Pagoda SL Group
W113 Pagoda SL Group => General Discussion => Topic started by: twistedtree on January 14, 2010, 02:36:07
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I promised to tell the story of how the search for my first Pagoda turned into a purchase of four and a couple of rooms full of parts.
I suppose like everyone here, I've been a car enthusiast since I was a kid, and was quite obsessed through my 20's. Along the way I worked on many cars both for myself and professionally, but very little on Mercedes. They were just out of my reach. My most extensive projects were full restorations of a BMW 2002, and a '63 E-Type. Then along came kids and other aspects of life took over. I finally sold the E-Type to put an addition on my house. That was 20 years ago and until now cars have just been tools for me.
I always loved the Pagodas and started thinking about getting an older car again. Then for Xmas and my 50th, my wife gave me one. Not an actual one, but she set the gears in motion and engaged a friend who's a car buyer to try to find one.
I did a ton of research to get myself caught up, and found this awesome site along the way (THANKS!!). Then just after Christmas I went off on an overnight road trip to look at cars. I saw two that were very shinny, but were much more rusted than I expected for a car in the $35k to $45 asking price range. "Lipstick on a pig" is the expression that comes to mind. I was planning to come home the next morning when I finally tracked down the person on a withdrawn ad for a 280SL that needed restoration. Originally I was hoping for a car that had already received a quality restoration, not one going in, but in my opinion the two "high quality" cars that I has seen the day before were both on their way into, not out of restoration, so I figured I had nothing to lose.
When I saw the advertised car, it was tattered and neglected, but the body was in MUCH better shape than either of the cars I had seen the day before. Even with chrome, paint, and an interior, I'd still be ahead with this "junker". Then the old guy who was selling it said "let me show you, let me show you", and took me in the garage where there was another 280 in even better shape than the first, along with spare engines, transmissions, rear axles, etc, etc.. But he kept going "let me show you, let me show you", and led me out back where there was a third 250 in the yard. And again, "let me show you, let me show you", and he opened up a shed and there was a fourth 230. Then he showed me the rooms (yes, plural) in the basement full of heads, seats, wheels, hard tops, chrome, pistons, injector pumps, oil pans, etc. So the visit that almost didn't happen turned into 4 hours of pouring over the cars and parts.
All the cars turned out to be in fundamentally sound condition, but all were quite neglected and in need of chrome, portions of interiors, and varying degrees of repainting, but rust-wise (what I care about the most) all were in pretty good shape - certainly better than the $35k to $45K cars I saw the day before. On closer inspection, the 280 in the garage and the 250 were actually 230's with replacement engines and trunk badges to match, but the serial numbers and drum rear brakes gave them away as 230's. One had original front fenders and eyelash notched. The 230 that was badged as a 230 is an early one (#1946) with an automatic and the old trunk floor with a well for the spare, original manuals, original data card, matching numbers, original owner delivery receipt, 66k documented miles, tool kits, etc. I almost peed myself.
To make a long story short, with a little haggling I bought everything. It took 4 days to get everything out of the house, basement, garage, shed, and yard and moved to my brother's house about 50 miles away. All the cars were frozen in place and had to be winched free. Then I started trailering them to my place in Vermont. I've got two moved so far, but am taking a break for some other commitments over the next couple of weeks and will resume in February.
My wife has mostly recovered and will probably never give me another present again, but this one makes it all worth while.
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Hello twistedtree,
What a great story!!! This is one for the record and one for the "Star".
Maybe you could post some pics of all of your new family members.
Keep us posted.
Congrats!
Bob
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twistedtree ,
What a great story and re-entry back into the hobby. I'm sure most would agree , this hobby is a real adventure. The places , the people , the toys themselves. It's all good ....Good luck with your new toys.....
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Great story!
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WAY TO GO, twistedtree! You may have set the record for Pagoda acquisitions!
I sounds like you are now infected with the rare "lovepagodas" virus. This is a serious condition but you are in good company because everyone who posts on this website has the same problem. Be advised: It will only get more intense - - AND there is no known cure! There is a healing therapy group that meets in Ohio every other year. The tonic is named Blacklick. See you there in 2011.
Welcome the the Pagoda Brotherhood,
Regards, Larry in CA
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I'm surprised no one has asked how "twistedtree" got his name? :o I'm also supprised that he hasn't gotten his first request for spare parts from the forum members that are circling like seagulls over kids eatting french fries! 8)
I think this is a great 'barn find', and may top any that we may have (or have made up)! We're here to help and offer advice, but you must show us some photos!
