opinions on my gt i bought please

[jamezz666]

Hi guys and gals

had my gt delivered today and i'm just looking for opinions, whether i paid too much as i'm a little more than disappointed.. i was hoping it would be a months solid work and on the road looking ok, but the pictures tell the story different.

I'll give a brief over view of all the things iv'e found wrong

drivers seat is different as it's a square shape
centre console is mk1 ( i was happy to have it anyway) but its ruined and is broke all over
door cards have speakers in them and are no good as the cards are broke up ect
headlights are no good as the shiney reflective stuff is all gone
no exhaust manifold
exhaust is all made up out of bits of different tubing and it's rotten
wings have a good amount of filler
the bonnet opens by a lach on the outside by the grill? ( thought hb's used cables otherwise anyone could open it)
inner wings are rotten at the hinges
not all the electrics work
needs paint completely stripping as its all cracked and flakey (originally a green gt)
sills rotten both sides
doors have lots of filler
rear opening window frames rotten (so bottem of the glass is showing)
rubber seals are all scrap including a boot seal that is that thick the boot lid some how has become warped
doors hanging low
both door pillars have a fair good amount of patches
rear wings/arches filled with filler
wheel well gone and same on the other side
tank has some rot to it
did have a good honka of a tow bar that weight the *Bleep* end down (removed today but nasty big bolt holes in body)
where the rear lights bolt to, it's been all pigeon poop welded for some reason
underneath is a mix batch of thick underseal and heavy dark deep coloured rust
springs and dampers weak on the rear
tyres are all scrap
wiring in the boot has been played with
hole in the roof from a multi story building sized aerial
glove box lid cracked and has a weird hole with a plastic looking button?
where the boot seal sits, the body has rotted through near the rear window
a heater blower that works on a push button but only if you keep that button held
and thats about it... unless i include all shiney trims are either manky or pitted/corroded

so thats so far of what i have found. I payed £3200 and that was for it to be delieverd (£100) (£3000 for the car) (the chap had a good 11/12hour all round trip) and £100 for spare parts which was 2 unknown silencers, manifold that doesn't fit, box of used hoses and 2 mirrors.

whats your opinions guys? to much to pay or a good buy ? some photo's below and sorry there not great, but also the car looks alot better in the pictures!
Also why does it have 2 coils? 1 isn't connected and one has what appears to be an electronic ignition box cable to it but isn't connected up.
There is a vast majority of the car that if you press with your thumb, it feels like victoria sponge cake

[glenn93]

I did say phone me and I would tell all

[glenn93]

and just add one thing you mit have missed if you look in the boot behind the seat the car was once green

[jamezz666]

I do kinda kick myself now for not calling and i did notice that in the boot! i first noticed when i opened the door and i thought it might of just had a replacement door in green years ago until i looked in the boot

[Fred Dukes]

Might keep you busy for a while then When buying a 50 ish year old car LOOK BEFORE YOU BUY! HB GTs are notorious for having been "personalised". Still it is a GT and will be required for the special celebrations for the 50 Anniversary next year so get working

[jamezz666]

i hope not as i have another 2 hb's to do and i'm meant to be having my dads finished over the summer
I plan to have an mot on it within 2 weeks! even if the car doesn't look healthy as long as it's road worthy, i'll do everything else after fred by any chance do you have a mk2 centre console? this mk1 centre console is beyond glueing as there is chunks missing i couldn't resist but have a go in it earlier, with my dad shouting me to get out the bleeding thing and wait until it's ready for the road haha

Might keep you busy for a while then When buying a 50 ish year old car LOOK BEFORE YOU BUY! HB GTs are notorious for having been "personalised". Still it is a GT and will be required for the special celebrations for the 50 Anniversary next year so get working

[jpsmit]

The reality is that since you wanted a GT you pretty much have to take what you can get. There aren't a lot of options out there - especially at lower price points. So, it's yours now, yes it's a project and yes it has issues but, as mentioned, it is 50 years old - and you have / will have a special and rare car. So, enjoy it and don't worry if you paid too much or too little. It's not up to us anyway.

And fwiw I think it looks just fine - a great starting point if nothing else!

[rizzo]

It sounds like a typical HB, thats suffered over the years but it is a GT! assuming the engine /box /axle / interior are ok i think its a reasonable price, you cant pick and choose, it looks ok from where im sitting.

[Colin]

I would have to echo Fred's, J.P's and Bill's comments, James.

I watch Viva GT sales pretty closely (on the rare occasions they come on the market) and I can't remember seeing a cheaper one than your car in probably the last ten years (although someone will no doubt prove me wrong...).

Yes, it has issues. Of course it does. It's a fifty year old restoration project, so expect rust in places you never imagined, a long history of patched and bodged repairs, all original rubber and plastic to have perished, disintegrating trim and wiring that has been hacked around and is full of gremlins. There will also be a lot of mechanical component wear.

Like virtually all unrestored fifty year old cars this GT would ideally benefit from a bare metal rotisserie restoration of the body and careful restoration of virtually all components. This takes most people several years to achieve.

On the plus side, many of the known surviving UK Viva GTs have been hacked around and modified to death. This one on the other hand is reasonably complete and still has most of it's original components.

If you really feel you have made a mistake then advertise it and get your money back. These cars are so rare and sought after that you will have absolutely no problem selling it for at least what you paid for it.

On the other hand, if you keep it and gradually restore it, it will only appreciate in value - and in years to come will provide you with the satisfaction of achieving the restoration of a super rare, valuable and desirable sporting 60s saloon car, in addition to the occasional joy of owning and driving a real Viva GT! (worth all the pain!)

PS - It appears to have MK II centre console switchgear. What sort of green was it originally? If it's Ekhart yellow (aka snot green) it could be an incredibly rare '68 or '69 Mk I (rarest colour) or, if it was originally dark metallic green (Goodwood green), then it's an incredibly rare Mk II - either way you have the rarest of the rare. If it were mine I would restore it to it's original green colour and original spec - but I'm a purist. That's just me.

Good luck with it whatever you decide to do!

[jamezz666]

Hello everyone

sorry if i sounded like i was trying to be so picky ect, just the day it arrived i had the neighbours knock me and one saying (bought a bag of *Bleep* have we), so thats why i jumped on here with a thread... which really as i know but over looked because of my neighbours comments, it is an old car with work needed like any other.
everytime i pull the cover of it i'm in love with it even more and i've been jumping in and out that many times because i've got a killer urge to drive it now I have no view of selling as with my other hb's, just the day got me down then i started firing my guns

Iv'e already started doing some work, which i will try and get a thread started some time in a month or so.
I made my dad hold the broken manifold together, just so i could hear the exhaust and yup he burnt he's hands and shouted
picture below is of the colour i think it is like


my photos upload

and as again sorry for the thread, i now realise i sounded a prat that day i got myself run down a little