Before I sent the check, I pulled the carfax. Not for the faint of heart. I was thinking of attaching it here, but the pdf document is too big to attach. Anybody in their right mind would have been scared away by the carfax report for this car.
Frank's Spyder Project Thread
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If you've read this far here's your reward. Some images of my first look at the car, today, at the dock.
![Land vehicle Vehicle Car Supercar Asphalt]()
![Land vehicle Vehicle Car Automotive design Luxury vehicle]()
As I said it's flanked by a BMW 2002 on one side and an MGB on the other.
Edited Later: I've learned, thanks to Gluefish, that the car on the right is a '57 to '60 MGA.
As I said it's flanked by a BMW 2002 on one side and an MGB on the other.
Edited Later: I've learned, thanks to Gluefish, that the car on the right is a '57 to '60 MGA.
Here's a closer look from a few different angles.
![Land vehicle Vehicle Car Red Sports car]()
![Land vehicle Vehicle Car Red Sports car]()
![Land vehicle Vehicle Car Red Supercar]()
![Land vehicle Vehicle Car Coupé Toyota mr2]()
I noticed right away that the exhaust was hanging abnormally low - waaaay too low.
![Vehicle Car Automotive design Bumper Yellow]()
This would be my first order of business after getting the car back to my baseyard, around the corner from the dock.
![Auto part Bumper Automotive exterior Tire Automotive wheel system]()
It turned out the top insulator was completely missing. I had a generic insulator in my parts shed, and I used it to re-hang the muffler. I don't know how close this is to OEM, but I figured it was enough to keep it from dragging on the ground - a definite no-no.
This would be my first order of business after getting the car back to my baseyard, around the corner from the dock.
It turned out the top insulator was completely missing. I had a generic insulator in my parts shed, and I used it to re-hang the muffler. I don't know how close this is to OEM, but I figured it was enough to keep it from dragging on the ground - a definite no-no.
Next order of business compression check and inspect the spark plugs.
![Auto part Spark plug Automotive ignition part Automotive engine part]()
Man these are some messed up plugs - more on this later. I got some brand new NGK iridiums in there right away. Compression came out 180/165/150/170. Not bad for a little ole 1zz with 147,000 miles.
Man these are some messed up plugs - more on this later. I got some brand new NGK iridiums in there right away. Compression came out 180/165/150/170. Not bad for a little ole 1zz with 147,000 miles.
The next thing bugging me was the gap between the rear bumper cover and the right quarter-panel. Pulled the tail-light out and saw that the retainer clip and been shorn off somehow. So I drilled two new retainer screws through the quarter-panel and into the bumper, supported in place by a jack. Closed that gap right up.
Before and after shots:
![Land vehicle Vehicle Car Automotive design Coupé]()
![Land vehicle Vehicle Car Automotive exterior Alloy wheel]()
Before and after shots:
And a few little things to wrap up Day 1.
The air filter on the intake was disgusting.
![Auto part Engine Vehicle Radiator Car]()
I didn't even want to try to wash off and clean this mess. Problem was, turned out my local stores don't carry a 2.5-inch diameter filter. So I bought a nice new 3-inch K&N filter, and fabricated an adapter from a 2.5-inch ID/3-inch OD coolant hose. Worked like a charm.
While I was at it, I noticed that the coolant overflow bottle was just floating around in the back compartment. I drilled a new hole to hang it out of the way of the air filter.
I inspected the brakes. New pads are needed all around, and all rotors need to be turned. Will take care of that tomorrow.
The air filter on the intake was disgusting.
I didn't even want to try to wash off and clean this mess. Problem was, turned out my local stores don't carry a 2.5-inch diameter filter. So I bought a nice new 3-inch K&N filter, and fabricated an adapter from a 2.5-inch ID/3-inch OD coolant hose. Worked like a charm.
While I was at it, I noticed that the coolant overflow bottle was just floating around in the back compartment. I drilled a new hole to hang it out of the way of the air filter.
I inspected the brakes. New pads are needed all around, and all rotors need to be turned. Will take care of that tomorrow.
Now I want to get back to the disgusting spark plugs I pulled out of the car. I don't know how much you can see of the heavy carbon deposit. Running rich. I wonder why. It turns out the guy who put in the nice ceramic-coated header did a complete hack job on the upstream O2 sensors. He capped off the bungholes, then spliced in some funky resistor boxes to replace the sensors. No wonder the computer has no idea how to adjust the a/f mixture, and the car runs with a permanent P0420. I will post pictures of this Neanderthal O2 sensor delete setup tomorrow. The computer needs input from the O2 sensors, people, or the car won't run right.
Here are the spark plugs again.
![Land vehicle Vehicle Car Sports car Motor vehicle]()
There is something very funky going on with cylinder 2. Not to mention the mismatched plug on cylinder 1. But notice the discoloration on cylinder 2. Never really seen anything quite like this before. Almost looks like corrosion, but I have no idea how water would get in the well to cause corrosion on the plug. Anyone?
Here are the spark plugs again.
There is something very funky going on with cylinder 2. Not to mention the mismatched plug on cylinder 1. But notice the discoloration on cylinder 2. Never really seen anything quite like this before. Almost looks like corrosion, but I have no idea how water would get in the well to cause corrosion on the plug. Anyone?
Good question, Greenstreak, this raises some interesting point about buying used cars.
Part of my job is to buy used cars to put in service as rental fleet vehicles. In every purchase I've ever made, there was misrepresentation of the condition of the vehicle by the seller, with varying degrees of seriousness, both intentional and unintentional, sometimes absolutely egregious. So misrepresentation is to be expected and is par for the course.
To your specific question, yes, I did speak to the seller following yesterday's run-through. He did express an acknowledgement of the factors that I mentioned, that were not disclosed prior to the sale. I didn't push it, because my intention from the beginning was to completely R&R the entire engine, transmission, drivetrain, and suspension. The price I paid was a bit high but not unreasonable for a shell with desirable wheels, tires, top, body kit, stereo (LOL), cold a/c, and possible reusable exhaust components. Any excess that I paid went against opportunity costs. As a sophisticated buyer, I made a calculated (some might say mis-calculated) decision to buy the car with a good professional understanding of the risks. The condition of the car, if not stated explicitly, was signaled in the low asking price. A naive buyer might have thought they were getting a steal, only to be disillusioned later. I had no illusions. It was worth it to have this view right outside the door of my office.
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