 2, 2017 Popular Post Share Posted December 2, 2017 So, we've all beeen there, go to the shops for a pint of milk (fourpack) and idly glance at the ads in the window. Invariably advertising mobility scooters, electric reclining chairs and other OAP paraphenalia from the homes of the recently deceased.yeah yeah yeah, whatever. Learn Chinese, hmmm might be useful. (makes mental note)Oh ho, but what is this?OMGOMG*has aneurysm*Right! grab the phone!Rang the chap up, perspiring profusely, and asked about whether the Jago he was adveritising was still available.Oh, yeah thats my dads. hang on.*waits**waits*"Hit there, are you interested in the car?"*act nonchalant* *heart beating at 360 bpm*Me: "Yeah, can you tell me a bit more about it please? What is it based on? What needs doing to it to complete?"Seller: "Its based on a Mk1 Escort, but its got a 1600 crossflow engine fitted. It ran about 2 years ago but has been sat under a cover since then. I got this far about 12 years ago but then had kids and its just not going to get finished. The missus has given me an ultimatum so it needs to go. Its got a solid chassis (sic) and the bodywork is all glassfibre but the floor, which is made of marine ply is rotten so it'll need a new one making up. Its got no roof and you might want to get a new set of seats as these ones are a bit old but they are from a escort RS Turbo so might be worth a few quid. Everything you need is included though, I just need it gone or I'll be sleeping in it."Me: "ah ok, are you about this weekend? Where are you?"Seller: "Yes, will be about tomorrow. And we live on REDACTED"(This is literally 2 minutes walk from my house, on an estate of bungalows with one way in and out. I;ve seen the po-po once in the 8 years I've lived here)Me: "Ok great, give me a call when you're free and I'll pop over"Right, shit. Just semi committed to this (and am nursing a semi over it) so now need to go home and tell the wife. The same one who said absolutely no more cars ever on pain of death.Off to the shops to get chocolates and flowers!I got back home and gave her the chocs and flowers and told her she deserved nice things and why don't we go out for dinner soon maybe. She gave me the 'what are you planning' look. I fessed up and told her an unmissable business opportunity had arisen. I showed her a pic of a (amazingly well) finished one. To my utter astonishment the answer was"Wow, really, free? I really like them! Go get it, you deserve a treat. Plus when its finished we can all go out in it"I then pinched myself so hard I've got a blood blister on my arm and potentially bone damage"Can you just say that once more, while I record it please darling?""Go on, how bad can it be? You can always scrap it if its fucked" (yeah, they don't take cars made of rotten wood and plastic but whatever)I was going to ask who the person in my house was and what they'd done with my actual wife but then thought better of it. This could be the SHITTEST thing I've ever owned. Its RWD. It was made by a man in a shed some while ago and could feasibly be both MOT and Tax exempt, meaning I could cough up a few quid for some insurance and be able to drive this to work on monday. Fucking hell.Watch this space for inspection, collection and subsequent onset of despair. The collection pictures will be me walking out my house and down the road... Slartibartfast, Sheefag, holbeck and 101 others 104 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Split_Pin Posted December 2, 2017 Share Posted December 2, 2017 Best post of the year I think! Carlosfandango, Vince70, Sudsprint and 2 others 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
junkyarddog Posted December 2, 2017 Share Posted December 2, 2017 Awaiting the next update with interest. Slartibartfast 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eddyramrod Posted December 2, 2017 Share Posted December 2, 2017 WINNA! I don't care what it looks like, you've scored there mate! Slartibartfast 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Squire_Dawson Posted December 2, 2017 Share Posted December 2, 2017 ROFL at the 'FREE' realisation dawned on you eyes close up photos. Haha! Could it be one of those Ford-based kits (Dutton?) that were elevated off the ground with a Landrover-esque rear load area I wonder? Slartibartfast 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eddyramrod Posted December 2, 2017 Share Posted December 2, 2017 That would be a Dutton Sierra, which is a somewhat different animal. The Jago was definitely a "thing" in the 70s and surprisingly closely resembles an actual WW2 Jeep, or at least a Mahindra. Squire_Dawson, Slartibartfast and djimbob 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
