Rescued a One elderly Owner K plate Diplomat saloon
Posted: Mon Dec 28, 2015 8:56 pm
So finally I have got her home, my K plate Diplomat, Rembrandt Silver with Anthracite Leather and a total 78K on the clock. I went to garage where it was stored up today, gave the guy the sheckles, paid the tow man and got it home to my garage.
What's really amazed me about this car is every single thing that has happened to it since it was brand new has been documented, even including a running total of the miles clocked and the MPG etc. etc. boy was this old guy fastidious. I even have the brand new bill of sale for it from J Gillespie Vauxhall in Lenzie on the 6th of May 1993. And now the real shocker: the date it was purchased is the exact same day I passed my test would you believe . It cost £18532 brand new and he traded in a J plate 2.0i GL cavy P/E for £9532 !!
This is the first post I made about finding it.
viewtopic.php?f=13&t=15091
I will pull over the info I posted there just to keep it all in this post. Car is stored in my garage the now awaiting it's inevitable shake down and rebuild, of course keeping it as original as possible. Here;s some more pics of it including some I already had in the previous post.
Notice the misaligned panel gaps where boot meets with wing on O/S, looks like it's been reversed into something as boot is crooked when shutting and panel gaps are out plus the orange reflector light is broken, indicating some sort of "trauma":
Amended information from old post:
Good points:
low miler 78k
Leather interior (not actually a great fan but it looks cool)
All interior looks still in good nick (electric sunroof works, headliner looks good etc. etc.)
Everything still feels tight/new inside
Well looked after and literally hundreds of receipts from day ONE yes from new! He even kept a log of the MPG from new - old guy lived close by andfrom what I am gathering he must have bought this to enjoy in his retirement as he was a doctor!
2.0 8 Valve
Diplomat
Lots of spares in boot
Original spare never used - how cool is that!
Bonnet not rotten or rusted anywhere - most of mine have been
Correct diplomat alloys
Bad points:
Most of the sills look as if they will need a good bit of work, especially front drivers and rear O/S but probably all corners once stripped back. It felt mostly like their was surface rust with paint peeling off more than actual rotten through rust.
Apparently the guy had had the sills and bottom of doors repainted several times. I don't know why this is but I would probably put it down to overall lack of use, maybe lying in damp garage, and being used for trips to UIST where the salt would have gotten to it. However running my hand along the downward facing lip where sill and floor join was solid enough feeling, as they usually are with cavys; that's the worst bit to fix on any car.
I've had a further look at receipts and he has had the sills and door skins "repaired", once in 2000 and again in 2005. I think it's probably a case of over reaction to rust on the sills, as having has a much better look most of the paint is peeling off the outward facing part of the sill, with surface rust and there is paint and surface rust flaking off of the downward facing part of sill at most points.
I havent ever seen this on a cavy, it's usually just plain and simple rust on the underside at both ends, usually rear sections the worst. I think the repair paint job, not being as good as factory finish, has deteriorated with resultant water ingress and acceleration of rust and paint peel.
Also noticed the very rear of boot floor where it meets back panel is holed through in what looks like the vast majority of the join line.
Back Arches look the same, some bits look more like the paint is flaking rather than bubbling, however more than likely it'll be new arches at some point.
N/S wing rotten at bottom so it's split and popped out a bit from being flush with door, also wing has a ding under the indicator so looks likely that will be getting replaced.
Outriggers at front have been "jacked on" so they look a bit mashed and quite rusty, they will probably need to be either removed or extensively reworked. I think I can thank kwik fit for this as they seem to have done quite a few tyre changes judging by reciepts!
Fuel leak, I put my hand under where the pipes go up under the tank and immediately felt a wet "drip" on the pipes, smelt it and was fuel. Not surprised the fuel pipes will probably be rotten. Had a further look at this and there has been a slap dash repair on the fuel pipe under rear floor to replace a rotten part of the pipe with an intermediate rubber pipe, which is still leaking.
Front and rear floors including the little drain hole nipples on floor look ok (these always rot out), back floor lip look a little rust but just surface and not structural - yet!
I'll not be surprised if the spring seats need done, every other one I have had needed it.