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Yes, I know I'm rapidly descending the slippery slope, and you guys are just pushing me down faster and faster :o But where can you get more fun than this?
Twistedtree is the nick-name for my farm in Vermont where my shop is.
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glad i was able to help
a few details were left out!
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OK, I'll be the first rude one to ask. How much??? Depress us all please!
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OK, I'll be the first rude one to ask. How much??? Depress us all please!
Not rude. I think it's useful to compare notes on the market. I paid $55k USD for the lot. I saw it as $5k for the parts, and $12.5k for each car. All of them need at least paint, chrome, and interiors which isn't cheap. I think it was a fair to generous price, especially given the risk in buying 4 cars where I couldn't run or drive any of them.
I'm interested in other thoughts?
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I think this will be a once in a lifetime experience - which is 'priceless'! You alone have bragging rights to having bought (4) Pagodas at the same time. We don't exactly what you bought, but you may find out that the parts are a lot more valuable than $5K.
Once you get everything in Vermont, and sorted out, we would interested in your strategy - pick 1 car and part out the other 3, or keep 2 and part out the other 2? Or restore one car every 5 years (4 X 5 = 20 years)? How does a parent choose a child?
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I agree that's a fair to generous price, good for both buyer and seller. It's a lot of work but it sounds like you are up to it. With all the parts you could probably make that 230 perfect, sell the excess parts, sell one or two of the other cars (keeping the best of them as a future project) and not be too far behind.
m300cab: it would be interesting to hear your background as an MB afficionado and parts packrat!
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m300cab: it would be interesting to hear your background as an MB afficionado and parts packrat!
Mike's the guy who knows the seller who connected me with the opportunity, so he gets lots of thanks.
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I think I'd put one back original and have a little fun with another.... Newer seats, etc so that you have a more modern take on the old.
For comparison..... I paid more than that for my RHD in 2003. OK, it didn't need all new chrome or any restoration at the time but..... well done and HAPPY new year
Has the wife forgiven you yet ort is she off to the jewellers to buy a diamond.....
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My wife has recovered, but I'll be hearing about this from time to time for the rest of my life.
Right now I expect all 4 cars will return to the road - I just don't know in what condition. I was primarily after the 280 with 4-speed, so that's where I'll start. I plan to get it cleaned up and running in time to use it over the summer. From there I'll decide where to take that car. Then I'll clean up and get the others running. I think that's the best way to assess their real condition. Once condition is known, I can figure out where to go next, what parts can be sold and which I might need, etc.
By the way, only time will tell whether I get bragging rights or a dunce cap - the jury will be out on that for a while.
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Hope you took pictures as he was opening the time capsules.
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Here's a quick update. I now have 3 of the 4 cars back at my shop in Vermont. I started on the '70 280 to see what it would take to get it road worthy. The first step was the go through the fuel system, and I discovered a very cruddy fuel tank. I've pulled it out and am still scratching my head a bit on how to proceed with it. I've read through the posts of tank cleaning, but discovered that radiator shops won't touch gas tanks anymore (they won't boil them clean like they used to), and the only shop I've found that will work on them actually ships them out to Canada for cleaning and lining. Right now I'm leaning towards cleaning and lining it myself.
With that set aside, I replaced the fuel filter, put in new plugs a wires (wires were completely shot), replaced the battery, hooked the radiator hose back up and filled with coolant, and rigged up a temporary fuel supply and guess what? It fired right up and idled as smooth as silk. It hesitates and sputters when goosed, but hey, it runs! Not bad for a little over a days work.
I also replaced the master and slave clutch cylinders, but while removing the reservoir for cleaning, the metal feed line broke right off where it goes through the firewall. Can you say "rust"?
This car is probably in the worst condition of the batch, but it's got a 4-speed which I really like. The next day I gave it a sponge bath inside and out and it cleaned up pretty well. I'm not scared to sit in it any more.
No I need to fabricate a clutch line and un-seize the wiper spindles. Oh, and there's still that darn fuel tank to deal with, but it's getting close.
Here's a picture of the car just before I picked it up, then two shots of it back in my shop.
