The build-up begins

A message was posted to a small list we have of MK1 Mid-Atlantic racers email list about a race car that had come up for sale. So I answered back to the actual owner of the car and he said that it was a full roller, no engine, full "NASCAR" cage, racing seat and full Koni suspension.
He emailed me back and said that I can have the car for free, just have to pick it up from its current 'owner', who he gave the car to for free. That owner just put it in a barn for the last ten years and did nothing with the car. So when his father needed room in the barn, he contacted the guy that gave him the car. 
So after a few weeks of sorting out how we were going to do this around my busy schedule, we agreed on a today before noon. 
The car was in Maryland, I am in central Virginia. AAA Trip Ticket says 3 hours to get there. They were close. 
I ask the guy if the tires are good and if it rolls as I don't have a powered wench to get it up on my trailer. He says it does so I don't bring spare triangles.

Today it pours rain. Ian and I leave the house at 8am, heading over the Blue Ridge Mountains with heavy rain, leaves and branches littering the ground. We make okay time but are slowed by the conditions. We arrive on I81 about 9am. Now we can make good time at 10 over. But the rain is relentless and I81 is very dangerous in even good conditions due to the amount of truck traffic and Ohio / Pennsylvania / Florida / Maryland drivers. So we are slowed a bit.

He calls me to find out where we are and that he wont be able to help, so he gave me direction on how to get to the car in a farm field. After following AAA instructions that led us to a dead end road due to a bridge collapse I activate the GPS on my phone, after a few u-turns we arrive at the farm. Ian had never seen GPS and was totally fascinated with it. His statement of the day was "This phone is smart!"

So we 4-wheel it through this old dirt road with the trailer behind. Off in the distance I see a Mk1 in a field next to a barn and an old house trailer. As we approach I see that the car has no roll cage in it. also it looks pretty beat up from a distance, and it is an 86 by the parts installed.

Ian and I do a quick walk around and find no other MR2. So I call him back and ask where the car with the cage is. He says it is that one, and I assure him the car has no cage. Then I here some voice in the back ground and he says "oh, the cage is in the barn".

So I get out and go inspect the 1986 MR2, silver, dirty. This is what I find, mind you it is pouring rain.

1. I notice a tow bar on the front hooked up.
2. No "race seat", just a tan stripper model seat that is just sitting in the car.
3. car is stripped except for the dash and steering column.
4. I open hood and see the Koni adjusters. whew.
5. No cage has ever been installed.
6. It has 4x Goodrich T/A R1. with the front two having side wall rot and no air.
7. Open the hood and there is an engine block and transaxle, no head. Gas tank is in the tunnel, and the ECU mounted in the trunk.
8. I look at struts and see blue springs that look like ST springs. And the front has a blue ST 3 hole bar, no rear bar, but the struts have home built links installed.
9. 171,000 miles on the odo. Sunroof roof. <-- remember that part 10. Last inspection was in 1996 in Virginia. So we have a pretty good car here. It looks rough with all the dirt on it. So Ian and I head for the barn, and sitting in a dark corner in the barn basement is a full cage, all welded together. I pick it up and place it up in front of the barn. The head, harness and some flywheels and various parts are also sitting there. 2 Toyota radiators are also sitting there, though they are not in good shape. A pile of AC parts is sitting there as well. So I leave Ian in the dry barn and head out to put the truck on position to load it up. I decide to put in on rear first as it will be easier with my come-along. and it is. Ian comes and hops in the car and handles the steering to put it on the trailer right while I handle come-along duty. It takes about an hour to load the car and cage onto my 16 foot trailer. I ended up putting the cage on my tire carrier and strapping it down.  Remember the rain? It is really pouring now. Bad. Swear I saw a cat fall from the sky... So we head out. The dirt road is now a mud pit. I can't make it up the hill in four wheel drive with my street tires in the Dakota. The trailer just slides sideways pulling my truck the same way. We were heading for the plowed part of the farm, I remember the guy asking that I stay out of that part. And knowing that if I do get stuck there I wont get out at all. So I head back down slowly backwards. But the trailer wont go straight. I jack knife it and try to swing the truck around so I can go back and go up the little 4-wheeler road. After a coupe of tries I finally get the truck turned around. Looking back the road was just a pure mud slick, there was no way I was getting up that. And the rain was getting worse. Saw a dog fall.

So we head back up the little itsy bitsy road with trailer in tow. It was rough, the trailer was bouncing all over, my Dodge 360 at full power in 4-low. 2mph up and down the road. Trees and bushes scrapping the side of the truck and car. 
We finally make it to the farm road that is paved. I was scared that I would have to call for a tow. Those suck.

So we head out back home. Once on the road we come to a dead stop as there is a huge wreck ahead. So I decide to strip down in the truck and get into some dry coveralls I had in the back. My windows are not tinted, and this little old lady next to me go a good show, or so Ian said. I did not care as I was soaked to my skin. 

Once underway again something caught my eye, and I just did not know what it was. Something in the rear view mirror. I would not discover what it was until I got home 4 hours later.

So Ian and arrive home and we quickly go over the car starting at the rear. It is sunny, warm and dry at home now.

I quickly notice that the sunroof is missing. The car had no rear window installed. and it looks like the sunroof was not latched in properly. I suspect what caught my eye was the sunroof flying away from the car at 60 mph. Luckily there was no one behind us at the time. So if you find a sunroof on some old Maryland road it may be mine.

So after looking over the car, and finding a sweet little mouse in the glovebox, we discovered that car is in great shape. It is 100% better than the Krylon was when I purchased it in 1999. The chassis is pretty straight with just a small bit of rust i9n the normal places.

so here are the pictures of my 2009 MARRS ITB car. I was going to try and take pictures while picking it up, but my Nikon is to pricey to have out in the rain and mud. sorry.

http://picasaweb.google.com/wdstrongjr/8thMR2TheITBCar#