Hi all, I've finally got around to registering on the forum after spending the last few weeks browsing through the posts. SOC membership will be purchased after I've survived Christmas 
I acquired my Mk1 Stag, DRS145L last November, it had belonged to a friend of mine who died suddenly a few years ago and had been stored in his lock up. Unfortunately the garage roof had started to leak at some point in the last 5 years and a porous soft top meant that the car was sodden through
It was in good condition when it was laid up in 2003 due to a brake master cylinder failure and despite the damp storage, it's faired reasonably well.
I moved it to my dry lock up where it has sat drying out for the last year, minus the rotten remains of the carpets, while I finished the restoration of my much loved Singer Chamois coupe. The Stag was moved down to the garage next to my flat in November this year so that recommissioning work could start in earnest! The first challenge was to get the engine running for the first time in 8 years. Plenty of oil down the bores revealed that it hadn't seized and a quick look with an Aldi's inspection camera showed the bores to be corrosion free. The oil & antifreeze were drained and the cooling system flushed fully before replenishing, along with fresh filters, spark plugs, diaphragms in the carbs and a solid state conversion kit for the rotted points in the fuel pump. I also had to strip & clean the ignition switch & with a new battery fitted it was eventually coaxed into life, smoky at first but soon settling down to that glorious V8 burble that I remember from driving the car almost a decade earlier! The icing on the cake was discovering that the clutch hadn't even seized on & it drove back into the garage under it's own power, brilliant
It's currently sitting on axle stands while I rebuild the braking system & assess the small amount of welding needed, more on that later.
I've always hankered after a Stag having started my driving days off with Triumphs, first in a two door Toledo, then a 1500 FWD followed by a 1500TC Dolomite before moving up to a 2000 estate. After a gap of a few years the Triumph bug bit again with the purchase of my boyhood dream car, a Dolomite Sprint in Inca yellow! A while later a 2.5PI was good fun too, I guess I'm just working my way through the range
My plan is to do a rolling restoration on the Stag over a few years as this is one I want to keep along with my Imp.
well, that's enough rambling for now, no doubt I'll be asking lots of advice in the coming months but meanwhile, there is a link to a few pictures of my Stag below, does anyone know DRS 145L, previously from the Aberdeen area?
Regards, Jim
I acquired my Mk1 Stag, DRS145L last November, it had belonged to a friend of mine who died suddenly a few years ago and had been stored in his lock up. Unfortunately the garage roof had started to leak at some point in the last 5 years and a porous soft top meant that the car was sodden through
It was in good condition when it was laid up in 2003 due to a brake master cylinder failure and despite the damp storage, it's faired reasonably well.I moved it to my dry lock up where it has sat drying out for the last year, minus the rotten remains of the carpets, while I finished the restoration of my much loved Singer Chamois coupe. The Stag was moved down to the garage next to my flat in November this year so that recommissioning work could start in earnest! The first challenge was to get the engine running for the first time in 8 years. Plenty of oil down the bores revealed that it hadn't seized and a quick look with an Aldi's inspection camera showed the bores to be corrosion free. The oil & antifreeze were drained and the cooling system flushed fully before replenishing, along with fresh filters, spark plugs, diaphragms in the carbs and a solid state conversion kit for the rotted points in the fuel pump. I also had to strip & clean the ignition switch & with a new battery fitted it was eventually coaxed into life, smoky at first but soon settling down to that glorious V8 burble that I remember from driving the car almost a decade earlier! The icing on the cake was discovering that the clutch hadn't even seized on & it drove back into the garage under it's own power, brilliant
It's currently sitting on axle stands while I rebuild the braking system & assess the small amount of welding needed, more on that later.
I've always hankered after a Stag having started my driving days off with Triumphs, first in a two door Toledo, then a 1500 FWD followed by a 1500TC Dolomite before moving up to a 2000 estate. After a gap of a few years the Triumph bug bit again with the purchase of my boyhood dream car, a Dolomite Sprint in Inca yellow! A while later a 2.5PI was good fun too, I guess I'm just working my way through the range
My plan is to do a rolling restoration on the Stag over a few years as this is one I want to keep along with my Imp.
well, that's enough rambling for now, no doubt I'll be asking lots of advice in the coming months but meanwhile, there is a link to a few pictures of my Stag below, does anyone know DRS 145L, previously from the Aberdeen area?
Regards, Jim
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