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After getting stalled behind the fuel tank on the 280, I decided to shift focus to the '64 230SL. This is the oldest of the 4, and perhaps the best in terms of condition and originality. But oh my god what a mess. It was in a shed with exposed fiberglass insulation, and squirrels had taken up home in the shed. They had ripped out all the insulation and the car was was covered with it inside and out. There was a dead mouse on the driver floor, and mold over the seats and interior side panels, not to mention the dust, dirt, and crud.
I decided to start with a good vacuuming and sponge bath inside and out. Wow, what a difference. It cleaned up REALLY well. Not show quality my any means, but really impressive for a mostly original car. My first thought was "gee, maybe my wife will stop harassing me when she sees this". When she saw it, she said "can I have that one?"
Then I started to check through things mechanically. This fuel tank looked OK, but I suspect the fuel is pretty stale. Unfortunately, I'm out of containers to store stale fuel so I couldn't drain it. Instead, I moved forward and started putting the engine compartment back together. The manifold heat shield was in place but not fastened, so I strapped that in place. The line from the coolant expansion tank to the water pump was disconnected at both ends so I hooked that back up, and the coil wire was pulled out from the end plug and had to be screwed back in place. The wires need to be replaced, but I didn't have the parts on hand, so I made do with what I had.
After replacing the battery and filling with coolant and confirming that the fuel pump ran, I gave it a try. This one took a while to start, but finally fired up. After blowing about a dozen acorns out the tail pipe, it idled and bit and finally died. On subsequent attempts it would spit and sputter while cranking, but wouldn't run on it's own. I discovered gas dripping from the air intake (home removed), adn when I opened the throttle air flap several ounces of gas came out.
I removed the cold start valve from the manifold and pulled it back far enough to see it while operating the pump and starter and sure enough it sprayed gas as soon as the ignition was turned on. I removed the control wire from the solenoid and tried again and it still sprayed fuel, so the valve was stuck. I removed the solenoid and poked at the ball valve, then rechecked with the pump running and it looked dry. When reassembling I found that one of the solenoid screw holes has been stripped so only one side of the solenoid is correctly mounted. Plus part of the solenoid housing is cracked and missing exposing its interior to the elements. So, both issues will need to be dealt with, but for now the valve is dry except for a second or two squirt when you first start cranking the engine. I suspect that's proper operation. But the engine still won't run on it's own, so my next focus will be to get the old gas out, replace the filter, and get fresh gas through the system. I also have new plugs, wires, cap and rotor on the way.
I also found that the throttle linkage isn't put together right. The rod that comes up through the manifolds from the block arm is binding against the manifold when opened up more than about half throttle. The rocker arm mounted on top of the manifold is different from the other 230 I have on site, but that car has a 250 motor so I'm not sure if the arm should be exactly the same of different. But I know what I've got now isn't right - even I can figure that out.
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Here are some pictures after a sponge bath inside and out.
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I think this is going to be a great story! Keep us updated, and post some more photos...and please take off those aftermarket bumper guards on that 230SL! :o
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I think this is going to be a great story! Keep us updated, and post some more photos...and please take off those aftermarket bumper guards on that 230SL! :o
Those aren't original? I've got a lot to learn......
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Those bumper guards seem to be the norm for that particular car. I have seen quite a few with the very same type. Quite ugly in my opinion.
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Look! He's got an intact Radio Delete Plate!!!
Peter
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Look! He's got an intact Radio Delete Plate!!!
Peter
Yes, I really like that little feature. I'll get rid of the radio hanging under the dash.
One other thing I noticed on the '64 is that it has no side lights front or back. Is that normal, or do you think they were removed at some point? The data card and body number plate indicate it's a US car. I don't remember how the US laws evolved in that regard.
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Side lights came in mid 1969 production I believe? My car was built 1/69 and did NOT have them; it had reflectors. Sometime prior to that, of course, reflectors were added...as a '64 there were hardly any of the safety/fed requirements because there were hardly any at that time!
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So no lights or reflectors would be factory-correct? I'm slowly trying to sort out just how original these cars are. I'm learning fast, but still have a LONG way to go.
Any expert members in VT/NH interested in taking a look and helping me learn? They are located not far from Hanover, NH and White River Junction, VT
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Here are some pictures after a sponge bath inside and out.
Those are some great shots. Are you going to have all four in the garage at once? What an amazing photo all 4 cars together in the garage would make!
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Those are some great shots. Are you going to have all four in the garage at once? What an amazing photo all 4 cars together in the garage would make!
