Monte Carlo Time

I wrote that my brother picked up a 1971 Monte Carlo at our local swap meet. So he's had the car a little over a week and so far so good.  He dropped a battery in it and re-installed the wiring harness under the hood.  He reconnected all the ignition wires, installed a new coil and points and she started up!  He also performed a very quick primer job to get rid of the grandma green (and other various colors).  Now calories are being spent researching and planning where to go from here....and installing an aluminum intake and 4 barrel Holley which was already sitting in his garage.

before

grandma green gone

Swap Meet Sunday!

Yesterday my brother and I had a difficult decision to make.  Should we go to Caffeine & Carburetors show, the Spring Swap Meet held by the Connecticut Street Rod Association or a VW/Audi specific car show? I personally was leaning towards Caffeine & Carburetors since my brother didn't attended the first event.  I also like the C&C event since it gives me an opportunity to photograph some interesting subjects. The VW show was appealing because it would give me a chance to do some research on parts (especially wheel/tire and suspension combinations) for my GTI.   However, we ended up going to the swap meet. 

Why the swap meet? As I mentioned, the swap meet wasn't my preferred choice. We always go and look around and end up complaining about the ridiculous asking prices on the project cars and parts. We end up buying something stupid in an effort to justify the admission fee. So why did we go? Maybe because it was the closest of all three events? But more realistically, I think we enjoy to possibility of  finding something. Car shows are spectator events.  Swap meets are a participatory event. So how did this event go?

 First and foremost the event was massive. We had to park in an overflow lot that was up on top of a huge sand pit. Here's a view from the truck:

As soon as we hopped out of the truck we were greeted with this spectacle in the parking lot:

Good omen?

The meet featured the same junk for sale.  If you were in the market for a chainsaw or snow blower you were int he right place. The project cars for sale were outrageously over priced or rusted beyond reasonable repair.  There was a cool AMC AMX and a rusty V8 4 speed Barracuda that were showed some promise. This patina-licous truck caught my eye but was already sold by time we reached it:

SOLD!

In the second the last row of the meet we found this:

Full Monte

A 1971 Chevy Monte Carlo that at first glance it looked like every other rough project here. However, upon further inspection we realized the following: 1) It was basically rust free! The body was straight and it already had new quarter panels installed (and done really well). 2) It had a complete small block Chevy drive drain. 3) And despite the multi-color and stripped appearance the car was fairly complete including a trunk full of trim and hardware.  My brother has always had a soft spot for '71 Monte Carlo's.  How does a person develop such a specific preference for a car, especially when the object of affection is somewhat atypical? It stems from the fact that his first car was an '83 Monte Carlo and his birth year is 1971. So he traded info with the owner and plans to complete a deal later in the day.....by yesterday evening the Monte was sitting in his driveway and he was taking inventory of all the parts in the trunk.

So stay tuned for developments with the Monte.

The Comet was Sold!!!!!

Here's a very brief update.  The 1962 Comet has been sold!  I almost traded it for a 1967 Pontiac LeMans convertible project car but decided to sell it outright to free up space in the shop (and some cash) so I can finally start digging into the 1969 Mustang!

Loaded up and ready to go....

On her way....

The Comet is for Sale!

So I spent the weekend cleaning out the Comet and finishing a couple odds and ends it needed to make it drive-able.  I photographed it and listed it on Craigslist, the H.A.M.B, Grassroots Motorsports and Comet Central. So here are the details....

For sale in a '62 Comet project car. Car could be used for parts, restoration or with a little work could be a neat rat rod cruiser (it has loads of patina).


This Comet is a 4 door and was originally equipped with a 170 cid six cylinder engine. The engine has been upgraded with a 200 cid from 1967. The car has an automatic transmission and starts and moves. Car needs some mechanical work to be a driver. Namely, the brake line to the rear of the car needs to be replaced and the exhaust manifold is cracked (and very noisy).

The body has rust issues in the lower portions of the body panels (see photos). The leading edge of the hood is also badly rusted. The radiator support has rust and there is blistering on the rear frame rails behind the rear leaf spring mount.

Car also has a set of American Racing Outlaw II's in it which are hard to come by in the correct 4 lug bolt pattern . Rims are in great shape except one has minor curb rash. Tires are very good. Buyer can also have the original 13 inch steel wheels that came with the car (tires bad) if you want the traditional look.

