To restore or not to restore.......

[audinut]

Hi guys,

picked up an s2 this weekend but it is a bit unloved

Now im comparing the car to my old avant which doesnt really help

the question is do I restore her?

The body - has the usual front wing and tailgate issues also some rot around the windscreen and needs a full repaint

The engine - the engine has had a fairly recent top end rebuild and is quiet and smooth it has been homefried and pulls very well , has a coil conversion, rs2 mani (i think) etc etc

The brakes - has porsche fronts with shot discs , rears are in poor condition too

The Interior - not too bad , sagging headlining and various small trim pieces missing

The electrics - various bulbs not working , fuel gauge reading half when empty, rev counter very erratic,

The suspension/underbody - shocks seem ok , has one standard lower arm and one rs2 arm? front and rear bushes look tired , subframes starting to rust (not severe), general underbody looks ok

Also the fuel lines have been replaced but with aftermarket pipe, the rad is shot and has a pipe going from the top of it straight into the heater matrix hose bleed screw? some crazy repair going on there


I either go for it and breath new life into this beast or something else...

I love these cars and have longed for another since i sold my last which was in a different league to this one

just after everones thoughts

thanks in advance

[sidrick]

Well, Christ, if you have 'various bulbs not working' you might as well weight it in :\

[audinut]

Well, Christ, if you have 'various bulbs not working' you might as well weight it in :\

lol ok yea not the end of the world I know but i was just trying to remeber everything i had seen that was gonna be on the list

[sidrick]

It sounds worth fixing, but we need photos!

[Acidburn]

The body - has the usual front wing and tailgate issues also some rot around the windscreen and needs a full repaint - jamo has a pair of decent front wings if he's still selling them.

The brakes - has porsche fronts with shot discs , rears are in poor condition too - I should have some rear discs and I have some nearly new 314mm discs done around 100 miles

The Interior - not too bad , sagging headlining and various small trim pieces missing - let me know what trim bits I have loads

The electrics - various bulbs not working , fuel gauge reading half when empty, rev counter very erratic, - fuel guage is the sender, I have spares, rev gauge is a bit more tricky, bulbs could be what make or break this car

The suspension/underbody - shocks seem ok , has one standard lower arm and one rs2 arm? front and rear bushes look tired , subframes starting to rust (not severe), general underbody looks ok - i'd get a matching pair of lower arms on it, not end of world tho.

Also the fuel lines have been replaced but with aftermarket pipe, the rad is shot and has a pipe going from the top of it straight into the heater matrix hose bleed screw? some crazy repair going on there - I have a heater matrix pipe with good bleed screw


I either go for it and breath new life into this beast or something else... - problem is what you get next will probably be the same as this Just stick with it and sort it or sell it on and keep your diesel.

[poor-boy]

Fix it up, Just take your time with it

[Michael S2]

Sounds like it just needs a bit of tidying up. As said above most parts shouldn't be too hard to source. The paint would be the only thing to put me off as a descent job could cost a fair bit. Depends how bad it is I suppose, get some photos so we can have a nosy.

[s2_wot]

Common mistake is assuming that the old dog needs a complete respray.
Take your time, fix one thing at a time, don't do anything that's going to take the car off the road for more than 24 hours and you'll be grand.

[audinut]

Honestly it does need a repaint , it looks like its been mopped to death with paint breakthrough in various places

[andyg plym]

I have 2 garages full of avant parts,have 99% of parts you need if you want to pm me a list

[irishs2]

If you have the will, then restore it. Leave painting until last.

[audinut]

The painting isn't a problem , I work in a body shop and am a mechanic by trade , storage for the next six months may be the issue - only my boss can answer that question

[Knight Rider S4]

Have sent PM , thats my old car , looks like gary has neglected her , the breather system was done before I bought the car on the heater pipe but it works!, shes was fast and handled great , I know he got done for drunk driving and the car went into storage thats why the discs will be shot , badges got knicked to I was told!

[poor-boy]

That would look alright parked in storage next to a black S2 avant

[Christophski]

For a man that seems to love avants you seem to have jumped straight to the thought of stripping it for parts... (Reading between the lines) in which case why did you buy it? Personally you buy them for love and will be a glutten for punishment so take your time, use it and repair it as you go- otherwise why buy it?