Yes, I'm sure I'll get them all in there together in time. The third is in an adjacent room right now. Most of my shop is full of kitchen cabinets being painted as part of a renovation I have going on so you can barely move, let along get another car in there. But I'll get my shop back in a couple of weeks and then I can move all the boys in together. It will be like a bunk room for them.
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Keep the photos coming.
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Here's a quick update.
All four boys are back at my shop now. As soon as I have them all in one room, I'll snap a picture. Maybe someday I'll get a lift, then they will have bunk beds:)
Anyway, I've remain focused on the '70 280SL mostly because it's the only one with a 4-speed. So far I've flushed and cleaned the gas tank, replace filters, replaced the plugs and wires, installed a Crane ignition system, replaced the clutch hydraulics, adjusted the throttle linkage, adjusted the air bypass mixture, un-seized the wipers, by-passed the dash light dimmer, removed the heater lever assembly to replace the levers (waiting on one more lever to finish it), put the cooling system back together, ordered new tires, fixed misc lights, got the car running, and drove it around the barn yard. It seems to run well, but I won't really know until I take it for a real test drive.
Now the car is on jacks with one side of the front end apart for a re-build, but I got replacement king pins that appear corroded on the bearing surface, so I need to return them for another set.
The list of unknowns is getting shorter and sorter - at least for this car. Still three more to go.
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Great story. You'll have a ball with these cars and parts.
John
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what a great story! although I spotted your post only today, I enjoyed reading it as if it happened yesterday..... one is never tired of reading about Pagodas.... Please do not make us wait too much for the next part about your multi-Pagoda restoration battle :D :D
Stan
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what a great story! although I spotted your post only today, I enjoyed reading it as if ithappened yesterday..... one is never tired of reading about Pagodas.... Please do not make us wait too much for the next part about your multi-Pagoda restoration battle :D :D
Stan
Thanks. I've gotten side tracked a bit moving back into a house that we restored, and getting the floors in my shop/barn epoxy coated. The good thing is that the shop now looks like an operating room. Hopes of having one running this summer looks grim, but perhaps for the fall.....
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Has anything new been happening with your 4 adoptees? I just read through this story and see it hasn't had any updates in a long time ....
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Has anything new been happening with your 4 adoptees? I just read through this story and see it hasn't had any updates in a long time ....
Yes, and thanks for asking. I've got 2-1/2 of them running, but none drivable yet. I've got the next week free to work on them and hopefully a bunch more time over the winter.
The '70 is pretty close. I still have to do the king pins on one side and reassemble the dash, and it still needs some tuning. Then I think it's ready to go. Still ugly, but ready to drive.
I got the '67 running a couple of months ago. It turns out it wasn't completely put back together, so it was a bit of a treasure hunt to find all the disconnected hoses etc and get them reconnected. After that it fired right up. Now I'm going through a full setup of the engine from scratch - everything was off. The trans is slipping too, but I'm pretty sure it's just a setup problem. The three position solenoid was set up completely wrong (including being cross wired with the pressure switches), and I just found another disconnected line resulting in a giant vacuum leak. Right now I'm thinking I'll get this one fixed up and sell it to free up some room.
So far I haven't touched the '65.
The '64 is the "1/2". It kicks and sputters but doesn't run consistently. I've done nothing to fix it except repair the cold start injector which was flooding. Next step is to clean the fuel system. It's contents are probably 20+ years old.
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This week was pretty productive, with time focused on the '67 230 with a 280 motor. I got the linkages set up correctly, tracked down all the disconnected hoses and hooked them back up, plugged a major oil leak from a missing mounting bolt for the PS pump bracket, bled the power steering so it's not spraying fluid all over every time you shut off the motor, put the idler arm back together so the arm is actually screwed into the top cap rather than just flopping around, replaced tie rods on both sides, got belts tightened so the PS pump and water pump are actually working. At this point the engine actually runs pretty well, but it's still racing and never comes all the way down to idle after warming up. I've tracked it down to the WRD which isn't closing completely despite an operative heat feeler and a free plunger mechanism. I'll have to shim it to solve the problem. The good news is that if I block the air intake the engine speed drops right down to a nice purr, so I'm pretty confident this will fix the most glaring problem.
The other great news is that I got the transmission working. I had previously fixed all the miss-wiring on the 3 position solenoid and gotten that working, but was still getting almost total slippage in both forward and reverse. With a bunch more fussing and adjusting of the linkage I was able to get proper modulator pressure in all three positions, and presto, now I get solid and firm shifts into forward and reverse.
