Before my 1986 Century, I had an '83 model. It wasn't in nearly as nice a shape, body-wise, but it was a reliable, comfortable car. I bought it cheap, after being told it had an electrical problem. It did have a short, but it had sat up over a winter, and the engine had frozen and cracked the block. I bought a core (damaged) engine from the junkyard, and using parts from both, I assembled one coplete 2.8l 60º v6. I had honed the rust out of the cylinders, and installed used pistons with new rings, reused all other parts except gaskets.

This engine ran great for 70k miles. It has a slight tick to it, probably from the "loose" cylinder to piston clearance. But it would run 110 mph all day, and was ultimately reliable.

I had precisely three breakdowns, a blown hose, a bad ignition coil, and a bad fuel pump.

Last year, I was sitting at a red light, listening to a tape, and thinking how good the Taco Casa take-out lunches I had in the car smelled. All of a sudden, WHAM!! and next thing I know, I am no longer holding the steering wheel. The force had knocked the tape out of the radio, broke my foam cup in the cup holder,and bent my seat back 3 inches at the top!

The trunk alost dragged the ground, and the front was torn up, where I had been driven into the truck ahead of me. Some young, female driver in an SUV had gone to WOT to make a yellow light, and hadn't been able to brake it back down in time for the next traffic light! She was too busy disciplining her kid to pay attention to her driving. Her insurance paid for my car, and I kept salvage.

I was lucky to be unhurt, and even managed to drive my poor, mortally wounded car back to the shop where it rests to this day.

The engine out of this car is the one now built as a 3.1 with the turbo, in my 1986 car. I also used the console shift and a few other interior parts.

My goal is to give away every part of this car before I haul it off as scrap. About all that's left are the doors, and window glasses; and the rear glass.