So those of you who followed my prior builds know I always end up with a 2nd cheap vehicle bought specifically to "fill in the gaps" of parts I need/want for the original build. The 2nd vehicle always has to be dirt cheap and in a condition few people would want. For the rally car I had a 2nd e30 (and an e32 later) that donated their drivetrains. For the Porsche I bought a 2nd one for the drivetrain and interior). So I've been browsing around for other Raiders/Monteros to fill in my drive train needs.
So throughout this build I've said I'd basically go with whatever V6 "fell into my lap" more or less....whether it be an original 3.0 12v or something more adver\nturous like a later 24v, 3.5, etc. Power isn't really a concern at this point - The first goal is to complete everything else and get it driving. I can always put in a bigger motor later (as i've done in other cars).
Then last week a really, really crappy Raider popped up on FB Marketplace. The thing looked like a piece of junk with some strange-looking damage, a homebrew body lift, rust, and claim from the seller that "he drove it 2 months ago but now it won't start."
Took a while to get a hold of the guy to get more details. And he had no idea how the rear hatch damage happened, as he also had bought it as a project car but just had a 2nd kid and had to unload it for lack of time and money. He originally had listed it for $1200 or so, then dropped to $870. I called and told him I'd have to come 500 miles to get it, and that I'd give him $650 for it. He thought about it for a second and came back with "since you're coming so far, you can have it for $500." Well, that pretty much sealed the deal.
Except, with my work schedule and impending heavy weather in the region, my only time to get it was Friday. And it was in Asheville NC, which is 500 miles away. Oh well, let's do this. Off at 6am, first truck stop about 200 miles later...
Drive was uneventful, but almost 8 hours long due to some traffic. Eventually ended up driving up a dirt dead-end road past a scrapyard. Seemed a little sketchy but whatever....
The truck looked as advertised (though he had switched back the stock steel wheels and kept the giant 33's as the ad noted, which was fine with me). Pretty lousy overall condition, and the p/o had a thing with spraying bedliner on interior items, but it was overall complete so with a bit of help, we rolled it up onto the trailer and i got back on the road (didn't even need to use my newly-installed trailer winch). I removed the mangled rear door and he said he'd dispose of it for me, so I didn't have to haul unnecessary weight all the way home....
8 more hours on the road, lots of caffeine, and I finally pulled up at my house at midnight. 1000 miles, 18 hours, about 250 songs on Spotify, and about 80 gallons of gas.......I slept like a baby last night.
My neighbors in this pretty nice neighborhood tolerate my car stuff, but I try to keep from being too ghetto, so threw a cover over it to make it look less crappy on the street until today when I could unload it into my backyard.
Had things to do today so quickly moved the trailer into its parking spot this morning and left the truck on it, and then unloaded it this evening...
I had meant to just let it roll off and into my empty rear shed/garage, but I miscalculated and couldn't clear the big tree. so will have to winch it back up tomorrow and get a better angle lol....FAIL
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So, why did I bother with this thing? First, it has an engine. The P/O swore that he drove it around the neighborhood 2 months ago and then couldn't start it. He changed the fuel pump (I checked, it was brand new) and still nothing. When I got home I tried to start it - it cranks nicely (battery fully charged lends more credence to his claim), no odd noises or anything, and using starter fluid it hiccups but no start. So seems like no fuel to it. I half-assedly tried to jump the fuel pump in the dark, but didn't get it going. But seems that fuel pump is the culprit, and I'll investigate later. The plan will be to refresh the engine anyhow, after I pull it in the spring.
Well, a stock 12v isn't that special, right? I could get a newer/more powerful engine for about the same price as this crappy raider, so what else does it have that made it worth getting. Well, a few things:
3 pedals
off-road package (like the one I already have) with the LSD rear end. I don't need it, but I figure maybe I can sell it for some money to offset my towing gas or something...
of course, that also means it has a bouncy seat. So now I have two.....meaning I'll retrofit the other one to the passenger seat on the Rally Raider so we both get to be bouncy.
And, manual windows. Mine has power windows. I'm not sure which I prefer for something like this - then again, I haven't confirmed whether the power windows in mine even WORK at this point. I suspect I'll put the manual windows in though.
It also has a gray interior/dash/steering wheel. I don't love the brown interior on mine, but it's in pretty nice shape. So I'll take a look at the interior on this one and decide if it's worth swapping or not.
It also has a handful of other smaller things (brackets, fittings, trim) that I am missing from mine, so that will save me spending $100-200 on buying those things now. I'm sure I'll find some other stuff once I start taking things apart. Will definitely save all the glass and stick it in my shed in case I ever need a windshield or window replacement, since it's probably getting kind of hard to find this stuff.
All the lighting and electrics seem to work, so that's a positive thing, though it doesn't really matter much to me. All of the lights/lenses are intact, so those will go into the "spares" box. I'll also keep the front fenders and the hood, and perhaps refurbish the wheels, though I prefer the ones on the Rally Raider.
The lift the previous previous owner did is of extremely questionable safety....
What else does it have:
Lots of rust
But that's ok, I have no need for the body or frame anyhow.
So, I feel like that was worth a total cost of about $700 (including gas). It has a title as well, so I can probably get $100 scrapping it once I take everything I want, and maybe sell some parts. If anyone actually WANTS the body/frame for this, touch base with me and we can arrange for you to get it once I take what I want in the spring.