The Story

I know I have been promising the story for a month now, and I finally got around to typing it up.  Hope you enjoy it.  Sorry it's kind of long, I did leave a few things out to try to make it shorter, but it is just a long story. Just ignore any typos.  It took me from 1:30 am to 4:45 am to get this typed up and I have not proof read it yet.

Well, I first found out about this car in August of 2001 when I was looking for Bricklin stuff on eBay.  I found a few auctions from this one seller who was parting out a Bricklin in Texas.  It had a few pictures of the complete car, showing the various areas of parts they were selling. (See them here)  The car actually didn't look that bad from the pictures, except for the fact that it was missing the hatch and it was desperately in need of a paint job.  I emailed the seller and asked why they were parting the car out.  The response was that they had bought it to restore it, had run out of money and decided to part it out to try to make their money back.  Well, I really hate to see any classic car parted out, so I asked how much they would be willing to sell the whole car for.  They had paid $1500 for the car itself, and had put several hundred dollars into it, so they wanted $2000 for it.  Being unemployed with no money, and already restoring one car, I knew there was no way I could afford it.  So I watched helplessly as the poor car's parts were sold on eBay for almost nothing.  I emailed again.  Still too high.  Doors, hood, fender, headlight and taillight assemblies, dash, radiator, rear bumper, and a few other parts were sold.  Desperate to save this car, I emailed them again.  They said that they had sold even more stuff than what they had sold on eBay, like the wheels, all the glass except the windshield (which was broken), one seat, seatbelts, AC system, all interior panels, all logos and rear name plate, the complete air door system including switches, and other small things.  At this point I almost gave up on saving this poor car, but I decided to ask for some pictures of it in it's current state.  (See them here)  When I saw the car in this condition, I knew it would be a really big project to fix it, but as I said before, I hate to see any classic car disappear, especially a Bricklin.  So I asked how much they wanted for the rest of it if they kept the engine and transmission.  They said that they had sold the heads, intake and carburetor off the engine, but that they would be willing to take $450 without engine or transmission, or $550 to leave them with the car.  At that price, I figured that I could maybe borrow the money from family members.  If that didn't work out, I have a friend who has been looking for a project Bricklin for a while and would love to take it, so I told them that I would take it with engine and transmission.  My friend was more excited about it than I thought he would be, and he said he wanted it.  (He is in the Navy which is why he couldn't do all of this himself) I told him that I would do all the work for him if he would pay for everything, and when it was finished, he could have it.  So he went off to get a personal loan for $1000 (since the car was only $550), and I was left with the task of figuring out how to get it to Colorado.  While I waited for him to get the money to me, her neighbors in Texas started complaining about this partial car in her driveway being an eyesore.  The cops gave her 10 days to get it out of her driveway.  Well, it took a lot longer for him to get the money to me than I thought it would, and her neighbors and the cops were getting more and more impatient.  During this time, she kicked her boyfriend out, and was really wanting me to get this thing out of her driveway so she wouldn't have to worry about it anymore.  My original plan:  drive down there with my dad and haul it back on a trailer.  Simple.  But of course, nothing is ever as simple as it seems.  We found out that our plan of getting a trailer hitch and a trailer was not an option because we were told our car couldn't haul more than 1500 lbs (we were told 4000 lbs when we bought it a month earlier).  The Bricklin weighing about 3000 lbs with all the parts missing, this option was definitely out of the question.  And of course we didn't find this out until about 4 days before we were supposed to leave.  So we looked into renting a moving van big enough to fit it in.  Most places were outrageous in their prices, but we found one place we could rent one from reasonably.  So that problem solved.  Then we had the problem of getting it in the truck, since the wheels had been previously sold.  We were planning to buy some old junk wheels and tires to put on it just so we could roll it into the truck.  But that night, she instant messaged me saying that if I was interested, the guy who had bought the hood had decided he didn't want it when he found out how much it was going to cost to ship it.  She also said that they hadn't actually sold the wheels, her boyfriend had just said that.  So if I wanted, I could buy the hood for $50 and the wheels for $150.  Great!!  That would save $500 not having to buy a new hood, and it also solved the problem of finding wheels to put on it.  