I forgot to post my anniversary of J-Body ownership!
This is the first photo I ever took of Jolene the Sunbird, and the latest.
First photo taken July 31, 2018 when I went to look at and test drive the car after seeing it on Facebook marketplace. Latest photo from this Saturday, August 3, 2019. I bought and brought home the car on August 4, 2018. So, she’s been mine for just over a year. In that year, we have travelled just over 1,000 miles. I’ve put in a new windshield, a new coolant tank reservoir, a new amplifier for the radio, a new valve cover gasket, new A/C and serpentine belts, new windshield wipers, a new air filter, and a new/refurbished (from eBay) cassette player. I also had the windows tinted and did an oil change for good measure, as the folks I got it from weren’t exactly sure when it was last done.
I also had her professionally detailed and buffed/waxed. Next on the list, once I save up the funds, are four new tires. The ones on there have plenty of tread, but they are old and they don’t match. She also will need new front struts and a subsequent alignment someday, but I’m holding off on that as the alignment now is perfect and they aren’t hurting anything by being old and creaky.
Before I got her, she had gotten a new headgasket, a new radiator, plugs and wires, muffler, front brakes, thermostat, idle air control valve, and she had her A/C system refurbished and refilled with R134a. This was all done in late 2017/early 2018 at around 53,000 miles before the car’s original owner (an elderly widow) passed away.
She’s probably one of the nicest Js of this vintage left on the road. And, she’s probably one of VERY few Sunbirds with a historic motor vehicle license plate.
She stays in my friend’s four car garage/shop when I’m not driving her, and she never goes out in the rain or snow. She is rust free inside and out, having never been driven in the snow since new. She is a true survivor, and I’m greatly enjoying being her owner. What can I say? I’m a damn weirdo. At least y’all get me.