Interesting article and a good outline of one man's way of getting it done. All good stuff, but I take a slightly different approach. After making sure the engine is serviceable, I'll replace all coolant hoses, v-belts, thermostat and water pump. Then, I replace all flexible fuel hoses with "high pressure fuel injection hose. It's not expensive and it's resistant to ethanol. Then, I move on to the braking system. I replace all flexible hoses, as well as any significantly pitted hard lines, then wheel cylinders and brake lining material, if it's significantly worn, or contaminated with brake fluid or oil (if it's oil, the source of that will have to be determined and corrected). Although the German hydraulic stuff seems to hold-up longer than the hydraulics in the Brit cars I've been working with for the past 50+ years, if the car has been sitting for a long time I will replace the master cylinder. Better safe than sorry. Next will be the electrical system. The older Bosch stuff is pretty good, but the newer Bosch stuff...........not so much. I've learned that Lucas electrical components are really quite good, if given just a little bit of care (which generally has NEVER happened since the cars were new), such as keeping grounds, battery terminals and other electrical connections clean and tight. It's important to understand that these cars are NOT idiot-proof. But, the reality of it is that they are really very well-built, well engineered cars (at least the BMC products and all of the German cars) for the price and, if you are having problems with them it is because you, your mechanic and/or a previous owner (or all of the above) were/are IDIOTS. So, more often than not (especially with the cars which started out at a much lower sticker price), these cars have been in the hands of complete idiots for the past 40 or 50 years and you've got a lot of sorting and un-doing to get done before you will once again have a reliable driver. One other thing, before I sign off: The suspension. It's been my experience that the majority of classic Brit car (and a lot of German stuff, too) is running around on worn-out suspension components. Shocks, bushings, king pins/ball joints, etc. are so often completely neglected and seriously worn. Since nimble, safe handling is what most of these cars were celebrated for, when new, it amazes me that so many of today's owners are willing to accept a chassis that wanders all over the road and requires constant steering input to keep it going in a straight line. Most of today's classic car owners seem to drive at a more stately pace, so handling characteristics are lost on them. But, sheesh! At least the car should track straight and not be thrown off course by surface irregularities. So, give that suspension some love, too.
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