She also said that she had not heard anything from the guy who had won the doors on eBay, and she had emailed him asking if he still wanted them.  So I told her I definitely wanted the hood and wheels, but could only afford to get the wheels right now.  She told me the next day that the guy who bought the doors would be willing to let them go if I wanted to buy them for $150 for both.  I told her I definitely wanted the hood and doors, but couldn't afford to get them right now.  Since I was only being sent $1000, we would be within dollars as it was.  She said she could store the doors and hood for a while and pick them up later if I wanted.  She just had to get rid of the car or she would start getting fines for everyday that it was there, which neither of us could afford.  My friend finally got the money sent out (now it was about a month and a half after I told her I wanted the car) and I told her that I would be down to pick it up Wednesday, the day it had to be out of there so said the cops.  She took off work so she could help us load it up if we needed.  Well, the money got to us the day before we were supposed to leave, and when I opened the envelope, I pulled out a personal check.  I started getting really nervous about now, since I was expecting a money order.  We were supposed to leave within 24 hours, and checks take 10 days to clear my bank.  We had no money the day before we were supposed to leave.  My dad and I tried everything we could think of to get this thing cashed that day.  We went to a pawn shop that said in the front "Checks cashed!", but they only cashed business checks and absolutely NO personal checks.  We called every check cashing place in the phone book, but only one place would cash one that big.  We went there only to find out that they wanted $200 of it to cash it.  Well, like I said, we were going to be within about $5 as it was, so that wasn't an option either.  So, desperate and out of options, we went home and my dad had to call her (because I had literally made myself sick worrying about this).  I don't really know what was said during this conversation, but I am sure she was at least as upset as we were, probably more since she was the one getting in trouble for having it.  And this was the second time I said I would be there and wasn't able to make it.  Anyway, the next day I went and put the check in my account.  I was told it would be 10 days, like I had expected.  Again, nothing is that simple, and it took over a month to get that stupid check cashed.  I really have no idea why, but it did.  I really, really felt bad for her, because of me she had to pay the 4 guys from across the street $80 to put the front wheels on and push it into her garage.  She was in debt, stressed out, and getting in trouble because of me, and I hadn't even been able to send her a single dollar for it.  I just wanted to get this over with as quickly as possible, for both of our sakes.  I am VERY thankful she was as patient with me as she was.  She had never talked to me on the phone, hadn't received any money, and I had told her I was going to be there twice and didn't show up.  I'm sure the thought had crossed her mind that I was lying about the whole thing and wasn't ever going to pick it up.  My friend was able to send about $500 more while I was waiting for the check to clear (as a money order this time).  Finally the check cleared in late Nov./early Dec.  On the very day that the check had cleared the bank, she told me that her mother was going to be there in two weeks and it absolutely HAD to be out of there before then.  She said she was going to be there that next Wednesday.  Well, the only days my dad has off are Wednesday and Thursday, so that gave us one chance to get there and get it.  It was close enough that we didn't have enough time to reserve the truck like we had planned.  But if we were going to do this, we didn't have a choice.  I wasn't going to put her through all that I had put her through and end up saying "Oh well, we can't get it.  It's your problem now".  I absolutely was NOT going to do that to her.  So we left here at about 3:00 AM Wednesday morning, the week before her mom was going to be there, and set off on our 1600 mile trip.  The drive to Texas really went well.  Until we got to Ft. Worth.  I have to start by saying that their roads are the most screwed up roads I have ever seen.  And it made it even worse that we got there after it got dark.  So we were trying to find out where we were supposed to go, in the dark, in a strange city, in traffic, without knowing where we were even going.  We got lost twice following the map I had printed up from Lycos.  So finally we stopped at this gas station to use the payphone.  We left about 15 seconds later after seeing the people hanging around that gas station.  A short way up the road, there was a truck stop.  The crowd there looked better, but not much.  At least this place had a sign that said "Absolutely NO weapons allowed on premises."  So we stopped to call her and ask for directions.  Come to find out, we had forgotten to bring her phone number with us (of course, this trip couldn't be easy!)  