Good morning fellow Stag enthusiasts,
John Powell has kindly joined me to this email group, and by way of introduction I thought I would share a presentation on the restoration and modification of my 1974 Stag.
My Stag arrived with a P76 V8 installed, which I have rebuilt and slightly modified (electric water pump, hardened valve seats, ceramic coated extractors, upgraded radiator etc). I have also fully rewired the car, with LED lighting now used throughout (including daytime running lights), dual batteries and around 20 electrical relays. I also have an under-dash air conditioner, a GPS/audio head unit, a GPS speedo and a few other bits and bobs.
The wood veneer dashboard was in very poor condition, so I have wrapped it in vinyl (reversible). In fact the other two main modifications are also reversible: removing the chrome bumpers, and lowering the car by 50 mm at the rear and 40 mm at the front.
I am sure my work will not be to everyone's taste, however I am about to retire and I want a touring car that is fun and reliable. Hence the dual batteries, as we can camp overnight under the stars if need be. I am about to install a 4-speed automatic, with the aim of having the car ready for its first decent road trip around March or April, when I intend to have it trucked to Cairns. My wife and I will fly up and drive it back home down the Queensland coast over a couple of weeks.
I have a couple of issues to sort out, hopefully with the advice of this group: a hood frame that won't fold down, and a wiper motor that won't park the wipers. Nothing too drastic, but they both need to be sorted in due course.
I'm happy to discuss my project with anyone who has specific questions about the process I've been through.
All the best for 2022.
Regards, Richard
See the whole build in Featured Stags: The Stag Project.