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When I got it, the car had several mechanical problems including a clunky drivetrain, stiff steering, and worn break pads, But mostly it was in good mechanical shape. A trip to the shop resulted in new break pads all around, two new calipers on the front breaks, a new set of ball joints, new hand break cables, a new timing belt and a general tune-up with new fluids: break, antifreeze, oil, etc.

Overall the body was in excellent shape. We put it up on the rack and couldn't find any significant rust inside or out. The car had been undercoated when new and apparently never used on salty roads. The largest rust spots found were no larger than the eraser on a pencil.

The paint is in generally good shape, but there is one area on the trunk were the paint had cracked. The paint was also slightly oxidized to a less reddish red. There was only one minor ding on a wheel well.

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There was no body damage to the car other than a tiny ding near the left rear wheel well. What looks like a crumple in the above picture is actually a reflection of the car behind it.

The interior and the canvas top needs work. We are planning to install a new top and we are to reupholster the interior with new seat covers, carpet and some replace some plastic. Finally we will be replacing a cheap after-market radio somebody installed back in the 90s.

Update Jan. 24, 2007:
We are now about six months into the project. Accomplishments so far:
New paint job complete. Decided to go with a base coat in the original red with two clear top coats. Stripped old paint to bare metal and found absolutely no rust or bondo. In fact the vehicle had never been repainted except for the trunk lid where the crackling was.
Installed new top, carpets and had seats re-done. Also re-did the inside door panels.
Removed the 80's K-mart cassette radio and replaced with an original AM/FM Blaupunkt with two knobs and five buttons. Lovely retro look and great sound. Nicely simple to operate too with just two FM stations and three AM stations on the pretuned buttons.
Installed 4 Exip 15" alloy wheels with 195/60R15 Toyo Proxes T1R tires.