So, we called directory assistance, and thank GOD they had her phone number.  We called it, and she wasn't home yet, but we got some better directions to her house.  We asked the lady working the counter exactly how to get there from where we were.  After writing down all the directions, we went in search of her house.  The directions actually led us straight there, but we missed the street and had to ask for more directions at a grocery store when we were only about a block from her house.  Well, when we did find it, we went to look for a motel close by.  We found one close to some restaurants, but when we parked, we realized that this was more the type of motel that people take permanent residence at, and decided to look elsewhere.  We found some nice ones about a mile or two from there, and got a room.  We called her to make sure she was home and make sure it was OK to come by.  It was, and after we unloaded our bags from the car, we headed over there.  Proving how screwed up their roads are, we got lost about 4 times on the way to her house, and we had already been there once.  Well, when we did finally get there, they already had the car pushed out on the driveway, and they were standing outside waiting for us.  After a little bit of friendly conversation, we signed the money order over to her for the whole amount of the car, hood, doors and wheels.  We signed the bill of sale (there was no title), talked for a few more minutes, and left, promising to have it out of there the next morning.  Seeing the car in person for the first time really made me feel a whole lot better about this whole project so far.  We stopped at the IHOP right behind the motel before going back and going to bed.  We went to bed feeling good that it was almost over.  Now, our plan was to get a tow truck to haul this car to a storage place when we woke up in the morning, and come back with a truck in a couple of months and pick it up from the storage place.  We woke up around 9:00 that morning, and casually got ready.  We called the tow truck companies first, and found one at a reasonable price.  Happy, we called the storage place.  "You need the title, current registration and full insurance before we can store a car for you"  WHAT?!?  This is a salvage car.  It doesn't run and it's in pieces!  "Doesn't matter.  State law requires the title, current registration and full insurance to store a car"  We called about 10 different places hoping to find somewhere that would take it.  No luck.  So it was about 10:30 am, motel checkout time was 11:00 am, we had paid for the car already, didn't have enough money to stay in the motel a second night, we barely had enough to get home on and we couldn't do ANYTHING with the Bricklin.  We sat staring in silence for about 10 minutes.  The panic we felt over getting that check cashed was absolutely nothing in comparison to this feeling.  This was the most hopeless I have ever felt in my life.  I just couldn't believe this.  With nothing else left to try, we called an auto shipper.  In case you are wondering why we didn't call one in the first place was 1) The car was in pieces and needed at least partial reassembly before it could be shipped, and 2) We didn't have enough money to ship it.  So anyway, we had about $400 left in Colorado, I had $60 in my pocket.  My dad had nothing with him.  So we called an auto shipper.  They said it was going to cost $1250 to ship it to Colorado, and they needed it upfront.  The feeling was getting worse.  10:45 am, we are about to give up, and I randomly pick out one last auto shipper to try.  We called, doubting they could help us since no one else could.  We described the car, what condition it was in, and they said if we could have it towed to their lot, they would ship it whenever a truck became available for $600.  They said it would probably be 2-3 weeks before they could ship it and that they wouldn't charge until it was shipped.  I had enough to pay for the tow, and almost enough to pay for the shipping.  We went with the deal, since I'm sure my friend could send some more money in 2-3 weeks.  So we called the tow truck at 10:55 am and told them where the car was.  They said that they would be there at Noon.  Great, now we just have to basically reassemble the body of the car in 1 hour.  Not too hard.  We stopped at the gas station a few blocks from her house to get some stuff to drink and to get a one time use camera.  When we got to her house, the neighbors were all thanking us for getting this car out of there once and for all.  First, we bolted on the doors, which doesn't sound hard, but finding the right bolts in that mess, figuring out exactly how the hinges go, and not to mention the weight.  I thought they were heavy having to manually open them while attached.  Those doors are HEAVY.  Then we bolted the passenger side fender on.  When we looked at our watches, it was 12:10.  The tow truck would be there any minute.  We unpackaged the hood and bolted it on.  (It was packaged and ready to send to the guy in California).  Then we got a call on our cell phone.  The lady said that the tow truck was stuck in traffic and that it would be 10-15 more minutes.  