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The first car emerged today and is on it's way to market! My plan continues to be to keep two and sell two, and I need to get at least one sold to make room and allow me to focus on the others. The first to market is the '66 230SL with a 280 motor. It's off to the detailing shop tomorrow, and I'm hopeful it will emerge as a respectable driver with many original features. The front fenders are original with the spot welds intact, there is little to no rust, and I believe the interior is original.
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Peter -
Not only has one 230SL emerged - but you have become quite the expert in these cars in a very short period of time! Nothing like throwing you in the deep end of the pool to teach you how to swim! Keep us posted on the prices in the market if you get a buyer, and I look forward to getting together with you this summer - we're planning another event in Maine! (I will be measuring the hight of your 280SL from the hubcap to the fender!) ;D
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Yes, sink or swim. I'm swimming, but just barely with 4 cars weighing me down :o. I do have mixed feelings about letting one go, but my shop is too crowded and it's a bit overwhelming bringing 4 cars back to life. Besides, the only way to diversify my car collection is divest myself of a few. I bought an old Volvo 142E that I have yet to pick up and need to make room. I know, it's not a glamorous car, but there is a warm place in my heart for them. I also want to get a BMW 3.0 CS.
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Here's a quick update. The first car out of the barn was the '66 230SL with a 280 motor. I offered it for sale back in May but the bids came in a bit under my reserve. After that I went away on a 3 month boat trip and the car sat until I returned in August. Well, the good news is that it sold and is just awaiting pickup for shipping to the UK.
I'm now looking forward to getting the '64 and the '70 roadworthy so I can bring them to Ashville for the 50th celebration. That should keep me focused between now and then. Anyone want to start a pool on whether they make it :)
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Reading back through this, I see I haven't updated it in a while, and there has been a bunch more progress.
Per the above posting, the '66 was brought back to full road-worthiness and has been sold.
The '64 has also come a long way and runs and drives around the yard. I had the injection pump, feed pump, and CSV rebuilt by H&R, plus they cleaned and tested the injectors. But even after that it's not running 100%, and I've identified some vacuum leaks where the manifold and head meet. Also, the front frame mounts are shot, so these issues are next on my list. Oh, I also replaced the fuel tank with a new one. Some of the rear brake lines were replaced along the way and its a real hack job and is leaking, so I'll be making up some new brake lines and will replace the hoses at the same time. I also expect to replace the shocks, engine mounts, and rear suspension mounts along the way. Then we'll see how it actually drives on the road.....
The '70 got set aside a while ago in favor of getting the other cars running. It has new king pins on one side, but I still need to do the other side, and I also have a new gas tank to install in that car too. The dash is also partly (maybe mostly) disassembled as part of replacing the heater control levers, so all that needs to go back together. Then it will be time to see how that one drives too. After that, it's just a matter of making them pretty : :o
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And then there were two.....
A few months ago I posted an ad for the '65 230SL (with 250 motor) in as-is condition. Other than poking around the car a bit, I hadn't touched it since purchase. The two cars I'm currently working on are keeping me plenty busy, and I was feeling like having gone less project staring back at me would be good.
The sale was a halfhearted effort, but a few weeks ago off it went to a new home if Florida. Now all focus is on the '64 and '70 to make at least one reliably drivable for Williamsburg. I'm not going for cosmetics at all, just a reliable car.
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How about some pictures, please :)
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Well, my last post here was in 2013 leading up to Williamsburg. Unfortunately I didn't make it after breaking the mounting ear off my alternator just prior to departure.
Now the push is on again to get the '64 230SL in dependable driving condition to make the trip to PUB 2015. It runs, but I all I've done is run it up and down our dirt road a few times. I still have the hood and hard top removed for easier work access, but the side effect is that I'd rather not drive it in the rain, and it's been raining. Hopefully over the next few days it will dry out a bit and I can start to give it a real run to see what I've got and what I'm still up against. I hope I'm close. So far the projects completed are (as best I can remember off the top of my head):
- Replaced front frame mounts
- Replaced engine mounts
- Replaced brakes all around
- Rebuilt brake booster
- Rebuilt fuel injection pump and associated components including cold start valve and injectors
- Installed 123 distributor
- Replaced all the rear suspension bushings including the top carrier bushing.