So all in all it's an honest car I think, I can tell it's lowish miles and has been (mainly mechancially) looked after and hardly been used by the old guy, shame he didn't try and keep on top of the bodywork more or clean the mud out from under the arches, and probably the sea salt from it when he got back from UIST; I put my hand under rear arches and it was absolutely caked with mud under the lip.
What's really amazed me about this car is every single thing that has happened to it since it was brand new has been documented, even including a running total of the miles clocked and the MPG etc. etc. boy was this old guy fastidious. I even have the brand new bill of sale for it from J Gillespie Vauxhall in Lenzie on the 6th of May 1993. And now the real shocker: the date it was purchased is the exact same day I passed my test would you believe . It cost £18532 brand new and he traded in a J plate 2.0i GL cavy P/E for £9532 !!
This is the first post I made about finding it.
viewtopic.php?f=13&t=15091
I will pull over the info I posted there just to keep it all in this post. Car is stored in my garage the now awaiting it's inevitable shake down and rebuild, of course keeping it as original as possible. Here;s some more pics of it including some I already had in the previous post.
Notice the misaligned panel gaps where boot meets with wing on O/S, looks like it's been reversed into something as boot is crooked when shutting and panel gaps are out plus the orange reflector light is broken, indicating some sort of "trauma":
Amended information from old post:
Good points:
low miler 78k
Leather interior (not actually a great fan but it looks cool)
All interior looks still in good nick (electric sunroof works, headliner looks good etc. etc.)
Everything still feels tight/new inside
Well looked after and literally hundreds of receipts from day ONE yes from new! He even kept a log of the MPG from new - old guy lived close by andfrom what I am gathering he must have bought this to enjoy in his retirement as he was a doctor!
2.0 8 Valve
Diplomat
Lots of spares in boot
Original spare never used - how cool is that!
Bonnet not rotten or rusted anywhere - most of mine have been
Correct diplomat alloys
Bad points:
Most of the sills look as if they will need a good bit of work, especially front drivers and rear O/S but probably all corners once stripped back. It felt mostly like their was surface rust with paint peeling off more than actual rotten through rust.
Apparently the guy had had the sills and bottom of doors repainted several times. I don't know why this is but I would probably put it down to overall lack of use, maybe lying in damp garage, and being used for trips to UIST where the salt would have gotten to it. However running my hand along the downward facing lip where sill and floor join was solid enough feeling, as they usually are with cavys; that's the worst bit to fix on any car.
I've had a further look at receipts and he has had the sills and door skins "repaired", once in 2000 and again in 2005. I think it's probably a case of over reaction to rust on the sills, as having has a much better look most of the paint is peeling off the outward facing part of the sill, with surface rust and there is paint and surface rust flaking off of the downward facing part of sill at most points.
I havent ever seen this on a cavy, it's usually just plain and simple rust on the underside at both ends, usually rear sections the worst. I think the repair paint job, not being as good as factory finish, has deteriorated with resultant water ingress and acceleration of rust and paint peel.
Also noticed the very rear of boot floor where it meets back panel is holed through in what looks like the vast majority of the join line.
Back Arches look the same, some bits look more like the paint is flaking rather than bubbling, however more than likely it'll be new arches at some point.
N/S wing rotten at bottom so it's split and popped out a bit from being flush with door, also wing has a ding under the indicator so looks likely that will be getting replaced.
Outriggers at front have been "jacked on" so they look a bit mashed and quite rusty, they will probably need to be either removed or extensively reworked. I think I can thank kwik fit for this as they seem to have done quite a few tyre changes judging by reciepts!
Fuel leak, I put my hand under where the pipes go up under the tank and immediately felt a wet "drip" on the pipes, smelt it and was fuel. Not surprised the fuel pipes will probably be rotten. Had a further look at this and there has been a slap dash repair on the fuel pipe under rear floor to replace a rotten part of the pipe with an intermediate rubber pipe, which is still leaking.
Front and rear floors including the little drain hole nipples on floor look ok (these always rot out), back floor lip look a little rust but just surface and not structural - yet!
I'll not be surprised if the spring seats need done, every other one I have had needed it.
So all in all it's an honest car I think, I can tell it's lowish miles and has been (mainly mechancially) looked after and hardly been used by the old guy, shame he didn't try and keep on top of the bodywork more or clean the mud out from under the arches, and probably the sea salt from it when he got back from UIST; I put my hand under rear arches and it was absolutely caked with mud under the lip.