Bill of Sale only! Window sticker shows that car appears to have last been registered in New York in 2003. Asking price is $1400

Please email me questions or set up a time to come take a look.

If it doesn't sell locally I will list it on eBay in a week or two.

Cool Porsche Carrera 3.2 Teardown

Just saw this really cool video on YouTube.  It is an animation of the tear down of a Porsche Carrera  3.2 engine.  I wonder how long it took to make this.

The producer of the film posted a teaser for the rebuild which should be appear here at some point.

Night of the Comet

Previously on this blog I explained how I backed into my Mercury Cougar from my ownership of my Ford Mustang. I also explained how I love old Ford Falcons (especially the round body models).....so if I remember my least favorite portion of the SATs (which was analogies)....Ford Mustang is to Mercury Cougar as Ford Falcon is to....Mercury Comet! Enough with the nonsense.......I just bought a '62 Mercury Comet.  

Unfortunately, there is no need to get excited. Its crappy, rusty, a 4 door, and a 6 cylinder. It was destined for the junk yard and I felt that I couldn't let it go to the crusher without at least trying to salvage the car or at least some of its parts. So now it sits in the garage. I'm going to clean it up a tad bit, adjust the points and clean the carb so it runs.  I will vacuum out the filth the mice and God knows what have left in it and take some pics and list it for sale......if I don't get any takers, I will part it out and sell whatever I can and hopefully help out some other Comet owners out there. So if you're interested in a clapped out '62 Comet let me know.  It would make a sweet rat rod cruiser (can't fake the patina).  If you were really badass you'd slap some Gulf Racing colors on it and go LeMons racing.

So if you need some inspiration...

Pics coming soon

Craigslist is the best!

I just felt the need to highlight an advertisement that is currently on my local craigslist....


1989 BUZZ BOMB V1 POWERED SPEED VAN-SPEEDIE DELIVERY (SOMERS CT)

WE HAVE FOR SALE A JET POWERED FORD E350 VAN....LAND SPEED BONNEVILLE SALTFLATS RECORD HOLDER...SUPER SEXY CHICK MAGNET TOO!..ASK ANY SMELLY-HOOKER-PIRATE...LOOM LARGE IN YOUR OWN LEGEND!....EASY SPRINGTIME FAMILY FUN RESTO PROJECT....DAILY DRIVER IS CHEAP TO INSURE...PILOT THIS BOMB DOWN TO THE LOCAL CAR SHOW!....SAVE THIS HISTORIC SLED FROM THE SCREAMING FRYING PAN OF SMELTER DEATH...TIRES MAY HAVE AIR. THINK OF THE AWSOME NEUTRAL DROPS!...PULSEJET V-1 FLYING BOMB MOTOR WITH DUAL EXHAUST...ANGRY WIFE APPROVED!...SHE WOULD BE LUVVIN YOU BIGTIME WITH THIS SITTIN IN THE DRIVEWAY....TOM JONES SANG "SHES A WEINER"..HONEST...CONN DEATH CERTIFICATE INCLUDED WITH POST MORTIM MARTI REPORT..GONNA WIN THIS RACE SANG ELVIS AS HE STUFFED HIS FACE EATING DONUTS AS HE FELL OF THE TOILET...LETS GO PILEHUNTING!.jOHNSON! CATCH IT ON TUESDAY NIGHTS AT 8PM ON COX CABLE 15..TOAST CITY HERE WE COME ...MARCIA BRADY MOANED IN EXTACY AS SAM REPLIED TO ALICE'I AM NOT SAM I AM A BUTCHER'...QUESTIONS-SURE1.. I PROMISE TO GIVE YOU A DUMB LOOK AND SCRATCH MY HEAD AND MUMBLE SOMETHING THAT NUTHIN TO DO WITH CHECKERS...FRANCO IS STILL DEAD.JEFF CLARK PICKIN AT HIS TOOTIE... CHOKE WAGON-DOGS LOVE IT!...ALWAYS FANCIED BEING A ELECTRICION BUT KEPT BLOWING UP TOASTERS...QUINCY SAYS I AM DETERMINED.....call 1-860-749-3705..ASK FOR NU-NU-PORKEY...thanks..

Here is the link... http://hartford.craigslist.org/ptd/4224084170.html

Autumn in New England

So things have been pretty hectic around here and I think its obvious with the lack of posts I've been generating.  November is here and the car scene in New England is about to shutter up for the winter......so this last weekend featured a final flurry of activity.

