New Berli - tips please.

[grahamdjohnson]

At long last I have the funds and, more importantly, wife's blessing(!) to get a Berlinetta.
Once I've found the right car I can buy, but being new to the whole Marlin experience, I was wondering what tips that you could offer. Thinking of things like particular rust points, wear points, signs that it has been well looked after for a long time (rather than polished up for sale) etc.
Thanks very much
Graham

[lizbillings]

Re: New Berli - tips please.

I am thinking of selling my Berlinetta. You can contact me by phone or email. Address in mag.

[grahamdjohnson]

Re: New Berli - tips please.

I'm afraid I'm not a member (yet) so can't get your details. Mine is [email protected] if you want to email me. Thanks

[Dane_Rescueman]

Re: New Berli - tips please.

The Berlinetta being an older kit car will rarely be absulutely perfect in every area. I bought a heap and over the years have refurbished every major assembly. Whatever you buy you will have some areas that need improving or changing to suit you. If you join the club there is a plethora of help available from Marlin owners at the click of the mouse.
The average Berli is robust and easy to work on. Most mechanical spares are easy to source and are fairly common. The body panels last forever (unless dinged!) and the chassis is fine if kept clean and undrsealed/waxoyled. The only common problem is a slight crack appearing at the lower front of each door window frame. This is not a big issue and can be fixed if required.
There are some fantastic cars out there that are pristine, others like mine, are used most days and will suffer the running wear of any other car you buy. The choice will be yours......
Good luck and join the club!

[danny_nelson]

Re: New Berli - tips please.

Hi Graham,I am located by junct 4 of the M5 Frankley Near Rubery, and I can offer advice, help in finding a good car,
or just a chat. tel 0121 453 7250 or 07976 836 374.
Regards
Danny.

[macdonald.dm]

Re: New Berli - tips please.

Hi Graham.

I don't know what your DIYing ability is like, but the Berli is a pretty straight-forward car to work on, and parts can be obtained really cheaply. (Just thinking back over the last 3+ years with my own Berli - recon steering rack - £35, recon callipers - £25ea, lower ball joint - £10, pair of rear shocks - £30, etc. All these would cost £100's on a modern car!)

So, don't necessarily be put off if an otherwise sound car needs a couple of bits doing to it!

The 'expensive' parts (in labour costs if not actual parts) are the engine, gearbox and rear axle, so it's worth checking that these are in good order. The usual tests apply here - noise, visual, compression test if possible, etc - but it might also be worth looking at old MOTs and checking whether 'advisories' included exhaust smoke.

I would personally look for a 5-speed box, as I find my 4-er a bit low geared in top. (Mind you, I'll be fitting high profile tyres when they need replacing...)

I'd also look for good quality seats - my standard Marlin buckets are a pain in the arse (sorry, but I was being factual...). A pair of good quality, well-padded, reclining, massaging (ok, only kidding about the last bit...) seats are the sort of thing that would cost a small fortune if you were to add them yourself, but make little difference to the purchase cost of the whole car - so buy them fitted!

When I first looked for a Berli, I was after one whcih came with, at least, a hard top as I - mistakenly - thought that soft tops would be easier and cheaper to get hold of afterwards... I now find that hard tops are pretty easy to get for around £150 whereas soft tops with frames will be many £100's - if you can get an original frame at all. So, I'd recommend buying one which has a soft top over a hard top (if you know what I mean.)

As said above, the chassis is immensely strong and doesn't tend to suffer from rust - it's such an accessible part that it's easy to protect and 'Waxoyl'. The body doesn't rust.

If a car needs a respray, then you need to budget, ooh, £1-2k for this?

If the interior (in particular the dashboard) is 'tatty' either in terms of it's condition or the quality of construction/finish, then I think this will tend to keep the purchase cost keen as it tends to make the car look 'kittish', and is considered an expensive area to update. However, if you are up to the task, you can transform the car with a bit of work in this area as well as increase its value (Me plug my article? Never...).

A stainless steel exhaust would be good, but I'd look at having a full system exiting from the rear if you want a quiet relaxing drive (er, speaking from experience. I SAID, SPEAKING FRO... etc.)

Enjoy the hunt!

(Just saw a Sierra-based Berli go for £3k on fleabay - looked very neat, and struck me as a real bargain; Sierra Berlis have independent rear suspension as well as generally more modern mechanicals - good chance it's an unleaded head too.)

[danny_nelson]

Re: New Berli - tips please.

Hi Donny, The Berly on ebay was not Sierra based. I have been told tonight that the discription was not correct. I was pretty sure that I had seen the car at Stoneleigh and it was Cortina based.

[macdonald.dm]

Re: New Berli - tips please.

Ouch!!!

If you saw the question which was added at the bottom of the ad, that was sent by me. I thought, from the steering column, that it might have been a Sierra donor, and wanted the seller to clarify it for his own sake - wishing him to realise it's proper price.

He replied that is WAS Sierra based...

Dearie me.

[gouldsborough7]

Re: New Berli - tips please.

Hi Graham
I bought a Berli (2 litre Pinto Cortina) having been bitten by the kit-car bug 5 years previously with a tatty Robin Hood 7. I've alway been into car mechanics, so fixing up the 7 was mostly a pleasure, and challenging in some areas.

So moving on to the Berli (which I saw on an Internet ad), it definitely looked the business, and is often a source of attention from bystanders! However, there were a few snags, which I have now sorted out.

The only challenging area was the Weber carburettor, which had been sourced from a 3 litre Ford Granada I believe. I converted the automatic choke to manual at an early stage, as in my experience they are a pain when a bit old and worn. However, the engine drank petrol, often flooded when starting and then required the sparking plugs to be taken out and dried. I ended up changing the Weber for a brand new one of the correct type. This then lead to realising that the ignition timing was not correct, and the big carb had masked some of the shortcomings.

Overall, the car has been an absolute treat, and a good purchase. I redesigned the dashboard, getting rid of the plywood for burr walnut, and improved other areas - mostly cosmetic. Some of the wiring left a lot to be desired! I have re-wired some of it, especially on the ignition side, to improve reliability.

One big bonus is cheap insurance! The previous owner advised me of a company: KGM Motor Insurance, who treat the Marlin as the main (Classic) car, and attach your family cars to the same policy. Each car has its own history and identity. Total premium in 2008 (in Hertfordshire) was £535 for 3 cars - the Marlin and 2 family wagons. This was cheaper than insurance for the 2 cars individually. If you want a contact, ring Backford Bloor on 0151 356 7451.

I have found membership a big plus, with a very useful Forum on which to ask questions of other members. You will always get helpful answers, and is all very friendly.

Cheers
Mike

[grahamdjohnson]

Re: New Berli - tips please.

Hi,
Thanks very much for all the enthusiastic replies and advice, it's all very useful. A number of people have emailed off-forum too, so thank you for that.

I will bear in mind all that is said above whilst looking; technically I'm quite up for a challenge, but work is eating all my time at the moment, so fear I won't be able to devote too much time at the moment. Hopefully in the future. I'll keep you posted with my progress and maybe ask a few more questions.

All the best and thanks again.
Graham

[csjcarolyn]

Re: New Berli - tips please.

Apart from the above - use stainless fasteners!