Hey everybody, my name is Paul.

I've been a member since 2004, but never posted. When I signed up it was because I bought a 1987 Turbo 2 from a buddy of mine that has seen better days. I paid $150 for it iirc. I had all the intentions of restoring / fixing it but you know how life can be. It's been sitting in storage for the last 7.5 years. Anyways, I'm in a position now where I have disposable time and income, and I think I would like to see this project through.

Background on the car:
(From what I can remember)
It's a black 1987 Turbo 2 with around 160k on the chassis. The engine lost compression on the rear rotor so it was then sold to the guy I bought it off of. When he bought it it became his parts car and he began disassembling the engine and part of the interior, and removed the glass sunroof. He then found out he was moving or being deployed iirc so then he sold it to me cheap.

The car's current state is such:
Partially disassembled engine. (Wiring harness may or may not be complete)
Non t2 hood.
No fenders.
Mismatched doors.
Car was wired for push button start and I don't have any keys for it.

Some of the pluses are that there is very little if any rust, and for the most part the rest of the car is complete.

All in all I paid $150 for it because I figured if I never restored it I could at least make that out of the front calipers.

So I guess I would like some feedback as to what you would do if you were in my situation.

Should I restore this car?
Should I part it out?
Should I just buy a running car and keep this one for parts?

I don't have pictures at the moment because it's buried behind my dead e30, but I will work on that (the pictures) when the weather improves.

Oh, and about me:

Recent graduate, majored in business, currently employed at a financial institution. Been in and around cars my whole life. Helped my dad wrench on his 67 mustang since I was young, worked on my own cars (e30, e28, mkiv jetta vr6) as much as I could. I have all my own tools and a well lit space for this project.

So what do you think guys?

Cheers,
Paul

 

Welcome back, Paul!

As far as the best option, I think that it depends on your time. Parting a car or restoring a car both take plenty of time.

Kent

 

Thanks Kent,

Like I said I'm finding myself with a lot of extra time now since I'm done with school and doing the 9-5 thing. I don't have much else going on besides work, the gf, and an hour a day at the gym. So time really isn't an issue.

I've been enamored with FC's since Gran Turismo 2... Gotta have one haha... I just want to make sure this car is worthy of restoration. A better assessment of the car and pictures will come in the near future.

I think the best place for me to start is to finish the disassembly of the engine bay and get the whole car ready for paint. I think my goals for this year will be body, paint, coilovers, refreshed brakes, and wheels/tires. Once I'm there I'll figure out what I want to do about the engine.

Is it ok to continue discussion of my project plans in this thread or should I start a new thread?

Does anyone have experience with corksport fenders?

Thanks everyone,
Paul

 

You can post it here. If it becomes a project thread, you can PM me sometime and I could move it into the build section in the main 2nd gen area.

For me, I always like to see cars restored. This is why I don't buy a "parts" car, because I would end up fixing it up instead of using it for parts. In terms of money, it is probably best to start with something nice and just make minor mods. You never get your money back on this stuff, so it is best to let someone else spend the money and take it from there. However, there is something to be said for taking a car that was may be headed for scrap and making it something to your taste.

So, it really depends on where you want to go with this. Restoring is going to take the most of your time (and probably money). You also have to think about whether you might become busy or run out of cash. The project may end up sitting for some time. If you like projects and don't mind spending the time/money, this is a good option. If you want to limit how much time you spend as well as the amount of money spent, it is probably best to get something pretty nice and then do mods here and there.

So, we can't really say what is the best option. That is up to you. It depends on what you like to do and how much time/money you are willing to put in. Some people hate working on cars and others love it...