New 90 project

Hey all,

I had a 90 that I sold a year or so back and have been missing it so have been keeping an eye out for another one I could titivate a bit and enjoy.

I have just bought this nice original 1989 90 TD that i'm excited to get going on.There was little formal history other than the old MOT's (all of them from new!) so the first thing I did was get it on the ramp to take a good look around underneath.

First things first, its clear that new or restored doors are needed at the front along with some repairs to the bulkhead. That was clear from above but when I got it up in the air I was amazed to find a properly great condition chassis - Its better even than my last 90! No holes or corrosion and looks like its been treated annually to waxoil over the years so is very well preserved - what a relief! It was also clear to see that money has been spend on it with the swivels in great shape along with a new exhaust system and various bushes having been replaced in the recent past. Its only had 3 keepers and the guy before me had it 10 years+.

On its test drive it drove brilliantly, feeling nice and tight with positive steering, sharp brakes and good pick-up. The TD is very smokey when cold though so this will need looking at. Anyone got any ideas as to what this may be? I'm in Manchester so any steers towards someone who may know how to solve this issue would be cool (though obviously i'm realistic that this is an old engine so will of course smoke a bit). Its had a new turbo and glowplugs of late and the oil looks fine so its been looked after recently - I'm hoping a full rebuild isn't required (fingers crossed). The bay is really clean with very few leaks. The interior is also great with new seats bases and even the original radio.









It would be good to get a steer as to how to tackle the bulkhead and engine issues as well as provide your opinions as to if I should keep it original or modify it with a 300TDi or TD5 transplant, wheels, colour change etc.

Cheers all,

o

Looks like a nice little 90 there. If it were me I'd want to keep it as original as possible. It's all very well fitting another engine, changing the wheels etc but an unmolested one is getting harder and harder to find. If the engine smokes a little, that's not a problem. If it runs OK then leave it. Sure a 200Tdi or 300Tdi would be a better engine, but you'd lose it's character. And a Td5 would mean additional electronics which could be a bit of a faff.

tetsu0san said:

Looks like a nice little 90 there. If it were me I'd want to keep it as original as possible. It's all very well fitting another engine, changing the wheels etc but an unmolested one is getting harder and harder to find. If the engine smokes a little, that's not a problem. If it runs OK then leave it. Sure a 200Tdi or 300Tdi would be a better engine, but you'd lose it's character. And a Td5 would mean additional electronics which could be a bit of a faff.

Click to expand...

If it is all original, you could even look at seeing if you could flip it to someone in the States. Could be a nice profit in that.

Cheers

Very nice, original looking motor, quite a rare thing nowdays. Smoking from cold could just be valve stem seals, which are a cheap fix if the garage or you can do them without removing the head.

Hey all, it's been a while since I updated you all.

Been trying to track down someone who can repair my bulkhead - I'm conscious it probably has to come off but don't want it swapped, just fixed and re-fitted.

Am torn as to keep it fully original with patina or make it look more modern, paint it green etc. Any thoughts appreciated.

First big job has been done - turns out it was knackered injectors causing the smoke so a brand new set has been fitted and all is now good with the works, ie no smoke at all - I'm delighted!

Any assistance appreciated as well as comments.

O

Hey all,

Bulkhead now out and with rebuilders - Its exciting stuff"

o