[DML] D-Day in Pittsburgh

["Dave Stragand" <dave.stragand@xxxx>]

It's D minus 10 hours now for me picking up my new D -- It's a 5-speed
'81 with a gray interior -- I believe it does have the gas flap, but I'm
not sure

Picking up is the operative word, because I'm bringing several boxes and
a shovel. It's totally disassembled. Here's the situation:

The current owner, a Lotus collector, bought the car in 1990 for his
then-wife. The car was in perfect working order, but had been a
driver. He took the car apart for a thorough cleaning and restoration.
Shortly therafter, he went through a divorce and the car has remained
untouched since.

- The body shell has been totally stripped down -- all of the stainless,
interior, mechanicals, and the suspension removed, and is currently
sitting on the floor on a couple of wooden palettes. It's still on the
frame. And no, I don't know how solid the frame is yet, unfortunately.
- The engine has been removed and totally disassembled
- The windshield and rear glass were broken during the attempted removal
of the doors (the breaking rear glass startled them and they dropped the
some tools on the windshield, cracking it badly. Ouch!)
- The stainless (including the left front fender) is all in good
condition, save for the passenger door which has two fist-sized dents
below the trim strip in the wide vinyl stripe. I'll need some tips on
fixing those, I guess, but I haven't searched the DMC News back issues
yet.
- The car has a heavy layer of greasy dust all over it. I'm hoping this
has protected it.
- He has a service manual, and several boxes of literature, NOS parts
including a new steering rack, 4 new rotors, and a set of unused ground
effects. They're all thrown in with the deal.
- There are 4 good NCT's on the rims

Without the wheels, it's going to be a hard thing to move. I couldn't
locate a car trailer wide enough, so I rented a 27' U-Haul truck to take
it home in. We have enough people to lift the shell in & out of the
truck (I hope - I'm guessing a weight of around 900 pounds as-is w/just
frame-pontoon-doors) but piloting a 27', manual transmission truck with
no first gear and a bad starter makes for lots of white knuckles in
traffic and up & down the steep hills of Pittsburgh. It's certainly not
a glorious entrance, but it'll have to do.

I am a pretty mechanical person, as I have a 1958 Plymouth that I have
restored. Obviously, this is quite a different challenge. I believe
that with some guidance I can successfully reassamble the car. Luckily,
as fate would have it, there is another D (not running, but complete)
only about half a mile away that I can use for "reference" when
necessary, and 2 other running D's within 5 miles. Having not
disassembled it myself, it will be fun putting it back together. I'll
take all the help I can get! =)

I planned to offer him $3000, and settle on $3500-$4000. I figured this
was a no-lose price, as I could always part her out if I got too
discouraged (or broke). However, he took a great deal less than I
expceted, so there's more room to spend on the restoration. =)

To start, I could use a good used windshield, if anyone has one around.
And for any PITTSBURGH, PA owners, please drop me a line -- I'd like to
get in touch with some more of you, and hopefully have a "Bag it & Tag
it Parts Identification Party" sometime in the near future.

Please email me personally at dave.stragand@xxxx with any
input/help/advice you may have. Or, if you're in Pittsburgh, feel free
to give me a ring late Saturday afternoon or Sunday at 412-822-7385.

Dave Stragand
Pittsburgh, PA
VIN #: ?????? (but I'll know tomorrow!)