Dutton owner in Patchway

[Jagodo]

Hi,
I have just joined this forum. I am new to kit car ownership, buying a 'project' in December 2012. It is a Dutton Melos, which is an old door-less kit car based on a Mk1/Mk2 Ford Escort components. My one has a 2litre Pinto engine and Cortina disks but everything else is Mk1 Escort. When I bought it, it had been off the road since 1999 although somebody had started to work on it somewhere in between. It was (and still is) a runner but when I got it all of the brake components were seized or ruined - the only parts that I didn't need to replace were the pedal and the rigid pipes. Someone had damaged the front bodywork in a low speed shunt. I still need to sort out that bodywork, then its pretty much ready to go for its MOT. Then it will still need new seats and a respray. I have a hard top, doors and a tonneau for that. The Melos weighs 630Kg and is bright orange.

I have pretty much stalled on the Melos because I saw another Dutton that was going cheap (they all go cheap but this one was very cheap for a car with an MOT). So I bought that as a daily driver. It is a Dutton Legerra, which is an open top two seater and has a similar chassis to the Melos but has full sized opening doors. It looks like a cross between an MX5 and a frog-eyed Sprite. It too is based on Mk2 Escort components but with a 2litre Pinto from a Mk4 Cortina probably and a 5 speed gearbox from a Ford Sierra. It weighs 790Kg and is a strange two-tone metallic that was used by Nissan Micras a few years ago. I have been using that most days since I got it in February but it has needed one thing after another. I have pretty much got it sorted, or so I thought, until I went to fit the new seats that I got at Stoneleigh and discovered that the sheet of ally under the cabin was only there to hide the rust from the MOT inspector. The rust is restricted to two diagonal bars, one on each side of the car, which carry the seats. The rust is very bad and the bars will need replacing. I've got over my anger with the scoundrel who 'cured' the rust with a sheet of ally, I will just have to sort it. By the time that is done then I will have all of the bits for the bike carb conversion, the high-lift cam and the four branch exhaust that should give the car some zing. Currently does 0-60 in 8.2, which is too slow even for an old man like me.

[Bulldog Bri]

Hiya, welcome to the club. feel free to post up some pic's. Good luck with getting the cars on the road.

[Almondsburyhills]

Welcome to the club, My Dutton was a wreck when I first purchased it, fun to rebuild now enjoying some good club outings. Hope to see it on the road sometime.. 

[dave_bence]

Hello and welcome

[fullpint]

an open top as a daily runner  A brave man you are 
Welcome to the club. Look forward to seeing a pic of your fleet and also the progress on them..

['The Gaffer']

Hi there and a warm welcome to our club. Look forward to catching up one day.

[Moleman]

Welcome to the club. Good luck on with both projects. 

[YellaBelly]

Hello and welcome

Hope to see you at a meet soon.