320touring Posted December 2, 2017 Share Posted December 2, 2017 This has much promise. Godspeed young warrior Slartibartfast 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stanky Posted December 2, 2017 Author Share Posted December 2, 2017 The seller said that it is blue, and has no roof. So Google suggests it might look like this Or a blue version of this Or most likely this But I reckon I can cut a vaguely-square bit of ply and whack it in the hole then its basically running, right? MarvinsMom, cobblers, johngarty and 13 others 16 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaypee Posted December 2, 2017 Share Posted December 2, 2017 Free...? That's the best price! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eddyramrod Posted December 2, 2017 Share Posted December 2, 2017 Yep, keep hold of that top pic as your inspiration, Stanky! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UltraWomble Posted December 2, 2017 Share Posted December 2, 2017 Seller: "Its based on a Mk1 Escort, but its got a 1600 crossflow engine fitted. Even if FUBAR beyond your wildest dreamsOMG blueovaltax means £££ from bits. eddyramrod, NorfolkNWeigh, egg and 2 others 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dollywobbler Posted December 2, 2017 Share Posted December 2, 2017 Great stuff. Can't wait to see how bad this is! Slartibartfast and eddyramrod 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eddyramrod Posted December 2, 2017 Share Posted December 2, 2017 Actually.... I'll be in your area, Stanky, come the middle of April, so I'd love to get to see this, whatever stage you've got it at! Stanky 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garethj Posted December 2, 2017 Share Posted December 2, 2017 There is literally no way this plan can go wrong. trigger, Slartibartfast, eddyramrod and 4 others 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Saabnut Posted December 2, 2017 Share Posted December 2, 2017 Sounds good but be ready for lotsandlots of hassle from our beloved DVLA. Owner says it is unfinished, and therefore will not be registered. Does not meet requirements for keeping original reg no off the donor so will be Q plate and will have to go through SVA or whatever it is called. All doable of course, but hassle. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tayne Posted December 2, 2017 Share Posted December 2, 2017 You could just buy a Suzuki Sj with a rusty body and put the solid chassis and oily bits under your grip Jago shell... eddyramrod 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stanky Posted December 2, 2017 Author Share Posted December 2, 2017 I was pondering inviting the Solent Shiters over to assess it at some point soon-ish. The sensible-hat questions I have are: 1. Does it have a V5?2. Does it have a VIN?3. How fast does it go, mister?4. What is original Escort Don't the DVLA have some kind of point system to determine if it can keep the original reg? So lets assume the chassis and both axles are Mk1 escort - does that give me enough points? What else does it need or am I barking up the wrong tree? (please note this is not going to put me off, just a few more challenges to overcome) billyboy406v6 and eddyramrod 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dollywobbler Posted December 2, 2017 Share Posted December 2, 2017 I was pondering inviting the Solent Shiters over to assess it at some point soon-ish. The sensible-hat questions I have are: 1. Does it have a V5?2. Does it have a VIN?3. How fast does it go, mister?4. What is original Escort Don't the DVLA have some kind of point system to determine if it can keep the original reg? So lets assume the chassis and both axles are Mk1 escort - does that give me enough points? What else does it need or am I barking up the wrong tree? (please note this is not going to put me off, just a few more challenges to overcome) Chassis can't be Mk1 Escort, because they're monocoque. I guess that's the crunch point. I think you need either body or chassis regardless of points these days. The Suzuki plan sounds like a nice fall-back. Or I wonder if they'd fit a Daihatsu Sportrak chassis? richardthestag 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
