Post-purchase inspection

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 incredibly tired and requires a total overhaul. A complete replacement of all the bushes, wheel bearings, and ball joints is mandatory to restore the tight, responsive handling this chassis was originally designed to have.

• Brakes: Given the suspension teardown, the entire braking system will be assessed and upgraded to ensure it has the stopping power required for the future power goals.

Current Powertrain

• Engine Health: Under the bonnet currently sits a 1.8L Ford Zetec-E Silvertop. It looks to be a solid motor but needs a thorough service to get it running smoothly in the short term. This includes, oil, filter, cambelt, water pump and stripping and rebuilding the twin Webers.

The Long-Term Vision: The Engine Swap While the Zetec will get the car rolling, it won't be staying there permanently. The ultimate goal is a major upgrade, and I'm currently torn between two very different but equally exciting powerplants:

1. Jaguar AJ-30 V6: A brilliant balance of modern power, a great exhaust note, and relatively sensible packaging for a lightweight kit car.

2. Toyota 1UZ-FE V8: The legendary, bulletproof quad-cam V8. It will undoubtedly require some serious fabrication to fit, but the soundtrack and torque would be unmatched.