Hey List,
Just got back from going to see a 70 2000 that was for sale. It had received
a lot of interest from some list members and one gentleman from Chicago had
asked if anyone near could go see it, so me and my girlfriend Liz hopped
into my 67 2000 Solex and took a trip down the coast to San Marcos to see
it. It really was a beautiful day for a drive and I had never driven a tall
windshield before, so I was excited about it. So I will list the car's info,
and then my impressions about it.
1970 2000 SRL311-13951
Matching Block #14767
SU Carburetion
Roll Bar
Grant Steering wheel
Gray exeterior and black and grey interior
On first inspection, the car looks very good. The paint is faded on the hood
and it had suffered some damage on the passenger rear fender. The repair
looks professionally done and the bondo is smooth and matches well to the
rest of the car. Cosmetic nit pick: The "D" insert on the grill is missing.
Chrome fair. Dents on trim and some rust spotting on the rear fixtures.
Bumpers straight.
A real nice feature of the car are the panasport wheels. They look brand
new. The car has been lowered and the rear wheels rub slightly when taking a
spirited turn. I would put smaller tires on.
On the test drive, I noticed only one alarming thing: the car idles at about
1400 rpm. Since this was the first time I had ever driven an SU 2000, I of
course immediately noticed the performance drop from my Solex car, but the
engine appeared strong and the brakes were good. The Grant steering wheel
makes the car quicker to turn because of the smaller radius and the car
didn't have any noticeable understeer.
One thing I liked was the smoothness of the transition between gears. No
effort to get it from one to the next. Clutch was firm but easy to manuever.
The interior is pretty good. The package shelf is pristine. There is some
gray carpet on the floorboards covering the original carpet and the seats
have been covered with cloth covers. I am sure the seats would need to be
recovered. The dash is cracked in two places but they are minor and a
dashcover would take care of that. Guages are functional. The PO replaced
the center console cover with a wooden one that kind of sticks out like a
sore thumb.
The engine compartment looks OK but I noticed oil residue on the intake side
of the block. One thing: no hose running from valve cover to air cleaner. He
has a filter of some kind on the valve cover and has plugged the lead to the
air filter. Says he has all of the smog equipment. He has installed
electronic ignition in this car.
Overall on a scale of one to ten, this car gets a 7 in my book. Not too bad.
He is asking 4500.00 but told me on the spot that he is very open to
negotiation. I think if you have the cash you could deal to 4k or maybe
below if you talk fast enough. I have pictures I will scan of the engine
compartment, interior and front and rear shots. Put it this way, if I had
the cash I would buy it.
************************
I have to say that after driving this car I have gained a lot of respect for
guys like Craig Carter and Vic Laury who have 1970 SU 2000s. They drive very
fast and this gray car doesn't have the punch of my solex car. It is still
very quick though and the engine appears strong.
This car does need some work (don't they all) but I think that someone will
get a great deal on a car that is in good shape and looks pretty good to
boot.
Let me know if you need more info.
Andrew Murphy
67.5 2000 Solex
SoCalRoc
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