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I just wanted to introduce myself and the "Gold Digger".
South African by birth where seeing a 928 on the road might be rarer than it is here, although the old man did have one back in the 80's. Silver, phone dials, early 80's and cork Pascha interior. I still remember the license plate, GMF867T. The car was stolen from an upholstery shop and recovered years later when a South African Racer, Willie Hepburn, was arrested for his involvement in a car theft ring. Inside job? It was a sad sight seeing the old girl with bald tires on manholes and with s spoilers added sitting in the police yard in Hillbrow. By then the old man had been had been paid out, the stock market had crashed and he had zero interest in buying her back and restoring her to her former glory. The last time I saw GMF867T was in the actual printed version of Autotrader.
Fast forward 22 years, give or take, and I finally have my own 928. I quit golf this year and after being given the go ahead by the missus to divert those funds into another hobby I started scouring Craigslist and ebay. I missed out on what I thought was the perfect long term ebay project by about $500 and settled for an Illinois soy bean field basket case...the "Gold Digger!"
Sounded good on the phone. Original paint, except for the hood. Leather in good shape. Typical dash cracks, etc. One caveat...heads are off due to corrosion but she came with a replacement set in good shape. So a complete 928 with original paint and interior in reasonable shape for $1,500. Why not? I decided to tie it in to a trip to Indianapolis to visit family and committed to buy it if it was as described. It wasn't and I walked away. Well I started to walk away! Guy selling it was true blue collar and I choose to believe that he didn't lie to me intentionally. But the car had been resprayed and the seats were vinyl so not original I don't think. Was there a vinyl option? I did not have a lot of time to go over the car properly but these 2 facts alone made me want to walk away as I did not want to get into multiple projects on a car. I said my thank you's and gave my apologies and turned my back and allowed myself to be convinced that for a grand the Porsche should follow me home...she did!
I fell in love with her on the 15 hour drive home. She followed close and got a little attention from a 911 guy at one of the many gas stops we made along the way. The final stop was at a car wash where she got wet for the first time in at least 10 years...maybe longer, showing her displeasure by leaking in the rear and dropping all of her grill slats as the brittle brackets disintegrated in my hands.
I have since discovered that the hatch is not original, further investigation revealing that she has taken it from behind at least once. After stripping the interior I am about 9c richer..or is that only $999.91 poorer. I also found a lot of broken glass, ball bearings (birdshot?) and a post it with a phone number and address to a location behind a Fatburger on Sepulveda Blvd...that's all she's given me. So with this discovery my plans have changed from a basic refresh and engine overhaul to some kind of simplified, hot rod, along the lines of Matt "The Fixer's" amazing 928 RS. The engine is coming out (everything is disconnected now apart from the transmission). I'm going to strip it down and see what condition it's in...I'm gonna need your help, please. If good it will be rebuilt by me, if not I will investigate 5l blocks as the next option. It's also the least desirable of all the 928's apparently. A 1982 US Auto. It does have the competition package though...maybe...and was one of the last 82's to roll off the line according to Rob Edward's VIN check. Oh, and it came with it's jump post cover which is barely holding on. I will also redo the interior myself with initial plans to simplify as much as possible. Manual sunroof, rear wiper delete, rear seat delete, ac delete, etc. This is going to be a long term project and will be completed as funds and time become available. Final steps may be paint/wrap and 5 speed conversion.
Which leads me to the sad case of this car.
This is a 1978, # in the 600's, that I dragged out of the yard of a recently deceased hoarder. Apparently parked in the late 90's when the clutch packed it in. This one slowly sunk into the dirt and was sitting on the sidewalk with another, wrecked, 928 waiting for the crusher. I had time to make a quick deal for this one as the other was literally being loaded onto the back of a flatbed. I wanted the manual seats and drivers door glass but it is also a 5 speed so, if possible, that might also come in useful with the 82 in the future. I will continue to strip it down in the spring and scavenge what parts I can, but this car is in much worse shape than I initially thought. Sad considering at some time it was loved as evidenced by the body kit total custom interior. The tow driver remembered seeing it on the road 20 years ago and seemed as sad as me to see it in this shape now.
That's my story to this point. Once the engine is pulled, and on a stand, I will post with pics to hear your opinions of what my next steps should be.
Where in Philly? Stan and I are both within 1 hr of each other on opposite sides of Philly. Let me know if you need any help (Stan of course is an encyclopedia for 928s) but I have some free time and tools.
Hi Hoi. I'm about 20 minutes from Stan but an hour from you...I'm in Lansdale. Would love to meet some day. The gold car is one you referenced in a post some time back, the Iowa car. Wasn't in Iowa but may as well have been. I probably should have tried to come up with a few extra dollars and bought the brown one you were selling at the time, but 4k is a lot more than 1k and it was brown
Those wheels are 18inch AZEV Type B's. Staggered, 9.5 rear and 8 or 9 fronts. They're pretty buggered. Straight but the chrome finish is peeling and they sat in mud and muck for years so not sure if they're salvageable. I'll take the worst one to a wheel guy and see what they say. It's a pretty specific look though...not for me but somebody may want them.
I agree on the eventual worth of "a" 78 vs my 82 but the cost to get this one there will be off the chain. The rust you see on the hatch and quarters is nothing compared to the undercarriage. I think this car sat on its belly for years. The driver footwell is rusted through...Fred Flintstone would be right at home. That, coupled with no title and the junkers sawzall in the engine bay and around the front fenders, condemns this one I think. That being said if somebody thinks its worth saving I'll stop where I am with it. If not I'll just strip it and save what I can...it can live on as a donor. The Jacquemond style rear wing may be of interest to somebody too and if there is any interest in the fiberglass front end I can see if it can be salvaged.
Time to wrap gifts and watch "It's a Wonderful Life".
12-24-2017, 12:42 PM
Merry Christmas from a Lurker
