Typ3 Variant 3rd time lucky?

[MikeyB]

After a stalled start in getting my Typ3 Variant L on the road a couple of years ago (marriage and child got in the way!! ) I've now started again.

A short potted history:

I bought the car in 1990 from a breakers in Leeds as I thought it too good to break up, I think I paid around £350 for it and then spent around 1 year getting her back on the road, all went well until 1993 when I was hit buy an uninsured driver and as I needed a car for work I got this one repaired (quite cheaply TBH!) and put her in a lock up and ran my replacement Typ3 fastback until I then got a company car and life took a different turn, I sold the fastback but held on to the Variant. fast forward to 2009 and I made a start on getting her road worthy again but life got in the way again! so here we are 2012 the car is 40 years old, i've had her 22 years and she's been laid up for 19!

So I put a gallon of petrol in the tank, cleaned the plugs and points, sprayed engine start down the carbs and eventually she fired!





I've started to strip her down and as items come off they are either cleaned, repaired or marked for replacement.

The brake calipers have been sent to Bigg Red for a rebuild (I'll let you know how they get on).



I'm going to strip the engine down and rebuild it and repaint the tinwear it's proper black (what was I thinking (22 years ago?)



The car it's self is pretty straight






The front off side is a little pushed back and the bumper is creased from the accident in 93 but it'll fix

The air cleaner wasn't on the car, I used small chrome and foam jobbies (along with fitting chrome cylinder head covers this was probably the worst thing I could have done in respect of engine cooling) so I'm restoring the original at the moment.



Very rusty on the surface.


But cleans up quite well with POR-15 remedy.

I know it'll need welding in some of the usual places, but I'm hoping to get back on the road, I checked on http://www.howmanyleft.co.uk and it say's they are only 9 1600 Variant L models on the road at the moment!

Cheers

Mike.

[Clockwork]

Looks like a good one mike! Keep up the good work, look forward to seeing it....around 2035? lol

[MikeyB]

Bit of an update,
I'm taking pics all the way through the work on the car so that I'll have a fighting chance when it comes time to put it back together again! Here's the dash just before i started on it



And the back seat area during the strip



Bit of a problem with the front of the drivers side heater channel!



I've got my brake calliper back from Bigg Red and they look really good!



And I've finished the air cleaner, it was a right mess! just need to get a new thermostat and it'll be as good as new.



As I said as bits come off they are cleaned and bagged ready for the rebuild here we go with the back seat.

[Editor]

The L spec Variant wasn't very commonly imported. Some came in with members of the armed forces, and some were to special order through the importing company, but I think the wait for those was quite long as they were orderd in batches to UK spec.

[MikeyB]

That's interesting Dave, they are a rare beast on UK roads, according to the history of the car it was exported TO Germany(?!) before first registration in the UK and then brought back in 1974.

What does the L spec have over a standard car? I know mine has a fresh air fan and chrome window beading not sure what else was classed as L for Luxury back in 72!