rebuild costs

[Raymond]

Hello everyone. This is my first post. In looking for a suitable purchase (ideally a 403) I have realised that one game changer is if the engine needs a lot of work.

I have always felt that this particular engine is virtually a work of art... but... what I would like to know is why it costs so much to rebuild?

A detailed response would be greatly appreciated.

[Nick Challacombe]

Anglia Car Auctions have a "bard find" 403 for sale at their virtual auction tomorrow (6th November) guide £5,000 to £10,000, also a 405 same condition with no engine and no reserve.

[Raymond]

Originally Posted by Nick Challacombe

Anglia Car Auctions have a "bard find" 403 for sale at their virtual auction tomorrow (6th November) guide £5,000 to £10,000, also a 405 same condition with no engine and no reserve.

The 403 looks like a good project. I wish I had finished my present build (MG TC) so I could bid for it.

[Geoff Kingston]

Raymond,
Time was I would have stayed up all night, logged it to bid and tried to get the 403 if I get up in time I may still have a go but from what I can see in the photographs there could be some serious rot in the main chassis, without being able to view assume the worst, you could end up with a car fit only for spares and if you have the time to sell parts off worth far more than you may pay for it.
Why do the engines cost so much to repair? Start with the condition of the Cylinder head and Block, how much work to make serviceable? This could run from hundreds to thousands depending on what needs doing or do they need replacing, everything else follows there is no real mystery about these engines, they are not a work of art and in some ways they are flawed, they also have the added disadvantage or being rather old a bit like me.
An awful lot can be repaired and salvaged and that can be a very cost effective way to put or keep a car on the road, I know of one issue for example that if you are lucky can be solved for a few hundred pounds if that, if bad perhaps £1500/£2000 but some owners scrap the component in question and spend 20 times that on a new part.
These engines do not respond well to sitting around for months on end and can be a source of continual grief but set up used and maintained on a regular basis can be a total joy, if you are contemplating a rebuild and can manage the process yourself there is no magic to it, it could still be expensive but a lot less than you might expect.
If you fancy a 401 with a Bristol Cars rebuilt engine which has done less than 100 miles since installation send me a private message.
Geoff

[Raymond]

Good morning Geoff. I guessed it might be you who would be gracious enough to give me some advice. As I posted earlier, I am still in the throws of a project which should have been finished by now!. The irony is that it is costing me a fortune which I could have better put into a decent 403.!!

As it happens, I have seen your advert for the 401 with the Holder engine and appreciate that a lot of the hard work has been done. Given a choice I think I would buy a 403 for the extra power but regardless of that, if and when I am in a position to buy a car your advice would be much appreciated.

What I do know about these cars is that they have an aluminium superleggera body on steel tubing. I understand that the hessian buffer can rot and allow galvanic corrosion to occur.

On the auction car I notice that the underside of a sill appears to have been peeled open; presumably to asses the condition of the tubing which I would assume will be pretty rotten. I know that Aluminium - especially old aluminium - is tricky to weld.(38 years ownership of a 1930 Austin Swallow attends to that!) The separate chassis may be impossible to repair without removing the body and if that was the case here I would have to pass on it.

I know the dry liner engine has a reputation for being expensive to repair. I found this link:

https://www.inracing.co.uk/wp-conten...-Catalogue.pdf

[Geoff Kingston]

Hi Raymond,
I think you might find this link interesting as it covers most of the structural problems you may encounter on a 401 or 403, not all and some can be a lot worse. There is one shot there of an area above the screen where the alloy has corroded and another where a small section of metal has been let in, this would have been as a result of the hessian rotting and the two metals being in contact, its not that common there are areas where you will find more problems.
Mike had to do most of these areas on my 401 plus one rear corner of the main chassis which is a common area for rot because of Bristol's practice of overlaying metal.
I would have had the 401 painted by now but for a twist of timing it was not quite ready to go to the painter, I let him have an old Range Rover LSE expecting to perhaps spend £10k on repairs and a repaint, like your project work and costs have spiralled and it is one of the reasons I decided to advertise some cars, space and time being another, I didn't especially want to sell LRU because it was being done to keep but if it is the one that goes so be it. Unless anyone fancies a Range Rover LSE with all the body frame, inner wings, rear floors sills etc rebuilt or replaced and a full back to metal respray, fingers crossed ready in the new year!
Would be happy to help when you are ready to take the plunge.
Geoff.


https://lightscarsaction.com/bristol...l-restoration/