Thanks guys, yes I definitely have a passion for rare or unique sports cars, so I'm used to working on them myself and actually enjoy that part of the ownership. I feel like I'm saving a Vantage from falling into disrepair so glad that there is appreciation for what I'm doing here. I've bought one that had heavily depreciated already and therefore was within my budget. I certainly wasn't the worst condition one I saw in 6 months of viewing about a dozen Vantages in person, but of course not the best either. The things this one needed are within my capabilities so it was the right one for me

I was able to pick up a set of "Take Offs" in Toronto for my car recently.
I didn't meet the owner but his employee was cleaning out his boss's store and listed the OEM wheels / tires for sale.
They are almost new condition and the original AM9 tires were drained of air (valves removed to be transferred to aftermarket wheels for TPMS).
The owner had long since sold the car so they were no longer needed.
Since they were stored in a proper way and in a temp control indoor environment, I made an offer for them.

My negotiation tactic was I only wanted one front wheel to address curb rash I had on my car...and couldn't justify spending $1,500 for one wheel. Since they didn't want to break up the set, my offer of $800 was accepted. Sweet!

Brought them to the tire shop I am loyal to and they added valves and balanced the set for free. Awesome, here are the pics:













You can see the nipples still on the rubber!


They cleaned up real nice!


For lug nuts, I went to my fav spined brand I've put on several of my cars in recent years - (I hate lock wheel lugs). I picked these up at a local speed shop. Unfortunately while they are the perfect length to be flush with the Asanti rims, they are a little long on the OEM 7 spokes but at 50mm that's the shortest they come. Most kits are ~$30-50 and include valves and a thin walled socket key.
Top tip - when you tell the sales guy you need M14 x 2.0 splined lug nuts, he will ask if your pickup truck is 5 or 6 bolt. Say 6 bolts then you'll get 4 spares

Here's the part number if anyone is interested:




I'll post some pics of them installed on the car soon...

 

What a difference, locks amazing. I can't wait to see how the seats come out.
Ron

 

I have a set of those rims as well with only 3000 miles on them. But no tires, oh well my price was about the same. You scored with what you bought.
Ron

 

As I wait for more parts to arrive and the rainy weather to improve, I keep cleaning stuff that bothers me leaving AS-IS...

Stuff like this, although as least it wasn't missing altogether like a few of the cars I looked at:


Oh, wait there has been some previous work done, like the already improperly replaced hatch lift strut


REALLY?


The good news is the skid plate isn't covered in oil leaks:


The bad news is the skid plate looks like I pulled it off a Jeep (lol), but hey I guess it was just doing its job:




This cover cleaned up but there was existing paint peeling:


At this point instead of stripping all the paint or repainting the entire panel, I just painted the area affected - it looks glossy wet but will dry satin black:


Next I polished the badges with some metal polish:






Not perfect, but I'm satisfied with the cosmetic improvement:


From this...


To this...

 

What a difference! Mick get's around. His name was on my 2007 Vantage as well. The under car pans (aka skid plates) look a lot better. On my two Vantages When I have them on my racks, I use my buffer with a foam pad and metal polish. They come up with a nice finish. Keep up the good work.
Ron

 

Wow...just wow...at my age I am not sure I would enjoy what you are doing with your car....but I like reading and seeing each step...except where the car got damaged- sorry to see...Good Luck

 

OK, rad cover is reinstalled and looks great - I might end up painting the
screws, but will add it to list of things I can do when I'm bored or not so busy


Unfortunately or fortunately, I found the front headlight mounting screw on the ground by the fence. Upon closer inspection it couldn't be reinstalled as the plastic receiver for the screw broke in several pieces when the fender hit the fence. Time for a quick fix since replacement is so expensive:

The front of the headlight had sagged and could be lifted up and down:


Since the screw only holds the headlight in the correct spot in relation to the fender and the headlight aim is unrelated, I come up with an easy fix.
I measured the gap caused by the broken plastic and gorilla glued some replacement plastic to the housing - a plastic water bottle cap. Then I threaded the plastic height adjuster in until it raised the headlight to the perfect location and tight to the fender so no movement is possible:


When it was in the perfect spot, I found an opportunity to use duct tape to ensure the plastic nut doesn't loosen over time - fixed and still removable:


Reinstalled the airbox (becoming a champ at doing this now lol) and onto the next task:

 

I only got one key and remote with the car.
I'm sure forum members can advise me the best way to go about getting a second set.

In the meantime, probably smart to put a fresh battery in the remote!
CR2032 is the battery they take as per owners manual.
I used a mechanical philips screwdriver and an allen key to re/re battery shown below:








Job done - next I installed my rear license plate (maybe a little optimistic at this time, but I wanted to see how it looked). I have gone monochromatic on previous cars and blacked out stuff etc. For the Aston, I wanted an upscale look, so I bought flat smoked covers and stainless steel license plate frames. On a black car I think it looks good and matches the badges, exhaust tips, window trim and bright grill. Of course I cleaned everything and used stainless hardware from Canadian Tire:

 

interesting, do they make them in black?

 

https://www.rthibert.com/web/files/c...l/page113.html


Might have to get some lol

 

same lug nuts i have on my car,they look great on...
the remote you require is a volvo 30772198.
make sure it is 315mhz for this side of the pond.
and that program codes are included,a trip to dealer in T.O. will be
required to program it.
Best bet for the key would be
astonmartinbits in uk or HWM astonmartin uk (rob simms)
they will need proof of ownership ,as key is cut to vin#

car is coming along great Ryan, you're gonna have a blast
driving it this summer.

 

Great Cadman, exactly the info I wanted posted in my build thread for future reference (+ rating for ya).

Thanks can't wait as the weather is getting nicer!

 

just about to go for a cruise right now, beautiful day today
after a week of rain eh!

 

Working on fluid changes next as this message just popped up:


In the meantime, looking for feedback on the below pics:

1. Does it look like the mechanic installed the new battery correctly?


2. H9 and H11 spare bulbs in here - looks like screwdriver missing but tow hook is there. Please post a picture of the screwdriver and any other missing parts so I can replace them with either the exact item or something suitable as a substitute:




3. Is it OK to trickle charge from here instead of the battery? I read it could be done from the power outlet in the trunk but I didn't have that adapter:

Reason I ask is I found a warning message I appreciated the heads up on as I left the key in position one accidentally for a while yesterday afternoon...


4. Also I forgot to mention I scanned PCM for codes and only got one which is a check in the positive column. I'm going to try replacing front O2 sensors first and will advise it that resolves the code. If not I will continue the search and ask for help but any feedback or knowledge from personal experience is always welcome.


Thanks, appreciate your support and even personal opinions are welcome - just don't expect me to follow every suggestion

 

Yep, enjoy and thanks for rubbing it in
Once I start driving the Aston, I'll be having so much fun the pace of work on it will slow down, so time to make hay now.
My goal BTW is to take it on vacation May 2-4 weekend...