I Can See... I Can See!

It only took me a year but yeah, I finally got some fluorescent fixtures (thanks Mark) installed in the garage. You know, it's a lot easier to work when you can actually see what you're doing.

Let there be light!

Hemi Ford

Almost makes coming to work worthwhile to see this, though rat rods really aren't my thing. This motor though, it seriously needs to go into a real car. Something with big ole' Virgil Exner fins on it I'm thinking.

He could always replace it with a 225 Slant Six.

Miss Belvedere - An Update

Miss Belvedere, Tulsa Oklahoma's entombed 1957 Belvedere Sport Coupe that was unearthed in 2007 is still in New Jersey undergoing stabilization work. Accurate reports on her progress have been hard to come by so I was pleased when I came across this update over at the Hemmings blog (click on the 1st photo to go there, and be sure to listen to the MP3 interview with Dwight Foster that's included in the article).

edit 6/23 - additional photos

Miss Belvedere - history and DVD

Stand. And Deliver.

Some assembly required!

Bueller.... Bueller.... Bueller

We caught Ferris Bueller's Day Off at the local mall when it was first released. Summer of '86. Great, typical eighties fare. And Funny. Still. I've got an ancient, original VHS copy that I watch every so often... it takes me back. A different time. A different attitude. A different life.

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Week 57

Drive-In

Was forced to sit through the Night at the Museum (sequel) so that I could finally get to see the new Trek movie. And although there were several things that bothered me, as a child of the original series I have to admit that overall I wasn't disappointed in the least.

Week 55

Back to work! Set out today to remove the passenger side doors and hardware. Which I accomplished. They're in really nice shape with only some minor rot at the bottom which will be easy to patch. Taking the doors off would be an easy enough task if not for the door travel limiter, which is riveted on one end (a feature unique to the '57 model year, the 58s having a different setup from what I understand) and requires grinding to remove. It's time consuming since space is tight and I wanted to make sure I was only grinding the rivet and not it's mounting bracket. I also had to rassle with the door hardware... both the window crank as well as the opener took a lot of coaxing to remove (first time since the car was built no doubt). Again, a slow process as I didn't want to break them. After it was all said and done though I got them all off, intact. Whew.

Trains

Not automobile related but I needed to post these somewhere - and since locomotives have internal combustion engines and wheels I figured I could get away with it. And well, it's my blog. ;P

Taken with my cell phone camera from the rickety wooden overpass that's near our home, these are the antithesis of contemporary rail photography. My answer to certain "railfan" photography websites that accept only the most perfectly lit and composed shot. Folks who've managed to elevate the word "uptight" to whole new levels. *heh*

365 !

No Explanation Necessary

'Nudder Update

New look for the blog. Whaddya think!

Quick Update

Yeah... I'm lazy. ;)

I am making a parts run this Saturday. Hoping to snag a drivers door and a couple of body panels to replace the rotted out areas on Elizabeth. I'll have more news on that this weekend.

Visions

Or hallucinations! This freshly Photoshopped pic of a '57 4dr sedan will give you a pretty good idea of what I hope Elizabeth will come out looking like when this is all over. Missing are the wings of course, and I'll be replacing the stock grill emblem with the '58 "V"... but, well you get the idea.

Oh, yeah. The decision has been made to keep her outer appearance (including side trim and taillights) more or less stock '57 Belvedere. I've spent several weeks going over photos of both '57s and '58s, from every angle and the more I think about it the more I find myself preferring that look. Two decisions remain: whether or not to paint the front lower grill the body color or stock silver, and whether of not I'm going to paint the area below the rear deck lid, in between the taillights white as the factory did for the Belvedere or the body color.

More on this later.

Year One

It's been a year since I found Elizabeth, and made the deal to bring her home from Georgia. Thanks Pete!

If you're new to my blog or have not had the opportunity to do so yet, take a few moments and scroll down through my entries form the past year. Informative, and comical. ;)

Stay tuned. More hilarity to come!

Thinking Warm Thoughts

Supposed to warm into the sixties next weekend!

Miami Beach, Florida 1962
time to break out those old Gleason records!

Mid-Winter update

Unheated garage = won't be much news until Spring arrives to warm things up around here. I did stop by Saturday to check in and was relieved to see that the garage had suffered no damage from the ice storm, and that everything was just as I left it. Whew!

Also, the blog's a year old this month! 

