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Dang Drew! That is awesome. I love that even in these days of instant information there are still cool machines lurking on people's property that will only see the light of day through happenstance, luck, and serendipity. I think you nailed all three.
Great story and I'm sure your Dad is smiling down looking at that one!
Thanks all for the advice and kind words. Great weather this weekend, so I was able to detail it inside and out. It's loaded up on my trailer and goes to the mechanic tomorrow for all of its new belts, tires, hoses, etc. Here she is all cleaned up.
Chemical guys VSS polish followed by Black Light
The dealer badge came off easily with a heat gun
The lights remind me of something out of the '50's
Exterior is the same as my early '86 - Iris Blue is beautiful, whether it is the early light blue or the later very dark blue. My interior is chocolate brown, which looks better with the blue than you would expect.
Along with your planned maintenance, I would suggest that you purchase (Amazon) two cans of the original German Nivea Creme and apply it to the leather several times ASAP. Be certain that you get only the original German-made product - the ingredients vary with the country of manufacture.
My first "modification" would be a set of the good H4 8" headlamps.
Congrats - that is one beautiful car. Don't bother buying any lottery tickets for the next five or ten years - you just used up your luck.
Welcome to the shark tank - you are now among a fellowship dedicated to owning one the best looking cars ever built. As others have suggested, the timing belt and the fuel lines need to be replaced immediately. If you do this work yourself, you will find a wealth of knowledge and assistance here that is unparalleled.
Why doesn't anyone make a radio that looks that good anymore?
Amen on this. If you can't get the radio working there's a guy in Germany I know who can rehab any old Blaupunkt. I have had several period radios done. PM me and I will send you the contact details!
As an update, my mechanic has been through the car pretty thoroughly, and apparently what lies beneath is more impressive than the exterior. Basically no stories, no issues, no wear. He said he hasn't seen anything like it since 1986 when he was one of the USA's top 928 mechanics and worked on them regularly.
The only conundrum to him is the timing belt. I believe based on receipts that it is at least 10 years old. It has barely any wear though, and the mechanic says it looks like it was changed yesterday. It was tensioned perfectly, no mold, no nothing. He's having a moral crisis even replacing it as it is so new looking and has maybe 1,000 miles on it. I dunno, though, if I could drive it and enjoy it without knowing it was taken care of. He said if it was his, he'd leave it because it is perfect. I know what everyone here will say, but just in case...any thoughts?
If it sat without the engine turning for extended time, I'd be worried about it developing a bit of a memory. I don't know for a fact that this is a problem, but he's tearing it down far enough to look at belts and gears, etc, I'd spend the $40 or whatever and get a new one.
I'm far from having read all the TB/WP/Tensioning threads but of the multitudes I have read one conclusion I came to is that it is very rare that the TB actually breaks. The fact that your mechanic says that it looks in very good condition would tell me that you are at very low risk of a breakage type failure. The risk I think experienced guys will tell you lies in slippage or a failure of the tensioner itself. Though it's unlcear to me how much of a risk that actually is.
09-13-2016, 08:34 PM
