A rusty Matra Rancho is getting a new life with parts from a Subaru Impreza WRX. After months of cutting and welding two very different cars together, the builder has reached a major goal. From the front, the strange mix of cars finally looks like a Rancho again.
The project is called the SubaRancho. It began with a badly damaged Rancho body and a Subaru WRX donor car. Yorkshire Car Restoration is joining the two cars to create something that was never sold in a showroom.
Making the Rancho’s front end fit the Subaru has taken weeks. The old body panels don’t line up with the Subaru, so the builder has had to make new metal parts by hand. Even the headlights needed a new home.
In the latest video, the builder finally welds the front end into place. But making the car look right is only part of the job. The builder also wants to stop rust from coming back, and a rainwater problem has forced him to rethink part of his work.
A Better Spot
One big change involves the headlights. On the old Rancho, the parts that held them sat inside the wheel wells. That left them open to water, mud, and dirt thrown up by the tires.
Over time, those areas had rusted badly. Rather than put the headlights back in the same place, the builder moved their mounts inside the engine bay, where they would have more cover.
Making room for the lights took some work. Using paper, he drew the shapes he needed for new metal panels. He then cut those shapes from sheet steel and bent them until they fit.
Some parts came from the Subaru, and others were cut from old Rancho panels that had never been used. Those pieces also had raised lines in the metal that could help strengthen the front end.
Once he finished the first side, he moved to the other. Both headlights fit into their new spots, and the front wings could be tested against the new metal frame.
Off It Comes
Before the front panel could be welded on for good, the metal behind it needed more work. The builder took the panel off so he could reach the welds and grind them smooth.
His brother Adam helped clean the metal and get it ready for welding. They also sprayed primer on the areas where the parts would meet to help protect them from rust.
With the work done, they put the panel back on the car. That’s when the builder noticed a mistake. They had forgotten to drill the holes needed to weld the panel to the metal below it.
The panel had to come off once more. This time, they drilled the holes before putting it back in place. Adam then helped weld it on and clean up the new welds.
Water Trouble
Next came the front wings. To line up with the doors, they needed to sit a little higher than the new metal frame. The builder made a raised support to close the gap.
A test fit showed that the wing rested against the new piece as planned. But while looking it over, he found another problem.
Rainwater is meant to flow through a small channel where the hood meets the wing. One of the new metal panels sat too high and could block the water’s path.
If water could not drain away, it might sit against the metal and cause rust. That was the same kind of trouble the builder wanted to avoid when he moved the headlights.
To fix the problem, he plans to cut away part of the panel so water can flow past the headlight mount. He still needs to make a matching support for the other wing and work out how the hood hinges will fit.
The builder wants to fix the water path before painting the car. That means cutting the metal now, while he can still make changes without damaging fresh paint.