The Amber Nectar

Waiting...

I've got hold of a flywheel and sump from an 1800 Zetec now having spent a couple of cold hours in a scrap yard on Saturday. I've also burnt up my credit card on a whole list of bits from eBay, Canley Classics, and Jigsaw Racing - now all I have to do its wait for it all to arrive before I can go any further.

Here's what I've bought:

• Type 9 Gearbox
• GSXR 750 Throttle Bodies
• Race Inlet Manifold specifically for Zetec with GSXR TB's
• Front Shocks and Springs
• GT6 front uprights - all new bits including Trunnions etc.
• Vented Discs and new Brake Callipers
• Various bushes and brackets for my Rotoflex rear end
• Canley's Rotoflex CV conversion kit

All in all a fun afternoon on Friday spent shopping!

I've also dismantled the front end wishbones and turrets ready for shot blasting and powder coating - here are the "before" pictures:

More Engine Work

I have taken the gearbox and the old throttle bodies off now and put the engine up on the stand.

Donor Car

Here's the donor Mondeo 2.0 16v Zetec:

Day One!

I went up to Dad's house today to have a look at the car. Here's a few pictures of how I found it and us clearing it out:

The car being used as a storage container...

Dad uncovering the car for the first time in a few years!

First job we did is remove the body.

The bodywork is in fantastic condition.

And here's the chassis waiting to be rebuilt!

So as you can see the body and chassis are in excellent condition with hardly any work needed other than preparation for painting.

I've just bought a 2.0L Mondeo for not very much money as a donor car. It has a Zetec Silver Top engine in it and should mate nicely with a Type 9 or MT75 gearbox.

The chassis is now in my garage sitting on axle stands waiting for the next job.

The current plan is to build the car with the body as it is so I know what modifications I will need to make prior to sending it all off for spraying.

More to come soon!

Where do I start?

I've completed the V5 registration document to transfer the car from Dad to me, the next job is to get the chassis to my house and into its new home (the garage) for the foreseeable future. This will probably happen within the next couple of weeks but before then I have some decisions to make.

Firstly where do I start once I get the car here? It's mainly in pieces at the moment so I'm going to take the body off and leave it in Dad's garage for now and just bring the chassis - the engine has already been removed as it's being rebuilt for my Dad's Spit which brings me to my next question - what engine shall I eventually fit into Lonny Lonsdale's Junk (LLJ)?

I want to do this car with a modern twist - I want it to be quick and to handle as well as it can. I'm not after 148mph and 0-60 in 4.1 seconds (I want a Lotus Exige for that) but I would like it to surprise the odd chav in his Mum's Saxo as he sits revving up at the traffic lights next to me!

My initial thought was to put a 2.0/2.5L Vitesse or GT6 engine in it but after a bit of research that wont really give me any increase in power as it is a much heavier lump. I've seen a word or two about using a K Series engine the likes of which can be found in Rovers, MG Metros etc. But to be honest - at the moment I'm just reading bits and pieces, asking questions on forums, and generally soaking up information in the hope that the way forward will become clear...

Welcome

Welcome to Lonny Lonsdale's Junk!

I've just been given a Triumph Spitfire 1500 by my Dad (Dave Lonsdale) who bought it 10 years ago from a bloke who had started to restore it. It's been sitting in Dad's garage for the past 10 years occasionally being raided for spares for his other 1500 Spitfire which is (nearly always) on the road.

I'm going to attempt to finally get this car up and running, over 15 years since the original restoration was started.

The number plate "LLJ 888P" lead to the car being called "Lonny Lonsdale's Junk - Worth 888 Pence!" by my Mum and so that is why I've decided to use it as the title of this Blog.

I'm hopefully going to use this Blog to record some of my activities during this restoration over the following weeks, months, and maybe even years!

Have fun reading... Paul.