tires and wheels I found my 1973 Malaga with 55K original miles!

[brianhornung]

So, I bite the bullet and bought a 1973. Looks like it will need a little fixing around the rear drivers side tail light but other than that I think it's going to be pretty cherry. I'm so pumped. I fly out on Friday to Colorado to pick it up and drive her home. Any suggestions on the pre trip inspection, maybe an oil change... what oil should I use (yes I know this is like asking if you like Coke or Pepsi, or Square or Round).

Then it's time to get fun stuff like, wheels, suspension, 5 speed, recaro's... all of the fun stuff. Almost a shame on such a original car, but I'm thinking of it as a blank canvas. So if anyone has any tips or wants to say hi on Friday, I'll be in the Denver area getting her ready for the 1,100 mile trip back to Washington. Advice is welcome

[ChrisN]

Brian,

Congratulations, looks like a nice find. Glad to see another WA 02er join the family. And yes, it is YOUR blank canvas. Have fun.

Chris

[Mike Self]

Find out when the car was last serviced. If the fanbelts are more than a couple of years old, get some spares--"just in case"--same with the usual ignition stuff--cap, rotor, points, condenser and even a spare spark plug terminal or two. Make sure everything works on the car--lights, turn signals, horn, and especially the heater blower! Make sure the thermostat works, or take some cardboard to put in front of the grille so you'll have a warm engine (and heater). Check all fluid levels (including tranny and diff), and of course check out the brakes and clutch for proper operation. I'd drive it around town for 10-20 miles before heading for home, just to make sure--easier to fix things in town than on the road!

Good luck--tell us about your trip when you get it home...

mike

PS--I like Penzoil--been using it for years.

[meyekel]

i was planning on getting my car out of her slumber anyway that day. give me a call 303-870-5925. i have some tools and some parts if you need to do any servicing before you get on the road. look at the weather too, i think they are calling for snow in the mountains on Saturday...

Mike

[RandyMolson]

Ditto, nice find. That car looks well taken care of.

I have done one-way interstate drives with two 02 purchases. On one I took a Greyhound bus from PA to Shreveport, and that was an experience that all Americans should try at least once...just so we appreciate the many things we take for granted. So man up and trade in the plane ticket for a bus ticket.

Here is what I do.

• On the one-way trips, there is only so much crap you can bring with you. I tend to travel light. I bring few screw drivers, adjustable wrench, pliers, a tire gauge, a box of fuses, a couple bulbs, and a mini-multimeter.
  Before your trip, map out a local car parts store and box-mart so you can buy whatever parts or tools you need upon the pre-trip inspection.
  Replace all the fuses if they aren't already new.
  Check fluids and make sure it can stop on a dime.
  Make sure your car has a jack and lug wrench.
  Try to take test drive with the PO aboard. Its great for identifying odd noises and jarring loose tid-bits of vehicle history.

Have fun, sounds like a grand adventure.

Oh, I use 10w40 in all my cars.

[Guest Anonymous]

Mike's recommendations, I'd want to check the CV boots and front wheel bearings and take a close look at the guibo before heading out cross-country. As far as spares go, it wouldn't be a bad idea to take a spare fuel pump (with the correct push rod), a spare set of radiator hoses and a couple of feet of fuel line along with the usual emergency supplies - couple of gallons of water, gallon of antifreeze, small gas can, small fire extinguisher, duct & electrican's tape, a few assorted hose clamps, a few feet of electrical wire and basic tools.

It may be pointing out the obvious, but you're going to be traversing the high country in mid winter in a 30+ year old car - make sure you've got a way to keep warm in case of a mechanical breakdown in cold, snowy conditions, and have at least one change of clothes that's NOT primarily cotton or other natural fibers. In the unlikely event that you have to get out in the snow to fix something, you want clothes that won't soak up moisture.

Being semi-prepared in the event of an breakdown can make the difference between a minor inconvenience and being stranded in the middle of nowhere (or, at worst, a catastrophic mechanical failure or hypothermia)

[oh2fly]

All good ideas. Have fun with airport security with your carry ons! Ask how old the tires are! They show good tread but how old is that rubber?

[jerry]

wow, with a car as UNMOLESTED as what you found, it'd be a pity to mess with it.

but if you do, consider this:

when surveying the high-dollar, non-tii 02's that have sold on ebay, the one thing they all had in common was that they were 'original', and unmolested.

in fact, the loss-leaders tend to be the over-modded cars that the poor seller spent a fortune on flares, tires, coil-overs etc only to get ten cents on the dollar.

hold onto ALL the bits you change out so that the next in line will have them available.

of course, it's your car to do as you please. just makes any other unaltered car that much more elusive.

