Quote:
Originally Posted by Diseasel300
I went to prom in this car. I had my first date in this car. It's been in a couple of homecoming parades. It's an uncommon and unmolested car that I suspect will climb in value in the coming decades. I feel like if I let this car out of my life, I'll regret it when I'm old enough to properly enjoy it.
So here we are. I'm stuck whether I want to try to take ownership of the car and fix it, or let him sell it off. Or worse.....let him find some half-assed shop that isn't familiar with Euro cars try to do some jack-leg repair on it and ruin the car.
I appreciate any feedback. Positive or negative.
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Fathers and ex wives......
You have some fond and fun memories with this car--don't let an aging father who may be concerned about money be your guide. You are correct that someday it will fetch a lot of money and it already would in Europe.
Now, be aware that you will have to pull the engine and tranny (together is easiest) and do the job right. Lots of people will tell you to just not--but, as everyone scraps older engines and drops in new uesed ones, there are fewer and fewer around. You are fortunate that it has Euro exhaust and lot more power because of it. There are mods you can do to it to make even more powerful.
Pulling the engine and tranny allows you the luxury of replacing all of the seals on both which are shot by now from age if nothing else. It allows you to refurbish the heads which likely need it and do the timing chain correctly replacing all of the guides at once and the crankshaft sprocket. You can get the broken bolts out of the engine without too much difficulty and the bolts are peanuts compared to the other stuff.
It was your dad's, your first date, prom--maybe more. Not everyone can say that and maybe you can give it to your son someday. I wish I still had my '69 Pontiac to give to a son or my '86 Porsche. But I don't. At the time, I just thought if I really wanted one again, I could always buy another one. Life doesn't work that way.
If it's any further consolation, the '86 560SL I restored and shipped to my daughter some 8 years ago now is living a fine and well appreciated life in Baltimore where local mechanics love it, her knowledge of it and the care with which it was restored.