Allegro Club International

[Chris Williamson]

Now I appreciate this question could also be entitled "How long is a piece of string?" but i thought I would ask if any of you have done this job or had it done and could perhaps offer some advice.

KiMtheVP got through the MOT last year with an advisory, the dreaded front valance rot! It was a bit "lace curtains" when we got it in 2009 and filler can cover a lot of things but eventually it gets found out. There is a small hole infront of the NS front rail so one can only imagine how far you need go to find anything solid enough to weld to, plus I understand it is a double skin too.
The main question is very simple therefore, what sort of cost am I looking at to get this panel repaired? This of course is where the "piece of string" comes in, it could be surface rust, it could be rotten up to the bumper and I am sure even if I took it back to the (trusted) MOT garage for a quote it would be subject to further digging about.I am asking is anyone who has had this job at a garage or by a friend who can weld,what did you pay assuming it was a bad to very worse case scenario?
My dilemna is do I sell KiM or pay more than the car is worth on this job? Its a 1975 S 1 VP with a full length Webasto sunroof and a silver seal engine, however there is list of things that don't work, (int.lights, HRW, fogs,boot lock) and it's looking tired inside and out. Reluctantly I could strip it for spares and get Brian the VP back on the road, structurally much better and into full working order.
KiM is still MOT'd and Taxed until October so I am in no immediate rush to do anything but a bit of advice from those who know might help when the final decision has to be made

[josephlamont]

Hello, Chris,
I am no expert, but at this very minute I have my 1500 Special, RKB 143T in for bodywork repairs. The repairs are not quite the same as you describe for your VP, but in some respects they might give a comparison. The way I have left it with the bodyshop is that there are 4 things to do:
1) Replace nearside front wing, making good the join the the front valence (which is not perfect!)
2) Either replace the offside front wing or repair the existing one, again involving the join to the valence
3) Weld up a small hole in the floor near the driver's door hinge
4) Weld the offside rear sill just where it joins the rear wheel arch.

I would not hold a bodyshop to a quote on all this because it really is a bit of an exploration. The proprietor said to me almost in passing that it will be around £600, but I think this was just to make sure I knew the rough amount of money I was in for. It wouldn't surprise me if its £1,000 by the time we're finished (including painting of course). That is well in excess of what the car is worth on the open market, but if we applied that test to Allegros of all cars, there wouldn't be any left. The open market prices for Allegros on Ebay suggest that less than £1,000 will get you a good one...........
anyhow good luck with yours! cheers Joe

[Richard Howe]

Front valances are like rocking horse manure; a couple of years ago a NOS on was doing the autojumble rounds at around £300 IIRC, and the only other source for them is cutting one off an existing car...
_________________
...that's why Allegro will look as good 5 years from now as it does today.

[Chris Williamson]

Thanks for your replies Joseph and Richard. In response to Joseph I have no knowledge of your personal finances but I am guessing that judging by the potential costs of the repairs to your Allegro it is a hobby you can reasonably afford to run along side your every day living expenses. Unfortunately I was made redundant in 2009 and though I am now self employed work can be a bit hit and miss, without my wife's income we'd never run our everyday cars let alone KiMtheVP so while I agree every Allegro/VP is a gem to be treasured and cosseted I have to make decisions based on what is best for my family and home.
This is where the viability of repairing KiM over recommisioning Brian comes into play. The former has a good engine, new steering but a ropey body, the latter has a suspect engine , also many new parts but as far as I know a solid body, the bottom line is it won't be me personally paying for this work so if I want to keep one I have to take the most cost effective steps that causes as least disruption to the families finances as possible

[Paul-V]

Bottom line, Chris, is that VPs are probably the most plentiful Allegro derivative left. Therefore, any money spent on major repairs is unlikely to be recouped when selling the car and potential buyers can afford to be picky: there will be another 3 on the market next week.

In your situation, I would definitely recommission Brian: he has a remarkably solid bodyshell and has the provenance of several television appearances If that means using the best parts from KiM to make one good car, then so be it.

Try to complete the job while KiM has a reasonable amount of MoT left and sell her on as a 'rolling restoration' project car. The only 'flaw' in the plan is that with Brian being a series 3 car, you will be sacrificing a few horsepower if you swap engines with the series 1.