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Centaur Resto


fluxmech
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hi people dave here.

went over to my uncles tonight to get the green centaur started ready for pick up sat and new bloody battery was flat!!!!

but came away with a history file an inch thick inc ALL the mot's from 3yrs old to 97 when it came off the road.

and a great bonus of a letter from Magraw engineering with the build no stapled to it. the letter states that my car HCF 5 W was build number 57 of the 58 they converted.

the letter is dated 7th dec 1981.

so off to a good start except for the battery!!!

once it's over at my workshop will post pic's as promissed.

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and so it begins! picked up the cav today and trailered it over to my workshop.

took loads of pics!!

have got loads to do but can't wait to get stuck in.

one decision i need to make is do i return it to its original colour or keep it green!!!

Edited by fluxmech
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and so it begins! picked up the cav today and trailered it over to my workshop.

took loads of pics!!

have got loads to do but can't wait to get stuck in.

one decision i need to make is do i return it to its original colour or keep it green!!!

All depends on what way you want the car to look when its finished. If you do some mods you may as well paint it a colour that you really like :) Post some pics of your project

Manta%20out2.jpg

Edited by Robbie
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and so it begins! picked up the cav today and trailered it over to my workshop.

took loads of pics!!

have got loads to do but can't wait to get stuck in.

one decision i need to make is do i return it to its original colour or keep it green!!!

if the car is jade green metallic, stick with that, in my opinion it is a beautiful colour (i woulsd say that as my car is that colour), and of course the car left the factory that colour :thumbup but at the end of the day it is your decision.

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if the car is jade green metallic, stick with that, in my opinion it is a beautiful colour (i woulsd say that as my car is that colour), and of course the car left the factory that colour :thumbup but at the end of the day it is your decision.

He said green or the original colour if I'm reading it correctly :P. What was the orig colour?

Jade green is indeed nice - I've always thought it was rubbish, but having recently done a car that colour I realise it's just cos I've only ever seen old, faded ones before - when it's fresh it looks stunning :thumbup

05_02_10_043.jpg

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He said green or the original colour if I'm reading it correctly :P. What was the orig colour?

Jade green is indeed nice - I've always thought it was rubbish, but having recently done a car that colour I realise it's just cos I've only ever seen old, faded ones before - when it's fresh it looks stunning :thumbup

05_02_10_043.jpg

very nice job you did there, i remember reading the thread on it.

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the original colour was light orange. its coming through around the windscreen and most of the interior panels are that colour. but the whole car needs a repaint. my intention is to take it back factory fresh.

Copper Bronze Metallic?

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Looks like a pretty sound car to start with, The early manta/Cav shells were made from better steel than the later ones. I had a reasonable amount to do to mine but well worth the effort to get the shell 100% right. Out of the 118 made there are only about 20 left now and only around 7 actually on the road. So it will be a rare beastie when you have it on the road :)

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Well have spent some time stripping the cav today to see the extent of corrosion!! not as bad as first expected. have finally come to a decision on the colour its going back to orange.

post some newer pics when i get the chance.

Edited by fluxmech
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  • 10 months later...

nice looking car! i can see why you want the old colour back seening stradacab cav. thats a nice looking car! what was the top of the range cav?

The GLS was done to keep showroom interest up in the last year of Mk1 production. They are very, very rare and came out on a V reg but most were W plates.

Over the GL they had a better radio, tinted glass, vinyl roof as standard, and the sportshatch type interior so nice velour seats and door cards and the 6 clock dash. The drivers door mirror was internally adjustable.

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^ Didn't it come with 15" ATS alloys as standard? ;) I really like those wheels since seeing them on John Rowbo's GTE and they look awesome on the early cars by the looks of things.

I'd love a centaur so can't wait to see this progress, although as I'm more of a manta bloke I'd go for the facelift bumpers, side skirts and exclusive spoiler in glacier white so it looked like a manta convertible, but I know the mk1cav guys would call that sacrilege!

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I'd love a centaur so can't wait to see this progress, although as I'm more of a manta bloke I'd go for the facelift bumpers, side skirts and exclusive spoiler in glacier white so it looked like a manta convertible, but I know the mk1cav guys would call that sacrilege!

Other than the colour, that description seems to ring a bell!!!!!

Cheers

D

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  • 4 years later...

Have recently bought the Centaur off Dave,as due to his work commitments is not going to get round to restoring it.

Car arrived couple of weeks ago,going to need some welding! Needs swannecks ,front floors ,rear valence,inner front wheelarches,battery tray patching and other areas.My plan is to get it running,then remove engine and sort the welding out,get the roof sorted.Leave paintwork and bodywork as is for now.Get it on the road and get some use of it.Have 1 A series on the road ,having engine conversion done on my other Manta A project,also need to sort out the Commodre GSE sunroof and autobox.so could be a while!

some of the rusty bits

Project images are available to Club Members Only, Click to become an OMOC Member.

Project images are available to Club Members Only, Click to become an OMOC Member.

 

Project images are available to Club Members Only, Click to become an OMOC Member.

Project images are available to Club Members Only, Click to become an OMOC Member.

Project images are available to Club Members Only, Click to become an OMOC Member.

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  • 2 years later...
On 3/23/2010 at 23:32, fluxmech said:

hi people dave here.

went over to my uncles tonight to get the green centaur started ready for pick up sat and new bloody battery was flat!!!!

but came away with a history file an inch thick inc ALL the mot's from 3yrs old to 97 when it came off the road.

and a great bonus of a letter from Magraw engineering with the build no stapled to it. the letter states that my car HCF 5 W was build number 57 of the 58 they converted.

the letter is dated 7th dec 1981.

so off to a good start except for the battery!!!

once it's over at my workshop will post pic's as promissed.

Not sure if you're still around @fluxmech but you wouldn't happen to be able to scan or take a picture of that letter ?
I've built up a database of all the Centaurs and have around the number you say Magraw quoted in the the letter, would be nice to see it confirmed in writing.

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i bought the Car off Dave,about 3 years ago.will have a look at any paperwork he gave me. Car still in need of a lot of work but is pretty original condition apart from the rust!

when i saw Dave last he was running his own workshop restoring Landrovers.

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