Contemplating doing something silly

[grinder]

Hiya ,

The cab is really getting me down at the mo - and i think the time has come to make a choice

Dropped the sump off the auto box , drained all the oil , refitted and gave it 4.55 litres of lovely new ( RED ) ATF Fluid

Didnt go mad and put it all in at once .. put about 2 litres in , started the car and let her warm up

Did the correct way of checking the dip stick ( move thru all gears and back to P ) dipped oil and filled as necessary

Drive , 1st and 2nd are grabbing just fine ( the back end doesnt half drop when it engages ) but Reverse is no worky

Im just getting lots and lots of whining from the gear box and nothing

I dont know if there is enough oil in there ( its soooo bloody stupid to check )

Good sign is , its red in the dip stick , shame its 14ft long though

So it looks like im in the same boat as i was before - No reverse and its stuck on the drive with no MOT

Im assuming that since i have no reverse , i wont have 3rd and OD ( 4th )

So im stuck here ................

I cant afford to get the box rebuilt and i dont have the time/money to do a manual conversion

Brett suggests just leaving her on the drive for a few months/years until a box comes up for sale .. but im not sure this is a good idea

I dont use the car as its only 2 seats and we are a family of 4 - so its just sits there and does about 500-600 miles a year

So in real terms , do i need the hassle of the car

i know you lot are FC adicts and will tell me to keep the car etc.... - BUT what would you do in the this situation ?

I dont even know if it has a value at this moment intime

There are goodies on the car ( ducking for the vultures .. ) so they must be worth something ??

What im trying to work out .. is it worth more in parts ( but i could be left with a lot of car left ) - or sell as a project car .. or leave her sat there looking sad ??

Current spec of the car ..

1991 FC3C Jap Import
64 K on the clock ( no idea how many of those are M or KMS )
Rebuild at about 58K i think ( i can check if need be )
All round drilled and grooved disc
Rare as hens teeth Tan leather interior and door cars
16 in Enkie wheels
Front Strut Brace
K&N Cone Filter
FCD
Fully decatted ehxaust leading to 4 inch twin exits ( makes a lovely noise )
Unmarked Roof with NO rips
Factory front Splitter ( looks like its needs some paint - bloody multistory car parks )
Whilst i have been under it - i would say that there is NO chassis rust at all - there are a few places the underseal has come off where i have jacked it up - but no signs of rust at all
Braided Brake lines all round
Magnacor Leads
Blitz Dump Valve
Turbo Timer

I suppose it doesnt matter whats on the car if its not working .. but is the money in breaking it or just selling the entire thing on and hope some one with time and patience can revive her ?

She isnt in the best condition paint wise - looks like there is water under the clear coat in a few places , so thats a down side , and a crack in the front nose cone ( me and kev pushed it a bit far onto a trailer when i bought it )

The ABS is showing a fault at the mo , but i have tried a new ABS ECU and that didnt work

I have ohmn\'d out the back wheels and they seem ok - so could be a faulty front sensor

The car has been driven sensibly - well you cant really drive an auto like you stole it

Im just sooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo unsure of what to do ?

i have contacted loads of tuners and not one have a gear box or even know where to find one

So come on chaps .. tell me the truth and what i should do

Im just tempted to throw it all in and go and get a 4*4 and try playing on the green lanes ( i can take the family then ) - or buy a kit car ( again 2 seats so not a good idea but appeals to me )

Stu / Grinder

[B.Martin]

Can\'t you buy a manual FC shell with gear box on the cheap and do what prof is doing and swap all the good parts over? Would be a shame for you to get rid of the FC now you\'ve had them for years and years!

[Lacey]

I agree with Ben, any chance of a donor shell / car?

Though I can\'t personally speak for it, we \'do\' have an \'as is\' untested and untried complete manual gearbox here that I\'m sure you could talk to Prof about as it belongs to him, as far as I\'m aware he wasn\'t intending on keeping it but I could be wrong, might be worth PM\'ing him and see how much (or how cheap) you can get it for in order to keep another FC on the road?

[grinder]

its the skills of reshelling it - i dont have the space / time to be honest

And the box - i spoke to Prof/Dave about that a while back - but the manual conversion involves

1 - gear box
2 - clutch master and slave
3 - peddle box
4 - clutch
5 - fly wheel ( invloves removing 54mm nut )
6 - starter motor
7 - not sure about the prop
8 - clock set

so all in all - not simple

[B.Martin]

Its a shame, but if realistically re-shelling or fixing is not possible then you don\'t have many other choices. Would be nice to see you persevere though and get it back on the road though, can you not pick up the manual things over time and do it when you can....

Surely the price you\'ll get for a FC \'vert with a naff gearbox makes it not worth selling?

[grinder]

thats what im trying to work out - even with a naff gear box - whats it worth

Are we taking £300 or are we talking £1000 ?

[dthebuk]

Garry at Rotechniks has a couple if auto cabs. Can\'t remember if he said he\'d break or not. But if you do decide you want one I could take the box to yours. I live near Rotechniks and my misses lives near you.

Go
On. Keep it!

[B.Martin]

Go
On. Keep it!

Listen to him... He knows. :Thumbs-up

[Brett]

There you are then, job done!

[grinder]

Im sure i mailed them .. and if not - thats mondays job at work

failing that .. any other ideas ?

[Prof]

Stu - I\'ve got 2 gearboxes - and they aren\'t selling - so if you want to keep the car (and if you are like the rest of us nutters, you do) - why not take one of my gearboxes.
 
I also have clutch Master and a prop shaft - although I\'d be asking a bit for the clutch Master as I wanted a spare.
 
So that\'s some of you\'re bits sorted....
 
DtheB lives close to me too - so if he\'s willing to ferry stuff up there?

[m1tch]

I have a spare clutch/flywheel/pressure plate/54mm nut/54mm socket with 1/2" drive - clutch and flywheel I believe are fine, but can\'t cope with the extra power my FC is putting out - might just need a new/good used plate?

[Brett]

Grinder price FTW

[kev-yorks]

I\'ve a donor Car (manual) Stu with clocks your welcome to, no cylinders though so i can\'t help there.

[m1tch]

Lets check the status:

1 - gear box - Prof
2 - clutch master and slave - possibly Prof
3 - peddle box
4 - clutch - I have a pressure plate and used clutch disk
5 - fly wheel ( invloves removing 54mm nut ) - I have a flywheel and 54mm socket
6 - starter motor
7 - not sure about the prop - Prof
8 - clock set - Kev Yorks