After travelling through four...
After travelling through four states and stopping twice for gas, we arrived in Lenoir, North Carolina, at Dale's house. No, the Superbird in the background is not for sale.
Since the wheels and tires...
Since the wheels and tires are getting replaced, this tire plug in the sidewall is not a problem.
Depending on your particular...
Depending on your particular plans for the interior, as long as everything is there, you should be OK. Reproduction parts are usually available, but it's always a good idea to check first. Since we are changing the color to blue, the OE color was not an issue.
After installing a battery...
After installing a battery in the Valiant, she ran like a top, and we loaded her on the trailer for the long ride home. At 11:00 on Saturday, after sixteen hours on the road, we were on our way.
"Hey, Jeff, won't your Mustang drive that far"? (Couldn't resist that one.)
We were going to get a car that had been in North Carolina all its life. This 100 series A-Body was a budget machine from the start, equipped with vinyl bench seats, a vinyl floor mat, a 170ci six, and a three-speed crash box. Dale had warned me about what the condensation under the floor mat did to the metal there, but promised the rest was solid, which it was. We loaded it up and were back in Florida on Sunday evening--29 hours, 1,300 miles, and $140 in gasoline later.
Now with the Valiant in Florida and Stunkard still laughing (or crying, depending upon whether he's looking at his dead-in-the-water Dodge wagon), what are my plans? To create a reliable street/strip car on a budget, something the average person could build. I hope to initially keep the cost under $4,000, including the price of the car. To do this, a lot of the parts will be purchased at swap meets or traded for; this will result in some arbitrary prices, but will be as honest as possible. Companies like Year One, Holley, Autobody Specialties, and Layson's Restorations have supplied some parts, and their retail value will be figured into that four-G total as well.
Will this be a concours resto? By no means. I am going to be doing some learning along with you; thanks to the shop and friends in the know, we'll get it right the first time. We're planning on a 360 junkyard mill as the base, coupled to a four-speed and an 8 3/4 rear. When we're done, we hope to wring out some 12-second timeslips as well.