Looks like G-SEG's time is up :(

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Kitch
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Looks like G-SEG's time is up :(

Post by Kitch »

So as many of you will know, I bought the grey ph2 16v (nicknamed G-SEG!) from Matt H last summer.

This one (widely known as Tim's old 16v):

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I didn't pay much as Matt had been completely upfront from the off that the car had some pretty deep issues relating to rot, and the constant loss of that funny green fluid that does the uppy-downy suspension bit. You know the stuff!

Some of the rot:

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Well, aside from tinkering with the engine trying to squeeze some more geegees from it (135bhp on the initial runs!) I haven't had much time to pull it to one side and actually get round to sorting it. The bodywork is quite tidy in most places, and the car is largely original.

Tonight, I began my mission:

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All going as expected, and looking good in the box sections:
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Having to cut out a lot of rot:
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Someone who needs more welding practice has had a crack at the subframe before:
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Decide to pull the shit shield off and cast an eye over the rest of it, just to see what's what. Or more a case of what's not :(

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Offside no better:
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This was filled, or glued in:
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So I looked over the rest of the car, to find:
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Couple it to the bodywork issues:
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(I know how windscreen rot ends!)

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It just seems that everywhere you look, there's corrosion:
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Some of the car on the floor:
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And this is no word of a lie, the car underneath has LESS rot that the one above:
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I had to look at this to make myself feel better when I left:

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Now all joking aside, this is a serious issue. The problems?
The car owes me an amount that I would be unlikely to be able to sell it for in one piece.
The car could be fixed, if you either have copious amounts of free time and no family, or you're a masochist. Sadly neither apply to me.
The car was never going to be a keeper for me; I've already got a 16v which is a better car, I just wanted to save this one and use it for a while.
You couldn't sell it for a price that could justify the amount of work needed.
In convincing the O/H that this was a good idea, I might have led on that I could probably sell it for £1500 when it was finished. So I need to at least recover what I've spent, and STILL keep O/H happy (I used savings from the new kitchen fund to buy it!)
I could get back financially in spares what I could sell it for as one, and keep valuable spares to help my red 16v through life. But it means breaking a BX, something I've never had to do voluntarily before (I've only finished one off that someone ripped the guts out of).

I know it's not what people will want to hear (especially Tim) but I'm sad to say I think the car has reached the end of the line. The amount of work needed to get it right outweighs the value of it. And even if I sorted the rot I've found, I'd still have all the MOT issues (including needing an ABS sensor) to sort and I'd try to sell it for big money to cover all my work, with a niggling little feeling inside that there could be even more rot underneath I haven't found.

It's shit, but I think we're going to lose a 16v here :(
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Re: Looks like G-SEG's time is up :(

Post by Vanny »

Can't say i'm too surprised at some of the rot, it never was as good underneath as it was on top, but i'm surprised at just how far it has spread! I'd be interested to see whats being hidden by the fuel tank and carpets as well, i suspect there might be more horrors to find.

It looks to me like the only way to completely sort that car once and for all is to strip it back to the bare tin, find all the holes and dip the bottom 1/3rd in galv, which won't be cheap.

What an absolute bummer.

I'm glad you've posted all the pics though Kitch, I never would have believed a BX can get that bad without sitting in a pond for many years!

Do you have a long neck endoscope you can put down the chassis rails to see what state they are in end to end, that might help lay the car to rest peacefully?
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Re: Looks like G-SEG's time is up :(

Post by Kitch »

I can get access to an endoscope, yeah. I can see more rot up the sides of the fuel tank too (which funnily enough I was going to have to remove to change the blown HP pipes).

At least I don't need to find a carpet now #-o
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Re: Looks like G-SEG's time is up :(

Post by MULLEY »

What a shame, it always looked really nice on the outside. Just goes to show what is lurking underneath.

There's no shame in throwing the towel in on that car Kitch, i'd just strip it for all the useful parts to keep your red one on the road.

What would be interesting to club members is to photograph other areas of rot that you find as you start to strip it, not to show how rotten this car is, but more as a guide for other owners to also look in those areas to save their cars from ending up like this one.
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Re: Looks like G-SEG's time is up :(

Post by Tim Leech »

Poor old thing, its alot worse than I thought, mind you in the 4 years I had it I kept it dry at all times and garaged.

Its had 13 owners and was thrashed and abused when I sold it first time.

Is it worth trying to find a buyer to take it on, too much for me but with there being so little valvers left, plus this being a factory a/c car.
Lots of Motors, mostly semi broken....
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Re: Looks like G-SEG's time is up :(

Post by Kitch »

Funny you say that Mulley; the thing I wanna do now more than anything is get under the red one and start poking! [-o<
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Re: Looks like G-SEG's time is up :(

Post by Kitch »

Tim Leech wrote:Poor old thing, its alot worse than I thought, mind you in the 4 years I had it I kept it dry at all times and garaged.

