This Spit6 I can not claim credit for creating. I simply saved it from a previous owner that didn't have the time or knowledge to maintain and enjoy it properly.  Oh it's a sad story... the p.o. that is. The initial asking price, I was not prepared to pay, but as close as it was to home, I figured it was at least worth taking a look at.

     It was decent enough looking car, but the mechanical were highly questionable, and the owner could not even answer simple questions for me.  The battery was dead from sitting so long, so it couldn't even be started or taken for a test drive.  As always, I took my camera and photographed the heck out of it. I figured if nothing else, I could pass the info along to the lists for some other interested party. 

   Well after spending an evening looking over the pictures, I contacted the p.o. and let him know I was not interested in the car at all at his asking price. Further discussion led me to give him an honest appraisal of what it would need to get it back in shape and what it would cost him, and where he could buy parts, etc etc etc.

   Two days later I get a call and he offers it to me at more realistic price for what it was. Hmmm.... well...of course I had to back and look it over again. I took a spare battery with me to see if we could get it started. Still a no go. The starter was frozen solid.  I then had to replace the starter with the spare in the trunk. Wooohooo! It sprang to life.  Of course we had to shut it down asap as the carbs started leaking fuel all over the place.  You guessed it.... my next task was in front of me.  Anyway...after about two hours we had it up and running well enough for him to buzz down the court to test the brakes. (first time in about a 1/2 year+ or more)

    Since he offered to even drive it down to my house, I figured what the heck.  We settled on the price, and I stipulated that we'd settle up, when he got to my house.  Now comes the scary story part.

   We came down from the north side of Baltimore via Rt95 though the Harbor Tunnel and on down to my house below BWI airport. During the drive I did my best to watch the way it tracked, and his demeanor while driving. He was zipping right along at highway speeds without a problem.  Ok...we pull up to my house and he back is into the driveway. We settle up, and I gave hime a ride back home in FIS6 to show him what a wild Spit6 was like. He was smiles all the way.

   Upon arriving home I figured if he just drove it down here ( a full 1/2 hour at highway speeds) it would be safe to drive up and down my short dead end street. yeah right!   Well the test drive went fine. Brakes a bit soft as expected... good engine power, tranny shifts smooth but the pivot needs work....

   As I back down my drive way, I had to pull back forward to get lined up to put it behind another car. As I went back into reverse.... the car would not move. ??? I put in 1st...nothing. 2nd... nothing.  I put it in all gears and it simply wouldn't move!  I could hear the tranny spinning and is sounded like the rear was spinning, but nothing.  So I get out of the car and immediately notice the rear wheel sitting at 20 degrees toe'ed in. !!!!!!!!!

Upon a full inspection .... Holly crap!  This guy had driven the car all the way to my house...with only ONE u-joint bolt holding the axle to the diff!  The one LOOSE bolt.... had sheared off all the Allen head screws holding the stub axle into the diff.  The stub axle finally broke off the one last bolt (ruining the diff case) holding the bearing plate on the stub axle to the diff casing, and oil was leaking all over my driveway! Talk about being lucky. If this had happened to him on the ride down at highway speeds it would have sent him off the road at full speed, or perhaps into the wall going through the tunnel.

  Most of the work I've done, has been documented elsewhere on the other cars here. So only the items of real interest here, (like the rear axle issues) will be documented. Mostly it'll be simple before and after pictures.