The Olds arrives for its first visit and the start of some basic
repair work to get the car reliable for daily transport. The car
ran and drove most of the 250+ miles under it's own power, but started
having problems about 10 miles out. The trailer was used that
last 10 miles.
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Overall, the car is in very good shape, for a survivor.
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Yes, the paint is oxidized and the glass is dirty, but no
major rust or damage.
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The car has a 14" rim on the back and 15" rims for the other 3.
This had caused the rearend to overheat and needed the trailer
for the last 10 miles. First thing to fix.
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Even the chrome still shines somewhat.
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The mechanic gets to ride up the hill, to listen for problems.
The rest of us had to walk. Go figure.
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Under the hood is a typical '78 engine bay - dirty, some rust,
some oil spills, and at least a dozen hoses cluttering up the
bay.
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Red interior for a red car - nothing new there. The seats are
in excellent condition despite the age of the car.
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Red carpet that is in good shape, just needs a vacuum.
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The back seat looks almost brand new.
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However, the headliner is falling down - again nothing new here.
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Over rear seat, the headliner is down so far that it would drape around
an adult's head and shoulders. Basic cleaning was done and the front
suspension was rebuilt.
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First, the front suspension was rebuilt. Since the radiator had
a hole and needed to be replaced. The rearview mirror was reglued
to the windshield.
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The old radiator was removed and a new one installed. The
old one had been for a manual transmission, but the new one is
for an automatic because that was all we could find at the time.
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Kurt refuses to put grungy parts back on after a repair, so he
made the owner clean up and repaint the radiator shroud that had
been removed for easier access.
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Over the course of the next year, not surprisingly, the transmission
had to be rebuilt, the tires were replaced, and the usual brake job
had to be done The transmission and tires were done in shops, since
we don't have the proper tools for these. The owner managed to do
the brakes at home, since he had helped with several brake jobs in
the past few years on the Chevy's and our daily drivers. In the past
year, the rearend gears had to be replaced.
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