Don,
You're right about the variable quality of the restoration. Obviously,
pictures and receipts from a reputable restoration shop are a must. Finding
an early +8 (or any Morgan) in good original condition is pretty rare.
Morgans, prior to 1986, were not built with longevity in mind. The wood
frames were not treated with any sort of preservative, hidden areas of the
body remained in primer and most chrome parts were poorly plated.
Additionally, many were never properly maintained..ie. run top down in the
rain (not that there's anything wrong with that!!) and never properly
allowed to dry out. Hence, most early Morgans (pre 86') probably have had
some sort of freshning or restoration work.
With regard to parts, Morgans are unique in that fact that the factory is
still making cars and parts. Many of those new parts are probably of better
quality than those originally fitted.
Regards,
John
59 4/4
From: don <brgmgb @ napanet.net> on 10/23/98 08:23 PM PDT
To: morgans @ Autox.Team.Net@SMTP@Exchange
cc:
Subject: Morgan +8 basket case
John,
The standard advice is to never restore it yourself but to buy one someone
else has done because they'll lose their shirt and you'll come out a
winner.
I don't know if this is so true. The big variable is quality of
restoration
and most cars are botched. Very few are really correctly maintained or
restored. I bought a '59 Riley 1.5 that was a near-perfect original ten
years ago. The last owner probably did $2,000 worth of foolish
modifications and neglect to it before I got it. The cars that I've been
most happy with were well-maintained originals that hadn't been messed up
or
restored improperly. When I go to British car shows, most of the cars are
really pretty amateurish. A lot of the parts Moss and others sell are poor
copies of the originals in terms of correctness and just quality. I've had
British cars for so many years that I know, at least with MG's, what is
correct and what isn't.
Thanks for the advice!
Don Scott
At 06:33 AM 10/23/98 -0700, you wrote:
>
>I've seen 4/4's and +4's available as basket cases but never a +8. If you
>do find a +8 basket case and perform most of the restoration yourself,
>the cost will probably be at least 30K+. However, if you enjoy restoration
>work and would like to gradually pay for the car, this is probably a good
>way to go. On the other hand, It seems that there some good cars out
>there selling for less (some much less!) than the amount of money spent to
>restore them. I've personally spent more restoring my own car than I'll
>probably ever get if I ever decide to sell it...but at least I know it was
>restored properly and I was able to make my own choices for exterior
color,
>interior, options, mod's etc..Hope this helps. Good Luck!
>
>John
>
>
>
>
>From: don <brgmgb @ napanet.net> on 10/22/98 08:45 PM PDT
>
>To: morgans @ Autox.Team.Net@SMTP@Exchange
>cc:
>Subject: Morgan +8
>
>Dear Morgan folks:
>
>I am British car nut from way back, having owned my first British car in
>1965- a '57 Ford Anglia. In the interim, I've had a lot of British cars.
>My dream car is a Morgan +8, gasoline powered. Do they ever come up for
>sale as basket cases or in need of restoration? I just don't have $30k+
to
>plunk down all at once on another car. Anyone have any advice or tips?
>
>Thanks.
>
>Don Scott
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
RetroMobilia w/ original advertising artwork featuring:
Riley 1.5, '62 Buick, '91 Miata Special Edition, & MG TF, & 215 V8
Check it out:
http://www.geocities.com/MotorCity/Track/2508/
|