Advice for complete disassembly

[RX84EVA]

Hi everyone,

So we (me and husband) have been toying with the idea of buying another RX8 (likely an S1) and disassemble it to the last screw so that we could completely repaint the shell and other parts and then rebuild it again. Can anyone share experiences about what we would be signing up for?

We have a private back garden with a sheltered carport where the servicing would happen. We are ready to spend time and money on the self-service and every tool required.

Questions:
- I have read that dismantling a car on private property is legal if it's not business related, but the fluids would still need proper disposal. We will need to get rid of all of it, would it be a wise choice to have a garage drain it all and then bring it back home on a trailer, or should we just drain whatever we work on?
- If we drain fluids ourselves, would we be able to drop them off securely with scrapyard/garage?
- In the unlikely but plausible scenario that we won't be able to put it together again, would a scrapyard take it in still disassembled or would we need to put it together to a certain degree?
- Is there any laws/regulations I should be aware before it can become road legal again?

[warpc0il]

Council-run recycling centres all have disposal points for fluids; engine & transmission oil, coolant, brake fluid etc.
The problem is legally dealing with the gases released by the AC.

IME cars take over 10x the space, once you start taking them apart, for which obviously the engine and gearbox, at least, will require a crane.

Many elements; dashboard, interior, seats, carpets etc, are very susceptible to water damage, even just damp can cause mould.

Once the wheels are removed, how do you plan to move and access the bodyshell?

Many fastenings, while perfectly serviceable in-situ won't survive being disassembled. Replacements may or may not be available, and many that are will be silly expensive.

This is a major undertaking, as anyone that has even stripped a complete car for parts will attest, let alone refurbishing and re-assembly.

[Nickp47]

I’ve never seen a good DIY paint job so unless you’re an experienced vehicle painter I’d perhaps focus the project elsewhere, perhaps a full underside resto? especially as all but Brilliant Black are metallic colours.

If you can’t put it back together you should still be able to dispose of it and a scrappie will take it in any condition but having it at least rolling will make life much easier.

There’s no laws outside of the MOT (and tax obvs) stopping it from going back on the road

As Dave has alluded , rust can be a massive pain when removing some things , particularly suspension arms so worth keeping that in mind.