Looking at an 81 Spider Today

[RRoller123]

The gang here generally recommends the Shell Rotella oil.

[Exit98]

Tom,

Man that looks sweet. Good luck with it.

Any old battery is fine.

Nothing special for the oil either, just a decent brand, although a lot of guys recommend one with the ZDDP additive.

Don't forget the timing belt unless you absolutely know when it was last changed.

Any back story on the car? I'm assuming you checked for rust issues.

[hamlet]

The paint job isn't great, though it doesn't look that bad. It's very thick and it could be hiding some rust, but I believe this is a long time California car. I took a good look today with a flashlight for rust on the underside of it and I believe there's some undercoating, but where there isn't I'm not seeing any rust. Not out of the woods by any means, but I have hope. There is a spot or two where paint is bubbling up and I suspect there is rust, but there are also spots where it has bubbled up and beneath there is not rust.

Timing belt sounds like it was recently replaced, but doing it myself is definitely on my mind.

What are the recommendations on headlight replacement? I see some cheap, some really expensive. I'll get two because I'd like their brightness to match (or maybe I'll change my mind ). I also probably need new tail light lenses: they currently don't match, and one light is out and my replacement didn't work either (great, electrical issues already?).

There was a lame amp and subwoofer in the back. Took those out, and I'll have to redo the trunk. Planning to change the oil and bleed the brake lines on Saturday. It will be my first time doing both, actually, on any car. Can't wait!

[georgeramos]

Congrats! I had emailed that link to my friend John who lives in Noe Valley and had expressed a mild interest in getting one. He was considering the white 71 that keeps popping up for around $1200 that looks like its been sitting in a sports car graveyard for quite a long time! I told him (your) yellow one was a much better deal from here based on the list of "upgrades" they had in the ad.

The 71 tail lights are pretty specific. I have a set but the "chrome" was all peeling so the PO painted them black. Let meknow if you could use them/one.

Best of luck

[hamlet]

Yeah, the real attraction here is that it's a 71. I am not interested in spending any time worrying about smog. Screw that. That's worth a good chunk of change on its own.