The Official Yearly "I Hate Winter" Post

Haven't been to the garage in weeks as January has been brutally cold, at least for us. Then, to make matters worse, Mother Nature decided to give us a severe beating this week in the form of a day and a half worth of freezing rain. The photos tell the tale.

We've been without power since 4am Wednesday.

I'm ready for Spring now. *8-(

More 6.1L Hemi pictures

I have been playing around with Picasa and wanted to share the photo album I made of the the pictures I took of the 6.1L Hemi.

Hemi Rat Rod

This is one sweet Rat Rod. I found it surfing YouTube videos. When the 6 (yes 6) strombergs come to life, your hair will stand on end. Enjoy!

6.1L Hemi Head

Pictures of the 6.1L Hemi head. I am in the process of obtaining the pictures of the engine when my grandfather obtained it. Enjoy!

Week 36

No major earth shattering news this week - spent some time Saturday reorganizing the garage and moving things around to make room for the engine stand I plan to purchase before the end of the month. I would have had it already but it's sold out at my store of choice. Picked myself up a handy-dandy "service cart" instead which is already stocked with my tool boxes and air tools and the whole thing fits nicely under the workbench. When your shop is as small as mine you gotta make sure you put every inch to good use.

Still working on getting Elizabeth's right side doors off. Got all the interior door trim removed, along with the quarter glass behind the rear door. If the weather cooperates next weekend I should be able to finish up.

Week 35

Seventy plus degrees out today. Not too shabby for December 27th and a perfect day to be down at the garage. The pictures tell the tale.

Next week I'll work on the other side. :)

2009 Dodge Challenger SRT8

Here's a video to go with Steve's Friday night "Late Night Ramblings" post featuring the car that had that awesome motor in it.



click here



And while you're at it, go visit the Dodge Challenger page over on YouTube too.

Week 34

Still working on getting her doors removed. Getting the door hardware off, intact has turned out to be a bit of a challenge. Slow going but getting there. Expect to make better progress this weekend. Will post some photos.

Made up a short music video with some of the photos I've got of Elizabeth that were taken in Georgia earlier this year before I picked her up. Merry Christinemas. And a Happy New Year.

Late Night Ramblings

I decided to take a break from learning Ruby on Rails to share an interesting story at the request of Dave. I had mentioned to him that my grandfather (Larry Griffith) got a hold of a new 6.1L Hemi, but there is an interesting story behind the engine. The engine is a test engine from Chrysler that has 30,000 + miles on it. The car that it was tested in was the 2009 Dodge Challenger SRT8 with the 6 speed gearbox behind it. He received the engine to do testing for the Super Stock Challenger. I am working on getting pictures to share with all.

Bailing Out The U.S. Auto Industry

Something to remember:

The baddest low riders are made from American cars.

The coolest hot rods are made from American cars.

The wildest rat rods are made from American cars.

The fastest race cars and dragsters? American made.

And I'd like to see the Japanese or Germans build anything as close to cool as those big finned cars of the fifties.

No, the US auto industry isn't perfect and yes they could definitely use some improvement. But they're OURS!

SUPPORT THE AMERICAN AUTO WORKER and the UAW. They build our dreams!

Old School Meets New School

Who says Green has to be fugly. Pretty wild stuff and a great marriage of technologies!

Lincvolt

...or, why is Neil Young still around after all these years? ;)

Week 32

Tire skates came in this week. I was impressed with the overall quality and construction. Real heavy duty, unlike the Chinese copies out there. The set I got is rated at 6000 pounds and cost $175 plus shipping. I highly recommend them. They're manufactured by a small outfit based in Johnson City, Tennessee. That means Made In The USA. Check them out.

Accessible Systems

Drivers floor pan and access panel came this week too. I got these from RCAR Fabrications and I can't recommend them enough. Nicely formed and he uses good quality sheetmetal too. I'll be getting the rest my pans from them for sure.

RCAR Fabrications

Got some other bits, like NOS bumper brackets (that hold the bumper ends to the fenders) and a nice set of new front and rear window trim clips.

Still working on getting the hardware removed from the doors and if it warms up this weekend I'll be back down there and hopefully finish up that part of it and get a door or two off as well.

Week 31

Have you recovered from the weekend yet?

