Opinions requested on potential MK3 purchase

[Borneoben]

Hi I'm new here so please be gentle. :D

I found a Mk3 roadster for sale local to me that i am seriously considering buying.

It has a few small issues that i would like to get a better feel for how big they are.

The Good
The car is fully built registered and road legal and has about 2000 miles on it.
It has a Stock 351 Windsor, 5 speed box and IRS option. It has a passenger roll bar and power steering.

The Bad
It has NO paint, so is left with the bare gelcoat, none of the seems have been addressed at all.
The engine starts up in an instant idles smoothly sounds great but wont rev past about 3k as it breaks up and is very rough.
Below 3k its fine. (possibly fuel starvation or ignition issues)
It has no interior carpets
The fit of the hood in the hood opening doesn't look great and the doors look like they may need re-hanging to make them fit the openings a little better.
(The drivers side catches on the body a little)
The peddles dont seem to line up right, the clutch peddle is higher than the brake and the throttle is lower than the brake.
No idea why this is, the clutch feels fine when driving. But i am sure it could be adjusted
The power steering is pretty noisy not sure if its just fluids or pump/rack. No real biggie as replacements are an easy swap.
Brakes need a very heavy push to slow the car down, there is no booster.

Of slightly more concern is that the body doesn't seem to be centralised on the chassis by maybe a max of 3/4 of and inch. towards the drivers side.
The tires protrude past the body slightly on one side and recessed by the same amount on the other.

My questions to you guys are as follows
How easy is it to add a brake booster?
How easy is it to adjust the body back central on the chassis? Is it a simple case of loosening the mounting bolts and pushing??

I am not overly concerned about the bodywork. I have painted cars myself in the past.

Brakes are not confidence boosting and need attention, hence the question about adding a booster.

I am still negotiating with the owner but before i make my final offer i want to get a better feel for these issues. Current asking price is 22k

Thanks in advance for any advice you can offer.

Ben

(A little about myself: I am experienced with kit cars. My very first car on the road when i was 17 in the UK was a Kit car. I worked for two kit car companies after college. One was a Lotus Seven Kit company and the other was a Austin Healey 3000 Replica. I have also restored classic minis and ford escorts. Spelling and Grammar are not my strong suits.....)

[Gumball]

Not a bad starting point to finish, but I would plan on pulling the body off to get to some of the things you mentioned. Does the seller have any of the missing parts, including carpet? If not, much of the stuff you need can be found here in the classifieds, even carpet, which some builders replace with aftermarket stuff and then sell the original stuff once they've used it as a template.

The engine would be worrisome, as it is a fairly large portion of the expense. I would factor in the cost of a rebuild, just to ensure that you don't over pay for the car. Maybe give FFR a call to see what they still offer in the way of parts for the Mk3 series - I have a 3.1 (late Mk.3 and have had no issue with parts so far.

Once the body is off, you will also have a better idea of what you'll need to correct, finish, or replace, so make the seller aware that you will be taking that step and also factor that into your negotiations - i.e., you'd like some room in the price to be able to cover unanticipated things that need to be addressed.

Finally, maybe FFR or someone on the forum can provide you with an older Mk.3 build manual, too, as that will help you both with your questions and with any work you do if you end up buying this car.

Best of luck and keep us posted on your acquisition!!!!

[Borneoben]

Thanks Chris

Im guessing that the bodies go on and off pretty easily?

I had not planned on removing the body to do the body work but i guess that may make it easier....