It drives really well, mechanically there isn't heaps to do beyond basic servicing and tiding up. However it sat in a field for a very long time and it shows.The interior, everything inside was covered in a layer of mould or stains, and a pretty sizable leak coming in through the front had soaked all the foam insulation, so it stinks pretty bad.
The aim is to tidy it up and get it usable, preserve anything in a way to at least hold rust at bay for a short while, then come back and work through everything in a less bodgy way over time. A sort of rolling restoration I guess.
![Image](https://bxclub.co.uk/forum/images/ext/4535a9319b00e929da96663d7a8b5e12.jpg)
![Image](https://bxclub.co.uk/forum/images/ext/a6bf39618c33a1b9b6fa1d72ed3aafb5.jpg)
Ick. It completely robs enjoyment from the car when you feel like you're in a 34 year old petri dish. Still, nothing that can't be cleaned up. So the very first thing I did was strip the interior. I got help.
![Image](https://bxclub.co.uk/forum/images/ext/3fe5d37cc895bb802821adb16bd1a08e.jpg)
I didn't feel like looking at the leak right away, so the scrubbing marathon began on the trim. Bleach, carpet cleaner, upholstry cleaner, everything got thrown at this. Each door card took me well over an hour. This gunk on top of the beautiful 1980s faux rhino hyde just had to go!
![Image](https://bxclub.co.uk/forum/images/ext/e9c5a5ee4821f3815e93c1323d7a34a0.jpg)
to
![Image](https://bxclub.co.uk/forum/images/ext/04e564d9144761bbc8c934e734e73362.jpg)
That's better.
That was yesterday. Today I decided to look at the leak. The heater box has already been resealed so that's not the cause. I ruled out the windscreen because the water was still coming in when I poured it into the scuttle panel well below the window. Hmm. So I decided I might as well cut out all the smelly rotten insulating foam on the inside (since it's useless now anyway) and see where the water is coming in. I quickly found my answer.
![Image](https://bxclub.co.uk/forum/images/ext/f17e11990b4a95025476372dcf84caad.jpg)
Crap! It's worse than it looks. I can fit four fingers in there! But that's about where the (speedo?) cable goes into the engine bay. Why would so much water be there? Closer investigation of the scuttle and I noticed the sealant at the front edge was perished, but also there were two small holes in the scuttle itself! This must have been letting water into the double skinned area where the panels overlap, with it getting trapped in there and rotting the bulkhead out!
![Image](https://bxclub.co.uk/forum/images/ext/b43f24a0905d4a68f2eb3fb774802ea4.jpg)
So this has been sealed over, and the big hole rust treated and covered with a plate and some sealant until I can get a welder. I will cut this out and weld it properly later. At least it's behind coverings where it can't be seen for now. Hopefully that should stop the leak. I'm not too happy about what I used to reseal the the heater box, but it's all I had. Shame it had to come out to get to that area. I hope this will seal it, we'll see when it next rains or if I get around to washing it before then.
Tomorrow I'm going to investigate the driver's side for any other potential leak sources. I wouldn't be surprised if it's been leaking in more than one place.