You guys have been witness to a lot of work done on it. Since I bought the 1982, I am finding it hard to rationalize owning two. I guess it's time to sell.
I bought it in the summer of 2005 from a seller in California. The car was repainted in its original color (473 Champagne) by whomever he purchased it from, and it is still really shiny. The car had a lot of miles, but I paid a premium price for the car because it was totally 100% rust free with a strong, healthy engine and transmission. I was hoping for a “brand new” 25 year-old car. Rust and engine were my main concerns, so this was what I was looking for. The car must have been kept in a very dry place for these past 22 years because the underside, trunk, mufflers, etc. of the car looks as clean and rust-free as the top. Though, after that much time in such a dry place, a lot of things made of rubber and plastic have dried out. I had planned on keeping this car forever, so I made many repairs and upgrades to those parts.
I did (or had done) the following:
Recovered the front seats with new vinyl,
Had a new head gasket installed,
New valve stem seals,
Installed brand new rear axles (both),
Installed a new header down pipe,
New engine mounts,
New transmission mount,
New steering damper,
Replaced Garrett turbocharger with a 3K,
Replaced both upper control arms,
Both lower control arm bushings renewed,
Tie rod replaced,
New brake pads,
4 new Billstein HD shocks,
4 rebuilt calipers,
4 new rotors,
4 brake hoses,
New battery,
New alternator,
New door rubber seals,
New passenger side rear window regulator bracket,
Replaced window rubbers with better, used rubber,
Replaced crumbling hood pad with new,
New door eye catches (just because the new chrome looks good),
New hood stop bumpers,
New grill insert,
New dash cover,
New climate control sensor,
Replaced weathered rear deck with custom,
Installed new satellite-ready stereo with speakers,
New rear window seal,
Replaced used ACC unit with much better, newer used unit,
K1 spring replaced in transmission,
New floor mats,
New power antenna connection plug,
Replaced all fuses with a brand new set,
Replaced windshield washer pump, lines, and nozzels,
New glow plugs...
Since I’ve owned the car, it has been under the car park during the winter. It hasn’t been driven through any winter road salt ever in its life as far as I know. When I first got the car, I took out the front fender inserts to clean, and noticed that there was absolutely no rust starting behind the front fenders whatsoever. It is astonishingly clean back there.
The body is solid. All of the jack holes are clean. The bottoms of the doors are like new. The wheel arches are rust free despite originally coming with aftermarket chrome wheel arches fastened to them. I’ve removed the arches and treated the screw holes with phosphoric acid wash and Rust Bullet.
Mechanically, it feels as if this engine could go at least another hundred thousand miles. When you get the turbo spooling, the power really good. The transmission is tuned perfectly right now, with smooth but firm shifts through all gears. It starts well and runs strong.
My plan was to finish this car’s interior (new rear seats and wood kit), then get a new high-quality paintjob for it, and replace the aluminum (with new drip rails). The car would then be complete as far as I’m concerned.
It might not be a completed restoration right now, but most of all the wearing parts have been replaced. It is mechanically ready to see another “average” car’s lifetime.
I'm thinking about listing it on Ebay. Anybody have any ideas on how much I should make the reserve, or start bidding at? The car is still far from perfect cosmetically, but it's probably ready to go around the globe a few times despite the 230K showing on the clock.
I bought it in the summer of 2005 from a seller in California. The car was repainted in its original color (473 Champagne) by whomever he purchased it from, and it is still really shiny. The car had a lot of miles, but I paid a premium price for the car because it was totally 100% rust free with a strong, healthy engine and transmission. I was hoping for a “brand new” 25 year-old car. Rust and engine were my main concerns, so this was what I was looking for. The car must have been kept in a very dry place for these past 22 years because the underside, trunk, mufflers, etc. of the car looks as clean and rust-free as the top. Though, after that much time in such a dry place, a lot of things made of rubber and plastic have dried out. I had planned on keeping this car forever, so I made many repairs and upgrades to those parts.
I did (or had done) the following:
Recovered the front seats with new vinyl,
Had a new head gasket installed,
New valve stem seals,
Installed brand new rear axles (both),
Installed a new header down pipe,
New engine mounts,
New transmission mount,
New steering damper,
Replaced Garrett turbocharger with a 3K,
Replaced both upper control arms,
Both lower control arm bushings renewed,
Tie rod replaced,
New brake pads,
4 new Billstein HD shocks,
4 rebuilt calipers,
4 new rotors,
4 brake hoses,
New battery,
New alternator,
New door rubber seals,
New passenger side rear window regulator bracket,
Replaced window rubbers with better, used rubber,
Replaced crumbling hood pad with new,
New door eye catches (just because the new chrome looks good),
New hood stop bumpers,
New grill insert,
New dash cover,
New climate control sensor,
Replaced weathered rear deck with custom,
Installed new satellite-ready stereo with speakers,
New rear window seal,
Replaced used ACC unit with much better, newer used unit,
K1 spring replaced in transmission,
New floor mats,
New power antenna connection plug,
Replaced all fuses with a brand new set,
Replaced windshield washer pump, lines, and nozzels,
New glow plugs...
Since I’ve owned the car, it has been under the car park during the winter. It hasn’t been driven through any winter road salt ever in its life as far as I know. When I first got the car, I took out the front fender inserts to clean, and noticed that there was absolutely no rust starting behind the front fenders whatsoever. It is astonishingly clean back there.
The body is solid. All of the jack holes are clean. The bottoms of the doors are like new. The wheel arches are rust free despite originally coming with aftermarket chrome wheel arches fastened to them. I’ve removed the arches and treated the screw holes with phosphoric acid wash and Rust Bullet.
Mechanically, it feels as if this engine could go at least another hundred thousand miles. When you get the turbo spooling, the power really good. The transmission is tuned perfectly right now, with smooth but firm shifts through all gears. It starts well and runs strong.
My plan was to finish this car’s interior (new rear seats and wood kit), then get a new high-quality paintjob for it, and replace the aluminum (with new drip rails). The car would then be complete as far as I’m concerned.
It might not be a completed restoration right now, but most of all the wearing parts have been replaced. It is mechanically ready to see another “average” car’s lifetime.
I'm thinking about listing it on Ebay. Anybody have any ideas on how much I should make the reserve, or start bidding at? The car is still far from perfect cosmetically, but it's probably ready to go around the globe a few times despite the 230K showing on the clock.
