[BOUNCE bricklin@autox.team.net: Non-member submission from [Steve Bepko
<sbepko@mail.bcpl.lib.md.us>]]
Date: Sun, 27 Apr 1997 10:12:50 -0400 (EDT)
From: Steve Bepko <sbepko@mail.bcpl.lib.md.us>
Subject: About to make the plunge
hello-
I have just put a deposit down on a 1974 Bricklin (last 4 digits of VIN
are 0301) with the AMC 360 engine and automatic transmission. The owner
is getting it "street ready" for me and I will pick it up next week (early
May). He promises that everything will be to my liking once he finishes
with it, and that's the core of my questions- what should I ask ?
I did read carefully the FAQ on the Bricklin home page on AOL. The doors
have been converted to the air pump system. #301 has been in "storage"
for many years and hence I have asked him to change out the "rubber" which
I would imagine might be susceptible to dry rot. I did not have a chance
to look underneath the car at things like the plate that shields the
engine, but will before I take the car. I have asked him to make sure the
doors and hatch align correctly (his mechanic said that there are
alignmnet provisions built into the door mechanism).
The engine only has about 20k miles on it, so I don't expect too many
problems in the near term UNLESS there are some things about this engine
and long term storage that are nasty. Anyone have any experience on that?
Other than the issues presented in the FAQ, are there any other things I
should be worried about ? I would think the A/C condition might be an
issue.
Are these cars prone to oil leakes ? I noticed an obtuse reference to
that possibility in the FAQ ("transmission mount cross brace...usually in
good shape due to oil leaks."
I saw the parts list cross reference hyperlinked in the Home Page, and it
looks like a reasonable number of parts at one time existed. As a
practical matter, how available are some of them now that we are 20+ years
down the road ?
How is this car in the wintertime ? It will probably be driven then (we
live in the Baltimore/Washington area), any handling issues in snow ?
What does everyone do about a spare tire ?
I also own a 1970 Cadillac El Dorado so I am no stranger to cars of this
vintage. Any input, suggestions, further www links, etc would be greatly
appreciated, especially BEFORE I take delivery :).
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