Black 16i restoration help/opinions please.

I bought an A reg 16i yesterday, its black and build code 'DS' so one of the last made.

Its mid restoration, and is basically at the body work stage now.

Structually it is very sound, has had very profesional and sympathetic welding repair to inner wing, battery tray, front wings, floor and rear rails.

The body is one of the cleanest i have seen, one small 2" ding in the door where it looks like its been opened onto a kurb and a bit of a very mild concave impression in the boot where the button has been pushed to hard. not an issue but when the light shines on the black paint it is noticable.

Sunroof is basically as new, the roof is flawless and the tail gate doesnt even have and surface rust or little worm casts!!!
I think this may have something to do with the fact that it has been tucked away and off the road for 10 years

Car is basically complete, i may be missing a few plastic trim bits and a few clips but thats pretty much it. In fact only items i can instantly recgonise as missing are the 4 spoke wheel (its got a 3) and the finned cover (which im buying one form someone today hopefully)

Engine has apparantly been apart to check for wear and treated to a new gasket and cam belt, but the seller warned my the chap who did it he fears reused the bolts. So for the sake of £150, I will give it a new gasket and bolts, check head and skim if needed and also regrind in the valves and treat it to some valve stem oil seals and a gasket set

Car is running dizzy, but thankfully the last owner kept the full twin coil set and sensor wire so these will be going back on!

Car is totally HPI clear, even the mileage didnt show a discrepency, ive got a nice ford leather handbinder full of service info, mots and handfulls of recipts over the years, user hand book, audio book etc.

Now heres my question, I know its up to me at the end of the day, but I thought id get a generall concensus.

My last S1 I restored over a 3.5 year period, and you could litterally eat your dinner of the underside, but the problem was (and part of the reason I sold it) every time i took it out i used to cringe and ended up resenting the car.
After only 3 months on the road, I even stripped the bottom again and repainted it!

The 16i is the ideal base to make a very very good working concourse standard car, and I feel as if I should honour this, but also I plan on keeping this one for some time. (Which no one believes, as my mates think im a car whore ive had 15 in the last 6 years, not to mention work on mates projects also )

Id love to do it with the dove grey and black over spray, bolt and zinc bolts, green pipes etc.
But also after all the work that has gone into the welding repair, i feel as if i should give it a heavy coat of the body black and then a few liters of waxoil so im safe in the knowledge its all protected.

I plan on using it quite a bit in the summer on weekends, and as you know the british summer has a lot to answer for

What would peoples opinions be on this. Like I said I plan on keeping this car for quite a while, but also i am aware the 16i if fast becoming a classic (if not already) and is also getting rarer buy the day it seems, especially one with a clean history like mine. So also i can not ignore the investement side of the car, if at some point down the line i come to sell for something else.

So what do you think?

Pics to follow as soon as i get a minuite

 

Look at my rest othread mate, black one same! I wasnt going to go as far as i was..but ya kinda think, if im gonna do it i may as wel do it right!

Good luck, any questions ask i may be able to help...been there done it etc lol!

 

My s1 was white underside just as good as the paint on the outside of the car it was a nightmare & i was afraid to drive it.Mint black primer & stone chip with all the arms poder coted ect would do just fine

 

yeh thats what appeals most at the mo. Id love to do it Lee says all original with the dove grey belly and over spray, blue bolts etc.

And I agree a car like this deserves it, but I also have to think about me in all this . I want to be able to use the car with out feeling guilty and safe in the knowledge that if it does get a bit wet or dirty (which it will with out summer) it wont be a big deal.

 

THink the last 2 ppl that had my s1 before me sold it for the same reason

 

Nah mate dont go that far if you are wanting to use it! If you go grey underside and get it too near concours you wont use it! Thats why i went black underneath with new nuts n bolts etc but not original/concours. I just wanted a mint car that i could use and be proud of kinda thing! Ive even clear waxoyled many areas of mine underneath, but it still looks mint and shiney when you nosey under there...so if anyone looks it looks nice n shiney, but all the prone areas are waxed!

