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Hi Rick,
I just caught up with this excellent thread. I thoughly enjoyed your write-up of your journey to '1059'. It is rather amazing how our paths crossed during our searches for our 2.2S coupes.
I sold my 2.2S Targa in the Spring of '08 because I really wanted a coupe, not just any coupe, but a special 2.2S with a 'soul'. My Targa had no real soul in my eyes because it's past was lost to time and it restored and not in original condition. I saw the Gemini Blue car for sale in MI also and asked my good friend Jared to check it out. I rejected it for many the same reasons you did.
I first saw the Pano ad for Patrick in late summer of '08 and began my own evaluation by talking with Eve (Lee's daughter) on the phone and writing emails to Lee. I was very fortunate to have the car checked out by registry memeber Michael Downing, who I can't thank enough. He was able to catch Lee on good day (his last good day unfortunately:( ) and they spent the afternoon together talking about and looking the car over. I am very envious of you both for having the opportunity to meet and talk with Lee in person. That will always be a void for me.
Needless to say this car has a tremendous soul so I persued it aggressively, not wanting it to go onto eBay as I feared I would loose out for sure. I don't think I shared this before but I offered Lee $75K for the car after Micheal sent over the photos. Lee turned me down, not out of greed, but wanting to honor his word to all the others who had contacted him about the car. He had told everyone the car would be auctioned. Of course as you know I was the only bidder and I won the auction for $68.5K. Pretty crazy to say the least.
So glad you ended with '1059' and not '499'.;):D Happy motoring, Rick.:)
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Seat Time
Hey, Brian . . .
You and I have sorta crossed paths, huh? I didn’t know that you’d considered the Michigan car. I never saw more than pictures of it, and the PPI report. Wonder what ever happened with it?
I do, however, remember ‘Patrick.’
I came across the ad in PANO, then posted it on our site. I remember that Lee’s ad mentioned original paint on the engine lid (?) and roof, which struck me as a bit odd --- a lot of pedigrees get buried when cars come up for sale. Not this one.
I’d e-mailed Lee a few times before arranging to see the car. Santa Cruz is about 400 miles away, and, on the week-end that I drove up, there was a huge fire burning in the Big Sur area, about 50 miles south of town, so the whole Central Coast was under this dismal brown cloud, as I was coming up The 101. But, when I got into town, North of the fire . . . well, what a day. Cool breeze off the ocean, warm sun, brilliant sky --- the kind of day that area is famous for.
Anyway, the place was located in a quiet neighborhood, a few blocks off The One, kinda in the middle of town. Older homes, crowned streets, a mix of situations. The house was Lee’s Daughter's, with an old-fashioned drive way --- two strips of concrete instead of one big slab --- that passed around the west side of the house to a rear courtyard that fronted a separate clapboard garage. The driveway-to-street transition was pretty sharp and I remember walking up, thinking how tough it would be getting a car through there . . . when I turned the corner and saw the car for the first time.
It’s kinda hard to describe what its like to see real color like that, the impact it makes. I look around at most cars today and they all seem gray to me, you know? Oh, they call ‘em silver or anthracite or champagne . . . but to me, they’re just different shades of blah.
Not this car. Conda is just vivid. I've described it as 'eye-searing,' 'glowing.' But that’s still weak. Fluorescent, maybe? Or atomic? Maybe Porsche should’ve called it Plutonium.
I wandered up to the car, walked around a moment, then Lee came out of the garage. Small guy, thin, not real old, in jeans and tee-shirt, wore a hat. And had this small back-pack thing on. We shook hands, then did our little talk.
Lee told me that he’d bought a silver ‘S,’ brand new, back in the day. He’d had the car for a few years, ‘till it was totaled by a Cadillac, some time in the early ‘70s. So, he’d gone out looking for another car, to replace that silver one . . . and this was what he’d found. I think he'd said that it had been ordered new by another old-time PCAer, and was originally from Illinois, but had come to California at some point. The First Owner was a Concours Guy, either a judge or a competitor?, and I think that was where Lee said he’d first found out about it. Anyway, after Lee got the car, he took it to San Francisco . . . and used it. Auto-crossed it. Taught his little girl how to drive it. Parked it out on the street. Part of the family. Years went by, and then, at some point, he’d decided to just put it back. And so had had the car carefully re-sprayed, mostly because of nicks from parking on the street ---- and keeping the finishes on the roof and engine cover original. He even pointed out the transitions in the finish, from old to new; I could barely tell. The rest of the car, the interior? . . . spotless. Looked like it had always been that way.