Hope everyone had a good Thanksgiving, or at least got what they wanted out of it. And if you were unfortunate enough to have been forced out of the house to shop this weekend, I feel for you... or not. My better half had to work so I got to stay home. *heh*

I did manage to get to the garage a couple of times over the holiday weekend, mainly to organize my parts storage. I did tinker around on the car for a while but nothing to write home about. Tire skates and her driver's floor pan should be in this week. Got access to a neighbors engine lift when I need it so as soon as I spring for a stand I'll be pulling Elizabeth's motor and tranny.

A new automotive machine shop just opened up down the road. I think that's a sign.

Trailer Queen

Definition: A classic car that, for some reason, can't or shouldn't be driven but is instead towed to car shows. The most common trailer queen can be driven but the owner is usually so tied up in the status and appearance of his car that he has forgotten the joy of driving it and now hauls it around in a trailer to avoid dirt or possible damage. These cars are often painfully shiny with very expensive, detailed paint jobs and blinding chrome.

I am NOT building one of those.

Found this shirt on eBay and just had to get it...

So....

I set up a YouTube account. To go with the web site. Just gotta have videos. Here's my intro video, playing a cut off the Christine soundtrack Lp - a little Dion and the Belmonts singing I Wonder Why.

Week 29

Finally managed to make my way to the garage today, dropped off the new sander (the pads are coming from a different vendor and haven't arrived yet) and the new distributor. Started removing interior door handles and trim, getting ready to take the doors off and start in on her body work.

Found a source for the front drivers floor pan that includes the proper accelerator pedal access and mounting holes - every other design I've seen simply leaves that whole area out. I'm still scratching my head on that one.

Everything else is safe and sound and just as I left it.





Here's a shot of the storage area. The clear totes are full of parts for Elizabeth, as are the boxes and all the other stuff stacked around there. Long boxes full of trim and such are against the wall next to where I was standing. By the time I get the doors stored in here I'll be about out of floor space.

Finally!

I had invested in a new electronic ignition system and distributor for the Plymouth earlier this year, acting on the advice of several folks on one of the forums I used to haunt and ordering the setup from an eBay dealer, "waterlootirecompany". After shelling out over $400 for the setup it took them over a month to ship my parts. This after several emails to them went unanswered. When the parts did arrive I found they had shipped the wrong distributor. More emails, send the distributor back and wait 6 more weeks for the replacement. Another wrong distributor which was promptly returned. By this time I was really getting annoyed and starting to worry if I was going to get ripped off. After several more weeks of unanswered emails and broken promises (and no distributor) I turned the matter over to eBay, who never contacted me again. Thanks to eBay and their seller "waterlootirecompany" I was out almost $300, the price of the distributor I never received. Lesson learned. Avoid eBay like the plague.

So last week I was finally able to track down a reliable source for an electronic distributor for Elizabeth's 318 poly. It arrived today.

Source: Pertronix. Show 'em some love. They delivered. On time!

Moving Forward

Made a major purchase today after I finally found a deal on a reliable electric sander for the bodywork:

Porter-Cable 7335R 5-Inch Variable Speed Random Orbit Sander

Got a ton of sandpaper too - 80, 120, 220, and 320 grit - 400 discs in all.

Time to get busy with it!

For the record...

Quick update

No real news. Still playing catch up with my budget. I need floor pans and some body working tools (like a DA sander) but don't have the cash right now as it all went into the transmission of my daily driver (and car rental for a week). This left me behind in other things and put me in a foul mood to boot.

Also next up to be done is getting the motor pulled. My garage is small, not enough room for a hoist and a stand at the same time so I'm still working on a solution there. More as it develops.

Week 23

In my hands, Google can be dangerous! Check out what I just found while doing an image search for "57 Belvedere". Look familiar? Yeah, that's her! About two and a half four and a half years ago at a place called Sunnydale Acres. Sounds more like a nudist colony than a junk yard!

(photo posted with permission)

No other car news. I did stop by the garage while running errands Saturday. Everything was safe and sound. I plan on returning in another week or two and resuming where I left off.

Week 22

Another week. No updates. I've had to drop $500 into the transmission of my '99 Taurus, money that was supposed to go towards body working tools I need for Elizabeth. The Ford is my daily driver, and she's got 217,000 miles on her - with the original transmission. So I guess I can't complain. It was just something I wasn't in the mood to deal with (and car rental for a week ain't cheap).

Oh well.

