Huey
True Classic
Hello,
As many of you know, I picked up an '87 a couple months ago on eBay. The car hadn't run in 15 years and supposedly sat in a garage untouched during that time (although I now see evidence that this car spent considerable time outdoors either during or before that time.)
The car was complete but was in desperate need of restoration.
Day 1 -- the journey home to PA from Maryland
As you can see, the car is in remarkable shape for its age. No signs of rust anywhere and mostly unmolested (with the exception of redone interior, which actually looks better than the original in my opinion.)
After I got the car home, I immediately began tearing into it. My hopes of doing a mere cosmetic restoration were smashed when the car showed undeniable signs of deterioration. The clutch was frozen, the brakes were rusted to the rotors, the throttle cable was stuck, the fuel lines were cracked and leaky, the list goes on. So I put a new battery in it just to make sure the engine turned over and then began tearing into it.
Crusty engine stuffs under the hood.
A little before-and-after on the seats. The interior was covered in a layer of crusty grime that will take lots of scrubbing. But underneath that fossilized filth is a very nice interior that needs very little restoration. That stupid shifter has to go!!
Engine out -- at least I think there is an engine underneath the grime, leaves, pine needles, mice feces, and mysterious organic substances.
Commence disassembly...
I left the A/C compressor in place because I don't know if it has any valuable freon in it. I don't have the tools to reclaim it so I will leave it alone for now.
Now onto more disassembly, cleaning, scrubbing, degreasing, wire brushing, cleaning, cleaning, etc....
As many of you know, I picked up an '87 a couple months ago on eBay. The car hadn't run in 15 years and supposedly sat in a garage untouched during that time (although I now see evidence that this car spent considerable time outdoors either during or before that time.)
The car was complete but was in desperate need of restoration.
Day 1 -- the journey home to PA from Maryland
As you can see, the car is in remarkable shape for its age. No signs of rust anywhere and mostly unmolested (with the exception of redone interior, which actually looks better than the original in my opinion.)
After I got the car home, I immediately began tearing into it. My hopes of doing a mere cosmetic restoration were smashed when the car showed undeniable signs of deterioration. The clutch was frozen, the brakes were rusted to the rotors, the throttle cable was stuck, the fuel lines were cracked and leaky, the list goes on. So I put a new battery in it just to make sure the engine turned over and then began tearing into it.
Crusty engine stuffs under the hood.
A little before-and-after on the seats. The interior was covered in a layer of crusty grime that will take lots of scrubbing. But underneath that fossilized filth is a very nice interior that needs very little restoration. That stupid shifter has to go!!
Engine out -- at least I think there is an engine underneath the grime, leaves, pine needles, mice feces, and mysterious organic substances.
Commence disassembly...
I left the A/C compressor in place because I don't know if it has any valuable freon in it. I don't have the tools to reclaim it so I will leave it alone for now.
Now onto more disassembly, cleaning, scrubbing, degreasing, wire brushing, cleaning, cleaning, etc....
... Somebody went through the trouble of finding and installing that Tap! I think those went away in 1984. My son keeps saying "you can use my Momo shifter..." HA! The shifter stays! I remember how it felt just like 1981 all over again when I drove my 1979 with the tap shifter last year... There seem to be two camps when it comes to that shift knob... Those who hate it and those who say nothing about it. Would not trade mine for love or money! 
