Talking B____X

[Philip Chidlow]

I refer interested members to this... (look away now lol!)

http://s26.photobucket.com/albums/c121/ ... ?start=all

[Defender110]

Ouch!

[MULLEY]

Erm, time to sign up for one of those welding courses To me that looks a combination of typical to oh dear, however, perhaps the more weldy amongst us can comment on whether it's worth doing or not?

[citsncycles]

I'm not an expert on the specifics of BX welding, but while that work is doable, I'd have to question whether it's worth it. By the time I've finished with it my GS will have had as much welding done to it as this needs, but the difference is how few GS's of any type there are on the road. At some point in the future BX's being brought back to life from this state will be routine, but I don't think we're there yet as (for most MK2's at least) replacement cars are relatively easy to find.

[Philip Chidlow]

I have, realistically two options:

Option 1 remove the 16v bits: engine, 'box brakes and bodykit (oh, and the 5 x alloys are good!) and weigh in the rest

Or option 2 (if someone wanted it) sell the whole thing on for spares/breaking. I will likely take a bit of a hit on it, as it cost £75 to buy, £25 to regass all the spheres (I stress I hadn't seen the car at that point - although it does sit pretty well at the moment. In fact it doesn't sink much over a few days) and £100 to deliver. But no reasonable offer refused! (Bear in mind clutch/starter and other bits were fitted soon before it was laid up!).

I'll need to 'sleep on it'...

[Way2go]

Wow - you said you wanted a project, didn't you? That really is jumping in at the deep end!

However if you are really going to knock it around to make a pseudo 4TC then welding work on wings, boot etc would have been needed anyway with additional bits of fabricated metal. So even if it was sound, welding would have been required.

Question is for someone unused to working on cars, are you prepared to spend significant time bending over & lying on the ground wirebrushing, wet&drying and preparing the way for starting to rebuild it?

If the intention was to morph it, you didn't need to start from the cost of a pristine example and for £75..................

[Philip Chidlow]

Hi
I had little time to arrange for the car to be saved and even less time to consider exactly what I was going to do with it... But for that money, it was a gamble I was willing to take.

I fully expected to be involved in a fair amount of bodywork-saving, but there is considerably more than the initial 'glance' in the pouring rain would have suggested. I still believe it is saveable but I am not prepared to ask so much of friend(s) who have offered to help. I truly believe there's a BX out there which will form the basis of my project. Sadly this isn't it - although this engine will quite possibly be the one used in the end if I go the petrol/16v route.

I do want to continue to get more involved in the nuts and bolts side of things, but like you say, this is the deep end. And deeper than I can dive.

The morphing project is not intended to replicate the Gp.B car, more to pay homage in certain areas - it is, after all a bit of fun for the Challenge, nothing much more. But as a by-product I do hope to create a good BX with a combination of reliability, day-to-day practicality and strong performance. If you remember I initially started off wanting to have a barn-storming diesel. Maybe that will happen yet?

Let's see what happens. Like I said. Just a bit of fun. Trouble is this started to look less and less like 'fun' the more I poked around.

[Philip Chidlow]

Feel there's no point in hanging about.

OK I might've been rash. And if it had worked out to not be so crumbly, I might have allowed myself a smile of satisfaction. But, as they say, pride comes before a fall.

If anyone wants to make me an offer and are able to pick it up soon, I will always give consideration and withdraw it from eBay if it's going to help me recover a decent proportion of my costs.

cheers chaps.

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll? ... 0468607616

[kermit the frog]

Hi Phil
Yes i see what you mean it is very well gone everywhere.
I hope you get your money back but i am sure there is a TZD out there waiting.
I think that if you had a decent sized garage with electric supply and time all of that is repairable but it would be a monumental task.
as Citsncycles said if the BX was as rare as the GS then yes time would be no problem.
but i think given the facilities available to you your best bet is to sell as spares/repair.
My old TZD was not that bad and i had spent time repairing the front inner wings but when i found the rear had rotted away i gave up and scraped it.

Regards Phil/Kermit

[Philip Chidlow]

If I make my money back plus enough for a decent bottle of wine for Christmas, I'll be happy.

Phil

[toddao]

Rust in peace!It makes my basket case 16v look like a minter. That's surely going to be pugged. Oh well, as long as its beating heart lives on in one of its 'cousins.'

Good on you Phil for taking it on in the first place and proceeding with optimism. I reckon you'll get your money back and save yourself a lot of sweeping up of rust deposits on your drive!

[Philip Chidlow]

Thanks. Funny you should say that, as on Saturday I did sweep up two dustpanfuls of ferrous oxide

[scarecrow]

Thanks. Funny you should say that, as on Saturday I did sweep up two dustpanfuls of ferrous oxide

I hope you put it back in the car ready for when it's weighed in

[Philip Chidlow]

Hopefully in a few days it'll be someone else's project...

[Tim Leech]

£199! someone got a bargain, but at least you broke even phil.