‘76 serial #997

Dean Scharer

True Classic
Scorpion overload?

This is the car that I acquired from John Allen. He was one of the earliest pioneers of the Megasquirt systems being used in the Scorpions. He is also the reason that I have offered up spare parts on this site. John collected parts long before the internet and the condition set forth to obtain these cars required me to take all his inventory as well. Suffice it to say, that consisted of two uhaul’s worth of stuff. Anyway, this car was his pride and joy. It has been outfitted with a 2.0 liter FI that is supposed to be finished with a turbo charger and intercooler. I’m not sure if that’s how I will finish the car, as I’m not a mechanic and don’t really know what I’m doing along those lines.

This car has sat in the garage and under cover since 1983 or 84, and this week it finally went to the body shop. The car is straight and without rust, so it “should” require minimal prep work according to my guy. The car was originally the light metallic blue and I intend to return it to that color. In addition it will receive its Montecarlo bumpers. I will try to post as the work progresses.
 
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At least the rarity of the Scorpion mitigates the acreage they can take up. Looks like some bodywork has been done on the car. The hood being both visibly sanded & largely one color is an indication that it's been worked pretty well. I'm in the middle of my hood's bodywork right now & it's frustrating as hell. These are tough cars to do bodywork on. Neither flat, nor curvy, their panels are tough to use a rigid or flexible block on. The metal is thin enough to be just so off of perfect that you can't tell by looking at the panels when they're in primer, but the skim filler left on the panel says what's up. The hood is a big curved but flat panel with very thin metal that has ripples in it and makes a concerning rumpling sound as I sand across it. The factory finish on these cars couldn't have been great. I only hope my diligence pays off.

I look forward to progress posts on this, good to see you posting.
 
I meant to say FAZA. I am just heading out for back to back to back Honolulu to NYC trios so I will post pics when I get home 10 days from now.
 
Body stripped to the bare metal
 

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That looks encouraging, glad it's happening quickly. I'm guessing these were sent to you by the guy who did the work? Looks to be smart work.

Keep on posting the progress, & hope you're enjoying your travels : )
 
That looks encouraging, glad it's happening quickly. I'm guessing these were sent to you by the guy who did the work? Looks to be smart work.

Keep on posting the progress, & hope you're enjoying your travels : )
Chad, you are correct that these were sent from the body shop. He said it took him 2.5 hours to sand it down to the metal. He is very happy with the overall condition and still insists it’s not a big job. He is going to do the top line PPG epoxy sealer and several coats of high build urethane primer. This is all a new experience for me. I’ve been extremely afraid of this project because I lack the knowledge of how to do it right.
 
That's a very apt description based on what I've experienced. The hood was the worst that way. Very reassuring to see pics of someone else clearly spending a lot of time on the hood. Thanks for posting those pics.

My progress has stalled on the last bits of bodywork due to my catching a nasty infection from a patient at work. I'll spare y'all the horror & just say that I've been not at all well. I hope to work through the cold and get it set for 2k primer in the spring.
 
A lot of the stuff Al sold said FORZA FAZA on it. I bought a set of these bumpers from Al. It took almost two years to get them out of him after I paid. They were badly warped and I never liked the way he modified the front one, so I never bothered to install them.
 
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