- Replaced the tie rods
- Rebuilt/resealed the power steering gear that was leaking horribly.
- Replaced the fuel tank and fuel gauge sender
- Replaced the speedo cable
- Reinstalled the original air valve
- Set up the linkage
- Checked the automatic transmission pressures
- New Vredsteins all around.
- Replaced numerous light bulbs
- Replaced the alternator and belts
- Replaced the shocks all around.
- Rebuilt the fuel pump
So mechanically it's looking pretty good, except of course for the things that I haven't come across yet.... What it really needs now is time on the road to shake out all the remaining problems. The car has been worked on, but not restored so it's no looker. But I think it is a mostly intact example of a very early 230. It's chassis number 1946, and number 200 with an automatic transmission. All number match, except the transmission which was replaced somewhere along the way.
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What's the status of your '70 280 SL?
Can that be driven to PUB 2015?
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What's the status of your '70 280 SL?
Can that be driven to PUB 2015?
That would be even more of a stretch than the 230. I haven't touched it in several years, instead focusing on the 230. At a minimum I would need to put in a new gas tank (I already have it, fortunately) reinstall the injectors that I had tested and cleaned, and put the dash back together. Then start it and see what I've got. And it's generally in rattier shape than the 230.
I'm making slow but steady progress on the 230. It's running and I'm driving up and down our little road testing things out. The biggest issues is that the engine has zero balls. It revs ok in neutral, but under load it's got nothing. I backed into a steep driveway to turn around, and it couldn't get back up the hill. I just finished a quick series of experiments with different timing and it had little effect. I then tried a poor-man's mixture adjustment by lengthening the FIP rod by three turns. It ran much better. Then I tried three more turns and it got better still. So pretty clearly I have a lean mixture. Now I'll go richen it up on the main rack and move forward from there. I've got a wide-band air fuel mixture meter which is helpful, but on my little short runs it's nearly impossible to get any sort of steady load/speed to get a stable reading. I need to get the car running well enough to get out on the paved roads for the meter to really be of much help.
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I've heard many people have had great results from the "Linkage Tour" found here on our website in the Tech Manual for us Full Members only ! ;D
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Peter,
I agree with Mark, you need to run through the "Linkage Tour" in the Tech Manual to get it set up properly otherwise you will be going around in circles and probably making it worse on one way or another.
Garry
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Thanks. I know the linkage tour very well, and am utilizing it as a test tool, hence the artificial lengthening of the FIP control rod. It's just a simple way to play with mixture variation.
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OK, we have progress. After chasing down a shift linkage issue and verifying that I have all 4 speeds in the transmission, I've been able to get out for some more meaningful test drives. The main rack only needed a little tweaking in the end, and the car now drives acceptably - at least for now. According to the AFR meter, mixture under load and at idle are good, but just cruising around with a very light load the engine runs real lean (15-16), so I'll need to sort that out in time.
Over the course of my test drives I also surfaced a cracked hose running between the radiator and expansion tank, and a hose to the heater with an un-tightened clamp.
Other wise the car seems to run well. The steering is good, suspension is good (love having new bushings everywhere), brakes are good, instruments work. It still looks like hell, but definite progress is being made....
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More progress.
If a car goes for 1 mile, it will probably go for 10
If a car goes for 10 miles, it will probably go for 100
If a car goes for 100, it will probably go for 1000.
I put in a nice 40 mile drive today, so should be good for 400. That won't quite get me to PUB 2015, but is a good start.
I still have some mixture problems, in particular at light load around 2000 rpm it's running really lean with an AFR of 150-16. Under heavy load it's fine. It also doesn't down shift from 4 to 3 under load. Gotta pause fro a few days to tend to other projects, but should be back on the case mid next week.
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I just read through this thread. What an Awesome story!!! Cant wait to meet you at PUB 15.
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Another car emerges from the heap. This is the '64 230SL, #1946 so an early one, and #200 with an automatic transmission. After a lot of work it's mechanically pretty sound, but I don't have enough confidence in it to drive to PUB, so it will get a ride in my trailer and just get driven locally in Ohio. The car has had a variety of work done on it over the years, most of it poorly done, but for a car that has been sitting for nearly 30 years and never restored, it's actually in pretty good shape. Just remain 20' away and don't put on your glasses ;D
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Looks pretty good to me Peter ... Then photos don't always tell all.
Have a safe trip!