I was going to post this in the car thread, but I thought I'd post it here instead...
My motor collection has expanded thanks to an impulse purchase on ebay. I currently have a crappy old pug 205, and a small 125 Chinese motorbike. (lifan trail bike).
I don't know if you Americans pay road tax, but we do here in the UK... anyway, whilst my bike is only small so the tax for the year is only £15, my car is a 1.8L so the tax comes in at almost £200 for the year...
anyway, if you have a 'historic' car, you don't pay road tax...
For a few weeks I've been looking for a classic bike to restore and vaguely looking at some car, (mk1 escorts, old cortinas, and capris).
(to be 'historic' it has to be built before jan 1st 1973)
Last night I impulse bought a classic car on ebay...
the car is a 1956 standard 10, (so it's older than my dad!).
the engine is sound, (from the description). but I'm going to have to get the welder out and fix up the bodywork and stuff...
The reason for buying this car is basically to save money on tax (free) insurance (classic car insurance is about 1/5th price regular), it'll chug along the road at about 60, and goes about 45 miles to the gallon, so it'll be cheap to run, and OK for getting to work (11 mile run), but going so slowly, it won't be a bucket of laughs to drive...
Anyway...
bearing in mind that to keep it's historic car status (and tax free status), if I rebuild/restore to original, I have to have at least 2 major components re-used...
if I radically alter it then major components are given a score, and you have to score 8 or more before you have to re-register on a Q plate -not tax free...
unmodified chassis/monocoque shell = 5
suspension (front + back) = 2
axels = 2
transmission = 2
steering = 2
engine = 1
(You get to pick and choose what you keep).
(i've bought the whole car for £200 -which I'll save in the first year just on road tax!, restored it'd probably be worth about 5 times that -if it were restored to a high standard) -especially if I keep it original colour/trim and all, and certainly if it still has it's original license number...
In case you're wondering what a '56 standard eight looks like...
you can google standard 8, or standard 10, (which were the same car with a bigger engine), and also just like a triumph TR10, (which is the same car just re badged for the American market).
so my ideas what to do so far with my impulse purchase, are as follows...
1, restore the car to a perfect original, have a lot of fun doing it, drive it for a summer, go to a few historic rallies and exhibit my car before selling it on at a massive profit.
2, make everything sound and restore the shell where necessary, then put in a bigger engine and transmission. keep it as an every day car (with a bigger engine I think it'd be more pleasurable to drive).
3, cut the roof off and have a 50's styled convertible car.
4, re-style the car with new body panels to look more like a 50's american car? something from ford of chevy from the late 40's early 50's?
5, hot rod... (keeping chassis/suspension/steering to keep classic car status)... but changing just about everything else!
so...
what do you guys think that I should do. (bearing in mind I'll choose what to do in the end, but am really open to suggestions on this!)...
I have a classic lump of metal that goes forwards and backwards, what should I do with it?!
My motor collection has expanded thanks to an impulse purchase on ebay. I currently have a crappy old pug 205, and a small 125 Chinese motorbike. (lifan trail bike).
I don't know if you Americans pay road tax, but we do here in the UK... anyway, whilst my bike is only small so the tax for the year is only £15, my car is a 1.8L so the tax comes in at almost £200 for the year...
anyway, if you have a 'historic' car, you don't pay road tax...
For a few weeks I've been looking for a classic bike to restore and vaguely looking at some car, (mk1 escorts, old cortinas, and capris).
(to be 'historic' it has to be built before jan 1st 1973)
Last night I impulse bought a classic car on ebay...
the car is a 1956 standard 10, (so it's older than my dad!).
the engine is sound, (from the description). but I'm going to have to get the welder out and fix up the bodywork and stuff...
The reason for buying this car is basically to save money on tax (free) insurance (classic car insurance is about 1/5th price regular), it'll chug along the road at about 60, and goes about 45 miles to the gallon, so it'll be cheap to run, and OK for getting to work (11 mile run), but going so slowly, it won't be a bucket of laughs to drive...
Anyway...
bearing in mind that to keep it's historic car status (and tax free status), if I rebuild/restore to original, I have to have at least 2 major components re-used...
if I radically alter it then major components are given a score, and you have to score 8 or more before you have to re-register on a Q plate -not tax free...
unmodified chassis/monocoque shell = 5
suspension (front + back) = 2
axels = 2
transmission = 2
steering = 2
engine = 1
(You get to pick and choose what you keep).
(i've bought the whole car for £200 -which I'll save in the first year just on road tax!, restored it'd probably be worth about 5 times that -if it were restored to a high standard) -especially if I keep it original colour/trim and all, and certainly if it still has it's original license number...
In case you're wondering what a '56 standard eight looks like...
you can google standard 8, or standard 10, (which were the same car with a bigger engine), and also just like a triumph TR10, (which is the same car just re badged for the American market).
so my ideas what to do so far with my impulse purchase, are as follows...
1, restore the car to a perfect original, have a lot of fun doing it, drive it for a summer, go to a few historic rallies and exhibit my car before selling it on at a massive profit.
2, make everything sound and restore the shell where necessary, then put in a bigger engine and transmission. keep it as an every day car (with a bigger engine I think it'd be more pleasurable to drive).
3, cut the roof off and have a 50's styled convertible car.
4, re-style the car with new body panels to look more like a 50's american car? something from ford of chevy from the late 40's early 50's?
5, hot rod... (keeping chassis/suspension/steering to keep classic car status)... but changing just about everything else!
so...
what do you guys think that I should do. (bearing in mind I'll choose what to do in the end, but am really open to suggestions on this!)...
I have a classic lump of metal that goes forwards and backwards, what should I do with it?!
