Skattrds latest ebay accident.

[skattrd]

Last week I saw a Lancia Beta Spider on ebay, complete with bad pics and dodgy description, but it was road legal with a couple of weeks tax and 7 months MOT ... so it couldn't be that bad .... No reserve, £950 start price, so I bid the start price expecting to get outbid ... nobody bid against me, so I've bought a convertible Lancia just before Xmas.

 

Yesterday a mate drove me down to Uxbridge to collect it, and it drove the 150 mile trip home without issue. I'm not saying the car's without its faults, but none of them stop it from being used

Anyway, have some dodgy phone pics, which are much better than the ones on the advert ... for a start you can see the whole car, and it's red, not orange

 

 

 

 

 

 

Current plans are to fix a few of the issues and run around in the car until I decide what to do with it ...

 

Current faults:

Non working heater - matrix bypassed. I'm wary of re-connecting it as it might have been bypassed due to it leaking.

Alternator not charging well - bottom bolt missing so alternator slightly loose. The bushes the bolt goes through are also missing. The alternator may be ok, and just in need of securing.

Dash lights, most n/a - I need to check what size bulbs they are then go to Maplins for a box of them.

Drivers door handle broken/inop - fix/replace, currently it's a case of winding the window down and reaching for the outside handle to open the door.

Engine runs warm - will flush coolant, fit bigger/better fans and check thermo-switch. Heater matrix being bypassed might not be helping this.

Most lights are not great, so check voltages, replace bulbs, and possibly wiring where needed.

Wipers not great - functional, but slow and and don't clear much. I'm guessing rusty spindles, so strip, clean, oil

Exhaust rattles - it doesn't look like it's lined up properly at the rear, so look at re-hanging the exhaust if possible.

Roof has come away at the seam at the bottom of the window - bodge for now, look at replacement later.

 

After that lot, we'll see

 

I had the car on the lift today and it looks very solid underneath and has lots of waxoyl/hammerite or whatever all over it. There are a few bits of patching/welding here and there, but it all looks ok and nothing to worry about from an MOT point of view.

[pandarus]

Mmmm...i like that

[pandarus]

Keeping stickers?

[Spiny Norman]

That looks like a big festering Christmas pile of WIN, well done that man!

[Cheggers]

Good job it was legal for the drive home, it ain't exactly subtle

 

Top bombing, well bought.

[Mr Lobster]

Destickered and given a good buffing and you could probably make a quick profit on that should you be so inclined.

 

Looks good though, top shite buying!

[brickwall]

That looks like one of life's good mistakes.

[chaseracer]

Take care of the rear lights - a Bristol 412 owner may need them...

[Jim Bell]

Horrible. I love it.

[SambaS]

Brilliant!

[hairnet]

set fire to

 

 

 

 

the stickers........

 

 

good catch

[Stixy]

Think i seen this today near the wet side of Metheringham crossing about 10 ish this morning?

[skattrd]

Think i seen this today near the wet side of Metheringham crossing about 10 ish this morning?

Nope, wasn't me.

 

 

 

Ok, maybe it was me, on the way to the garage ... hard to miss isn't it

I was driving quite slowly today as it was dark and raining. With the current state of the alternator only one electrical item at a time is allowed, this morning I chose headlights ... The windscreen had fresh Rain-x on it so I could see clearly*

[steve austin]

Super buy, gotta be cheap at that price

[Station]

Wow! If I'd have seen that!

[Stixy]

Nope, wasn't me.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I was half asleep still and it was raining hard

[purplebargeken]

Flog plate to jag owning person - make money to sort car out! Love the car in all of its awful sticker glory.

[Mr_Bo11ox]

Get those stickers off, what a satisfying job that will be.

[Station]

There isn't a single sticker on that that I'd keep. It looks like it was used on 'banger rally' judging by the one in the back window?

[skattrd]

Cheers for the comments guys I'm quite liking this accident as well

To those that enquired, yes I am planning on de-stickering it.

 

It looks like it was used on 'banger rally' judging by the one in the back window?

 

It has actually been used in the last 3 "Monkey Runs" and after being in touch with the previous owner, for the other 51 weeks of the year it sat in heated garage.

The first run it did in 2010 was down to Rome and back. The car made it but had a number of breakdowns (25). Since then it's had a replacement engine, cooling system, springs/shocks and poly-bushed all round. It's also had a bit of welding and numerous other jobs done.

 

The last run it did this year it went down to Monte Carlo then up to Nurbergring and back home. During this run the only real issue was the alternator.

 

http://scottwallis.com/monkeyrun/2012_run.html

 

It's a bit of an odd recent history for the car, but I quite like it as I hope it should mean that the car is reliable. I'd rather have this motor than one that just went out and potters around a few miles on an occasional summers day.

 

edit: Whats the best way of removing the stickers? Some kind of non paint damaging solvent .... suggestions please.

[Guest]

Sticker removal? Hair dryer and Autoglym tar remover then a good polish to seal paint.

May take a while but don't be tempted to use anything hotter or you'll Fritz the paint.

[ashmicro]

Sticker removal? Hair dryer and Autoglym tar remover then a good polish to seal paint.

May take a while but don't be tempted to use anything hotter or you'll Fritz the paint.

 

+1. Take your time too. Well bought, by the way.

[GJR 11L]

+ another 1 for the hairdryer/similar, it's a pain in the arse taking stickers off, but the slower you pull, the cleaner they come. Eventually.

 

Crackin' bit motor that, very nicely bought.

[Albert Ross]

Hairdryer for certain, but once you get a corner lited, try to pull them along the length of the car, instead of away from it, you stand less risk of bringing paint with it.

[Lankytim]

Ive always used a kettle of hot water to remove stickers. A steam cleaner also works.

[Station]

It should come off straight away just peeling if the stickers are new. Excellent purchase, lovely looking motor!

[STUNO]

Yoy could have bought this instead, I think it might win the stickers prize.

 

 

http://www.trademe.co.nz/motors/used-ca ... 689138.htm

I wonder why it has been there since July?

[pompei]

A brave purchase - looks like it's a good 'un, top bidding!

[Barry Cade]

BMW E30 lights are fairly easy to fit in these-make a huge difference to driving at night, add relays too if they're not fitted, mine was a late HPE so had relays as standard.

 

[DSdriver]

Did the ebay ad say "never raced or rallied"?