Toyota celica Ra28- the mustang.

[1600gtcelicaman]

Well the old girl has been in dry storage too long, I bought it maybe 12 years ago and its been stored ever since. The inception of tax free road tax next year has been the motivation to get it moving.
It was registered november 1977 but built november 1976 so goes tax free this january with free road tax inApril. I bought it from an old guy in the forest of dean who had owned 18 years and stored it in the back of a pantecican lorry down the bottom of his garden at his bungalow, he drove it up a pair of scaffold planks to get it in.
His daughters confirmed they all piled into and he terrised the roads round the forest in it. However his health started to fail and he sold it to a mate who didn't pay him for it so he went and recovered it and i bought it off him.
A gloucestershire car, I think supplied by central motors in southgate street , 88k and only 4 owners.
Anyway although driven into dry storage , it latterly wouldn't start as the engine had gone solid, it appeared to have a head gasket issue before i bought it.
So off to Bob clark and i had a good replacement engine in my garage.
Bob has already swapped the engine and is awaiting a few bits before getting it running, brakes etc all done so hopefully off for an Mot next week.
The body is excellent and has not deteriorated through the long storage, few jobs to do and change the wheels etc and hopefully it will be at the shows next year.

[Uncle Bob]

Malcolm is Bob doing any jobs like head gaskets on the engine or is it a know reliable unit to you ?

[1600gtcelicaman]

The engine is believed to very good so we are hoping it doesn't need a strip down, I have had it very dry stored for a long time and it turns over and appears to have plenty of compression.
engine is in the car now just waiting for an exhaust manifold gasket and then we will know on saturday whether its any good.
The engine that came out is solid so that needs a major strip down, pictures up you can see the replacement engine on the back of the transporter.

[Uncle Bob]

No problem .....just thinking a 39 year old head gasket could be on borrowed time and bob would have that sorted in a few hours

[celicasteve]

That looks in incredible condition, what a stunning looking shape.