Lee was quiet, almost terse, not unfriendly, more reserved, low-key --- Old School . . . and Old School PCA. These guys don’t talk much. But their cars? . . . . every panel, every piece of trim, the dash, the upholstery, the way the doors fit . . . hhh.
At one point, Lee had pulled back the floor mats to show off the spotless, shiny floor. Then later, when I looked up under the car, even the undercoat shone. And the motor. Lee had mentioned that the engine had just been 'serviced.' But I saw spotless paint, bright gold anodize, new hoses and clamps, and an original air-cleaner with some scratches Lee lamented having just put on. At some point, he’d fired the motor ---- just reached in, turned the key. First time I’d ever heard a 2.2 run; smooth, loud.
The car had some old BF Goodrich Radial T/As on it --- didn’t fit or look good. And the fogs were these old Hella 128s --- 356 parts? --- one of which had been broken, Lee said, maneuvering down the driveway. Other than that . . . the most gorgeous Longhood I’ve ever seen. Too sweet to use, at least by me. Couldn’t even bring myself to ask for a ride, not with that driveway.
So we’d spent all this time going over the car, Lee talking and showing, me asking and looking, but then, at some point, I’d looked again at that little back-pack thing on Lee’s back, asked about it.
‘Oxygen tank,’ he said. And I saw the canula. ‘Cancer.’
Understand. This car has always been owned by people who knew what it was, sought it out, cared for it . . . even treasured it. But now, here I was, with Lee --- a thirty-some year caretaker . . . someone who’d put so much into it . . .
. . . right when he was giving up his seat . . .
Love to see it again, some time
........
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10 Attachment(s)
'As Found' Photos
Here are some photos from the first batch sent by Mark (the PO). This is 1059 'as found.'
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10 Attachment(s)
'As Found'
More photos from the PO . . .
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10 Attachment(s)
As Found . . .
More photos from the PO . . .
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2 Attachment(s)
As Found . . .
And the gratuitous kid shot . . .
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10 Attachment(s)
PPI Photos
Here are some shots of 1059 as I went through the PPI
1) trunk area details including a 70's-style electric air pump for some air horns
2) front suspension pick-up
3) left-side battery
4) right-side battery
5) left-side detail
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10 Attachment(s)
More PPI Photos . . .
1) Left-side engine compartment
2) Rear license panel --- blistered paint looks like heat damage; muffler is pin-holed from corrosion
3) Engine# 6301439
4) Oil cooler --- note '70 horn position, under the battery box
5) Caliper
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10 Attachment(s)
Rust!
These are photos of some rust-through corrosion damage found on the driver's side outer rocker, during the PPI. Mark told me that 1059 was garaged as long as he owned it, and only rarely driven --- basically, once around the block every week.
Mark was surprised when I showed him these photos. Me, too, because the rest of the car ---- trunk and battery area, floors, pan, and under body --- all looked great.
1) Uh-oh . . .
2) $%&#@!
3) Driver's floor
4) Left-side passenger floor
5) Left rear wheel well, looking forward
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10 Attachment(s)
Mechanical
As soon as all the checks cleared and paperwork changed hands, it was time for John to get started.
The serious mechanical items were few: ignition, 2nd gear synchro, and an oil leak at the back of the engine.
Mark had included the original ignition with the car, so John just re-installed it, actually already during the PPI --- after I saw John’s PPI pictures, I just knew 1059 was gonna be mine.
Anyway, John also had the synchro handy, so that was a quick fix, too. Interesting thing: when the trans came out, the gear-oil inside looked like asphalt, nasty. Mark thought for sure that he had changed the trans oil at some point, but John thought that it must have been in there for a long, LONG time, to look like that. So, he tore down the trans, cleaned things up, replaced the synchro, then put everything back together; tranny done.
The oil leak at the back of the engine was a bit more ominous. From the location, between the trans and the engine, John suspected that it might be either the rear main or the trans seal. I was expecting the worst --- that the engine would need a re-seal, right away --- but it turned out that the culprit was a little plastic angle-drive for the speedometer that had failed; everything else was fine. That was about it for the big mechanical stuff.
After seeing inside the gearbox, all the other fluids were flushed out, and even the wheel bearings were re-packed, just to be sure. And while it was out, John also gave the engine a good cleaning, even shining-up the fan.
There were some other minor items that came up; incorrect brake bleed screws, a crusty driver’s-side heat exchanger, worn-out-this’s and missing-that’s; most of these were sorted on the spot or noted for attention later. Total bill was $2512, including the 200-mile transport of the car.
1) Engine# 6301439
2) Underneath, forward . . .
3) . . . and back
4) Inside the trans . . .
5) . . . and some very old oil