I think she was shocked when we were happy about it.  So, we looked the car over, and noticed that the wheels were just barely on.  Those guys across the street didn't do their $80 worth.  So we had to jack the car up to get the wheels on right.  Well, the only jack was for our car, in the trunk.  We had already taken 10 minutes loading the trunk with stuff.  So we had to take all the stuff out of the trunk to get to the jack.  We were finishing up with the wheels just as the tow truck was pulling up.  So he stood and talked to us while we finished loading the boxes, front bumper and a LOT of misc. parts back in the trunk.  It was a lot of work, but we got it done just in time.  So the driver backed up to the car, hooked on to it, and pulled it up on the truck.  As he pulled away, the neighbors were applauding us and thanking us for finally getting it out of there.  So we stood and talked with them for about 45 minutes.  It's a good thing we did too, because the guy living there with her came over and asked me if we were going to take those parts in there.  Confused, I asked "what parts"?  He went in the garage and said that she had said we could take these with us too.  He was talking about the heads, intake and carburetor.  I was really confused now, because she had told me before that she had sold those.  It was only about 1:00 in the afternoon and she usually didn't get home until about 5:00.  We were planning to leave right after we finished talking with her neighbors, and didn't have anywhere to stay, so we couldn't wait around for her to get home and she wasn't answering her cell phone.  So we went to eat at Wendy's while we decided what to do.  We didn't want to take them and her say that we weren't supposed to take them, but we didn't want to leave them and her say we could have had them.  So, we decided to go visit my dad's aunt in Dallas. We went there, she took us out to eat at Red Lobster, and even let us stay with her that night.  We called about those parts after we got back from eating, and she did say we could have them.  There were more parts that came with this car than I was expecting!  We left about 5:30 the next morning, stopped by her house to pick them up, and we were on our way home!  The trip home was also very good.  No troubles.  Alright, so the car is on the shipping companies lot, waiting to be picked up in a few weeks.  Plenty of time for my friend to send me more money to pay for it and for me to get the garage cleaned out so I can put it in there.  We got home late Friday evening, I called my friend to tell him the story of the trip, and I went to bed, not even wanting to think about that Bricklin for a few weeks.  I woke up Monday morning at about 10:00 am.  I went to check my email, and I hear the doorbell ring.  Thinking it was the mailman as we had been getting a lot of packages, I opened the door.  My jaw just fell to the floor as right in front of our house was a truck with the Bricklin sitting proudly on top.  I couldn't believe it, what happened to 2-3 weeks?!?  It was there in 4 days!!  According to the driver and his wife, they had picked it up right after they dropped it off at the lot.  (Wonder if they didn't want a car that looked that bad sitting on their lot any longer than they had to?)  The driver unchained it, undid the emergency brake and started rolling it off the truck. His wife looked down just in time to see that the right rear wheel was going to totally miss the ramp and the car was about to fall 5 feet off the truck.  Well, it hadn't totally missed the ramp, there was about 1/8" of the tire on the ramp and therefore they couldn't just move it.  So his wife had to jump on the truck, release the emergence brake, while the guy and I pushed up on the car with all our strength.  These cars are HEAVY!!!!  Even when missing a bunch of parts.  We managed to push it up about 1/2" so they could reposition the ramp.  After that, there wasn't any trouble.  They stood around and talked to me about the car.  They said that everywhere they stopped, everyone asked what kind of car it was.  They didn't know, other than to tell them it was a Bricklin.  They'd never heard of them either.  So I briefed them on the general history of Bricklins, assured them it WASN'T a kit car, and was telling them a little of what we went through to get this car.  They said that some people asked if it was a DeLorean, which makes me wonder if they were showing off the doors to some people.  Because I personally don't see any other similarities.  They left after a while and I went and took some pictures (The ones on this site)  They were taken less than 30 minutes after the car got here.  When my dad got home, we used my car to push it into a little area by the side of the house, where it is now.  It is the perfect size for a car.  Well, that is the story so far.  My friend did get some money sent to cover the rest of the shipping costs that I didn't already have.  And that is pretty much the whole story so far.  I did leave out a couple of situations to keep this story as short as possible, but I think you get the idea.  I hope you visit this site regularly to be a part of the story that has yet to come.  Thank you.