Chapter 1 - The Move!
The main goal of this project was to move the 924 from Connecticut (near NYC) to the Boston area. I had two methods of getting the car moved. One, I pay an auto transport company to move it the 180 miles and not sorry about it. Two, I do it myself and worry about it a lot! Being stupid, I opted for option two. The auto-transport cost in the area of $750.00 USD for the move. I could rent a U-Haul trailer and haul it myself for about $125.00 USD. Well, that's a big difference and that means a little bit more for parts down the road.
Since the car had not moved an inch for the past 20 years, I did not expect to put the car into neutral and just roll it out of the garage into the driveway. When I got to my parents house I wasn't surprised that I was right, the car wouldn't budge. Since the transmission was definitely out of gear and free spinning and the e-brake was off, the only thing it could be was the brakes. The e-brake was off but that doesn't mean that at some point in the beginning it was on. If it had been on for awhile the rear brakes could be seized. So, with this knowledge, I decided to begin working on the rear axle.
The first step was to chock the front wheels and then jack up the rear end and put it on jack stands. With that completed I tried to give the wheels a turn but they would not budge!
The 924 on Jack Stands showing off her rear end.
So after looking at it for a short time I noticed that when the 924 had been parked the last time, the parking brake had been left on and it seems to have seized against the rear drums. Crawling underneath I was able to soak the the drum pad adjustment knobs with some PB Blaster onto the threads and after awhile they loosened up. But not until a lost a comrade.
It didn't stand a chance!
With that done I was able to get the back wheels rotating. I put the 924 back on the deck and with a few firm pushes from the front, the front discs broke loose and she was moving again after 20 years! The next day I picked up a UHual Auto Transport and loaded the 924 up. It was a beautiful site!
All loaded and ready to go!
The trip back to Boston was slow but uneventful. Got a lot of very interested looks as we moved down the interstates. Once home I cleaned out an area in the garage and with the help of two friends, I was able to gently roll it off of the trailer and into its new home.
Safe and sound and ready for a makeover!
Chapter 1 Status: Complete
