Some of you may remember the story on here of the New Zealand Fire Dept 500 that was found rotting in a garden around a year back. Unfortunately it was beyond repair (I'm told) but the gearbox is being used in another project as well as some other parts. The body was cut up and scrapped but I managed to get hold of one of the doors that will proudly hang in my garage. The other door is hanging in a friends garage too. (photo 1 from Todd Niall's book "Bambina")

Fayray said:

Some of you may remember the story on here of the New Zealand Fire Dept 500 that was found rotting in a garden around a year back. Unfortunately it was beyond repair (I'm told) but the gearbox is being used in another project as well as some other parts. The body was cut up and scrapped but I managed to get hold of one of the doors that will proudly hang in my garage. The other door is hanging in a friends garage too. (photo 1 from Todd Niall's book "Bambina")

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The Brits would have restored it....

Fayray said:

Some of you may remember the story on here of the New Zealand Fire Dept 500 that was found rotting in a garden around a year back. Unfortunately it was beyond repair (I'm told) but the gearbox is being used in another project as well as some other parts. The body was cut up and scrapped but I managed to get hold of one of the doors that will proudly hang in my garage. The other door is hanging in a friends garage too. (photo 1 from Todd Niall's book "Bambina")

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If it had to be 'CUT' up then it was clearly salvageable....

The Whitakers said:

If it had to be 'CUT' up then it was clearly salvageable....

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True....

The Whitakers said:

If it had to be 'CUT' up then it was clearly salvageable....

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Exactly if there was something to cut then you have something to weld to....
All you need is two NOS sides, New floor, new front panels and wings... New inner outer sills.. few more bits..... You only need to keep the roof...

I guess anything is technically salvageable. But maybe not economically salvageable. It belonged to a young bloke just out of school. He's restoring another D with his dad and his dad told me the roof had rotted out. And he literally couldn't give it away.
Prices for 500s are still very reasonable for projects here. https://www.trademe.co.nz/Browse/Listing.aspx?id=1987479021
https://www.trademe.co.nz/Browse/Listing.aspx?id=1984444790

Fayray said:

I guess anything is technically salvageable. But maybe not economically salvageable. It belonged to a young bloke just out of school. He's restoring another D with his dad and his dad told me the roof had rotted out. And he literally couldn't give it away.
Prices for 500s are still very reasonable for projects here. https://www.trademe.co.nz/Browse/Listing.aspx?id=1987479021
https://www.trademe.co.nz/Browse/Listing.aspx?id=1984444790

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Here they go again rubbing our noses in the fact there are RHD early cars so cheap down there...

Bigvtwin996 said:

Here they go again rubbing our noses in the fact there are RHD early cars so cheap down there...

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Sorry about that:shrug:

NZ had a lot of 500s for such a small population (5697 registrations between 57-73), most of which were assembled here too. I think it was roughly a 50/50 split between Ds and Fs. Rusty projects keep turning up in barns and fields.

I remember going to a stockcar meeting in the 80s and they were playing Bambina football with around 20 500s which were all destroyed. I felt sick at the time as I drove a Bambina and the local 500 guru (John Collins, who still has a warehouse full of cars and parts but has ceased trading) made the papers with his outrage. However, at least some bright spark removed as many useful parts as possible before their demise and kept them safe for years. They were then sold to people restoring cars in more recent years.