Brave
Restoration Project in Canada
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Hello Phil,
My apologies for the delay in
getting these to you, attached are the photos of the PhaseIII
Vanguard.
| To be honest, I
don't know a great deal about the history of the car. I
personally have known about it for six years, and according
to the yard owner it had been sitting at least ten years if
not more in his collection.
I am well known in these
parts as a lover of oddball and orphan vehicles, and the
unusualness of the Vanguard is what made me decide to
purchase it. As the owners of the collection have decided to
liquidate the business, I was able to purchase it for a very
reasonable price, and recently a friend and I retrieved it
and brought it to my home. |
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The
car itself seems to be in fairly sound shape.
As can be seen, there is
some rust in the driver's rocker and rear wheel arch and
there is also some behind the rear wheel on the passenger's
side. The front floorpans are very scaley with rust, and I'm
not sure if they will be strong enough once cleaned up or if
patch panels need to be fabricated. The glass is good except
for the windshield which is cracked.
The interior is pretty poor
having been in the elements for many years. As you can see
in the photos, there have been some parts removed; they may
be in the trunk or they may have been stolen. My initial
plan is to recover the seats in vinyl to save on costs, but
time will tell what route I take. |
| Mechanically
the car is unknown. The engine turns over easily by pulling
on the fan belt, but it is missing some under hood wiring so
I'm not sure what I need to do to start it. The driver's
rear wheen is seized, but the others turn freely. I imagine
the brakes will need going through in their entirety.
Like I mentioned in my
previous email, my experience with English cars has been
limited to a couple of TR7s, which mainly required
electrical work to bring back to roadworthy. I freely admit
that I'm way out of my depth at the moment, although I have
ordered a shop manual via Ebay that hopefully will begin to
fill in some of my knowledge gaps. |
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Up
until now, I'd had an arrangement with a local body
repairman where I'd trade working on his computers for his
working on my cars. Unfortunately he has recently passed
away, and with labor rates being what they are, I have
enrolled in an introductory welding course with a mind to do
the repairs myself.
A local museum here also
offers hobbyist type auto restoration courses; once I have a
handle on the welding I plan on attending and using these
skills hopefully I'll be able to restore the car on my
limited budget and return it to regular summer use. |
| I
do have a couple of questions that I hope someone can answer
via email. What size of tires are supposed to be mounted? I
have three 6.00X16, and one 6.00X14. This is why the car
looks slightly askew in the photographs.
Also, should the ignition
key also open the door locks and trunk lid? The car only
came with one key, and it seems to fit the ignition only.
Finally, what kind of electrical system does it have? I
suspect 6V positive ground looking at the wiring, but since
some of it is missing it's difficult to tell. |
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Thank you for your time, I hope the
photos are what you were looking for.
Regards,
Doug Frechette
Hi Doug,
You certainly have a project this
time. Looks like you will need those welding classes! However, it’s
a skill that will always be useful. May I make a suggestion, if you haven't
already thought of it - that is offer the car to the class or school
so that they can practice on it. That way you will get all the
practice and get it done for free! I suspect all the other students
might already have their own pet projects, but who knows?
I will ask the questions of a
Vanguard 3 owner and get back to you with the answers.
Regards,
Phil
Ps The car will feature on the
website shortly
Hi Phil.
Re the queries from Doug Frechette.
The car should have a 12V electrical system. Tyre sizes were 5.50x16
or later versions had 5.90 x 15. It's possible that 600 x 16 may
have been a fitment for export. 6.00x 14 are definitely wrong, no
wonder it's lopsided! The ignition key fits all locks including the
glove box lid on the dashboard. I haven't managed to download the
photos yet, probably because I,ve got a dial up internet connection.
Hope this info helps.
Regards
Peter Foster.
I am aware that there are other cars
and information that could be added to this site to make it more comprehensive, so if you
have material and photographs, please let me know. Please send me, Phil Homer, a
message at: Phil Homer
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