Week 21

Another weekend off from working on the car. Too many other things seem to need my attention, both at work and at home. Just another downside of not having a garage on the property to keep her, and it's hard to get motivated to go out and drive into town sometimes. Ah well. She's not going anywhere. *8-)

Week 20

I was going to rant about gas prices since they kept me at home this weekend, thanks in no small part to public overreaction to hurricane IKE (before it even made landfall). And since I live about 10 miles from my garage, a couple of trips there and back are a big deal to me when gasoline is so high. But to make a long story short, local gas was $3.49 a gallon last Monday. By Friday afternoon (again, while IKE was still out in the gulf) it had risen to $4.25 in most places, prompting our governor to declare a state of emergency in order to freeze prices and stop the gouging. Total. Utter. Bullsh!t.

I think it's about time we put someone in the White House who knows how to think and can deal with these sort of things. The current occupant seems unable or unwilling.

Over and out.

Week 19

Made a parts run Saturday. And check out who came on the radio (tuned to the 50s station on Sirius) as I drove out of the city limits. None other than Thurston Harris and Little Bitty Pretty One. Someone was smiling down on me today. Sorry for the cr@ppy video, I shot it with my cell phone.

Here's a shot of the haul. '57 deck lid, grill, bumper and a vent wing mount to replace the broken one on Elizabeth.

Thanks James!

You learn something new every day!

Those who know will say this is a Plymouth brake booster. Certainly looks like one doesn't it. But in fact, this baby came off a Jaguar and was manufactured in the UK by Dunlop. Maybe they purchased the design? Who knows. But it's a (much newer) bolt on replacement!

Also, I decided that I liked the name and so followed through with my earlier idea and purchased the domain therustynuts.com today. The URL www.therustynuts.com will bring you to this site. I think it fits nicely. Heh!

Week 18

Short update today. Went down to the garage this afternoon with the trusty grinder and got Elizabeth's rear bumper removed, after grinding the heads off of all four bolts. The nuts and threads had been reduced to blobs of rust, no way those were coming off with a wrench. The bumper has a few thin spots and some pinholes in it but since I'm not building a show car I'm hoping it can still be salvaged and made to look presentable. Her lower valance is still intact as you can see but the metal is as thin as paper in spots and not salvageable. Gotta love that Georgia clay.





I think I'm going to start my own club. "The Brotherhood of the Rusty Nuts". It'll be open to anyone who does this kind of stuff for fun!

Week 17

It doesn't look like much from the photos but I spent the better part of the afternoon today removing the stainless trim from around Elizabeth's windshield and rear window. That's what you see stacked up on her roof. It's like anything though. It takes time if you want to do it right. And removing rusty 50 year old screws and rotted trim clips can be a lesson in patience and perseverance. But it's done. All of her exterior stainless is off.

I was a bit dismayed at the amount of dirt that had accumulated under the trim though, that served to hold moisture and cause a good deal of rust. It's not too bad around the windshield area, considering her age and the fact she sat outside exposed to the elements for so many years. Around the rear window is a different story however.

Also tackled the aluminum rocker panel sill covers while I was at it. The screw heads had gotten pretty chewed up over the years and it took almost an hour to finally get them all coaxed out






Here's a shot of the rear window, where the roof pillar meets the sheetmetal of the body. There's a good six inches of metal missing. The good news, the rest of the gasket channel while rusted is in fairly good shape. So I dont' think I have to worry about structural integrity issues here but I want the repair to look nice and clean. I got my work cut out for me. Ugh.




And finally, here's a shot that includes the rear quarter. The filler looks like it was factory applied as Elizabeth's original maroon is on top of it. If you look close you'll also see brown and two shades of green too. Bleah. On a positive note, the tops of the fins are solid and fairly clean. Yeah, it's just about time to start some serious sandin' on that body of hers.

Week 16

Another productive day. Got the exhaust manifolds off, lost two studs (one was already broken) so I'm not complaining there. Removed and stored the push rods (marked so that they can be put back were they came from) and got the heads off. I was interested to find that the two rear bolts on each head were significantly looser than the others. This couldn't have helped engine performance at all. Cylinder walls are nice and smooth, no scoring and no noticable wear. Just carbon build up on the pistons.







Also got the master cylinder and booster off.


Oh yeah, got my workbench built Saturday. It's for light duty (no engine blocks here) but better than nothing.

Week 15

I've gotten everything off the top of the motor and I'm just about ready to pull the heads (after I read up on the removal sequence). I was pleased to see no damage to any of the push rods and no abnormal wear. Just a light coating of motor oil gunk. So far so good. Pulled the blower housing, water pump, generator and fuel pump as well and got them stored away.

