“Grandpa” had his exhaust replaced – from downpipe to tailpipe. Ordered from Swedish Car Parts, the system has been installed, and the car sounds great. This is not a performance exhaust, so it’s not designed to make this 4-banger sound mean. It’s meant to take care of the exhaust leak issue that was discovered between the downpipe and the first leg of the exhaust run. To avoid issues down the road, it was decided to simply replace the entire thing.
New headlights have been installed to replace the old, yellowed originals. A new center bearing is replacing the old, given the car has a “whine” indicating it’s time. And finally, the turn signal stalk was bad, so a used replacement has been located, ordered and should be here in time to get the car done by February 1st. The turn signal stalk contains the switch for the high beam headlights, the cruise control, and of course, the turn signals.
After Randy gets these items addressed, he will be turning the car over to me where I will then work on the outside aesthetics and bringing the old, tired and filthy paint back to life. It seems these old 2-stage paint systems used on cars “back in the day” proved durable, proving restoration to be within reach if one is willing to invest the time, energy and systems to bring it back. This was proven true with our first sedan, which was heavily oxidized after seeing no real in-depth care for many years. The result of my efforts on “Granny” proved the car could look almost new with time and energy invested. This is how “Granny” looked after a 3-day weekend, 10 hour days working to restore her finish.
I am also pleased to report I finally got the opportunity to drive “Grandpa”. Stopped by Randy’s shop and he suggested we take a drive. I was more than delighted to do so – given it would mark the first time driving the car since I purchased it at the beginning of October, 2022. It started right up, felt like a 240 and drove extremely well. With the completely redone front seats, it was super comfortable. For a 33-year old car, it actually had some spunk.
Once the outside is done to my liking, I will return the car to Randy to install the lower refurbished plastic trim. Under the previous owner, the lower plastic trim had begun to come away from the car. Their response was to drive several sheet metal screws through the thin plastic molding into the door. YIKES!
So, replacement trim for those fouled pieces has been acquired. The remaining trim removed, and all pieces refurbished and repainted to the original black color the car was delivered with. These items will be placed back on the car, and then it’s time to simply enjoy driving another classic 240.
Oh… I guess before we can truly enjoy “Grandpa”, he’s going to need a new sound system. We’ll get that done soon after we’re finished with the other items.
One thing at a time.