I think all that work cost much more than the additional dollars the car could be sold for!  I always tell people they will be money ahead to just sell something as is, rather than repairing it and trying to cover the cost with a higher selling price.



......unless... you do your own work, don't "pay" yourself for labor, and umm... enjoy doing it!

For the up front rust...don't you just need to pull the windscreen fix the rust and it's done + paint?? or like bill said + paint?? or does it need a whole new scuttle piece + paint??? or is the rust inside too??? and is paint going to be a touch up?? When I was in the fire dept I had a boss who did paint and body. I scraped mine down to metal (I think I had 100 hours into it). I had a small amount of rust by the front windscreen, we pulled the windscreen and fixed it (but he was doing paint anyway) we acid coated it blah blah blah it only cost me $300 in parts and he said it was a $3000 paint job in 89...what is paint going to cost??

If there are any who think out of the box, another question. With three cyls. showing 180 psi and 15% leak and one cyl. showing 70 psi and about 70 % leakage will the MPG improve with the rebuild or go the other way? Steve (CTR)

I can run the numbers later. The cyl. head machine work with new parts was just under $500. Casting was all that we reused. That does not include a good head gasket, seals and R&R labor. Who would put a rocker assembly back without a new shaft? Steve (CTR)

coopertune.. well. does it have fresh paint.. good interior.. how bad in the patina( aka rust) ? If these items all ok WITH new set of tyres.. I am thinking about $10k in todays market.. on downside.. bad paint ,rust in scuttle, one bad cly.. $4k tops... later bc

I have a mid 80 s Mayfair the customer has wanted to sell for several years now. It is a Banks Garage import from early 2000s. It was dolled up before coming over. Three clock off set wood dash. Late boosted/ master with LHD cross over tube. 8.4 disc and spaced drums. 5X12 alloy wheels and 145 tires. The 998 with a 3.2 CWP ran very nice and gave nearly 50 mpg every tank. The car has never spent a night outside since hitting our shores. We came close to selling the car recently, buyer ask for a survey so I went over the car with a fine tooth comb. In general the car checked out till running a compression test. Three 180 s and a 70 psi. leak down showed most was going by the rings. Buyer backed out and that was fine with seller. Three years of selling a car that always fell $500. below asking price.

Owner has decided that next guy who looks at her won't have an issue with the car or price. I pulled the power unit and sent the head out for a full lead free conversion. Guides, hard seats, new triple groove valves intake and exhaust, keepers, caps and springs. Block has .008 wear in number four cyl. I stripped three more A+ 998s and found a block with almost no measurable wear. Picked the best block, best crank at std./std. Cleaned the pistons and ring grooves. Had block cleaned, honed, cam bearings and brass freeze plugs. Polished the crank and assembled. The tranny got new bearings, shift forks, synchros, diff. pin kit, side cover bushings and seals. Axle assemblies removed stripped and inner and outer CVs flushed repacked and booted axles cleaned glass beaded and painted along with exposed parts of CVs. Front hubs removed stripped beaded and painted with new ball joints, Timken wheel bearings and seals correctly spaced. Upper arms rebuilt, lower arms and tie rods MSC adjustable on car. New rubber springs, Hi los all around and powder coated front sub frame. SS brake hoses all corners. EBC pads in freshly rebuilt 8.4 calipers with SS pistons, new disc. Mintex rear shoes, wheel cyls. with new spaced drums, rebuilt master. New clutch, slave cyl. and hose. New locking ignition switch, head lamp switch, choke and heater cables. Looking at a complete Newton interior kit. The big issue with this car as a small area of rust along the screen on the scuttle. It stands out like a sore thumb. I have been all over the car and it is very sound other wise. I think repairing the rust will serve us well. Car is bright yellow with black roof. I'm thinking a silver roof would be be cooler and look good as well. 

Question will the work currently being done add value to the car equal to the cost of parts and labor? The car does not have to be sold but the owner has some different health issues to deal with. He has sold his Land Rover, MK2 Cooper S and Lotus and I hear the sail boat is going as well. As a need nothing mini he may keep this one once he gets it back. Thanks Steve (CTR)