 

Here's my take on it: I have a black Mk.2 XR2 which is an ex-concours car (won Ford Fair twice and XROC National Day etc.) and when I was regularly showing it I had all the underside painted gloss black and every area detailed as is normal for a full concours car. After I stopped showing it in about 2005 I decided to do the entire floorpan and arches in black underbody seal as I knew I'd never be doing concours with it again and would mean I could drive it more normally without worrying and being a nervous wreck everytime it went out.

Done carefully and neatly it can still look very clean and tidy underneath, it can still be washed down and cleaned but gives you the piece of mind that everything's protected. I used 'Underbody Seal with added waxoyl' and it dries to a nice satin black finish and although it does remain very slightly soft (to allow it to self heal itself) as I said, it can still be washed without fetching any of it off (which regular waxoyl can't).

If you're anything like me, if you start doing the 16i's floor in the grey, like Lee says, you won't use it, no matter how much you think you will right now and every trip out will be a gamble with the weather and it will ruin your enjoyment of the car.

 

this might seem like a stupid answer and probs is, but, 2 cars!?

a nice concours with grey floor and so on, then one to take put and not be so worried about.

 

In theory yes (and it's what I have), but does mean double tax, insurance and MOT costs, plus somewhere to keep 2 cars. Unless someone's going full on and trying to win concours trophies I really can't see the need to go to the 'n'th degree with detailing undersides tbh. You can get a chassis and associated components looking clean, neat and tidy without going to a level that then renders the car undrivable outside of show use.

 

Lee, make it useable, you'll enjoy it far more if you can take it out for a blast on a sunny summer eveining and not worry about having a bit of fun in it. It's what they're made for! Hammerite and waxoyl underneath and powder coat the running gear. Zinc plate all the bolts and job's a good un

 

I must appologise the pictures really do not do the car justice, my camera gets a panic on at the slightest drop in light and automatically flashes when this happens, so sadly the flash reflection makes the pics a bit hard to get a true picture. So bare with me.
So here we go, the car was rather dirty after the 260 mile trip on the back of a loader, with lots of salt ( ) spray from the snow filled roads. This i will wash off tommrow, its a shame cos it really hides the amazing condition of the bodywork.

The transit could not get up the drive due to the ice so we had to offload it on the road and then i used my landrover winch to pull it up the drive.





the winch machine

Quick poke around just out of excitement really


3 seats

8 genuine 16i only wheels with the single motor sport stamp on 1 spoke, 4 with brand new pireliis. ( i belive the S1 had stamps on 3 spokes?)

In its new home

the heart (just won a finned cover on the bay, £36!)

Old sticker (not sure if this is circa 80's)

Nice solid mild steel (but with surface rust) full Walker exhaust system, i believe these are standard, i know the S1 used walker items


Coils and 2 sensor wires

Id only very quickly peeled the carpet back when i vent to view the car due to all the parts inside the car, so was preparing for the worst, but to my total joy it was tidy as, not an ounce of rust anywhere in the boot


Even the tailgate hinge area is rust free

The tail gate its self i believe is not original, due to the lack of rear wiper hole, not that im complaining because its mint, i was expecting rust around the lower corners where the window rubber is and rust where the spoiler sits, but again clean as a whistle. The tailgate i believe is in its original paint also with a red primer showing inside the hard to reach double skined areas, and the spoiler bolt holes look factory not diy, so im wondering if the 16i had a rear wiper delete option from new?



Another problem area on mk3's but again good as new!!!

Full set of spots, still in original ford boxing (i believe these to be correct as the post may83 should have hellas all round?)

Rear banch doesnt even look like its been sat on

Pulling up the carpet again, i was met with more joy, shiny O.E paint and 0% rust

2 passenger and one driver. driver has a rip so im wondering if i can use the cloth and retrim the drivers seat. just have to try and make good the seat tilt lever hole.

Mint door cards, no marks, or cracks or scuffs in the plastic, i have not checked but i believe all the electrics to be present behind the door card!

THe shark grey carpet, which i believe is unique to the Rsi? It is almost flawless, could do with a shampoo just to bring it up, but no wear or tears, and the drivers incorperated mat is totally unmarked

You get the idea buy now, rolled back the sunroof, the tray is almost perfect

The complimentary 'Bucket of bolts' i seem to get with every project i take on

The 4 spoke, in need of a retrim really, i may put one of my S1 3 spokes on for the time being.