Its had 13 owners and was thrashed and abused when I sold it first time.

Is it worth trying to find a buyer to take it on, too much for me but with there being so little valvers left, plus this being a factory a/c car.
It just goes to show Tim, the whole 'garaging' thing doesn't have as much of an effect as you'd think. My red one spends half its time outside, even being used as a daily and it's no where near this bad.

As I said in the original post, the value of it now is next to fuck all. I couldn't afford to sell it and no one would want to part with what it owes me.
And there's always the chance if I did sell it on cheap that someone would just break it anyway and make some money on the bits. There's an engine with loom, gearbox, wheels....they'd go for more than what I paid for it (not including the cost to pick it up and everything I've spent since.)
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Re: Looks like G-SEG's time is up :(

Post by Mickey taker »

dosent look much worse than it did at Godmanchester when we were laying underneath its rear end





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Only joking Tim :D
Last edited by Mickey taker on Tue Feb 05, 2013 11:38 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Looks like G-SEG's time is up :(

Post by Kitch »

To be fair Mickey Doc did say at the time it was looking pretty bad under there! But he's so animated usually I just assumed he was being comedic!
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Re: Looks like G-SEG's time is up :(

Post by Matt H »

Sad times :(

I think that you'd have to be seriously committed to take that on as an ongoing concern, having seen those pictures.

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Re: Looks like G-SEG's time is up :(

Post by docchevron »

Kitch wrote:To be fair Mickey Doc did say at the time it was looking pretty bad under there! But he's so animated usually I just assumed he was being comedic!
I've calmed downa bit in old age mate, but no, I, and Vanny were being completely honest, it was fucked back then..
Vanny and I were both showered in rust as we lay under it..

Even I wouldn't bother trying to fix that shell, and I officially have no life at all again.
That said, if the gearbox is sweet I know a man that could use it....
And, it gives BAH the AC it clearly needs!
Smokes lots, because enough's enough already!

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Re: Looks like G-SEG's time is up :(

Post by Mickey taker »

Kitch wrote:To be fair Mickey Doc did say at the time it was looking pretty bad under there! But he's so animated usually I just assumed he was being comedic!
Actually I thought Vanny was more animated, all you could here from under the car was him saying
"whats up Doc".


I'll get my coat........
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Re: Looks like G-SEG's time is up :(

Post by Tim Leech »

Its not my car anymore so I cant say what happens to it, it was always a money pit when I had it (both times) although rust wasnt an issue first time around. Nostalgias an expensive thing. It has got an awful lot of new things on her, the interior is fabulous and it has new driveshafts plus new leads etc.
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Re: Looks like G-SEG's time is up :(

Post by Kitch »

Tim Leech wrote:Its not my car anymore so I cant say what happens to it, it was always a money pit when I had it (both times) although rust wasnt an issue first time around. Nostalgias an expensive thing. It has got an awful lot of new things on her, the interior is fabulous and it has new driveshafts plus new leads etc.
Nostalgia is a costly thing, you're right. If this was the red one I'd probably embark on the whole strip down and dip that Vanny mentioned earlier, but when I've got the GT to sort, a Sierra XR4i, the Estate in a barn and of course my red 16v there's no way this would happen. Plus I'd never sell the red 16v, so the costs to refurb almost don't matter (aside from the fact I don't have the money!) and I even if I had the time to put this one right, the costs far outweigh the value of the car.

Driveshafts might have been new a few years back, but they're not great now! Nearside one has a knackered boot and I'm pretty sure it's not a 16v one anyway.

Like I said, the carpet and A/C will live on!

Now I just have to find time to take it apart. :(
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Re: Looks like G-SEG's time is up :(

Post by BX Bandit »

Mickey taker wrote:
Kitch wrote:To be fair Mickey Doc did say at the time it was looking pretty bad under there! But he's so animated usually I just assumed he was being comedic!
Actually I thought Vanny was more animated, all you could here from under the car was him saying
"whats up Doc".


I'll get my coat........
:-) :-) :-) :-) :-)

Yes, get your coat, sharpish!

Having juggled BX's, kids and a missus, it's sadly a no brainer. There is copious work there. Makes me wonder if scrapping my TZD is the wrong thing to do. But anyway, you're not being a ruthless BX destroyer, but realistic mate. The only other option I can see is to store it (you say you have an estate somewhere) until a time when you can take it on.

Besides which, if you do scrap it, that means there are fewer, which means they are rarer which means mine goes up in value :-)
Oh, and can I have your knob? errrrr, I mean 16v gear knob, not your massive throbbing end like
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