I've been lurking about this forum for about a week, in anticipation of buying a 1983 Spirit SX4 that I saw for sale. You folks have put together an invaluable collection of knowledge, experience, and fellowship. Thank you for that.
The FX4 had only one previous owner and yes, she was a little old lady. I bought the car from her elderly son. Apparently, his mother passed away about 11 years ago and he'd kept the car in her garage since her passing. He provided a log book that he'd kept since 2003 that chronicled his assessment of the car every June. He spent winters in Florida and would return to Michigan in the summers. The entries are all similar "1 flat tire - dead battery - runs for
" followed by "got her started - drove 50 miles - 26mpg"
I was surprised at how clean the car was when I arrived. No real rust to speak of (unheard of in northern Michigan). There is evidence of a low speed accident at the passenger front corner. The plastic end cap of the bumper is damaged and the door gap, while still functioning, is narrower than factory. The exhaust had holes in it but everything else looked good under the car. I popped the hood and couldn't believe how many vacuum hoses I saw!! It looked like an octopus orgy. I told the guy "if you can get her to run, I'll give you $700. We jumped the battery, played with his Jerry rigged choke a bit and it stumbled to life. It would not idle but it was running. I shelled out the $700 and he says ... " I don't know. She's runnin' pretty good. Should be worth $750." I didn't argue.
I've been REALLY frustrated since I got her home. We've had a cold snap that keeps me from spending too much time with the car. It's in the single digits F with the wind chill. So far, I've ordered GRONK's "new motorcraft 2150 kit" from ebay . I'm thinking different ignition (D.U.I.) or equivalent, new exhaust to include a header and muffler ( already had problems with the CAT), and rebuilt or replaced trans as this one lacks reverse. Lots of other problems exist. Some are small and some aren't. I'll try to stay focused and, with your help, get this thing on the road before my daughter's 16th B-day. That gives me about 16 months .
Thanks for the wealth of info that I see here. I've already benefited from the posts that I've read and I've only just begun.
I'll now attempt to post a few photos of the car as she looked on the trailer. If silos start to open in the desert and air raid alarms begin to sound, breathe
easy and understand that it's me trying to post photo links.
Topic: Greetings from the Great Lakes State (Read 4607 times)