Snagged some used shelving from the body shop next door that was being discarded. It was well received as I was short on storage space and was hoping to find some used somewhere. I still need to build a small workbench at the back of the shop. I've managed to obtain just enough used lumber for the job and am just waiting for the weather to cool down a bit.

Today's word: Ahhhh!

Week 14

Yeah. I feel good.

I accomplished what I set out to do, didn't have a hard time with any of it and found things in better shape than I had expected. Got the inner fenders off, only lost three bolts (I'm gonna need a set of easy-outs) and got the radiator support removed. I thought I'd have trouble since the stud that holds it on was rusted solid but since the botton of the support is rotted out, it simply lifted off. Had to grind the stud off though. Will probably wind up just replacing the whole radiator support if my buddy John in CA can hook me up with one. The other nice surprise was the "dog houses" where the front of the body is attached to the frame. I wasn't sure what to expect, as I've seen so much bottom up rot but... well, the photos below tell the story. Just some surface rust. Very nice to see!

And yeah... check out her original maroon paint! She sure was a purdy thing!

Today's word: WHEW!

Yeah, It's got a HEMI!!

Hello all. I am Steve Griffith, I am excited to be given the chance to share the love I have with MoPar products along with my general excitement with everything automotive related. My family is full of MoPar fanatics, starting with my grandfather, Larry Griffith, when he raced factory sponsored Plymouth's in the early 60's. The picture above is him racing a Demon in ~1971, not the famed "Triple Crown Dart" that I previously stated. More stories and interesting facts to come...

Week 13

The pictures tell the story. There was a lot less involved in getting them off than I thought. Only broke two bolts. Fenders are in real nice shape. The inner wells are solid as well. Radiator support is rotted at the bottom. Not sure if I'll repair or replace.

No drive-in. Twin Hills ran Batman and Hellboy 2 this week. It served to remind me that this isn't exactly X-Files territory.

Today's word: HOT!

Week 12

Another weekend at home. Daytime highs this weekend approached 100 degrees. Too hot to be spending much time in that metal garage of mine. Next weekend is supposed to be cooler so I plan on heading down there, as I have much to get done and feel guilty when I'm not making progress.

Went to Twin Hills Saturday evening for The Dark Knight. As a fan of Frank Miller and Alan Moore I had high hopes for this latest installment of the Batman franchise and was looking forward to the darker look. Unfortunately, Christian Bale's performance was less than I expected and he came across more like James Bond in a bat suit. Too many gadgets, not enough pause for thinking and logic. Heath Ledger as the Joker however really blew me away and he absolutely nailed the character in my opinion. His confrontation with Bale in the police interrogation room was memorable and the highlight of the movie. I'll not say more, lest I reveal too much to those who've not seen it yet. I recommend it highly though, despite it's character's weaknesses.

Next weekend: The new X-Files movie (following a local car show). Saturday will be a long one. ;-)

Week 11

Stayed home. Saved gas. Made myself useful around the house. One of those things you have to do from time to time to keep the peace. If you know what I mean. Got plenty accomplished so I feel like the weekend wasn't a total loss.

In the meantime I'm posting a few shots I took down in Georgia, from our trip to pick up Elizabeth. This is Pete's 58 Plymouth, and we were having a fun drive from Forsyth to Juliette where we had dinner at the Whistle Stop Cafe (yes, the one from the movie). Pete recently had to part with her so it was the first and last time we got to ride in her. Thanks Pete. We left with some great memories of our trip (aside from that whole breaking and entering matter)!

Parked alongside the Whistle Stop Cafe. It really was like stepping back into a scene from the movie. I should have gotten more photos, the place was almost as it was in the film, right down to the counters and booths.

And yes, we did have us some Fried Green Tomatoes.

Photo Dump - Georgia wrecking yard

From JAN - MAR this year.

Lynda - 63 Wagons

For some stupid reason (youthful ignorance perhaps) I never thought to take any good pictures of my 63 Fury wagon, showing how she looked in her prime. However, as luck would have it, I recently found these pictures on the net, of another 63 wagon complete with blacked out windows and wheels very similar to the ETs that Lynda rode on. Take away the side trim, paint her black and you get the idea.

