I'm back earlier than expected.
I guess I should have listened to my Blazer. It was trying to tell me
not to go to Oregon. Yesterday, it refused to leave the garage until I
replaced the Battery cable end and then managed to get me down to the
Parts store so I could replace the Battery itself.
But if nothing else, I'm bull-headed and went anyway.
I had called and notified the guy who is trying to sell the Spit that I
was coming.
This morning, I got up at 5:00 AM and hooked up the trailer and hit the
road. I arrived at about 12:30 and saw the Spit sitting in front of the
old gas station that it now calls home. Tony, the seller, has charged
the battery and it started right up. It runs a little rough but it does
run.
I looked the car over very closely looking for the tell-tale rust. I
found some on the bottom of the boot lid and signs of where the bottoms
of the rear fenders had been replaced over the top of rusted out panels.
But the car seemed sound even though several things had been changed
from original. (new type solenoid, electric fuel pump, no air cleaner
housing, home-made exhaust, non original upholstery on seats, Mk3
steering wheel, plain vinyl covering on doors and crash pad, non
original...and non-functional...bars that are supposed to secure the top
in both front and rear.)
THe paint job was an obviously non original metallic blue. Looking at
the Commission plate, I realized that somebody has been playing fast and
loose with the number plates. The car is obviously a very early Mk1.
It has the tube water drain in the heater box and it was discernible
that the car had previously been signal red. Yet the commission plate
indicated it was a late '64. It also has that notorious STD65 plate.
THe commission plate also indicates that it originally was white not
red. So I suspect that the early mk1 was the better of the cars that
were used in this rebuild, but didn't have a title. So the owner
decided to put the plate of the titled car on the old tub.
Anyway, I was told that the owner went to California this weekend and
didn't leave the title so I could even consider buying it. I told Tony
that I would buy it but If I had to make another trip down, the most I'd
offer is $1000. She was asking $1700.
So I left my phone number and Tony said he'd tell her and let me know on
Monday.
Regards,
Joe Curry
--
"If you can't excel with talent, triumph with effort."
-- Dave Weinbaum in National Enquirer
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