I'm back for another round and this one is a bit special.
I will say very quickly that I have discussed with the family about what I'm about to tell you and about creating this thread and they are very happy for me to do this. I also think it is important to document the history of the car.
I bought this from the family of Anthony Richings, Anthony has owned the car since he was 18 and was in the process of restoring it with his son. Derek Wadsworth had stripped and resprayed the car in 2020 and it has sat on Anthonys drive since. Unfortunately recently Anthony sadly suffered a stroke and due to the circumstances surrounding his health the family have come to the conclusion that the car is not going to be completed and it would be best to sell it to someone who can finish it and get it back on the road.
Alun put me into contact with Anthony's family through Derek and after some negotiation I agreed to purchase the car with a view to finishing the restoration and getting it back on the road where it should be.
There is a caveat to this, something that I am more than happy to adhere to. The family gets first refusal if I decide to sell the car. Also, hopefully by the time I have finished Anthony's son Morgan will be 17 so I suggested that I give him a driving lesson in the Sprint, and I will certainly be giving Anthony a ride in it.
On to the car, it's a March 75 Sprint, so I would say its a series 1 car. Clear glass and overdrive but no light dimming relay in the rear loom. Anthony was running Weber 40s on what looks like a gold seal engine with a hot cam and lightened flywheel, I won't be running the 40s, I'll be putting SUs back on and the original engine back in (rebuilt of course). It's such a good car with a fantastic history that I think originality is important.
From what I can see I have 95% of the parts required to reassemble it, I have bought a new brake line kit and I will need some other bits I expect.
Both the gearbox and axle have been rebuilt, and the door cappings and dash beautifully refurbished by Chapman and Cliff.
Prior to collection Derek and I fitted the rear axle with Morgans help.
Safely delivered home
One full van later!
The door cappings are just gorgeous!
There is some bodywork to do, where it has been sitting some rust has come through from behind the wings and front nose panel. There are a couple of blisters around the car and the rear door bottoms have suffered as well. Nothing scary though and all fixable.
This is probably the worst bit.
There will be a small amount of welding then, nothing bad at all. I have a can of the original paint so blending the repairs in won't be an issue, I also have someone that can do the blending as well. I really don't want to have to respray the whole car as Derek has done such a great job with the respray, it just needs a cut and polish to bring it up.
To be continued......