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Discovery
– Late October 2001
I found my $1500.00 car in Utah via a website
after searching for months. There it was, a dim dull star waiting
to be spit shined. I carefully examined the two pictures and read
and re-read what little text there was to describe her condition.
But in my head, the gears were whirring and heavy machinery was
being engaged to set
wheels
Ain't
She Sweet
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in motion that would MAKE THIS CAR MINE!!!!! Before I blew
a head gasket in excitement, I picked up the phone and called
to see if the car was still available. A fella named Rex
answered the phone and I popped the question. Hooray! It
was still available! I immediately probed his brain for
the specifics |
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of the car. What condition physically? Rust? Transmission?
Interior? Missing Pieces? History? He said that it had a
straight body. No rust, aside from surface. Manual transmission
(my heart was pounding). Complete interior, though seat
needs recovering. From California, a |
previous owner took apart its dead engine but couldn’t
afford to pay the machine shop and left it. The engine was
sold off. Perfect, I thought. I asked him how much it would
cost to ship it to So-Cal and he figgered $250-300. He said
he'd email some more photos, I thanked him and hung up the
phone.
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Driver's
Side Airbag
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Your mate’s approval is probably the most
important step in purchasing a project, so I kicked the idea around
with the one in my life that keeps me pointed in the right direction.
She thought it was a great idea and recognized how important it
is for my young business to have something that represents its
capabilities to potential clientele. See, I was sick & tired
of driving around my ’62 Pontiac Grand Prix and
Dig
The Dual Antennae
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having
people ask me if I restored it only to have to tell them
no, I didn’t. If I’m gonna make it in this town,
I need something other than business cards and a firm handshake
to attract business. I need a car with my shop's signature
on it. Now where did I put that phone?
While all this was happening, I was researching
an engine. After all, what's a hot |
rod without without a motor? I scoured several of my resources
and found that a dead, but rebuildable 392 hemi, was going to
cost me
<cough> ~$2000. Ugh, this was going to be an expensive engine
to build given the cost of acquisition alone. I kicked it around
again with the other half. I thought maybe I would have to compromise
and get a smaller hemi that would cost less to acquire, but she
felt I shouldn’t compromise and that I should have patience
and keep looking for something for less money. She rocks.
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