I have had this car sitting in my garage for nearly 3 months, with an
agreement to buy it, but no title. The car had been in storage since the mid
70s, and it took the government bureaucracy this long for the title to be
sorted out, and now I can let everyone know about my new Sprite..........
It's a later Mk II, which makes it a 1098,ribcase, front discs version. VIN
#HAN7L/30003, built in March or early April 1963 - will know exactly when I
receive the heritage certificate.
It is a solid and very original project car, as best as I can determine it
has spent most if not all of its life here on the less rusty west coast. The
odometer shows 92,000 and I have no reason to believe that is inaccurate.
All the serious structural stuff is sound - spring boxes, door pillars,
jacking points, even the floor pans are original and sound. The only rust I
have found so far is in the outer sills, lower wings, etc. Hopefully there
won't be too many surprises as I dismantle it! I went over the entire body
with a magnet and it stuck everywhere. It has been crunched mildly front and
rear, but the damage seems to be localized.
The engine is complete and original, missing a few minor things like air
filters.
It still sports the original paint (Old English White), interior (seats are
red with grey piping, red trim). The only carpeting is that on the lower
back of the seats, it has no floor coverings and I believe they should be
rubber, not carpeting. Can anyone confirm this?
I will do a complete original restoration, which I have never done before.
I'm not too concerned about the mechanicals as I am reasonably confident
there, but I do need to learn how to do bodywork. The only welding I have
ever done was many years ago.
I want to do most of the work myself, so given my inexperience and other
demands on my time, I expect the project will take several years, maybe five
or so. But that's OK. I have my Mk I to drive.
I have to make some modifications to my garage to provide parts storage
(I'll build a loft that will be more like a crawl space), and then I'll
start to dismantle.
Progress reports, and I'm sure many, many questions will occur.
Oh yeah, oddly enough it came with a complete rear bumper from a 1974 TR6,
with the big rubber overriders. It's in really good shape, the chrome is not
concours, but more than acceptable. The bumper is, of course, now for sale.
Doug Ingram
Victoria BC
1958 Frogeye
AN5L/636
1963 Sprite Mk II project
HAN7L/30003
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