SSC Stylus Restoration

With the mechanicals and interior starting to take shape, it was time to tackle some of the electrical gremlins. The first major issue I noticed was that the battery simply was not charging properly while the engine was running. I pulled the alternator out, tested all the individual components, and narrowed the culprit down to a faulty voltage regulator. In a stroke of luck, I managed to track down a new old stock part online. This was a massive relief, as this specific alternator is no longer in production. Upgrading to a modern unit would have meant fabricating completely new mounting brackets. After refitting the repaired unit, it is now outputting a healthy 14.5 volts. Problem solved. Next up on the hit list was an old Clifford  immobiliser. After running the part numbers through Google, it looks like it was manufactured around 2000 and was likely installed when the car was first built. In my experience, these vintage alarm systems tend to cause far more problems than they solv...

With the mechanicals making good progress, I decided to turn my attention to some of the interior components. I began by taking out the seats. Although they were incredibly grubby, they appeared to be in half-decent condition underneath all the dirt. I spent a good while scrubbing them with a drill-attached brush and some Cif, and the results were brilliant. They came up looking absolutely brand new. Next on the list was the steering wheel. It was heavily worn, with a lot of the original top coat missing, leaving it looking quite discoloured and tired. Fortunately, I had a leather refurbishment kit leftover from a previous project. I put it to good use, re-dyeing the leather a deep black before sealing it with a fresh satin top coat. Just like the seats, it was a night and day difference, and it looks brilliant again. I then 3D printed an SSC insert  Turning my attention to the footwells, the carpets were very dirty, so I decided to pull them out completely. I do plan to replace th...

When I started dismantling the suspension, I knew a complete overhaul was firmly on the cards. The old polyurethane bushes were well past their best. They were so heavily degraded that they quite literally crumbled in my hands as I tried to remove them. The real headache, however, came from the construction of the old bushes themselves. They featured steel sleeves that had completely fused with the mounting bolts over the years. This turned what should have been a standard tear-down into a highly labour-intensive nightmare. Almost every single bolt had to be carefully angle-ground or cut out just to free the components from the chassis. Once the old metal was finally liberated, I had all the suspension parts shot-blasted right back to bare metal. To keep them protected against the elements for years to come, I applied a solid base of Armaguard rust prevention primer, followed by a heavy-duty U-Pol Raptor topcoat. Putting it all back together was incredibly satisfying. Absolutely none o...

The previous owner mentioned that he used to fire it up once a year, but at some point, the battery gave up the ghost and the engine hadn't run since. When I started inspecting the mechanics, I made discovery: the cambelt was a genuine Ford part. That leads me to believe it is the original belt from 1999 - making it a staggering 27 years old! Needless to say, trusting a rubber belt that old is a recipe for disaster. A full overhaul was in order. I installed a complete SKF belt kit, which included fresh pulleys and a new tensioner, and swapped in a new water pump while I was in there to be safe. Generally speaking, a cambelt change on these engines is fairly straightforward. The cams have a handy milled slot at the back, making it easy to lock them right at TDC. Down at the bottom end, there should be a factory timing mark on the bottom pulley and the sump to line everything up. However, because my engine is fitted with an aftermarket Raceline sump, that factory timing mark is nowh...

Finding the right project car often means taking a leap of faith, and my SSC Stylus was no exception. Bought completely sight-unseen, I trailered it home not entirely sure what I was getting into. Now that it’s off the trailer and sitting in the garage, I’ve had the chance to do a proper shakedown. Right now, it is very much a diamond in the rough. Post-purchase inspection - the good, the bad, and the heavy lifting ahead. Exterior & Bodywork Fiberglass Condition: As expected with an older kit, the body is showing its age. There is a fair amount of spider cracking visible across the gelcoat. This is going to require some careful grinding, fiberglass repair, and meticulous prep work before it sees any fresh paint. Lighting & Trim: The front end needs some attention, its missing a headlight bezel - I will likely replace both whole units as it looks like the tyres have been rubbing on them and created a hole.  Chassis & Handling Suspension: The current setup is incredibl...

Hi, and welcome my my blog documenting the restoration of an SSC Stylus.  The Origins of the Stylus The SSC Stylus stands out as one of those rare kit cars that perfectly bridges the gap between a raw track weapon and a genuinely usable road car. Its story actually begins in Manby, Louth, under the Sylva Autokits banner with the legendary designer Jeremy Phillips. By the time he released the Stylus, Phillips had already established a formidable reputation in the motorsport world. His lightweight and incredibly agile designs absolutely dominated the 750 Motor Club Kit Car championships throughout the 1980s and 90s. Although the Stylus was originally conceived as a natural evolution of his highly successful Fury model, its journey took a new direction in the summer of 1996 when the production rights were sold to Specialist Sports Cars (SSC). SSC didn't just inherit the design; they actively refined it. To sharpen the already race-proven handling, they upgraded the suspension by repla...