KIMI is a Series 2 1983 Silver 1st Gen with 1985 bodyshell. She had been owned from new by John Odd, a former MRC member. Sadly, John passed away in early 2011 and his car was put up for sale by his widow. "Codge" on here, who didn't live too far from the car's location, kindly offered to take a look before we agreed to proceed with the purchase. Dave gave a very thorough report and some pictures which convinced us this was a good basis for an RPM "Project". The car was transported down from Yorkshire on 29th March 2011 and now sits in my double garage, alongside my RX-8 in Colchester. The car had an MOT until 23rd March 2011, but had been on SORN for a year or so, due to John Odd's illness.
The car's bodywork was generally in very good condition, with just surface rust in a few places. There does not appear to be any need for welding work as the main structure appears solid. As far as we can tell, John bought a "C" Reg S3 in 1995 and arranged for the S2 running gear to be transplanted into the bodyshell of the "donor" S3, reasons unknown.
The engine ran well but, due to the SORN and no MOT, we were only able to move the car a short distance in 1st and reverse, but all seemed well. The brakes were binding a bit, probably due to lack of use, but there were NEW pads in place all round. The wheelrims are in a very poor state, but we also have a spare set of rims with the car which look far better. We inherited a different brand of tyre on each corner too.....
The car is to be shared with 3 other RPM & MRC members; Seanp, Will66 and Hypothermia. Our initial strategy was to clean the car up from a year's worth of grime, do a full mechanical check and service, get a fresh MOT and then maybe get her onto a ramp to deal with the underside surface rust before it takes hold.
The project started on 2nd April 2011 when 3 of us; I, Will66 and Seanp spent 4-5 hours cleaning her inside and out, plus a quick cleanup in the engine bay. We took out the back seats to give them a thorough clean and inspect around the inside of the wheel arches. Thankfully, there was only a small trace of rust on the nearside arch, the offside looked like it just left the factory!
A few pictures after the first wash, no claying or waxing at this point......that's Will66 in his Navy issue overalls
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) and the other with a seized metal bush 