Week 10

Slowly working my way to getting the fenders off. Also started sanding rear quarters. I've found 4 layers of paint there. Her original maroon, brown (?!?), dark green and finally a layer of lighter metallic green. Whew. She's had her share of "makeup" applied over the years. But for the life of me I'll never understand why someone would put GREEN over that beautiful factory maroon and white paint job. Damn.

Week 9

Not much news this week. Had some chores to take care of and so I decided to stay around the house most of the weekend. I did venture down to the garage Sunday to drop off some stuff for storage and wound up tinkering for a few hours, removing things from the intake manifold as I prepare to tear the engine down.

Slow. Steady. Progress.

Here's a photo I took on the way back home Sunday afternoon, just down the road from our farm. This should give you a pretty good clue as to why I live here.



Peace!

Week 8

Bosch RZ10 = $65
Cutoff Wheels and 30 day warranty = No Charge
Safety goggles from Ace = $8
Watching that last bumper bolt fall to the ground = Priceless

And this Blue Moon Belgian White tastes extra good tonight!

Hey!

Just a quick shout out to the family, if any of you are out there - lurking. Spying! I can hear you breathing. Yeah, you know who you are. ;-)

Week 7

I think I'm going to need more tools!

Seriously. Removing 50 year old bumper bolts with a socket set just ain't gonna cut it. Cut it. Yeah. That' s what I'm talking about. Need a set of torches and some better Vice Grips. Yup.

I can just imagine restoration veterans (you know who you are) taking a look at this blog and chuckling to themselves as they read about my exploits. But damn it, I'm having fun and isn't that what's it's all about? And let's face it, tearing down a vintage car like this is a real journey - into a different time. When cars where made by hand and every part, every last nut and bolt was made right here in America and assembled by hard working union men and women. Yeah. You know what I'm sayin'

Except for the nasty Japanese steel Chrysler started using in these cars. But that's another story for another time.

Well... her engine is still stuck. Guess I'm not trying hard enough. Today I removed the valve covers and gave everything a nice bath with Blaster. Got the crank case blow down tube off. It's in perfect shape. No dents or bent parts and most of it is still shiny metal. Should clean up nicely. As well, the valve covers and valve train are exceptionally clean. I guess, after 50 odd years I was expecting a layer of caked on oil gunk but as you can see for yourself, it's as clean as you could wish for and I can't help but wonder if someone's been into this motor before me.

Week 6

Internet access @ home is down so I gotta do this quick so I don't get busted (don't ask).

Got a boatload of parts in last week, almost all the stuff still missing off Elizabeth, that was offered to me by a gentleman from up north. What I got was the much sought after hood lip stainless (a really nice one too), her radiator, both horns, 'a 58 lower grille and the passenger side lower fender stainless. I've already snagged my elbows and upsweeps (another great deal there) so I think I've now got all my exterior trim. Still a few things left to get (like a heater core) but otherwise, I'm set. Took it all down to the garage Saturday where I unpacked and inspected everything and put it all away till I need it. And that was about the extent of what I got accomplished last weekend. By 10AM it was already 90degrees. Even hotter inside that large metal box I call my garage. Things are looking better for this weekend tho.

---edit 4:00pm---

Here are a couple photos that show the lower stainless trim strip attached and where it's missing, on the passenger side. You can see where the hood lip stainless is missing as well.

Week 5

Had sh!t to do here at home so that's where I stayed. Gas is $4 a gallon now so staying home every other weekend makes sense right now. Not that I expect it'll get any better.

But I really can't b!tch and moan too much... 'cause today I find out that the man is dead. And that hurts. Rest easy sir. And keep on playing so we can find you when it's our turn.





Time for some music, sweet and low...

Memorial Day Weekend - Week 4

Saturday:

Cruise-In @ the old Wal-Mart building up in Harrodsburg. Spent a couple hours there late in the afternoon. Saw a grand total of three nice classic Mopars. But for this area, that's a lot! Personal favorite - this 65 Belvedere.



My "Most Original" award went to this unrestrored '56 Pontiac. The owner was really proud and enjoyed showing her off. Even had the original WWW spare in the trunk.




Afterwords we headed up the road to Twin Hills to watch Indiana Jones. Got there at 7:30 and by 8:30 the place was packed. Full. And it was good to see so many folks out with their families at the drive-in. The movie was... how shall I say it... different. Indiana Jones meets the X-Files. Actually, I enjoyed it quite a bit.