Good as new headliner

Peeled back the floor carpet, and again you guessed it................



Professional welding repair to inner arch/floor where the foot speaker is, nice and strong, lots of gass must have been used

In my haste to get it in the workshop i didnt manage to get many pics of the front end, but all the pannels line up perfectly and again its 100% rot free, only one pic here, but will take some more when its rolled out again.
The bonnet is off of a ghia, when i viewd the car it had the 16i bonnet, but it had rust bubbles on the front lip, so i took this ghia one. As the bonnets are double skinned, it is nearly impossible to repair and rust on these. I also have a tidy spare bonnet from my S1, so i may use this as the ghia one has holes for the chrome trim!

Even the door bottoms are smooth as a babies bum, and all in original paint still.

And door tops

Took the plate off and again not one bit of rust. You get an idea just how much salt and dirt the car got covered in one the journey over here today.

Pulling up the weather rubbers, again not even an ounce of rust where the pannels join on the lip. Also still has the factory white sticky adhesive stuff, so its all original here also.

What i assume it the original dealer sticker, i havnt flicked through the history folder yet to find out.

Again i appologise for the quality, the video camera mixed with the dirt on the car again simply does not do the body work justice.


Well thats all for now, sadly i have a busy few weeks at work, and my misses has the hump that i bought "another old heap of S^*t", so i dont know how much i can get away with in the evenings.
As the car is in such good condition, i feel there is no need to bare metal the car as i did with the S1. Ford spent a lot of money protecting these cars with anti corrosion dips, sealer/stoppers and primers, and as its in such good condition, i feel bare metaling it may actually be detrimental to the shell. and at £2500 for a acid dip and then a anti corrosion dip, its something i simply cant justifiy on this project
Plan of action is
1- Remove the rest of the interior
2- Refinnish the shell as near to factory finnish as poss.
3- Refit it all and wire it up
4- Strip rest of engine bay
5- Refinish bay, inner wings, front valence area
6- Do a total rebuild on the engine
7- Strip remaining running gear and suspension, fuel tank and lines.
8- Bead blast these and powdecoat
9- Clean, burn off any waxoil and degrease, Im not expecting any rust, so straight on to refinishing, either as standard in dove grey, or a nice think layer of chassis black and a coat of protection wax oil
10-Refit running gear, and repair/replace worn parts, it brakes, wheel bearings, bushes (with polys) and rubbers
11- Refit engine and exhaust
12- Sort out the wireing loom
13- Get the car running, check all pannel gaps, and make sure any remaining mechanical work is done
14- Strip the exerior
15- Remove glass
16- Prep the body
17- Spray body
18- Refit trim
19- Stickers
20- MOT-TAX-Insure
21- Enjoy
Sounds easy, when you say it like that.
Im half tempted to do a full total shell strip down and rebuild, but i really dont think the car needs it, and also im not sure im up to doing it all again like that.As the job can soon become like an over whelimg chore. I think if i do it the way ive listed, i can tread each section as a seperate job, and the whole project will become much easier and more managable.
I plan to keep an extensive photo documentation through out, and also Im making an expenditure list, so i can carefully track how the build is going and just how much/little i spend
Hope you enjoy. :thumbsup:

 

Great project and a decent base to start with

 

Yeh, i think the fact it was stored up in a barn all wrapped up for the best part of 10 years, has really helped the car.

I dont think ive ever seen, an unrestored mk3 which this one is at the mo, with so little rust!

 

Looks a very sound and solid car, and I look forward to the updates on this project as you progress with it

 

Niiiiiiiiiiiiiice. Great buy mate.

 

 

Awsome stuff! Bloke by me has a black xr3 rotting on his drive I'm trying to buy, he wont sell though. looks like a good base thats for sure.

 

Great project there ,will keep an eye on this

 

Nice project


Brian

 

great project cant wait to see how you progress with it!

 

looks in very good nick ,good luck with it mate

 

Well not long now untill the nights start drawing out a bit, Would be nice to have it at least running buy the summer.

