Went and picked up the '85 today, I was in the area on Thursday so I checked out a few things while I was there. Left rear tire wouldn't hold air so I brought the spare from the '89 745 with me and I grabbed the battery out of the '83 765 in case there was any shot in hell of getting it to run. Unfortunately the starter seemed to be locked up, most likely was under water in Hurricane Sandy.
This is where it has sat since 2007.
roof buckled from the last time it was rear ended. It has actually been hit in the drivers side rear 3 times in its life, the last one was sometime in '98 or '99 and really did a number on it.
Pulled it out about 15 feet to fill the right front tire and discovered that the wheel was locked up.
removed the wheel and caliper and everything spinning again in about 25 mins.
Finally loaded up after taking way longer than expected, but at least it was on there. The right rear would hold air, but only long enough to get it onto the trailer. Pretty sure the beads are all just corroded at this point, Ill probably try and clean them up this week and hopefully just have them as a spare set of rollers.
The rust ended up being a lot worse than I remembered it, I knew it was bad either way, but all the doors have some degree of rot, as do the wheel wells and I surprised to see the holes under the quarter windows.
This is what happens to vehicles that spend 31 years in the salt air at the Jersey shore. Its been around for every storm to hit the area since Hurricane Gloria.
I still get a kick out of this, the body shop that repaired it in 1986 installed the 740 GLE emblems backwards. They said they would replace them but my mom didn't care so that's the was they stayed for basically it's entire life.