Hi Shane, and welcome to the list.
A lot of what you are looking for in the car, depends on which end of the
market you are in. Expensive show-winner? Tidy weekend driver? Scruffy
run-about? Basket-case restoration candidate?
There's not much peculiar to Heralds (well, I'm talking from Spitfire
perspective, but most comments apply to both) that doesn't apply generally
to looking at old cars.
Obvious issue is rust. Spots to check are - sills and floor-pans, major
work to replace but replacement parts are available and cheap. Windscreen
frame, new replacements are NOT available, so this is a bigger problem.
Bonnet, around the front (looking from the inside) and weld seams. Inside
boot floor. Rear of body-tub where the radius arms for the rear suspension
attach - this needs to be strong. Battery box - not such a big job to fix,
but a common rust spot. And everywhere else... As a general rule,
mechanical frailty is easier and cheaper to fix than a rusty body, so spend
your money on a good body ahead of good mechanics, unless the engine or
gearbox is completely shagged and in need of an overhaul, and even then an
overhaul isn't too scary in cost if you are competant to do the work
yourself.
Other general issues - blue smoke out the exhaust means valve guides or
piston rings need work, so you'll have the engine apart. White smoke out
the exhaust means head gasket is gone - not a huge job to do, but you have
to ask yourself why the gasket went in the first place, car may have an
overheating problem. Mayonnaise under the oil filler cap, also an
indication of a head gasket in need of replacement.
Heralds are not fast cars, but the engine should at least pull smoothly
through the rev range. A well-cared-for engine should start up pretty
quickly, with use of the choke. Keep an eye on the temperature gauge -
Spitfires at least tend to run with the needle between the 1/2 and 3/4
point, so I suspect Heralds will be the same, only worry if the needle goes
over 3/4. Brakes should pull evenly, but there is no assistance on them so
expect to press hard (relative to a modern car). If the handbrake doesn't
hold too well don't worry about it too much, it's not hard to adjust. Try
lifting your hands off the steering wheel while going along a straight level
road, to see if the car is pulling to one side at all.
A clunk as you pull away, or when you change gear, is probably wear in the
Ujs in the rear suspension, or possibly the prop-shaft. These are cheap to
replace, so not a major concern - but if the seller hasn't done that job
already, they are probably not that fussy about maintenance, and other areas
may have been neglected - such as the front trunnions, which need regular
oiling, and there's no way to tell whether this vital job has been carried
out regularly until one fails on you, and it ain't fun when that happens...
All other usual checks - push on the corners to make sure the shock
absorbers work, check EVERY electrical item works correctly, make sure the
chassis number on the car matches the one on the owners document, read
through any old receipts etc. that the owner has to find out what work has
been done in the recent and not-so-recent past, check tyre condition (always
a good haggling point if they look like they'll need replacement soon).
Finally, trawl the internet for buyers guides, because I'm bound to have
forgotten something...
Richard
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