I think i may get it mechanically sound and running, maybe even mot'd.

Then approach the body work as a seperate job. I fear if i do it how i approached the S1 turbo, its will drag out into another 3-4 year project!

Also this way it may actually be better for the car, cos i know when i had the mint bare shell sitting there, it was painstaking trying not to damage it all whilst bolting it all back together

 

Me too

 

Looks a good shell mate! Good base to make a very good car

Keep us updated

 

excellent lil project mate, i for one will be watching this thread.....

 

awesome mate, green with envy here.

 

4kn love RS1600i's,I tried to get my missis to have one or even a black mk3 3i.I dont think she is having none of it.Can I come to live at your house and I will bring my sapp lol.At least you sorted now and can crack on.Lookin forward to the updates.

 

My work shop is heated, carpeted, has running water, sink, kettle and toaster, so you could live in there. Ive thought about it if the misses gets the arse ache

I very nearly bought a black sapp but i could go through with it after the dissapointment of owning a escort cossie. I mean it was a great car, but i think sometimes "you should never meet your heros"

 

What didnt you likeabout the cossie Lee? For me, its nicer to look at them than to own them! Strange...i think you need to use one as it should be used to get the most out of them! Dont think id have another! Prefer the old bangers

 

Looks nice, great colour too!. good luck with it

 

Always wanted a black car!

Although they made more black one than the other colours, there seem to be less black ones left!?


Its not that i didnt like it, just i think my expectations were to high after years of dreaming of owning an escort cossie.

They are a lot of money for not a lot of car.

Driving home today there was a smokestone 4x4 sapp following me at a safe distance, and it put a biggest smile on my face. again id love to own one of these, but i wouldnt want the "cossie" ownership that goes with them.

I very nearly went and bought a very tidy, unmolested 4x4 smokestone sapp 2 weeks ago, but like you i have a soft spot of the old banngers.

Thing with the rsi its not trying to be anything, it has a pedigree and people accept it for what it is, with a cossie its all about MORE power, MORE money, MORE speed etc.

I even stopped looking at S1 RST's, for the same reason

That why i went for the rsi, it is what it is, and no one expects more from it!

 

Cool project and i love black RS16i's

 

I agree with what ya saying there Lee, although i tend to differ on the S1's I think they too are what they are now, i think a nice unmolested example is respected more than a tuned one, but maybe thats just me! Id like one to site biside the rsi tbh

 

i feel you hit this subject bang on the nail. nice little write up lol

 

Took the carpet out last night, and got home early today so i decided to wash the carpet and boot carpet.

No way it was fitting in the washing machine so ..................

French grape wine making style




The carpet didnt look that dirty, so i was amazed buy the amount of dirt




In the shower for a rinse


job done

 

 

I bet your misses loved that in the bath lol great car youve got there

 

She was fine, she took the pic of me! When she married me she knew what i was like, were both as bad as each other in differend ways. (well obviously i dont catch her in the bath with a 26 year old carpet, but she gets away with a fiar amount too!)

 

Well ive decided what im going to do, basically as i stated before.

Im going to sort the interior and underside and get it running, and tidy up the out side,

Then have some fun this summer and do a respray next winter when its off the road again. I just fear if i do it like the S1 I will end up hating the car and getting bored.

Yesteday my and my mate decided to wash the car as the interior was stripped, to check for any leaks.

Only one very small drip for the passenger door seal, so im chuffed, the sunroof is fine which it the most important

Im actually very suppried how well its come up with just a sponge and shammy. A quick touch up here and there and sort out some tempoary stickers for the bonnet, and I can happily drive her around as she is this summer.











My new rocker £39 on the bay


Cant wait to pull this apart


And its home


Even the front valence and wings are tidy, not sure if they are originals, but very neat and all perfectly lined up


New innerwings and battery tray, just need a freshen up! seam sealer is pretty much to factory standard also

 

Cleaned up the floor ready to put the carpet back in. I know sadly its not all original with welding its had, but it sure was done very well, i still cant believe what a result ive had!

please excuse the red ting in some pictures its the stupid red eye reduction feature on my camera