Drive from work in Santa Clara to storage facility in Richmond, in 880/80/580 rush hour.

Meet the owner of the car, but no car. Car is in the next town over - Point Richmond. Owner rides over with me to the car.

We find it parked along the side of a service road to the 580, close to San Quentin prison.

I check out the condition of the car and confirm that it is a real 123 GT based on internet research:

• S/N 133351M249467 - 133351 means LHD 123GT
• Engine bay and trunk lights (not working, of course)
• Overdrive
• Wiring harness with extra relays and fuses for fog lights
• Reclining Recaro seats

• Special dash with tray - you know a car's old when it's on its second dash :)
• Fog lights - long gone
• Horn button
• Wheel trim rings
• Tachometer

The car was four different colors (white, blue, cream, original dark green) as the front panels, doors, hood, and grill had all been replaced. The interior had been redone in black (originally tan) and was in decent shape.

Test drive around Point Richmond, run it through all its gears.

I look for rust, not bad but some in the trunk, floor panels, engine compartment.

Called my dad and checked out a few other things on the phone, but we both generally decide it's a good candidate and being a 123 GT, worthy of restoration.

I drive home, and finally eat dinner.

I sleep on it (or rather, think about it while attempting to fall asleep.)

As a sanity check (ok, more out of excitement), drive out to Point Richmond to take a further look at the car.

Find more rust under crossmembers, and right rear tire is completely flat. Sanity check confirms future owner's suspicions of insanity.

Check fluids, fill remaining tires with air. Radiator expansion tank is suspiciously empty.

Return with bag of parts and tools from my Dad - timing gun, steering wheel, horn, windshield washer resevoir and pump, misc bolts and clamps, and oh yeah, best of all, an original dash mount tachometer for the 123GT that my dad had been keeping for 20, 30, 35? years.

Thanks Dad! You thought you had the newest and oldest Volvos in the family, got you beat on the oldest one now!

Lost first auction on GT steering wheel horn button (entire wheel) sold in Britain.

Change out oil & filter, air filter, drain rad and put in rad flush & water. Check timing, no adjustment needed.

Discovered radiator drain cock had been replaced some time in past with a nonremovable brass stud, workaround is removing lower rad hose and simulating Three Gorges Dam burst into oversized drain pan.

Transmission fluid change, discover that overdrive oil strainer gasket is nonexistent and replaced with RTV.

Discover I don't have a 13/16 inch wrench to turn over engine for valve adjustment, socket and ratchet hits fan.

Drive to Santa Clara for poker game. Lose $40 at poker game, and lose working headlights. Stay in Sunnyvale and come back next day in daylight. Dipper switch wires had self-destructed due to dipper switch not being mounted to firewall, easy fix.