Hello all, I'm the proud owner of a 1951 170S that I'm in the process of beginning a restoration on.
I purchased the car from the PO who's owned the vehicle since '78. It won an award at the Texas Tour in Kerrville, in '73. It's been sitting since '78 and the bulk of the rust is in the rear around the trunk where it was exposed to the elements, and somehow sustained some damage. Overall, everything else just has surface rust, and the floor boards are in very good shape.
The original motor and trans have been sold to someone else a few years back, so I purchased what remained about a year ago.
I've inquired with the Classic Center, and a replacement motor and trans is around $15,000 (used, of course).
It's for this reason I've considered doing something a little different, and source and E30 with a small I4 motor and the manual transmission for this car. I intend to keep the classic charm on the outside as well as in the interior, but under the hood there will be something more modern. This will help with prolonging the life of the car as parts are a lot more available, and I'm familiar with these motors.
I've hit a snag on the restoration because I haven't found a suitable motor/trans combo yet. The car is sitting in the shop of the PO, and I'd really like to get it moving so I can get it home and redo the interior there. Getting the car to run so I can get it home is at the top of my list. The PO works mainly on Mazda Miatas and other imports, and suggested a VG30D motor, but I'd rather keep the drivetrain German if at all possible.
Anyone who may be in the area is more than welcome to help out or throw suggestions my way!
I have the front fenders, they're just not on the car in the pictures I took. Enjoy!!
ETA: I'll say this now so one voices their concerns about it; I'm not intending on selling or trading this car, so decreased resale value due to the lack of originality of the drivetrain is NOT a concern for me.
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