peterd51
happy to be here!
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Hi,
I was scanning down a salvage auction listing looking for a motorcycle that I could rob the engine out of to install in the hovercraft but there was nothing suitable.
So I had a look at the Fords and specifically Mondeos as mine has 187,000 miles on the clock. I travel around 2000 miles a month so it'll need the timing belts and pulleys changing in 5 months and I was planning on changing the car about then.
In the auction there was a Mondeo TD estate, X reg, year 2000, just over 50,000 miles on the clock. Pre-accident value £2000 but it's had a front and rear shunt, looked mostly cosmetic.
So I bought it unseen (on-line auction, see about ten photos from different angles) for £225 but with commisions and delivery, etc, it's currently cost me £326 so far.
The back end has the most damage:
so I removed the spare-wheel and carpet, the tow-bracket and bumper plus odds and ends of trim, etc:
It looks like the worst of it is around the off-side rear pillar where the floor's been pushed in by about 1/2". I reckon I can cut a slot in the floor with the plasma cutter and ease everything back into position with a bit of prying and gentle tapping, then plate up the slot. It'll need a replacement tail-gate and bonnet too!
The doors all open and close easily and the gaps look uniform so I don't think the shell's been concertina'd, but I could choose suitable reference points underneath and take measurments to compare with the Mondeo that I'm currently running.
The drivers seat back has broken so I'll whip that out and see if it can be repaired and if not then a replacement from a scrap-yard is only about £10. There's a bulge in the floor just in front of the drivers seat but I can knock that out with a big hammer and a block of wood. At worst I may need to cut it, tap it into place and then re-weld it.
The front end was less damaged, it needs a bumper and the air-con radiator changing.
The front cross-member has a slight bend and will probably knock out when I've got the radiators out.
Then I noticed a dent in the front of the sub-frame (that carries the engine). Nothing much to worry about, a 3" x 2" plate will cover it, and then I notcied the sump:
Oops! So far it's just been cosmetics but this is more serious. It doesn't look like there's any damage to big-ends, crank, etc, as there's some clearance from the bottom of the sump, but to change the sump I have to take off the gearbox and fly-wheel so it's an engine out job. I'll have another go tomorrow...remove the heater plugs and get a spanner on the crank-shaft pulley so I can rotate the engine and check the crank, etc.
Engine out, strip, rebuild an re-install will add about three days work to the job! But it takes 4 - 6 weeks to get the paperwork organised, ie, new V5, so I have plenty of time.
Where I was going to get stuck into the rear-end first I'll probably have a go at the engine first as without that running there's no point doing anything else!
All together I'm hoping to spend less than £200 on replacement parts including a new set of timing belts and pulleys.
Regards
Peter
I was scanning down a salvage auction listing looking for a motorcycle that I could rob the engine out of to install in the hovercraft but there was nothing suitable.
So I had a look at the Fords and specifically Mondeos as mine has 187,000 miles on the clock. I travel around 2000 miles a month so it'll need the timing belts and pulleys changing in 5 months and I was planning on changing the car about then.
In the auction there was a Mondeo TD estate, X reg, year 2000, just over 50,000 miles on the clock. Pre-accident value £2000 but it's had a front and rear shunt, looked mostly cosmetic.
So I bought it unseen (on-line auction, see about ten photos from different angles) for £225 but with commisions and delivery, etc, it's currently cost me £326 so far.
The back end has the most damage:
so I removed the spare-wheel and carpet, the tow-bracket and bumper plus odds and ends of trim, etc:
It looks like the worst of it is around the off-side rear pillar where the floor's been pushed in by about 1/2". I reckon I can cut a slot in the floor with the plasma cutter and ease everything back into position with a bit of prying and gentle tapping, then plate up the slot. It'll need a replacement tail-gate and bonnet too!
The doors all open and close easily and the gaps look uniform so I don't think the shell's been concertina'd, but I could choose suitable reference points underneath and take measurments to compare with the Mondeo that I'm currently running.
The drivers seat back has broken so I'll whip that out and see if it can be repaired and if not then a replacement from a scrap-yard is only about £10. There's a bulge in the floor just in front of the drivers seat but I can knock that out with a big hammer and a block of wood. At worst I may need to cut it, tap it into place and then re-weld it.
The front end was less damaged, it needs a bumper and the air-con radiator changing.
The front cross-member has a slight bend and will probably knock out when I've got the radiators out.
Then I noticed a dent in the front of the sub-frame (that carries the engine). Nothing much to worry about, a 3" x 2" plate will cover it, and then I notcied the sump:
Oops! So far it's just been cosmetics but this is more serious. It doesn't look like there's any damage to big-ends, crank, etc, as there's some clearance from the bottom of the sump, but to change the sump I have to take off the gearbox and fly-wheel so it's an engine out job. I'll have another go tomorrow...remove the heater plugs and get a spanner on the crank-shaft pulley so I can rotate the engine and check the crank, etc.
Engine out, strip, rebuild an re-install will add about three days work to the job! But it takes 4 - 6 weeks to get the paperwork organised, ie, new V5, so I have plenty of time.
Where I was going to get stuck into the rear-end first I'll probably have a go at the engine first as without that running there's no point doing anything else!
All together I'm hoping to spend less than £200 on replacement parts including a new set of timing belts and pulleys.
Regards
Peter