[Calibrator]

For better or worse I now have the 403 that started this thread off in my workshop. It came to me via a wanted advert on this forum last year.

I've only had it for a little over a week, but the limited chance I've had to inspect and prod its nether regions has given me hope. It looks awful, but essentially the major malady is in the sills both sides. The near side sill having been "repaired" at some point in the past. Chassis itself is rock solid, and the body work requires very little new metal. Front seats are shot, but the rears are in fine form, and will colour up nicely. Some of Gliptones conditioner I had lying around has softened the leather very nicely.

Chrome needs doing all around, and whilst the glass is all good, the rear side window actuators are beyond salvage I think, and the windscreen rubber is shot.

So to answer the original question, restore or sacrifice? Well definitely not sacrifice, I'm not going to break it for sure, it's too good for that. Restore? Well yes, but with the caveat regarding the engine and gearbox. It will be restored to a motive car, but unless 6 numbers come up on the lottery that I don't play, then it will be with some other power train. Threads elsewhere have explored this issue, and in truth I'm undecided what to do. I have the ex Harry Wareham 405 that was featured in the Duckhams oil advert, with a Rover V8 engine and 5 speed LT77 gearbox from an SD1 that I've had fitted. But I'd rather stick to a straight six engine of some sort for the 403, an engine with similar architecture to the original Bristol Engine. The V8 installation in the 405 was a little invasive of the chassis, and I'd rather avoid that on the 403.

I know there will be folks out there horrified at what I'm doing. All I'd ask those folks to remember is that I wasn't the one responsible for robbing the cars of their original engines and gearboxes.