First off,  before the weekend even started I had an interesting week leading into it.  On Tuesday, I took my Cougar for a quick blast on a curvy road near my house in order to play with my GoPro....or should I say what was supposed to be a quick blast. At the end of the run there is a large parking lot (which happens to be where the state's Department of Public Safety is housed).  I turned into the lot and went to perform a 'K' turn in order to head back home.  While making the turn and turning the wheel lock to lock I heard a pop and then the steering wheel spun freely!  The aluminum u-joint that connects my column to my aftermarket rack and pinion setup broke! My car lost the ability to steer and I was in the middle of a crowded parking lot at an awkward angle. My mind jumped into problem solving mode as I had to figure out how to straighten the car out in order to park it in one of the lot spaces.  Then the realization of what would have happened if the u-joint broke 2 minutes earlier or later while I was driving like a madman on a sinuous tree-lined back road. Then I went back to problem solving mode. To get the wheels of the car to turn I employed a hunk of asphalt curb I found and placed it under one of the front tires and drove forward a tiny bit to force the wheels to turn to full lock.  Once the wheels turned I moved forward to the desired angle lined up with a parking spot and then re-used the curb chunk to force my wheels back into the straight position......and finished pulling into the space (a little before dark).

I happened that on Friday (November 1st) I was moving into a large storage unit which I was going to be converting into a  shop and storing the Cougar and Mustang.  I already had plans to rent a trailer Friday morning so I could tow my engine-less Mustang to the unit......I simply modified my plans to also tow the Cougar there.  So I left the Cougar in the lot for a couple days and hoped for the best (I think it may have helped that I was parked next to a couple state police cruisers).

On Friday I took my Discovery to get the Cougar......and of course it was pouring rain.  I used by curb chunk trick to back the Cougar our of its spot and turn it perpendicular to the parking spot and facing the trailer.  It was so easy I thought I'd have it loaded in minutes......then came my lesson on how hard it really is to load a steering-less car onto a trailer alone in the rain!  The amount of finagling it took to line up the trailer perfectly since I had to be able to drive the car up one-shot without any steering correction was ridiculous. Add in the fact that my Hankook Ventus R-S3's hated the wet steel ramps and I must have put on an entertaining display for the state workers in their cubicles.  Eventually, I persevered.

Round two was the opposite story.  The Mustang had steering.....just no drive train. This was much less of an ordeal...just some pushing and the creative use of a come-along to winch the car into the trailer and we were on our way.   

Cougar in its new home.....more to come.

Onto the weekend....

The weekend featured two of the area's biggest swap meets.  On Sunday my brother and I went to a semi-annual event organized by a local club and held in the parking lot of an amusement park.  The turn-out was fantastic.  There were all sorts of odd and interesting cars there. There were even more odd and interesting people.  With regards to deals, there were some to be had, but in general the prices on the cars in the car corral were inflated compared to other years.  There was a really nice Comet convertible for sale that was a deal.....there was also a beat 80's Monte Carlo with a built V8 in it that could have been had for about a grand that would have been fun to beat on.  We had quite a few conversations about what specific cars/trucks we owned in the past would be worth based on the asking prices we were seeing.  In general, the event wasn't productive from a great find point of view....it was just a nice time to get outside on a sunny day before the snow comes and look at cars and people-watch.

One event I missed on Sunday that I wish I attended (and will attend in the Spring when it starts up again) was the final gathering of Caffeine & Carburetors....check out their website.  Info on our new shop coming soon.    

Still have some fall foliage

This needs to be hanging on a wall in my house

Something about old Ford trucks - Part II

My posts have definitely been slowing down. Basically, I've really just been posting about past exploits with hopes to make it through the winter so that I can start a more 'real time' blog in the spring.  The problem is that it won't stop freakin' snowing here in Connecticut. Temperatures are still hovering around freezing and last year at this time spring had sprung and we were in the 70's.

So for now, here's another story about something dumb I did. Just a couple years back I came across a beat up old 64 Ford F-100 locally.  The truck was a mess, but relatively complete.  As I already posted, I have s weak spot for old Ford trucks.  So I made the deal. Rented a trailer and took the family SUV to drag the project home....did I mention I forget to tell my wife? Ultimately, to make a long story short, she went nuts when I brought it home.  I think a part of the reaction what based on the fact that the truck was heinous.   Anyways, I spent some time going down the 'rat rod' theme with the project just using rattle cans and junk already in my garage.  I think it started to shape up but then I received an offer on it and sold it......a very happy day for my wife. So here it is....

