OK, I figured it was time for an update on this car. I am the new owner. I bought it last week from the person who posted it here last year. First off, I want to say, they were great people to deal with. Very honest, and up front. He and his father run a Corvette parts and restoration business. Very cool people. So I saw it on Craigslist, and figured I had to have it. So I sent the money sight unseen, hoping for the best. When I arrived, I was blown away. Aside from being dirty, and faded paint, it looked like the car had been in a time capsule. Nothing had ever been touched. Nothing at all. Ever. Every bolt on this car, is as it came from the factory, right down to the original tires. The seller told me the original owner parked it in 1991 because it started smoking. I figured probably just turbo seals went bad. We loaded it up, and trailered it home. I put a battery in it, and some gas, and it fired right up. Everything works, including the original AM/FM radio. The original speakers aren't even blown, the radio sounds great! So it ran, but very, very badly. I pulled all the plugs and did a compression test. All the cyls were good. All 8 plugs were completely fouled. So I put new plugs, wires, and dist cap on it, and she runs like a champ. Starts right up, purrs beautifully. I even drove it up the street on 30 year old tires. It has pretty decent power. It did smoke quite a bit. So I pulled the turbo off. The bearings and seals are shot in the turbo. I sent it off for rebuild, and should have it back this week. Then off to the tire store for new tires, and she's back on the road. The paint in the door jambs and trunk is absolutely perfect. Such a beautiful color too. So I'll send her out for paint sometime this year, but I'll leave the jambs original, and not paint those. I want to keep it as original as possible. The trunk is like a time machine. Original space saver spare that has never touched the ground. Original jack that has never touched the ground, tire inflator, etc. The build sheet is with the car, and the original title, which does list the car as a "Pontiac Macho." Pretty funny. I spoke to Dennis Mecham, he said they did the exhaust, and put a little bit more boost in the turbo. He did say they just couldn't get any real power out of it without blowing up the 301. they also did suspension upgrades. It has coil over shocks at all 4 corners. It has all it's DKM graphics still on it, horn button, etc. No doubt it's real. I agree with all the above posts, that it needs to stay a turbo car. if the day ever came when the 301 gave up, the only swap I'd consider would be a low compression 400 or 455, and add a turbo set up. I'm really quite a purist though, so I don't see that happening any time soon. Anyway, I'm glad to add this car to my collection. I really, really, love this car. I'm looking forward to getting the paint done, and just drive it, and enjoy it.
Chad