[eastsidebimmer]

If you get stranded along I-70 in Indiana, there are a few of us around in central IN to help.

I'd replace fuel lines from the firewall to the carb and replace the filter.

Buy oil, coolant and you might want to think about AAA before you leave.

Good Luck--looks nice!

Ben

[schwarz75]

(nt)

[73tiiDavidPA]

Just a thought. Even though its $100+ for my wife and I, I'm a firm believer in AAA Plus - the towing gives you 100 miles for free. "Back in the day" AAA Plus got us towed from Rockford, IL to Chicago (city proper) on Memorial Day evening. It ended up being a little over the 100 mile "Free" radius so I had to pay something like $7 for a 114 miles - four hour tow back to a garage I knew.

When I take my tii or DS21 from Philadelphia to Annapolis for work I have a predetermined repair garage within 100 miles of either location. That may be a little much to figure out in advance, but I'm sure you could almost map a good 2002 repair place every 200 miles (100 mile radius) from CO to DC if you ask this board. Just a thought.

On the original side - keep it that way is my advice. Beyond that most of the valuable 2002's and tii's are original I know a lot of folks that "had" an original, modified it over time, then spent lots of money setting right back to orginal because it was "better". Anyway... congrats

[Harv]

Stuff to bring.

Flat and philips screwdrivers, med size.

10, 13, 17, 19mm wrenches X2 if you have em plus and adjustable.

Socket set and ratchet.

Hammer

Test light or small multi meter.

All of this should fit into an old shaving kit bag except for the hammer. Don't forget to pack this in your CHECKED luggage. They won't let you bring this stuff as carry on.

If your gonna bring parts.

Water pump, thermostat, belt,

Alternator.

Back in the 80's I drove my 1275cc Midget from Mass to Colorado and back. When I first bought the car, the charge light was on just a little so I bought a new alt. Well, the old one charged fine so I never got around to putting it in. Before I pulled out of the driveway I grabbed the new one, wrapped it in a towel and put it in front of the drivers seat behind the frame box section. A few days later at 11:00pm in Goram Kansas the light came full on. I pulled off the highway and found a few buildings with some street lights. Turned out it was where they repaired the telephone company trucks and there was a kid in there working on his jeep. I asked if it was ok that I fixed my car in the lot. He said sure. Then he asked if i wanted to bring it in and pushed a big sliding door and there was a clean well lit bay for me to work in. Good thing to since I had to transfer the pulley to the new alt and he had air impact and big sockets to fit. He even gave us beer!

I would do what your are doing in a heart beat!!!!!

John

[pkbinplano]

sweet deal !!!! Thats what mine looked like originally, Mine has morfed. LOL Congrats !!!

[brianhornung]

Wow, thanks for all of the advice. I've convinced my brother to fly out from the bay area for this adventure, I kept thinking during my search that I'd be flying down there! My brother has AAA so that should be good if we need a tow, and their is always U-haul if things get too hairy. I'll be sure to get a new fuel filter and some spare belts

If I do change anything, I'll be sure to keep the original stuff. I'm not going to go too crazy, I don't want to "rice" it out. The first step is getting it home in one peice and getting the tail light fixed up. I've already talked with an old hot rodder at work who owns several classic cars, and he gave the business card of the best painter / bodyman in town. Once I get it home and clean up I can better asses what I want to do with it. I'm not really looking to sell this, but instead I want to make a life long friend / driver out of her. I still feel bad about my 1963 VW Ragtop that I sold after high school and I don't want to make the same mistake with this classic. Maybe I'll keep my eye's open for a real nice tii too.

[Delia]

My '73tii, Orange Julius and I have made a few long distance trips including the day I purchased him in March of 2001 (Wash.DC to Grand Rapids, MI), O'Fest 2002 (Grand Rapids, MI to Keystone CO, and return), and most recently this past summer from Grand Rapids, MI to Seattle, then two more trips back forth to San Francisco. In one month we covered nearly 5,000 miles!

The biggest problem was not until the very last cross-country trip. I lost the exhaust near Chicago, and later the electric fuel pump became fussy. I had no spare for the final leg to Seattle from Nevada. I used the "Bitish Percussive Method" -- banging on the fuel pump with a hammer.

Once in the Bay Area, I had JP Cadoux from A1 Imports in San Rafael heal all of the maladies.

C'mon, it's an ADVENTURE!

Good Luck,

Delia

PS. Keep the car stock for a while to see how you like it. If you want alloy wheels, get the factory type. I know yer never, ever gonna sell it, but stuff happens, ya know?