Hey guys,
My friend Ed's GN is back in his garage tonight. Let me catch everyone up to speed on what went down.
PART 1
Ed picked up this GN in about 1999 or 2000. (He alwyas wanted one. His uncle had an '84 or '85 T-Type when we were in high school and he let us run up to the store ONE time in it and we were both hooked.) Anyway, Ed got this 1987 Grand National from an older guy who owned it for a couple/few years and didn't really drive it and did not really maintain it.
Ed spent 2001-2002 just getting it running right and getting it registered and on the road. He replaced the turbo, valve springs, re-did the exhaust, changed all fluids, injectors and did new brakes on all 4 corners. He took it to a shop for front end work, tires and an alignment, etc etc etc.
In 2003 he left it with the bodyshop and it received tons of bodywork, a couple rust spots were cut out and patched with new steel, door was straightened, new body fillers, and the car got a gorgeous, awesome black paint job. I think the bodyshop tab was $4000 something. The paint was perfect, beautiful, flawless. The shop had a team of guys wet sanding the car and the paint turned out better than factory.
In 05 or 06 (can't remember) he had all the seats re upholstered. The back seat didn't need it really, but he wanted all the fabric to match and he also got new carpet. This was a gorgeous GN that was about as close to 100% as you could get.
Well, you all know that the "economic downturn" hurt all of us, and Ed's drywall business suffered. He was thinking about selling the GN but he was going to lose a lot of coin so he decided to keep it. He let the insurance expire and the registration and tag lapse. The car sat in his garage most of the time except for when he would occasionally run it around the neighborhood or wash it in the driveway.
My friend Ed's GN is back in his garage tonight. Let me catch everyone up to speed on what went down.
PART 1
Ed picked up this GN in about 1999 or 2000. (He alwyas wanted one. His uncle had an '84 or '85 T-Type when we were in high school and he let us run up to the store ONE time in it and we were both hooked.) Anyway, Ed got this 1987 Grand National from an older guy who owned it for a couple/few years and didn't really drive it and did not really maintain it.
Ed spent 2001-2002 just getting it running right and getting it registered and on the road. He replaced the turbo, valve springs, re-did the exhaust, changed all fluids, injectors and did new brakes on all 4 corners. He took it to a shop for front end work, tires and an alignment, etc etc etc.
In 2003 he left it with the bodyshop and it received tons of bodywork, a couple rust spots were cut out and patched with new steel, door was straightened, new body fillers, and the car got a gorgeous, awesome black paint job. I think the bodyshop tab was $4000 something. The paint was perfect, beautiful, flawless. The shop had a team of guys wet sanding the car and the paint turned out better than factory.
In 05 or 06 (can't remember) he had all the seats re upholstered. The back seat didn't need it really, but he wanted all the fabric to match and he also got new carpet. This was a gorgeous GN that was about as close to 100% as you could get.
Well, you all know that the "economic downturn" hurt all of us, and Ed's drywall business suffered. He was thinking about selling the GN but he was going to lose a lot of coin so he decided to keep it. He let the insurance expire and the registration and tag lapse. The car sat in his garage most of the time except for when he would occasionally run it around the neighborhood or wash it in the driveway.