Hey Guys, this is my first post on this forum although I have been reading them very thoroughly for the past couple nights, (graveyard shift will do that to you) and I've learned alot of cool new things, so thanks for that everyone!

Well, back to the topic on hand. I was driving by this shop right after getting my 2.5in header back done and I saw what might just be the best deal on this Earth. I saw a pretty well beat up 2g GS. The primer (or paint?) was pretty much all faded and all the tires were flat. Thats not what I was interested in though, I took a look inside and saw that it was manual (I have a A/T GS). So I ask the owner of the shop that the 2g was parked in front of and he proceeded in telling me that some guy dropped it off 2 years ago to get 2 grand worth of work done on it and he never returned. My guess is he got arrested. He even showed me the receipt and all the new parts and work done. Well, he claimed that he somehow transferred ownership of that car to the shop (idk about that though, he said something about "repossession"). Well, to the point again, he said he would sell it to me for 475. As I am looking to convert from A/T to M/T, this was great news for me.

Here's a pic of the car
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Now, I have a couple questions.

The first is about the legality of the transfer. I doubt he has the title for the car and I wouldn't really like some guy that just got out of jail to come looking for me (won't happen but hey, theres always a chance).

The next questions are about my car and future upgrades. I just got the car about a month ago and so far I have only done a K&N short ram and 2.5 header back exhaust. Here is a list of the things I am planning to do so far(in no order):

1.Zeitronix fuel air wideband controller
2.Bored TB
3.Complete engine tune-up
4.Engine rebuild
5.Bored intake manifold
6.Headers
7.Springs and struts
8.<b>A/T to M/T conversion</b>
9.Upgrade complete fuel system
10.Bored cylinders =]

Now here's my questions:

In what order do you guys think I should preform these upgrades in? Also, any other performance upgrades you think I should do or am missing?
For the time being I am going to avoid forced induction but I may consider it once I have finished the rest of the upgrades.

Thanks for the help guys and any input would be greatly appreciated. I know you guys know alot more about this than me and I'd like some opinions from tried and tested DSMers.

im not sure about a title transfer from a shop. here in michigan i do know of a law where you must pay for all repairs before they have to give you your car back. it seems like it would be possible that a shop could claim ownership somehow or way if a vehicle is left with them for a great amount of time (2 years in your case).

as far as order goes, i would definitely work on that atx to mtx swap first. i believe thatll be much more gratifying than the mods you listed so start there.

hell you might as well just pull the tranny and engine out together, and rebuild and do the swap at the same time.

Well, the shop owner told me that everything was paid for. But, their still might be some law that allows him to take possession of it after a certain amount of time, like you said.

That's a good idea to do the engine and tranny at once.

Now that I think of it though, I have one more question.

Where the hell do I put this car while I pull all the parts I might need out of it. My neighborhood isn't exactly the kind of place where I can leave that kind of thing out in the driveway. I'd get some pretty high homeowners association fines. And the garage is not an option.

I thought about getting a storage unit (10x20) for about a month till I got all the parts I could salvage off of it, not to mention the brand new stuff, hehe.

Does anyone have an alternative to getting a storage unit? I know its a long shot but I'd rather spend the $200 I'd pay for a month on my car than this.

Garage tent in the back yard? :shrug

the 2000 in work has already been paid for and the work done?!!?!?!?!? no way i dont see it...with the size of that dent in pass rear quarter, that car hasnt been prepped or anything.

In Florida, garages can put a lean(not sure if that is how you spell it) on the title and after a certain amount of time, if the car isn't picked up or paid for, the garage gets to keep the car. A shop I used to sell parts to when I worked at Advance has to do this because people sometimes either don't pick their cars up after the work has been done or can't seem to get the money together to pay for the parts.

As far as what order, I would say atleast do the AT to MT swap when you do the engine work. Do all the engine work at the same time too, it'll make it easier when you do. You can also do the fuel lines, if that was part of your fuel system upgrade, when you have the engine bay empty.

Here in ohio if someone does not come pick a car up from a shop after a period of time they can basically take possession of the vehicle with some paperwork then they have the legal right to sell or junk the car.

I really dont know what to tell you about storing it. A storage unit may be your best option it sounds like unless you know a friend or something that has some extra garage space you could pay them for rather than a storage unit.

not sure about the whole possession deal. I'd ask if he can furnish a title. However if you are considering forced induction in the future, you'd better plan it out BEFORE you build the motor. You'll want to lower the compression if you want to boost it, however lowering compression on an N/A car lowers horsepower. You dont want to end up buying 2 sets of pistons, rods, etc. when one set of forged is gonna run 6-8 hundred bucks. Planning your build according to your goals can save some serious cash and frustration. Good Luck.

PS. That 2g has seen better days. It looks like it's been through a fire. lol.

I think you should find a friend with a garage or large driveway that will let you park the car for a few months (for a reasonable fee). If your employer has a side lot or big parking lot, you might be able to stow it there (with permission and under a car cover). If you take your time, you can pull enough parts to actually make a profit on the car and get your AT-MT swap. You also have to consider how the car will be disposed of. If you don't have the title, some scrap companies will not take it.

I recently finished stripping a 2GNT. My employer let me park it in a side lot, under a tarp. It took me 2 years to strip it bare (I took every nut and bolt). All the parts you remove will have to be stored somewhere (I built a garage loft for this purpose). When I was done, the car was so light that the scrap company just dropped it in the back of a regular pickup truck. They threw one ratchet strap over the top and hit the road. It was totally worth it and I would definitely buy that $475 donor you are looking at.


Corbin
'95 ESI-T

Now with more power and fewer leaks



Humble servant of the Wiki

It's called a mechanic's lien and they shouldn't have a problem getting the title if they haven't already

Yes, i have done that before. (As a registered Business) You place a mechanics lein on it with proof of work ect and after you jump through hoops and do all the certified notifcations the state will award you ownership of the vehicle. Fully legal.

Take it and start cutting it up.

looks rough but i bet a lot of good parts