C1am Posted December 2, 2017 Share Posted December 2, 2017 I've still got the issue of Component Car which tested one fitted with a limited slip diff. It was quite complementary (if a bit biased). Slartibartfast and eddyramrod 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mercrocker Posted December 2, 2017 Share Posted December 2, 2017 Well, I can't wait to see it. A friend of mine used to lay the bodywork up for these over at Chichester (Quarry Lane I think....). My MOT man had one years ago - he managed to fit child seats in it and was a fussy bugger so they must be alright. What a cracking find - if that word is appropriate in this application. Edit - It WAS Quarry Lane, the brochure popped after I had written my post! eddyramrod and Stanky 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Asimo Posted December 2, 2017 Share Posted December 2, 2017 Never seen one without a Q plate. There must be quite a lot of them about; I see two (dead) ones regularly, and there's at least one alive near here too. eddyramrod 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eddyramrod Posted December 2, 2017 Share Posted December 2, 2017 There's at least one knocking around Barrow too... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stanky Posted December 2, 2017 Author Share Posted December 2, 2017 Thanks, good point re monocoque - I'll see whats what tomorrow with that. I assume a motley collection of angle iron, waxoyl and rust with some rotten ply self-tappered to it but there. i think it will be character building or something. If its already on a Q-plate, does that mean it has been SVA'd and I just (hah!) need a regular MOT? i went looking for it earlier and there is only one house along the road that has a conspicuous tarp-covered thing down the side so i think I know where it lives. Slartibartfast, stephen01, eddyramrod and 1 other 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NorfolkNWeigh Posted December 2, 2017 Share Posted December 2, 2017 As Ultrawomble pointed out, it doesn't matter what it's like there's a couple of hundred quids worth of 1600 X-flow , axle and gearbox. In fact sell the Ford bits throw away the chassis and plonk the plastic pseudo Jeep body on whatever V5'd chassis it'll fit on . richardthestag, eddyramrod and Stanky 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
strangeangel Posted December 2, 2017 Share Posted December 2, 2017 Never seen one without a Q plate. There must be quite a lot of them about; I see two (dead) ones regularly, and there's at least one alive near here too. There's a rather nice yellow one in Trefin that's managed to get a dateless plate somehow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eddyramrod Posted December 2, 2017 Share Posted December 2, 2017 Presumably there's no rule against buying a dateless plate and putting it on, just as you might with any other car? Surely YFR 716 (just for example, being one I used to own) is eligible to be put on this exactly as it was on my 1990 Chrysler leBaron? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave_Q Posted December 2, 2017 Share Posted December 2, 2017 Presumably there's no rule against buying a dateless plate and putting it on, just as you might with any other car? Surely YFR 716 (just for example, being one I used to own) is eligible to be put on this exactly as it was on my 1990 Chrysler leBaron? Yes, I'm afraid there is specifically a rule that you cannot put a personal reg on a Q plate, once a Q it stays a Q unless you can convince the DVLA it has enough points, which is pretty difficult to do retrospectively. barefoot 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr_Bo11ox Posted December 2, 2017 Share Posted December 2, 2017 TBH all that DVLA guff sounds like stress, I say remove and eBay the running gear, chop the rest up and take it to the tip, and have a cheapy easyJet/airbnb weekend break to Lisbon on the proceeds. 'A bit wasteful' you might say. BUT, in the future when something good comes up, you can simply reach for the story of the Jeep and the trip to Lisbon, and all wifely objections will immediately evaporate. Think of it as an investment in the future mat_the_cat, tooSavvy, Dave_Q and 21 others 24 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eddyramrod Posted December 2, 2017 Share Posted December 2, 2017 Oh. Bugger. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stanky Posted December 2, 2017 Author Share Posted December 2, 2017 TBH all that DVLA guff sounds like stress, I say remove and eBay the running gear, chop the rest up and take it to the tip, and have a cheapy easyJet/airbnb weekend break to Lisbon on the proceeds. 'A bit wasteful' you might say. BUT, in the future when something good comes up, you can simply reach for the story of the Jeep and the trip to Lisbon, and all wifely objections will immediately evaporate. Think of it as an investment in the future Basically what you're saying is no matter how I look at this, I cannot possibly fail? I like this. A lot. pics of the horror tomorrow early afternoon when I get back from a family lunchtime activity. I'm going to look for a trailer and local offroad venues (or allotments as they are better known) as a plan B. Mr_Bo11ox, Slartibartfast, HarmonicCheeseburger and 2 others 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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