Scott_Hower
Luke Skywalker
Offline
Hi all,
As you may know, I recently purchased a 79 Spitfire 1500 via eBay. Huge kudos to member tdskip who drove down from Irvine to San Diego to eyeball the car last Sunday. Tom is a great guy and I can't thank him enough.
I'm in PA and it is being transported crosscountry in an enclosed carrier from CA. I am exploring options for the last leg of the journey.
The shipping terminal in CA is 9 miles away from the seller, so the vehicle will be driven there and dropped off. No issues on that end (hopefully). The receiving terminal on my end is about 60 miles from my home.
The car is in running and driving condition, but the brakes are soft and the electric fan is a bit iffy. Not sure if CA has an annual inspection, but there is no sticker on the windshield. Call me paranoid, but I'm hesitant to drive it that distance without first going through it (belts, hoses, fluids, lube, tuneup, etc).
I could probably bleed the brakes in the field to firm up the pedal, but not positive. It will be titled, registerd and insured for PA by the time it arrives, so I'll be legal to drive it.
My neighbor owns a U-Haul tow dolly and I'm thinking I can pull it with the X5. Will a Spit fit on a tow dolly? The tire pans on the dolly look like they are adjustable side-to-side so it should fit width wise. Any clearance issues on the front airdam when loading? Must I disconnect the driveshaft so I dont roast the gearbox? (The MGB guys debate this one endlessly). Anything else to be concerned about if I tow it?
I can have it delivered to my door on a rollback for an extra $150 but if I can avoid that cost I would prefer to. I'm also concerned about damage getting it on and off (air dam, squished brake lines from the tie down chains, etc).
So, combined-forum-wisdom, if this were your car, what would you do and why?
1. Drive it.
2. Tow it.
3. Have it delivered.
As you may know, I recently purchased a 79 Spitfire 1500 via eBay. Huge kudos to member tdskip who drove down from Irvine to San Diego to eyeball the car last Sunday. Tom is a great guy and I can't thank him enough.
I'm in PA and it is being transported crosscountry in an enclosed carrier from CA. I am exploring options for the last leg of the journey.
The shipping terminal in CA is 9 miles away from the seller, so the vehicle will be driven there and dropped off. No issues on that end (hopefully). The receiving terminal on my end is about 60 miles from my home.
The car is in running and driving condition, but the brakes are soft and the electric fan is a bit iffy. Not sure if CA has an annual inspection, but there is no sticker on the windshield. Call me paranoid, but I'm hesitant to drive it that distance without first going through it (belts, hoses, fluids, lube, tuneup, etc).
I could probably bleed the brakes in the field to firm up the pedal, but not positive. It will be titled, registerd and insured for PA by the time it arrives, so I'll be legal to drive it.
My neighbor owns a U-Haul tow dolly and I'm thinking I can pull it with the X5. Will a Spit fit on a tow dolly? The tire pans on the dolly look like they are adjustable side-to-side so it should fit width wise. Any clearance issues on the front airdam when loading? Must I disconnect the driveshaft so I dont roast the gearbox? (The MGB guys debate this one endlessly). Anything else to be concerned about if I tow it?
I can have it delivered to my door on a rollback for an extra $150 but if I can avoid that cost I would prefer to. I'm also concerned about damage getting it on and off (air dam, squished brake lines from the tie down chains, etc).
So, combined-forum-wisdom, if this were your car, what would you do and why?
1. Drive it.
2. Tow it.
3. Have it delivered.