Monday:

Got to the garage around 12:3o to meet up with my buddy Tim who had not seen Elizabeth before. We spent a good two hours going over the car and plotting strategy on how best to handle the floors. I've been worried about how to best go about tackling the job of replacing the rotted sheet metal and I came away feeling much better about it afterwords.

Tim S. and I go back a quite a few years, he and I used to work together as electronic technicians at a local family owned office equipment supply company. More than anyone else, it was Tim and his brothers (who love mechanics and working on old cars) who helped re-ignite my passion for classic American heavy-metal. Thanks man!

Aside from that, I did manage to get a small bit of work in. Removed her rear taillight assemblies and trim and got the fin caps removed and rust debris vacuumed up. The trim and fin caps will probably wind up on eBay real soon as I work to turn excess parts into cash to help fund the floorpan purchases. Also gave the bumper bolts a good soaking of Blaster so I can work on getting them removed in the next couple weeks.





All in all a great weekend (although it seems they just don't last long enough these days).

Till next time....

Week 3

No work on Elizabeth this weekend, took off with the missus Saturday and hit some flea markets in search of vinyl (I collect Lps and open reel tapes) instead. A threat of rain kept us away from the drive-in Saturday night (and Speed Racer was getting some pretty bad press anyway). We do plan on returning for Indiana Jones.

Sometimes You CAN Go Back

I can't tell you what triggered it, but last week I started thinking, again, about the fate of those drive-ins in Cleveland that I used to haunt when I was younger. In my post "Summer of '79" I mentioned the Brookpark Drive-In, where I used to spend my Saturdays. Some searching led me to its correct name, the Auto Drive-In. That in turn led to a bit of hunting utilizing Google Maps and Microsoft's Virtual Earth.

This, unfortunately is what I found. :(


A damn sad sight. I don't know what would have been worse. Discovering it in this condition, with our concession stand falling in, or seeing that it had been paved over. Someone has gone through the trouble of planting a sh!tload of trees on the property (is it a nursery now?) so I suppose it's not all bad for the old Auto Drive-In of Brookpark.

The Memphis Drive-In

The other drive-in I used to frequent was the old Memphis Triple as we called it (for its three screens). Built in '54 it was the largest around. Probably the largest in the county. Sadly, it too has met its fate, in 2006, with the property having been sold to American Greetings. The Memphis was Cuyahoga County's last surviving drive-in theatre. :(


Which leads me to the point of this post!


Here's a shot of the newly restored marquee of the Twin Hills drive-in theatre in Harrodsburg, Kentucky - which reopened in 2005 after being "dark" for twenty years.


The missus and I spent Saturday evening there, our first trip to the Twin, and only our second visit to a drive-in since we relocated here in 1988. We're planning on returning next Saturday, to take in Speed Racer.

Yeah. It was fun. Just like it used to be.

Week 2

Removed the front seats today. I'd shot the rusty nuts with PB Blaster last week and was able to remove them with ease. After I'd wrestled the seats out, by myself and carted them outside I noticed that there was an odd piece of translucent piping trim sticking out from beneath the white and black seat covers. After a bit of poking I saw what appeared to be Elizabeth's original seat covers - still intact. Since I was planning on getting them recovered anyway I grabbed my utility knife and went to work carefully removing the obviously newer outer vinyl. Here's a before and after shot.





Both front and rear, seat cushions and backs still have the original materials intact. The cushions are shot and the foam is dusting out everywhere - those will need replaced. But the seat backs - I may keep those intact and simply apply the new material over them. Especially the rear seats, which are still like new.

Also removed the windshield lower trim and vent stainless along with the windshield wipers today. Gave the front and rear bumper bolts a good bath in Blaster and will work next week on getting them removed.

All in all a fairly productive afternoon. And nothing broken!

Do it yourself damnit!

Anyone with some money can buy a classic car. Hell, they're all over eBay now. Doesn't take any skill to do that.

It does take skill, patience, time and common sense to restore one yourself. Especially one that's been sitting out in a field for a better part of her life. But half the fun is doing it yourself, bringing her back, watching that gradual transformation from heap to honey. Because nothing beats the feeling you'll get when you finally sit behind the wheel, as you and her take that first cruise. When you can say, at last - "Yeah. I did this myself".

Week 1

Well, she's been here a week and I've already gotten some things accomplished. Since the garage is in town and I live about 7 miles away, I usually don't get to spend much time there during the week, I work 50 miles away and spend two hours a day driving, on top of putting in an eight hour work day. So, right now most of my work on Elizabeth gets done on Saturday afternoons.

