A Tale of two Wagons

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to Wagonfest, we were all going direct the other way—in short, the period was so far like the present period, that some of its noisiest authorities insisted on its being received, for good or for evil, in the superlative degree of comparison only.

So this tale takes us back to 2008.  Or 1 year BC4C (Before cash for clunkers).  Wagons were plentiful and cheap.  I had bought my first in Aug 2007 and by year's end had 3 (bought on New Year's eve...some foreshadowing).  In 2008 I ran across Jade for $1000 with 90K.  I already had 4 other wagons, but hey she was the best shape having been parked in an aircraft hanger for 10 years then 4 with the guy I bought it from (worked at charter airline that owned it).  The steering was jacked up and the rear brakes were shot, but I drove her home and she wound up on the side of my house for the next 7 years.  FIrst the water pump took a powder, then the fuel pump.  So it sat. A possum took up residence in the battery tray.  Neighborhood feral cat had two set of kittens under it and I finally pulled it out in 2016.

I had been driving other wagons in the meantime.  I had been collecting parts to do a T56 swap since 2010 when I won a dust shield at WF NY and drove 1 of Wagon Collectors.  I had to build one!   Well in early 2017 it was time and as Tim had opened up a shop about 20 min away, off she went to be an after hours project.

This all available in the build thread here:  https://gmlongroof.4umer.com/t11660-the-original-jade

Cue the foreshadowing to New Year's eve just 2 months ago....  Lyonl was in town for the holidays and we met at the junk yard.  Originally I wasn't planning on taking the wagon, but had to run an errand that required it and well, didn't have time to go back and swap cars.   On the way to the JY I thought I should do something right afterwards and forgot.  Finally about a minute or two before I got hit, I thought about making a right turn a block or two earlier.....funny how that works out.   As you all know a stupid bitch plowed into the back of me and totalled it out.....

Honestly, I was done.  After 3 years of nights and weekends, I had the car 95% sorted.  It ran like a raped ape, sounded mean as hell, and just needed interior bits and cosmetic work for the most part.....then BAM it was all over in the blink of an eye....With three other project vehicles I decided it was time to move on and just part it out and sell everything.

Of course the insurance company was low balling me so in doing research to find comparable vehicles to up my payout I found this:

[url=https://servimg.com/view/15461612/52]/url]

A 70K 95 with a couple of dents, but supposedly no rust for a very reasonable price (also more than I paid for any other wagon and I had 13 others). At first I was like yeah whatever, it's too inexpensive to use as a compare...

I thought about it for oh 5 minutes and sent a text. Short version, after talking to the seller for half an hour or more (he's a lurker here), and finding out he met Fred K at the junkyard and this is his 3rd wagon.......I had him send me a bunch of pics and agreed to buy it.

I have more pics but just realized they are all on my phone and it's dead right now... tune in later for Chap 2

That color is just fantastic!

One of my favorite colors too....I still miss my last Garnet Red wagon. Apparently the guy who bought it has let it sit and turn to sh!t now. Can't wait to see the rest of your pics!

Okay so, I've been pretty busy and haven't taken many of my own pics yet.   It's just been one thing after another around here.....

As I spoke to the seller, I asked for some very specific close ups to make sure it was as clean as he said (it was).  In fact it was better in person than I anticipated.

Originally bought in the Tampa area and never left. 80 yo guy owned it most of the time and I guess he parked by feel so it has some dents.

First up the body damage that made it so affordable:

The old guy backed into a pole I was told. The rear glass is not original to the car (has the JY paint pen on it) as apparently that broke in this mishap.



The really noticeable one on the front. I'd guess hit the edge of the garage backing it out. I have a clean front end on my wreck....


This one is hardly noticeable and the seller said he didn't even see it when buying the car and only noticed it when he washed it the first time.

Moving on....it really is rust free on the body

Hmm I can only upload 3 at a time

More rust free pics

So he said the cladding was really bad shape but this part had been glued back on. He said he tried everything to get it off. I'll give it a whirl myself.


Clean spare tire well in need of some more black paint.


