Restoration of standard 8

[srj1266]

Hi All

Most of you must have seen the picture of this standard 8 in the forum already. Well, this car belongs to my cousin and he is ready to give it to me. Now, i want to find out how much it will be to restore this car and whether it is possible at all. by this i mean if the parts would be available or not. i am not an expert in this matter and would like to know if there are any experts who can guide me. i am currently in Hyderabad and the car is in Pune. i would be shifting back to pune by june end. any help is welcome.

[Cyrus43]

Well Well Well..Nice to know that this famous car is owned by a fellow Tbhpian. You are in Hyd so contact Stanher. He can help you with the restoration..

[PAVAN KADAM]

Srj 1266,

Nice to see this car.

Best of luck for your restoration process.

With TBHP around i dont think your resto process will be a difficult thing.

There are some pro's here who would be eager to help.

The car looks untampered except the front grill.

Even the jack looks period.

Ha ha great rangoli design around the jack.

Keep posting the progress dude.

[Stanher]

Wooowww!!! What a really pleasant surprise!!
Karl (who had shown me this car once too) had tried so hard for the last few years to trace the owner of this car in vain! The house outside where its lying has always been locked.

Even I had wished someone who owned the car showed up so I could rescue it!
Am I glad someone finally has claimed this poor thing! I hope the car is not gone too bad (this is an old photo) though!

@ pavan: yes the car is complete barring some of the instruments, 2 rear wheels and the dicky/bootlid, if you could call it that- (its just a little flap at the back with limited luggage space. The 8 was intended to be as basic as possible! For this reason the 8 also didnt have a front grille as 'standard'- an optional grille was available at an extra price.)

@srij1266: At the outset welcome to the forum! Glad to have another standard enthusiast- someday we're gonna outnumber you fiat phreaks out there....muahahahaha!! (J/K! )

Anyways, for now, here's a guide to how your car should look like:

1956 Standard Super Eight Saloon For Sale on Car And Classic UK

I also suggest you try & contact the webmaster of the standard motor club, UK.

[Cyrus43]

Originally Posted by Stanher

@srij1266: At the outset welcome to the forum! Glad to have another standard enthusiast- someday we're gonna outnumber you fiat phreaks out there....muahahahaha!! (J/K! )

Not a chance buddy hehe..Just for your information, i too am looking out for a standard 10/super 10.

[karlosdeville]

Glad to finally get some contact on the vehicle. Have been seeing it rot for years and years. Was seriously considering purchasing it (if it was for sale) some time back, but in its current state Im not sure if it is worthy of a restoration. While it is a somewhat rare model, parts for this will be near impossible to get, considerig that there is so much missing. The best source would be importing parts from the UK, an expensive affair. Besides which, the tin work required on the vehicle is massive. Have you considered looking for a more practical classic like a Fiat or Herald? One that would require far less work as a first project.

Cheers
karl

[rjvora_2000]

I agree with Karl sir.

I checked up in chor-bazar in mumbai if the parts would be avilable or not for this model?

But i am sorry to inform you that not even single part is avilable.
If you start restoration it wont be a easy task....

Best of luck if you start the job.
Keep posting the updates.

Originally Posted by karlosdeville

Glad to finally get some contact on the vehicle. Have been seeing it rot for years and years. Was seriously considering purchasing it (if it was for sale) some time back, but in its current state Im not sure if it is worthy of a restoration. While it is a somewhat rare model, parts for this will be near impossible to get, considerig that there is so much missing. The best source would be importing parts from the UK, an expensive affair. Besides which, the tin work required on the vehicle is massive. Have you considered looking for a more practical classic like a Fiat or Herald? One that would require far less work as a first project.

Cheers
karl

[DHABHAR.BEHRAM]

Everything can be done. All you need is perseverence. Your biggest difficulty (believe you me, I know) is to get the garage guys to "think". They work, but very few think. You have to be ready to think for him also, then only you will be able to guide him. As far as parts are concerned, there is still some hope with my chor bazaar contacts. I will ask discreetly and get back. Glad to see that this car is going to get saved.

Best regards,

Behram Dhabhar

[PAVAN KADAM]

Behram,

I totally agree with you regarding the perseverence.

If you search, you'll find GOD too man.

What are we talking about spares not avlble for a classic, there are so many guys out there at TBHP who's done impossible things.

Keep ur work going, u'll surely find the required spares.

[DHABHAR.BEHRAM]

It takes me 6 months of sheer agony to restore a Fiat. This car is not less than a 2 year project. Be prepared to lose sleep, hit yourself and also be prepared to see steam coming out of your family members' ears ("fume fume" is what I call it and I face it almost every day but restorations are like that only). People will stop talking to you, when they talk it will be in mechanical tones, I've been through it all, but what the hell, finally cars like MRY3112 and MH01YA3238 get born.

Best regards,

Behram Dhabhar

[PAVAN KADAM]

Originally Posted by DHABHAR.BEHRAM

It takes me 6 months of sheer agony to restore a Fiat. This car is not less than a 2 year project. Be prepared to lose sleep, hit yourself and also be prepared to see steam coming out of your family members' ears ("fume fume" is what I call it and I face it almost every day but restorations are like that only). People will stop talking to you, when they talk it will be in mechanical tones, I've been through it all, but what the hell, finally cars like MRY3112 and MH01YA3238 get born.

Best regards,

Behram Dhabhar

Those mechanical tones of your family members will turn out as a song once they see people admiring your labour of love.

Behram i've gone through all what u said.But once my Beetle or any other resto project got ready, they start praising your skills and perseverance.


U need to live with it.

[srj1266]

Thanks all for your support. It was by sheer luck that i found out that the car belonged to my family. After seeing the photo in the forum, i recollected a similar car we had years back. i checked with my cousin and he said that it is still lying in the garage and you can have a look at it. i went and saw the car and was surprised at the condition it is in. The car pretty much is in the same condition it is seen in the photo. i had a very cursory look, but i felt the body is still good and as karl said, some of the instruments are missing. not very sure about the engine though.

will start looking at the possibility of restoring it once i get back to pune. but looking at the responses, feeling motivated and excited already to get the car restored. will keep you all posted.