OK. I was the previous owner of this car, I drove it around for a few years as a presentable stocker. I planned to restore/modify it but... I sold it. Three years later and I've bought it back. I'm sure some of you around here have done this too and I'd like to hear your stories.
I sold my first car, a plymouth valiant, to some guy down south. After about two weeks my dad got a phone call from the San Diego police asking if he owned an old plymouth. He told them that it was sold two weeks earlier. they went on saying that it was involved in a robbery at gunpoint against an old couple. We faxed the bill of sale to the san diego police station. Another two weeks past and they called again saying the guy still hasn't been caught to see if we heard anything more and that they found the car and said its going to be auctioned off. I really wanted to go get my car back, probably for cheaper than i sold it for but i couldn't get down there! I almost bought it back and wish i could have haha
Anyone want a 1965 AMC Rambler American 440 ??? I bought a neat little 2 door hard top from a friend in need of some cash. We agreed that if he ever had the money, he could buy it back, and he picked it up without all the money. Well, I still don't have all the money, and I'm going to go get it this week. I didn't want the car back really, but its mine again.
My car is a two door sedan. It has Granada disks on the front but other than that it's still pretty straight up, nothing special. When I got it back there were several notes in the glovebox that people had stuck under the windshield wipers for me to call them when the other guy had it. It was a good driver and I drove it around in the same areas a lot the first time it was mine. It's kind of neat to be associated with a car even after it's been sold.
I had a freind that bought a maroon 65 Fairlane 2dr HT with a bad miss from a guy he worked with for $125. He brought it home we took an old valve out of a spare 289 head I had with a gasket set ($40 in the 70's) and got it running great then he bought 4 chrome reverse rims with two white lettered wide ovals for $100 buffed it out drove it for two months and sold it back to the guy he got it from for $595.
you know how it is... hard to leave anything alone. The first time I had it I wanted to make a hairy hotrod out of it but it was in such good shape and I didn't have anything else to drive so I just left it alone and started collecting parts. I sold all of those with it and then got them all back, still uninstalled. My plans are a little milder now but I finally pulled the engine and the tear down revealed a standard bore block with fomoco stamped rod and main bearings. The first time I bought it was in Oct 2001 and I know it's been driven a lot in the past nine years. Hard to believe how good of shape it was in at 45 years old. It's .030 over, ARP hardware throughout, Speed Pro pistons on stock rods and crank. Original heads were milled and over-sized valves installed. Holley 600cfm 4160, Edelbrock performer intake and a cam of "secret specifications." I scored some Sanderson headers (the new FF6 model) for it at the Hotrod Nats in Louisville this summer. I believe these are the only headers that will fit this application without modification to the shock towers. I was very impressed with the fit and finish of these. I took this picture with a cell phone after getting it back in place. Should be ready to fire it this weekend. Not too extreme but should be a little heartier than the bone stock 2 barrel 289 it's had all of it's life.
word from tech support about the super comps was that I'd have to modify the stock linkage for the automatic. I wasn't familiar with the Doug's and can't comment about the fit on those. The Sanderson's were a bolt on requiring zero mods to the stuff my car left the factory with. I wouldn't mind changing some linkage to make headers work but I really didn't want to cut and weld on the shock towers or crush any tubes. What headers are you running 6t5?
There are some repops of the k-code manifolds that should work. They are heavy, but should flow. I have plans for those on my '65. I've heard that even some of the headers that say they fit, won't just bolt on. Not much room in there with the stock towers. Looks good. I'm not too far away. Maybe I'll see you around.
I'm actually putting mine back together this spring (sat for about 15 yrs). But, no, I don't have one. We used it as a DD when I was a kid and it always ran fine without. I have plans to set the original 289 4bbl on a stand in the shop and build a 289/302 for it. At that point, I'll probably do an aftermarket radiator and maybe a shroud, but my experience is if everything else is ok, it will stay cool without.
I have a Stude that I have given away a couple of times and it has always come back to me. I may keep it this time unless someone has something way interesting and extremly light they want to trade.
I've seen a few 65's and none I saw had Fan Shroud's.. ??? Did they come with them. If not could you use a Mustang shroud?
I AM using an early mustang radiator, now. Had to modify two of the mounting holes on it to line up with existing holes in the support. No big deal... marked it, drilled it. I do still have the original radiator and believe my car was very original when I first bought it back in 2001. It didn't have a fan shroud then and still doesn't. Cooling hasn't been an issue but now I'm .030 over and have headers... I plan to have the shop that did my exhaust fab a shroud for it, soon. I'm sure a mustang shroud would fit with minor mods if it didn't just bolt right in
Hedman lists one for 63 up Fairlane, pn 88400, but it's shorty style. I had JR Headers on my 63, at that time Hooker, Hedman, etc. only listed 65 and up, and I still had to modify one tube slightly. Don't think JR is around anymore, they were in Michigan IIRC. Nice car BTW, '65s are under appreciated.
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