Well optioned interior but no tow pack or posi

Right after getting the plate on her. Mark was so kind to drive me halfway across the state to go get her.


She's a good 30 footer. The paint while shiny has lots of nicks and scratches on it and the bumpers are pretty faded.


Yes that's 70k. I was all out of Plutonium or I woulda got home faster!

so that wraps it up except for the two issues I've had in the first 1K miles. A self adjuster came loose in the drum but I got that out and adjusted up the shoe.

The other was my AC Compressor taking a powder and almost catching the car on fire. I will be buying a fire extinguisher to carry on board (I used a beer to cool it off as the grease was starting to smolder).

The interior is a 8.75/10 and the engine bay is pretty clean, but needs a detailing...

Immediate needs are fix the AC and fuel gauge (stuck on F).
ALso the cassette deck works!

Having seen this wagon in person I will say that you got lucky my friend. You have an excellent platform to swap your crash parts onto.

3M makes an eraser wheel that make quick work of that glue mess. Mine had epoxy and super glue on it and it all came right off with it mounted to a low speed drill.

Gorgeous car.  Makes me want to retrieve mine from storage, but salt season is still with us in NY.  Thanks also for bringing LROM back from the dead. I especially enjoyed the apropos Dickensian references, but....

Jade was dead: to begin with. There is no doubt whatever about that. The register of its salvage title was signed by Geico, the DMV, the Junkyard, and the chief mourner. Sprocket signed it: and Sprocket’s name was good upon ’Change, for anything he chose to put his hand to. Old Jade was as dead as a door-nail.

Mind! I don’t mean to say that I know, of my own knowledge, what there is particularly dead about a door-nail. I might have been inclined, myself, to regard a TDC stop as the deadest piece of ironmongery available from Rock Auto. But the wisdom of our ancestors is in the simile; and my unhallowed hands shall not disturb it, or the Country’s done for. You will therefore permit me to repeat, emphatically, that Jade was as dead as a door-nail.

Sprocket knew it was dead? Of course he did. How could it be otherwise? Sprocket and his partners labored upon Jade for I don’t know how many years. Sprocket was its sole executor, its sole administrator, its sole assign, its sole residuary legatee, its sole driver, and alas its sole mourner. And even Sprocket was not so dreadfully cut up by the sad event, but that he was an excellent man of business on the very day of the funeral, and solemnised it with an undoubted bargain: a whorehouse red  '95 Caprice.

lol

Cassette works? You're living the life,Brother Love that color.

Nice find!

Andebe wrote:

Cassette works? You're living the life,Brother Love that color.

Yep, all the 80s mix tapes are coming out!

That's a sweet looking wagon. Really love the color!

monwell wrote:

That's a sweet looking wagon. Really love the color!

thanks. currently half disassembled. the AC lasted oh about 900 miles

parking by feel LOL... nice color. although driving in the tampa bay area, i wouldn't be surprised if some of those dents came from other drivers. I run with a dashcam all the time now and it's probably a daily occurance i hit the save button at least once. So far, thanks to my own diligent attention to driving, I have only been clipped once in 6 years - a kid who didn't look pulling out on a side street in the rain hit my left rear and made a very minor dent. I don't know what it is, but the wagon gets zero respect from most other drivers around tampa bay. The courteousness is like night and day compared to when i've driven my 03 xj8.

Oh my.... your other vehicle is one of my dream cars.

Serendipity96 wrote:

The courteousness is like night and day compared to when i've driven my 03 xj8.

I had an XJS and loved it, fantastic car at speed, just sat down on the road and went. Never topped it out, but got into the 130s easily enough. The 5.3L V-12 was small bored and short stroked (same block in race car = 7.0L) so it was smog choked (mine was an '83). Got TONS of attention in it, but my 76 GMC motorhome gets more, lol.

gmc motorhomes - now there's another cool thing to have - and i hear the owners are VERY helpful to each other

Serendipity96 wrote:

gmc motorhomes - now there's another cool thing to have - and i hear the owners are VERY helpful to each other

Yes even more so than the BBody community which is really helpful too.

gratuitous photo of my longer roof: