Well, it's been quite a busy month and a half or so since I started on this project, and although I've been feeling a little burnt out at times, I wasn't always seeing the progress I was making...until I would take a breather and stand back to see what had been accomplished! To re-cap just a bit...I picked this car up locally for CathyH and immediately began tearing into it after it sputtered and died on it's very first voyage! To get it back into driveable shape involved a total bumper-to-bumper rewiring job, which uncovered MORE work to be done...including all new fuel lines, filters, fuel pump, complete carb rebuild, throttle return springs, battery tray and hold-down, and all sorts of related work, including swapping out the Ford Dura-Spark ignition for a cleaner, simpler HEI distributor from Proform, a GM internally regulated alternator, and all new bulbs, wire clamps and what-not throughout the entire car....and probably it's first oil change in a decade, some pulley alignment work, etc, etc, etc....!!!! That, of course, lead to having to pull the fur-covered dash out of the car, strip it to bare metal and re-paint it before re-installing it with a refurbished gauge cluster, all new 12v switches and a hidden audio system before the car could even be started, much less driven again! (By the way...hiding a radio in a mount under your seat keeps it out of view and drastically reduces the visual clutter you get by tacking it under the dash...but it's far from comfortable and convenient to use! Ha Ha...but it does sound decent, so for now, it's a measured victory!) After that, I got rid of the ridiculous exhaust extensions that looked like they could've doubled for wheelie bars, and popped the skirts off to begin the task of getting the old stock Mercury wheels cleaned and powder-coated "mirror black" prior to putting new blackwall radials on them. The grille extensions were in the trunk and looked to have been held in place with coat hangers or something at one point...so I had to drill and tap the old bolt hole bosses, then I made and installed 1/4"-20 studs and attatched them to the fenders with nuts and washers. Adding those made a BIG improvement in the way the car looked I think! Oh yeah...the brakes were just about inoperable when I got the car...but after a bit of fussing and adjusting, they actually work now, too! I'm not sure, but I think it's been something like seven weeks since I started on this car, and although it's been quite a battle at times...when I stepped back and looked at it today with the new rolling stock on it...it started to hit me that it is actually getting somewhere!! Of course, the fact that the car is now reliable and a total joy to drive (still needs a little steering surgery...but otherwise drives great!) is a giant morale boost as well! There's still LOTS left to be done...but damn...I think it's starting to take shape!!! Okay...here's some pics...Before (top) and After (bottom) style for your viewing pleasure!
Ha Ha...that "Moon disc" was a flimsy generic copy...and there's only two of them! (One of which I gave to a local garden spider to live in!)...and those white-wall tires were spent 15 years ago...ha ha...the fronts didn't even MATCH! It'll get chrome bullets in the center of the wheels with an outter chrome trim ring most likey...and possibly Diamondback wide whites later on. Personally...I kinda like the skirtless look...kinda reminds me of your "date" from Autorama a few years back!! Ha Ha Ha!!
Thats cool... Ya Know mooneyes still sells them moon disks....and Firestone still makes a nice White wall..Hahahaha Just busting your chops.. Yes she was hot.. but that was Chris's girl
I saw some new Goodyear wide whites in the window of the tire store when I stopped to buy some chrome lug nuts the other day...they looked decent (radials)...but ran $200+ each...ouch!! Ha Ha Ha...I didn't know there was VIDEO footage of that whole affair!!!
The Jalopy Journal
