Rescue a Ruby

[Davemayle]

Have sent you an email Steve, would be such a shame to see it scrapped.......... Thanks

[Steve kay]

Thanks to all for interest and encouragement. A little gentle front suspension work by skilled and active hands, and the machine will be seen again.

[Martin Prior]

I, too, would agree that this is nowhere near beyond economic repair.

I'm concerned that modern write-off criteria are being applied to our cars and that some are being lost forever as a result.

When one considers the scale of restorations that many of us have carried out, working with not just the ravages of time, but ancient and poorly repaired accident damage, the repairs required on this little Ruby seem trivial in comparison.

We have a Seven in our shop at the moment that is banana-shaped in two planes, sheered, twisted, with one door opening an inch narrower than the other and one B-post short by a similar amount. It's run quite happily like that since an accident in the 1950s. I assume that the insurance company were never troubled with this one!

We expect to be able to make an 85% improvement to it for an entirely viable price. Any car that had sustained this level of damage in recent times would be cunningly disguised as a washing machine by now!

[Steve kay]

Martin, that is exactly what the salvage option is for. A modern engineer peering under the front of a Seven, saying he was not sure how to determine how true the chassis alignment might be, is quite happy to hand the decision making over to us. And don’t mention washing machines, by lunchtime a certain Mr Griffiths will be showing “ genuine original” images of early washing machines with 6” brakes, and later ones with 7”.

[Chris KC]

My experience in limited to my 1993 Micra, which had a head-on with a lad coming around a blind bend on the wrong side of the road (I can still see the expression on his face...) It was written off as the market value of the car was £450, even though it still had many years of life left in it. When I checked the repair quote it even included chunks of money for re-applying original decals as it had (they said) to be returned to 'as new' condition. I can well imagine a modern repair shop taking a look at a Ruby and quoting high just to get it off their premises. They won't want to mess about with it. Sadly it was on my way home from work for Xmas break and I was booked on a flight to India next day, it all happened too fast and I lost the car. Regretted it ever since. Hope it finds a friendly home Steve.

[Tony Griffiths]

Martin, that is exactly what the salvage option is for. A modern engineer peering under the front of a Seven, saying he was not sure how to determine how true the chassis alignment might be, is quite happy to hand the decision making over to us. And don’t mention washing machines, by lunchtime a certain Mr Griffiths will be showing “ genuine original” images of early washing machines with 6” brakes, and later ones with 7”.

If you insist - this is the best I can do in the middle of a busy day...

[Steve kay]

Obviously fraudulent. That is not a side draft Zenith!

[daveg]

Has the car already been written off or do you have the option to supply another quote and get them to re-consider?

[Peter Naulls]

If Steve decided not to retain the salvage I don't imagine the insurance company would scrap it. They would want to re-coupe whatever they could and would most likely sell it at a salvage auction. Much better to see it re-homed through this site though.

[Steve kay]

I certainly could not bear the thought of it being scrapped, which is why for our "classic" insurance policies we have the salvage option. To give credit where it is due, the brokers were the well known Routen Chaplin, then KGM Motor Insurance. Huge delays caused by covid and the engineer having pneumonia, once everybody was fit and well matters have proceed most satisfactorily. Telephoning is the usual ten minutes of options to press and othe delays, but once through to any of the team they are extremely helpful, and very patient to customers with limited computer skills. Bit like the dentist, rather not have to deal with them very often, but very good indeed when it is necessary. Actually my dentist wants to build a Marlin or something similar, when I am able to speak I try to encourage him to think of a Seven.