The first workday was last Monday, which was spend doing cleanup work (rodent nests) and assessing her overall condition. I got the rear seats out and stored and also played around with her wiring a bit, to see what kind of shape it was in (better than expected, not brittle or cracked and probably salvageable).

Yesterday was a bit more productive. Removed her trunk lid and hood, headlight bezels and grille (without breaking anything) and got to work trying to free up her motor. It's seized up at the moment, from sitting for over 10 years and Pete wasn't sure of it's condition. I've applied liberal amounts of PB Blaster down into the cylinders to try to free them up and will wait until next Saturday to see if it worked (got a new 24" breaker bar and a 1-1/4" socket for the task). If not, I'll shoot more PB Blaster, wait a week and try again. If that doesn't work I'll be pulling and rebuilding Elizabeth's motor as well.

Elizabeth Comes Home!

Left Forsyth, Georgia at 5AM on Sunday the 27th and after a couple of stops for breakfast and lunch pulled into Danville at 2:30 in the afternoon. It was a great trip and everything went as planned. A special thanks to Pete Bottom at Job Master Rental in Harrodsburg, Kentucky for the fine truck, it made our trip that much more enjoyable. And of course a shout out to Pete Cook for being a fine salesman, and for literally going the extra mile in the deal. Thanks man! This means a lot to me. :-)

We're here!

In Juliette, Georgia that is. Wonderful nighttime trip (left at 2am)! I'd forgotten they had tropical foliage down here. Very nice surprise.

The Countdown Begins

We pick her up on the 26th! Just a week and a half to go!!
In the meantime, here are a few more photos.
Thanks Pete!!!

Elizabeth - some details

All original junkyard survivor:

* 1957 Plymouth Belvedere 4dr sedan
* 78,800 original miles
* Factory paint: maroon with white spears
* Motor: 318 Poly with TorqueFlite 3-speed automatic trans.
* Power Steering option
* Power Brake option
* JiffyJet
* Factory interior is intact
* 95% of her stainless trim is intact

I also have a full set of bumper wings for her.

I Found Her!

I've found my Plymouth!

Born in 1957 and living in Georgia

Details to come.

The Summer of '79

Fresh out of High School, me and Lynda headed to my old hometown - Cleveland, Ohio for the summer. For the first time in my life I was out on my own, and I still recall our first drive from Erie to Cleveland with great fondness. One hundred and ten miles of open interstate - I just opened her up and let her go. She almost seemed to drive herself that day, like she'd been waiting for the opportunity to get out and run!

I stayed with my grandparents for the summer and of course they insisted that I pay my own way while I was there. It didn't take long to land a decent factory job, one that payed well and left my weekends free. It was hot, dirty work but it left me feeling satisfied at the end of the day.

Grandma usually reserved Saturday mornings for yard work but I still had my afternoons free which meant getting up early, getting my work done then heading out to the flea market at the Brookpark Drive-In. It was a great place to hang out as anyone who was into cars could often be found there, selling and trading parts. At times that place looked more like a car show and swap meet than a flea market and that's where I found my first Sun tach, a nice 4 barrel carb and a set of 4 ET mag wheels for Lynda.

My grandparents were pretty strict and insisted that I be home before 9pm - even on Saturday nights. But I eventually learned that doing some extra chores could soften their attitudes and I was often allowed to stay out past midnight on Saturdays. And so Lynda and I could usually be found back at the Brookpark Drive-In, listening to WMMS until the movie began.

That's a rather compressed version of what I experienced but I think you get the idea.

It was simply a fantastic summer with tons of fond memories.

Backstory

My first car. A 1963 Fury purchased during my senior year in high school, from her original owner for $75, in 1978. By the time I got done with her she was sporting a '64 hemi scoop, new black paint, blacked out windows, ET mags and a custom interior. She was dubbed the Draggin' Wagon by my friends but I knew her as Lynda. When her transmission failed two years later and I couldn't find anyone that could repair the twenty year old push button automatic, I panicked, and traded her for a '73 Satellite.

I've regretted that decision ever since. And that's sort of why I'm here.

May 1978: Lynda and I

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Welcome!

Please excuse the mess while I get my blog set up here. I will be posting regularly as things develop so stay tuned. In the meantime please feel free to post a comment or question, regarding either the site or my graphics.

-Dave