The Herald: Restoration

In My Humble Opinion
1

I have to decide whether to restore the '63 Herald, or to sell it. I’m anxiously awaiting my '66 MGB. Once it comes home, I doubt the Herald will see much use. Short-term finances are looking ‘okay’ at the moment, and long-term prospects are slightly favourable. The real issue is space. This is what I want done if I decide to keep the Triumph:
[ul][li]Remove body (The three sections are held on by only a few bolts)[/li][li]Fix the small rust spot and smooth the few ripples[/li][li]Paint the body inside and outside in Signal Red (I have a chip)[/li][li]Paint the frame Signal Red[/li][li]Paint the suspension black[/li][li]Re-hang doors and shim body sections to fit[/li][li]Reupholster in black vinyl[/li][li]Refinish the rubber bumper facings in white (Paint them?)[/li][li]Make sure all the electricals work[/li][li]Fix odometer[/ul][/li]The rust spot is not very big at all, so it shouldn’t be a problem. The car runs very well. Its brakes have been fixed and it sports new tires. (Or tyres.) Rubber seals are on their way from England. There’s a ripple or two on the top of one of the fenders, but extremely minor. Unfortunately I don’t have the experience to undertake a restoration myself. I don’t even have a garage. (I’m seriously considering having one built this Winter.) Bottom line: This is an excellent candidate for restoration. Should be an easy job for someone who does this for a living.

So about how much would this cost? The MGB is costing about $20,000. I could have saved money and 2½ years by just buying one already restored. Live and learn. Of course the MGB had significant rust and required a lot of new sheet metal, the engine needed to be rebuilt, and I sourced an overdrive transmission for it. It’s almost as if it were being built new at the factory. The Herald has several advantages including the near-lack of rust, an engine that was rebuilt in the 1990s, and that it’s generally in very good condition.

Reasons to restore:
[ul][li]It’s a cool car that’s not often seen[/li][li]It attracts a lot of attention[/li][li]It’s a good candidate because of its completeness and running condition[/li][li]It’s a nice ‘first car’ for a collection[/li][li]It’s dead sexy[/li][li]My friends want me to keep it[/ul][/li]Reasons not to restore:
[ul][li]It won’t be used much when the MGB comes[/li][li]The cost of the restoration cannot be recouped when it’s sold[/li][li]No place to store it out of the weather until I get a garage[/li][li]I got it accidentally in the first place[/ul][/li]So opinions? Cost?

2

I say sell them both. Don’t sink any more money into them than you’ll need to in order to get a good price.

Sink the cash back into that 911 you’ve been talking about. You’ll get the perfomance and joy of owning a truly sporting car with pedigree and rich history. What’s more, you will not be sacrificing any comfort, utility or storage space.

The Porsche will be newer and a lot more fun to drive. You know it will. :smiley:

If english cars are your thing, consider an E class coupe.

3

Too late for the MGB. I paid for it a couple of years ago. It’s just taking forever to get done.

911s are fun. They’re certainly faster and more maneuverable than the MGB. But a '66 MGB was my first car. Sentimentality counts.

My mom almost got a '66 E-type. Only she had a little kid, and the E-type didn’t have a back seat. Hence, the MG. I like the looks of an E-Type, but I just don’t think I’d enjoy it as much as the MG.

The only question is whether to restore and keep the Triumph, or to sell it.

4

It doesn’t sound like you’re willing to part with either car. Sure, storage is a problem but you’re willing to live with that. I can appreciate what you’re going though. I once had a sailboat that I loved. I bought it for $9,000 and restored it for an additional $10,000. For my trouble, I sailed a boat for a number of years that was worth maybe the original $9K. But it had beautiful crips new sails and fresh gelcoat and paint both top and bottom, new electronics, fresh lines, rebuilt winches and new tinted windows.

It looked great. Until I stored it for a couple of years while working abroad and came back to a boat that was broken into, looted and entirely stripped.

Talk about heartbreak.

The moral of the story… no matter what your attachement is to a car/boat/etc… if you don’t use it, don’t hang on to it. Enjoy it or sell it to someone else to enjoy.

And I still say, buy the Porsche. :wink: