Hi All,
We have had a 105 series '72 2000GT in the family for some time now, about 12 years.
It basically sits in the garage and is driven only a handful of times a year. My dad has offered to give it to me as he wants it out of the garage. I basically take it or he will sell it.
Only problem is that this car has had a couple of rear end hits before my dad bought it, and even though it has been repaired, we recently discovered that the whole chassis is a little bent. Putting the car up on a hoist, we discovered that the floor is bent. Following the bend line up the car, we realized that this is the reason the door glass doest contact the door opening seal and the main reason why the rear quarter glass doesn't fit nicely into the body. Also, something we have never noticed before, is that their are two kinks in the roof on either side of the car exactly in line with the floor crease.
With this knowledge we have obviously concluded that the whole car is bent because of the rear impact.
This car has a long documented history, with the original engine and chassis matching. It is in complete original condition and has had a lot of money spent on it re-chroming bright work and buying new seals/parts etc. The car has some minor rust here and their, and if I was to take the car, I would embark on the expensive journey of tearing it down to bare metal, repairing the rust properly, and restoring the car back to its original full glory.
My questions;
1) Is a bent car like this fixable? I don't want to spend so much money on restoring a car and end up having a $40,000 car that is bent?
2) Can anyone have an educated guess on how much it would add to the cost of the overall restoration to straighten the car?
3) Do people think I am better off letting my old man sell the car and to buy one that is not bent?
4) Can anyone recommend a body shop they have dealt with that can assess the car and give a quote to straighten it? (in Victoria)
any help/advice would be appreciated.
thanks
By the sound of it, this car will not realise much value as a sale other than for its parts. In that case if you particularly like this type of car, it may be best to buy another one with a good body and flogged mechanicals. Refresh the good body and trim and install your good mechanicals.
Otherwise most of the costs may get absorbed by the bodywork on your existing car. Doesn't stack up.
These types of questions are really hard to answer without either photo's or physically seeing the car. Personally I'd take it over to someone like Paul Rankin in Bayswater or Sam's Panels in Clayton for an opinion and some idea of the work required. Then you can make a decision based on the costs and it's emotional value to you.
...Or you could just get it out on the road and ENJOY IT as is!
RL
For a car like this with matching numbers , you ought to look at www.zooautocraft.com.au
Tim has the correct chassis and body jigs to do this work , if you look at the site carefully you will see a badly bent tarmac rally car repaired, using these factory jigs.
thanks for the feedback.
I was hoping I would get a response from someone that has undergone some sort of chassis straightening in Victoria.
Tony: I would LOVE to take my car to Zoo Autocraft, but they are in NSW and I am in Victoria. Anyone you know with similar ability in Vic?
thanks
Krishnan brought one back from the dead in Victoria.
http://www.alfabb.com/bb/forums/car-restoration/123614-smashed-73-gtv-gets-restoration.html
worthwhile messaging him to see where he got the work done.
What about people like Rugolo's in Ascot Vale or Cambro Motors in Clayton? The old world approved Alfa shops. I know Cambro used to have the right jigs for 105's because they did mine back in the late 80's. Rugolo are certainly still in business, not sure about Cambro.
Unfortunatley , whilst we have excellant guys here , as I mentioned, but there are no factory jigs here otherwise I would have recommended someone. One of the best here is Paul Rankin, who has done all my work , but in this case for your car, even if you got it straightened you could finish it here. Otherwise as an earlier thread suggested , find a good shell [ I wish you luck ], and plunder the good bits. A bent chassis affects so much of the car let alone what it looks like....handling etc. I have been there !!!
I'm with you Tony ...the handling dynamics and suspension are utterly reliant upon a straight body - unless you jig it with exceptional accuracy and reset the metal correctly it will always feel 'wrong'. A donor shell is the best solution - in it's bare state you can ensure it is and will stay rust free - you can paint it to perfection and then reassemble. If all the other bits are as good as you say, the exercise of removing them all from the donor and reconditioning, upgrading, cleaning and checking every piece as it goes across onto the new shell will result in a 105 you'll want to drive forever. And you won't 'do your dough' either !
Absolutely hole in one Mark !