Latest update from Formula-land: I think I’ve got a handle on the situation. A plan has been made, then tweaked slightly, but all is still on track. Now all the arrangements are in place for me to inspect and test drive the car in less than two weeks’ time.

I spoke to the owner of the ‘89 Formula yet again this Sunday, since the car was supposed to be painted. It wasn’t yet, but it’s been rescheduled to be finished by tomorrow, when I’ll be receiving another phone call. At that time, I’ll want to ask the seller about the paint job, what type of paint it is, what sort of maintenance will be required on it going forward, whether I can get a sample to use for touching up spots, etc. We also agreed to meet on Saturday the 11th in the early morning. I booked my flight already. It’s going to be a “get in, get out” sort of affair—in on Friday evening, out on Sunday morning. Given everything I know, I figure if I can’t decide whether I want the car in the span of a day, it’s not going to get decided.

I’ve called the local Ohio DMV office in the seller’s town and determined that I can get a temporary 30-day license tag with no questions asked, and all I need is the car title, my Florida license and social security card. The temp tag costs $10.25. That’s all I need to make the car legally drivable long enough to get it back to Detroit and then have it transported here to Florida.

This afternoon I’ll also be calling an auto repair shop in the local area which I hope to be able to provide a professional inspection of the vehicle. The shop has Saturday hours, is ASE certified and is an AC Delco approved service center. They even have a website, which contains some photos of their facility that make it seem like a nice place with adequate room for the job. If I can set up an appointment over there, so much the better.

The plan currently is to fly into Detroit on the night of Friday the 10th and drive down to Ohio almost immediately. We’ll stay in a hotel west of Cleveland for the night and then get an early start—say, with intent to get to the seller’s place at 7:00 or even 6:30. The shop I’m calling opens at 8:00, so if it looks like a good candidate for the inspection, I’d want to get there when they open so there’s no chance of waiting hours.

The DMV is open until 2:00 p.m., so that should be plenty of time. We should be on the road home by then, either in one car or two.

Some more interesting facts about the car’s mechanics:

The transmission was rebuilt a year ago, using parts from Summit Racing and a B&M shift kit (currently configured for its mildest setting).

The engine has been bored .020 over and only two months ago received a complete tune-up, new Bosch Platinum plugs and a compression test. The results seemed to be good. As I understand it, the car must have either custom pistons or custom rings due to the cylinders’ non-factory bore, but the seller states all of this information is documented.

The A/C system has not worked since the current owner has had the car; when he got it, there was a hole in the condensor that made it impossible for the system to hold a charge. According to professional opinion, I’ll be looking at a replacement of the condensor and receiver/dryer, perhaps additional parts as well. I figure I’ll locate and purchase the parts myself. I have a contact who does air conditioning / general repair work at an affordable rate; he’s a former shop owner who has been servicing the cars of some friends in the area.

Pretty exciting stuff. I’m getting closer to the big moment. Still a good amount of time between now and the next two weekends, though, so I’m keeping my fingers crossed.