1983 5 door 1.1 formel E resto and engine swap!

Well since ive joined up i figured i ought to start a build thread so i can document the transformation of my car from strart to finish (who am i kidding projects are never finished)

ive come from minis then jap rwd stuff (mx5 turbos, 200sx's etc.) so all these funny fwd german boxes are really new to me so bear with me.

Now the car ive bought is a 1983 mk1 formel E 1.1, the car was originally my mates, he ran it for a while then sold it my brother who planned on doing it up as his first car. The car was partially stripped then partially prepped for paint and sent to the body shop to be blown over in the original mars red. however because of one thing and another its been sat at the body shop for last 4 month and now my brothers going to uni he cant afford to do it so ive stepped in to rescue it.

The pictures show it in its current sad state, im moving it round to a friends garage friday so i can crack on with it and get it ready as ive insured it today and would like it on the road in next month or so.

The current plans are tidy the bits of rust up, theres a bit on the back valance and one arch needs work, then wip out the sewing machine sorry i mean 1.1 and paint the bay then have the whole car painted. Im still toying with colour ideas, either white, bright baby blue or kawasaki green and short term drop in a 1.8 8valve on a carb and 5 speed box. Long term i plan on going 20vt but id just like to get it on the road for now

Anyway thoughts welcome and il update this as i go along

mat

ive also got a polo dash and electric windows that im going to attempt to retrofit as things progress, need to gut it first so i know what im starting from

mat

looks nice and solid, hope you're keeping the teeth on the front

those teeth are brutal.

the teeth are going!! my mate hand painted them on lol

Ive been down today and it fired right up so its geting moved tomorrow all being well

mat

bit more done today, got the tailgate stripped and most of the back stripped out. Needs the whole blanking for the rear wiper and a little repair on the spare wheel well

having a full day on it tomorrow so il post up pics then, hopefully want to try and get atleast one rear arch sorted if not both

mat

got quite a bit done today on it, (even tho the pics arent much)

all 4 arches needed attention so out came the angle grinder, all the crusty metal was removed and the necessary repairs made and flushed in. wasnt too fussed about them being perfect as im running with the covers on. they actually came out really well! Once they were all finished, sealed and primed turned my attention to a repair on the scuttle panel. Again the crust was removed and a new plate was put in then a tiny wipe of filler and its as good as new

Last job of the day was to flush the tailgate so made a start by wipping out the wiper motor and jet then plated the holes, tapped them in and a coat of primer, cant even see where they were

stripped some more of the interior out aswell, il let the pics do the talking




mat

(iphone camera isnt great, ought to get myself something proper to show of the handy work lol)

got a bit carried away yesterday, this was meant to be the long term plan but hey ho, do it right do it once


20valve turbo!!!

mat

Keep up the good work mat!
I am also the proud owner of a mk1 formal e! Good to see another one
What are your plans for the 20v? Big power?! Wouldnt mind doing a conversion myself
Dave

initial plan is get it in and get it running, made a start on stripping the mk4 beofre work today and sold a few bits already

think im keeping the formae badges for comedy value

mat

Fair enough .
Yeahh make it a bit of a sleeper
Dave

yeah a bit of a sleaper and with a few bits and a bit of a remap it should be a 200bhp 800kg sleaper

mat

well got some more done today, fixed the hole in the wheel well, fixed the back valance and removed the towing eye on the rear and smoothed it off.

also got the glass stripped out of the doors and stripped them down for paint. gonna need some new window seals, also need some for the front that have no chrome inserts (if you know were to get them from let me know)

hopefully making a start getting it in primer friday

mat

well got some more done but its taking longer than id hoped

back valance is all finished and smoothed off, got sills all cleaned up and stone chipped, also stonechipped the back valance.

all doors are off and stripped down, got a couple more hour prep then its ready for primer atlast. got a couple days off at end of week so would like to get it painted then

Also been reading more and more about the 20vt conversion, need to get the engine out of the mk4 when  i get a minute

more pics soon

mat

mid progress before back valance was finished

bit more done this morning before work (yes before!! was at the garage before 8 and started work at ten lol)

got the tailgate all removed and did a bit more flatting, stonechip has all settled nicely overnight so should look smart

got 3 days off at end of week so im hoping to get it in paint then (well the shell anyways). Also decided to stick with the original colour as feal it could look quite smart sat on the floor with some nice wheels

mat

tiny update today but still progress, managed to grab an hour between finishing one job and starting the next. Welded up the holes in the front panel and smoothed them off, so thats ALL the welding now done beofer paint.

got 3 days off work from tomorrow so watch this space for hopefully a massive update, one involving a fresh coat of mars red!

mat

well ive been on this since 9 this morning and just got in from the garage now, heres a sneak preview



going down at 6 in morning to get the red and clear on before anyone else gets there

mat

Making it a sleeper is a great idea especialy concidering its a four door,hope it all goes well for you.
Love it !

yeah im thinkin a proper sleaper, subtle wheels, arch trims, subtle exhaust and 200bhp+

well ive just got in from a long old day on this, was down at the garage at 6am!! absolutely destroyed!  :sad: :shocked: same again tomorrow  

had major grief with spray gun and water in compressor but thats a different story all together, needless to say i WILL NEVER paint another car lol.

anyways il let pics do talking, got the car and the tailgate done, need to do doors and bonnet tomorrow



thoughts welcomed

mat