This is turning into a diary. I've had the car about a year now. It's been really good to me. Since it was tuned up, it's been a real rocket, and a great long distance runner. I remember back to that first time I drove that 4.5 in Massachusetts and how antiquated it seemed with bad brakes and the motor mounts shot to hell. How things change. What always seems to happen with these cars (and I think old cars in general) is that the rubber mounts and bushings for the engine and subframe disintegrate over the years, so replacing all that rubber makes a clearly felt difference in the "tightness" of the car. New Bilstein shocks don't hurt a bit either. As I continue to restore the car mechanically, it has met and surpassed my expectations of what it could do, and indeed of what any car could do from that era. In fact, the ride and performance have begun to rival contemporary luxury sedans. It was clearly ahead if its time. I've replaced a few components here and there, or had one of my two mechanics do the work. Both of them let me work or at least watch alongside them. What got replaced? First Peter replaced all those mounts I was mentioning. Then the front wheel bearings. Micheal replaced the oil pressure dampener (which quieted things down a lot), as well as the rear subframe mount. Then he centered the rear axle so it tracks straight down the road. That's the kind of thing he does. He also tuned it up, so it ran like a bat out of hell after that. Just by listening, he figured out out that a cam was off by a tooth on the timing chain. He put in a kickdown switch, so it downshifts when you floor it, and transmission fluid used to blow out the back because the transmission modulator diaphragm was shot. The modulator seems to alter the shift points and shift speed according to vacuum pressure in the manifold. I felt pretty good when I replaced that and it worked.

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