Before

After

Engine Before

Engine After

I'm sure there is a Something about old Ford trucks - Part III coming some day.

Something about old Ford trucks

I like old trucks.  Maybe it stems from my brother's old truck that got us started wrenching on stuff? So when a friend of mine wanted to get rid of his 67 F100 in a hurry I was more than happy to oblige.  I just purchased a piece of land in which I was going to build a house on....the perfect justification for a tough old truck. The problem was at the time I was living in a condo complex. 

Eventually, my wife's embarrassment of having it sit in the condo parking area for everyone to see reached a level in which she gave me enough hell to prompt me to unload it.....I should have never sold it.  It was very solid, someone already re-did the body at some point. The interior was mint. The engine ran smooth and the cab was really tight.

The only silver lining is that the guy who bought it was a really interesting car guy. He actually hosts a automotive themed radio show. He had a collection of old fords including a Torino, Ranchero, Falcon wagon, and Cougar.

So basically, I finagled into the 'deal' that I would personally deliver an extra windshield I had for the truck to his house....provided he showed me his other rides.  I spent a while at his house and he traded car stories for a bit. His pride and joy was his Torino (white with blue C-stripes if I remember correctly) and he was active in the Torino enthusiasts community. He bought the Torino on the west coast and attempted to drive it back to Connecticut via Route 66.....I think he said he ran into issues midway and let AAA take care of the rest of the trip.  

Anyways, I miss that truck and what could have been.  And since then (to my wife's dismay) I have dabbled in old ford trucks again...so stay tuned for "Something about old Ford trucks - Part 2"

Hell on Two Wheels

I have owned a couple motorcycles over the the years. Bikes have always been a very unpopular topic with the family.  Everyone from my wife to my mother to even my father disapproved. That's right, this guy here didn't like the idea of me riding:

My first foray into bikes was through a group of guys at work. A bunch of guys from the office rode, the majority had Harley's or import cruisers.  At the time I was more interested in crotch rockets than cruisers but my good friend/co-worker sold his Ninja ZX11 and bought a Kawasaki Mean Streak. I didn't know much about the 'metric cruiser' scene. He picked up the bike and installed pipes, a intake system and had it re-programmed and the result was impressive. Shiny, kinda fast and very loud. The other performance metric cruisers at the time were the Yamaha Warrior and the massive Honda VTX 1800....so I started scheming.  That's when I came across the brand new Honda VTX 1300 Retro.  It was big (but not as uncontrollable as the 1800) and had very classic lines (unlike the Yamaha Warrior). It had floor boards with a floor shifter, full fenders and a single pin crank engine to give it a nice lumpy idle.

My only complaint about the Honda was that it was too maintenance free. Actually, the issue was probably more that it was such a new model that there was no aftermarket for it.....so the only thing I could do to it was put gas in it and ride it (sounds horrible doesn't it).  Eventually, I came to the point where I didn't ride it enough to warrant owning it.....so I sold it.

At this time the chopper building TV shows caught fire...so I decided I was going to build myself a chopper. I decided to go British twin even though I knew nothing about them because they seemed affordable (and yet cool).  I started with a old 67 Triumph Bonneville frame that I bought on eBay and showed up at my front door.  I found a sick girder front end, a 750 engine, twin carb head, and invader rear wheel.  Here it is at some point during the build:

My last bike was bought on a whim. I found a dirt cheap Yamaha XS 750 from the late 70's and figured I could do something in the cafe racer motif (way before the Cafe Racer TV show) to make it cool.   I took it home and got it running. I then slapped on some clubman bars and removed whatever other parts I could.  My next step was to modify seat  but then someone made me an offer I could refuse so I sold it.

So as of now I'm bikeless. Will I own another motorcycle at some point? I'm sure of it. I'm still interested in building a cafe racer style bike, I just think I would like to do it with a 60's European bike as by starting point.  Maybe something Italian like a vintage Ducati or Benelli.  I'm also getting into the board track racer replicas people are building and am getting interested in taking a crack at one of those. We'll just have to wait and see what crosses my path.