New owner

["Roger Brogren" <rbrogren@xxxx>]

As of Nov 10, VIN 1074 has a new owner.(Fine time, 2 days before the 
first snow storm of the season in Minnesota!)

I have been following the postings here for the last couple of months 
and in spite of my early apprehension and negative comments from some 
friends "in the business" I am by now convinced that this is not just 
an unusual car but a FINE car, so I took the plunge. With this type 
of back-uo available it will be hard to go wrong.

Original owner since -81 to -97. Last owner also meticulous, but only 
drove it about 500 miles and evidently never got deep into the 
technical side of ownership. (So far I have only driven it about 20 
miles.)

Some minor details:
- Doors sag and struts need replacement.
- Battery allegedly weak.
- Original coolant overflow bottle (plastic)
- Cooling hoses etc. replaced 3-4 years ago. Don't know 
if "authorized" replacement parts were used. System looks like a 
plumbers nightmare!
- Trip odometer push button loose.
- Bushings/seals on most pulleys replaced last year, possibly 
necessitated by broken heat shield.

A few quick questions at this time:
- Right front door torsion bar was adjusted (by Bruce Benson) a few 
years ago. In a phone conversation Bruce mentioned that he recall 
that most of the splines were gone, except for about 1/4 inch. Should 
a replacement torsion bar be high on the priority list?

- Car starts fine but once I had to turn the key a couple of times,
(including jiggling the shift lever and clutch)to get the starter 
running. Is there a starter interlock in the 5-speed gerbox system? 

- After reading a lot here about the importance of and evident 
complex cooling system I wonder if an overhaul here is also needed? 
Last owner told me when I first looked at the car that both cooling 
fans were running all the time and I have since learned that they 
shouldn't. Is a "Tankzilla" conversion recommended (rather than 
dinking with each individual relay)?

- What are the dimensions of the heat shield? (Mine appears to be 
broken off along the top of the mounting brackets and to the left of 
the left mounting bracket, looking from the rear.)

- I received the original tires with the car, they are in pretty good 
condition but are they worth saving?

Thanks in advance!
Roger Brogren
VIN 1074